How to remove My-search-start.com [Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge]

If your new tab page, start page and search engine by default has been modified to My-search-start.com or you get a ton of advertisements popping up on your system then it is possible that your web browser has become the victim of malware from the browser hijacker family. Browser hijacking is a form of unwanted software that modifies settings of all your typical internet browsers without a user permission, to redirect on harmful, annoying and misleading web sites. Also, if you are seeing that the existing home page, error page, or search page has been replaced to My-search-start.com page, then you do not need to wait , you need to follow the tutorial below and remove My-search-start.com hijacker as soon as possible.

The My-search-start.com browser hijacker can also modify the search engine selected in the web browser. When you try to search on the infected browser, you will be presented with search results, consisting of advertisements and Google (or Yahoo, or Bing) search results for your query. Among these search results may occur links that lead to unwanted and ad pages.

In addition to that, as was mentioned earlier, certain browser hijackers like My-search-start.com to also alter all browsers shortcuts which located on your Desktop or Start menu. So, every infected shortcut will try to redirect your web browser to undesired web pages, some of which might be harmful. It can make the whole PC more vulnerable to hacker attacks.

Although, My-search-start.com hijacker is not a virus, but it does bad things, and it may make certain undesired changes to settings of installed internet browsers. Moreover, an adware (sometimes called ‘ad-supported’ software) can be additionally installed on to your computer by this browser hijacker infection, that will display a lot of advertisements, or even massive full page advertisements that blocks surfing the World Wide Web. Often such these advertisements may recommend to install other unknown and unwanted programs or visit malicious web sites.

Table of contents

What is My-search-start.com
How to remove My-search-start.com redirect
1. How to manually remove My-search-start.com
2. How to automatically remove My-search-start.com browser hijacker
How to block My-search-start.com
Prevent My-search-start.com hijacker infection from installing
To sum up

Therefore it is very important to clean your computer of hijacker infection as quickly as possible. Follow the few simple steps below to get rid of My-search-start.com start page, as well as other malicious software and ad-supported software, which can be installed onto your PC system along with it.

How to remove My-search-start.com redirect

In the few simple steps below we will have a look at the hijacker infection and how to remove My-search-start.com from Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, FF and MS Edge web-browsers for Windows OS, natively or by using a few free removal tools. Some of the steps below will require you to close the web-page. So, please read the step-by-step tutorial carefully, after that bookmark or print it for later reference.

If you are using an Apple computer running Mac OS, then use the following step-by-step instructions How to remove browser hijacker, pop-ups, ads from Mac

How to manually remove My-search-start.com

The following instructions is a step-by-step guide, which will help you manually delete My-search-start.com home page from the FF, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.

Remove My-search-start.com related programs through the Control Panel of your PC system

First method for manual hijacker infection removal is to go into the Windows “Control Panel”, then “Uninstall a program” console. Take a look at the list of applications on your machine and see if there are any suspicious and unknown software. If you see any, you need to remove them. Of course, before doing so, you can do an Internet search to find details on the application. If it is a potentially unwanted program, adware or malware, you will likely find information that says so.

Windows 8, 8.1, 10

First, click Windows button

, then click Search

. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter like below.

Once the ‘Control Panel’ opens, press the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as shown on the screen below.

You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel as shown on the image below.

Very carefully look around the entire list of software installed on your computer. Most likely, one or more of them are responsible for the appearance of pop-ups and browser redirect to the undesired My-search-start.com site. If you have many programs installed, you can help simplify the search of malicious applications by sort the list by date of installation. Once you have found a suspicious, unwanted or unused program, right click to it, after that click ‘Uninstall’.

Windows XP, Vista, 7

First, press ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as shown on the screen below.

When the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as shown on the screen below.

You will see a list of applications installed on your system. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the applications that were installed last. Most likely they responsibility for the appearance of pop-up ads and internet browser redirect. If you are in doubt, you can always check the program by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. Once the application which you need to delete is found, simply click on its name, and then click ‘Uninstall’ as on the image below.

Clean up the web browsers shortcuts which have been hijacked by My-search-start.com

Unfortunately, the hijacker can also hijack Windows shortcuts (mostly, your internet browsers shortcuts), so that the My-search-start.com startpage will be displayed when you open the Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and MS Edge or another internet browser.

Right click on the shortcut of infected internet browser like below.

Select the “Properties” option and it will open a shortcut’s properties. Next, click the “Shortcut” tab and then delete the “http://site.address” string from Target field as shown on the screen below.

Then press OK to save changes. Repeat the step for all internet browsers that are redirected to the My-search-start.com intrusive page.

Remove My-search-start.com from Google Chrome

Like other modern internet browsers, the Chrome has the ability to reset the settings to their default values and thereby restore the web browser newtab, startpage and search engine by default that have been replaced by the My-search-start.com browser hijacker.

First, start the Google Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three horizontal stripes).
It will show the Google Chrome main menu, click the “Settings” menu.
Next, press “Show advanced settings” link, that located at the bottom of the Settings page.
On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, press the “Reset settings” button.
The Google Chrome will show the reset settings dialog box as shown on the screen above.
Confirm the web-browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
To learn more, read the post How to reset Chrome settings to default.

Remove My-search-start.com search from IE

In order to restore all browser home page, newtab page and default search engine you need to reset the Internet Explorer to the state, that was when the Windows was installed on your machine.

First, run the Internet Explorer. Next, click the button in the form of gear (). It will show the Tools drop-down menu, click the “Internet Options” as shown on the image below.

In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as shown on the image below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then press “Reset” button.

You will now need to reboot your system for the changes to take effect.

