All you need to know about Yahoo Community SmartBar virus
Yahoo Community SmartBar is a search site created by Linkury Inc company. It has already been categorized as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program (PUP) due to several reasons. It is typically distributed via other freeware and shareware programs, so it is not surprising that it has already replaced so many default start pages and search providers out of nowhere. Once activated, it may hijack all web browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and right after that, it may set feed.helperbar.com as a default start page and search.yahoo.com as a search provider. Once such modifications are implemented, it may start promoting affiliate websites by delivering altered search results, which may contain various sponsored links and advertisements. So, if you want to prevent Yahoo Community SmartBar redirects to the affiliate websites that may be involved in really suspicious activities, you should avoid making searches with this search provider.

Another fact that should encourage you to remove this browsing hijacker immediately is related to the information that is placed in your machine. In fact, this browser hijacker may install cookies on all aforementioned web browsers and may continuously track your search terms, websites that you visited, clicks and similar data. Unfortunately, it may also collect your email address, PC’s IP address, location, and so on. Unfortunately, we can only guess where third-parties may use such information. Think of the fact that it may be used for flooding your email with spam and driven by this fact remove Yahoo Community SmartBar from your computer right now. Fortunately, you can do that with FortectIntego or another reputable anti-spyware quite easily. Of course, you can remove this non-malicious app manually, too; for that, use Yahoo Community SmartBar removal instructions (go to page 2).
When and how did Yahoo Community SmartBar hijack your PC?
People fall for installing Yahoo Community SmartBar believing that it is developed by Yahoo! company. Unfortunately, that is not true. This browser plug-in is certainly related to questionable third parties, which means that it can hardly provide you with reliable search results. Even more, it may slow down your PC, try to download other PUPs on your PC, and may even cause Yahoo Community SmartBar redirects to really suspicious websites. Therefore, you should take needed actions to prevent its infiltration. Fortunately, you don’t have to do much in order to prevent that. You just have to select Advanced or Custom installation option all the time when you are installing freeware on your computer because Yahoo Community SmartBar redirect virus usually spreads in conjunction with free programs. Besides, you have to unmark ticks that are made alongside such and similar notifications, for example: ‘I agree to install Yahoo Community SmartBar’, ‘I agree to set default search to Yahoo! Search’ and so on. Besides, opt out of the propositions to install browser add-ons, plug-ins, toolbars, and extensions.
How to remove Yahoo Community SmartBar browser hijacker?
Of course, all non-malicious programs, including Yahoo Community SmartBar virus, can be deleted manually. If you need a detailed guide on how to do that, scroll down to see Yahoo Community SmartBar removal guide that we provide. However, to fix your computer and protect it from threats, we recommend removing such and similar programs with a help of a reliable anti-spyware.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

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1 comment
Jake6
installed Yahoo Community SmartBar accidentally! I didnt know how to remove it so thanks for the help.