Remove My-search-start.com startpage from FF

Resetting your FF is basic troubleshooting step for any issues with your web-browser application, including the redirect to My-search-start.com site.

First, open the Firefox. Next, press the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (). It will open the drop-down menu. Next, click the Help button ().

In the Help menu click the “Troubleshooting Information”. In the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page click on “Refresh Firefox” button as shown in the figure below.

Confirm your action, press the “Refresh Firefox”.

How to automatically remove My-search-start.com browser hijacker

In order to completely remove My-search-start.com, you not only need to delete it from the internet browsers, but also delete all its components in your PC including Windows registry entries. We suggest to download and use free removal tools to automatically free your computer of My-search-start.com hijacker infection.

Scan and free your system of My-search-start.com with Zemana Anti-malware

You can remove My-search-start.com automatically with a help of Zemana Anti-malware. We suggest this malware removal tool because it can easily delete browser hijackers, potentially unwanted software, ad supported software and toolbars with all their components such as folders, files and registry entries.

Download Zemana anti malware on your machine by clicking on the link below. Save it on your desktop.

Zemana AntiMalware
164032 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019

Once the download is finished, close all windows on your system. Further, run the file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown on the image below, click the “Yes” button.

It will open the “Setup wizard” that will allow you install Zemana antimalware on the system. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.

Once setup is finished successfully, Zemana anti malware will automatically launch and you may see its main window as on the image below.

Next, click the “Scan” button for checking your computer for the hijacker infection . A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your system and the speed of your machine.

Once the system scan is done, a list of all threats found is produced. Make sure all entries have ‘checkmark’ and click “Next” button.

The Zemana antimalware will begin removing My-search-start.com hijacker and other security threats. Once disinfection is done, you can be prompted to restart your computer.

Run Malwarebytes to delete hijacker

Manual My-search-start.com homepage removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the hijacker may be not completely removed. We recommend that use the Malwarebytes Free that are completely free your system of hijacker infection. Moreover, the free application will allow you to delete malware, PUPs, adware and toolbars that your machine can be infected too.

Download Malwarebytes from the link below.

Malwarebytes Anti-malware
326386 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020

Once the download is done, close all programs and windows on your personal computer. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup as shown on the screen below.

When the installation begins, you will see the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Malwarebytes on your personal computer.

Once installation is done, you will see window as on the image below.

Now click the “Scan Now” button for scanning your computer for the browser hijacker that redirects your browser to the My-search-start.com annoying page. This task can take quite a while, so please be patient. While the tool is scanning, you can see number of objects and files has already scanned.

Once the scan is done, a list of all threats detected is produced. Make sure all entries have ‘checkmark’ and click “Quarantine Selected” button.

The Malwarebytes will begin removing My-search-start.com browser hijacker related files, folders, registry keys. Once disinfection is done, you may be prompted to restart your system.

The following video explains guide on how to remove browser hijacker and other malicious software with Malwarebytes Anti-malware.

Remove My-search-start.com search from internet browsers with AdwCleaner

If MalwareBytes antimalware or Zemana anti malware cannot remove this browser hijacker, then we suggests to run the AdwCleaner. AdwCleaner is a free removal tool for hijackers, adware, potentially unwanted programs and toolbars.

Download AdwCleaner by clicking on the following link.

AdwCleaner download
225262 downloads
Version: 8.4.1
Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
Category: Security tools
Update: October 5, 2024
Select the folder in which you saved it as Desktop, and then click Save.
After the download is done, start the AdwCleaner, double-click the adwcleaner_xxx.exe file.
If the “User Account Control” prompts, click Yes to continue.
Read the “Terms of use”, and click Accept.
In the AdwCleaner window, press the “Scan” to begin checking your personal computer for the My-search-start.com browser hijacker which cause a redirect to My-search-start.com. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your personal computer and the speed of your personal computer. While the utility is scanning, you can see number of objects it has identified as being infected by malware.
Once the scan is finished, it’ll open you the results. Next, you need to click “Clean”. If the AdwCleaner will ask you to restart your computer, press “OK”.

The guidance shown in detail in the following video.

How to block My-search-start.com

It is also critical to protect your browsers from malicious web-sites and ads by using an ad-blocking application like AdGuard. Security experts says that it’ll greatly reduce the risk of malicious software, and potentially save lots of money. Additionally, the AdGuard can also protect your privacy by blocking almost all trackers.

Installing the AdGuard ad blocker application is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard from the following link.

Once the downloading process is finished, double-click the downloaded file to launch it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as on the image below.

Follow the prompts. AdGuard will then be installed and an icon will be placed on your desktop. A window will show up asking you to confirm that you want to see a quick tutorial as shown on the image below.

Press “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick guidance that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.

Each time, when you launch your computer, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop advertisements, web-pages such My-search-start.com, as well as other harmful or misleading web pages. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, which is located on your desktop.

Prevent My-search-start.com hijacker infection from installing

The My-search-start.com browser hijacker infection spreads with a simple but quite effective way. It is integrated into the installation package of various free programs. Thus on the process of install, it will infect your internet browser and change it’s settings on the My-search-start.com. To avoid hijacker infection, you just need to follow a few simple rules: carefully read the Terms of Use and the license, select only a Manual, Custom or Advanced install mode, which enables you to make sure that the application you want to install, thereby protect your computer from the hijacker infection like the My-search-start.com.

To sum up

Once you have finished the guide shown above, your PC system should be clean from browser hijacker, ‘ad supported’ software and malware. The FF, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and MS Edge will no longer display My-search-start.com intrusive start page on startup. Unfortunately, if the step by step tutorial does not help you, then you have caught a new browser hijacker, and then the best way – ask for help in our Spyware/Malware removal forum.