How to remove Usearch.id [Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge]

Some hijacker infections also contain adware (sometimes called ‘ad-supported’ software) that can be used to show intrusive advertisements and or collect lots of personal information about you that can be sold to third parties. These unwanted advertisements can be displayed as pop-unders, pop-ups, in-text ads, video advertisements, text links or banners or even massive full page ads. Most of the ‘ad supported’ software is created to display advertisements, but some ad-supported software is form of spyware that often used to track users to collect a wide variety of user info.

In addition to that, as was mentioned earlier, certain browser hijacker infections like Usearch.id to also change all internet browsers shortcuts that located on your Desktop or Start menu. So, every infected shortcut will try to reroute your internet browser to annoying web-sites, some of which might be harmful. It can make the whole personal computer more vulnerable to hacker attacks.

We recommend you to get rid of Usearch.id start page and clean your computer of hijacker as soon as possible, until the presence of the hijacker has not led to even worse consequences. You need to follow the step by step guide below that will allow you to completely delete Usearch.id redirect, using only the built-in Windows features and a few of specialized free tools.

Remove Usearch.id search

There are present several free hijacker infection removal utilities. Also it is possible to delete Usearch.id search manually. But we suggest to combine all these ways below into the one removal algorithm. Follow the steps of the guide. Certain of the steps will require you to restart your personal computer or exit the web-site. So, read this tutorial carefully, then bookmark or print it for later reference.

Get rid of Usearch.id without any utilities

Most common browser hijackers may be removed without any antivirus programs. The manual browser hijacker removal is blog post steps that will teach you how to remove the Usearch.id start page.

Delete suspicious and potentially unwanted applications using Microsoft Windows Control Panel

First, you should try to identify and remove the program that causes the appearance of undesired advertisements or internet browser redirect, using the ‘Uninstall a program’ which is located in the ‘Control panel’.

Carefully browse through the list of installed applications and get rid of all software that has the name similar to the web-page that has been set as your Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer startpage, new tab and default search engine. We suggest to click ‘Installed programs’ and even sorts all installed software by date. When you have found anything suspicious that may be the hijacker, adware or PUPs, then choose this application and click ‘Uninstall’ in the upper part of the window. If the suspicious application blocked from removal, then use Revo Uninstaller Freeware to fully get rid of it from your machine.

Fix infected browsers shortcuts to remove Usearch.id

Unfortunately, the browser hijacker can also hijack Windows shortcuts (mostly, your internet browsers shortcuts), so that the Usearch.id start page will be shown when you run the Google Chrome, FF, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge or another internet browser.

Open the properties of the internet browser shortcut. Right click on the shortcut of infected web browser and choose the “Properties” option and it will show the properties of the shortcut. Next, choose the “Shortcut” tab and have a look at the Target field as shown on the screen below.

Normally, if the last word in the Target field is chrome.exe, iexplore.exe, firefox.exe. Be sure to pay attention to the extension, should be “exe”! All shortcuts that have been changed by hijacker such as Usearch.id usually point to .bat, .cmd or .url files instead of .exe as shown in the figure below

Another variant, an address has been added at the end of the line. In this case the Target field looks like …Application\chrome.exe” http://site.address as shown on the image below.

In order to fix a shortcut, you need to insert right path to the Target field or remove an address (if it has been added at the end). You can use the following information to fix your shortcuts which have been modified by browser hijacker infection.

Chrome	C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
	C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe
Firefox	C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
IE	C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
	C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
Opera	C:\Program Files (x86)\Opera\launcher.exe
	C:\Program Files\Opera\launcher.exe

Once is complete, click OK to save changes. Repeat the step for all browsers that are rerouted to the Usearch.id intrusive web page.

Remove Usearch.id from Internet Explorer

If you find that Microsoft Internet Explorer internet browser settings such as homepage, newtab page and default search engine having been hijacked, then you may revert back your settings, via the reset web-browser procedure.

First, start the IE, then click ‘gear’ icon . It will display the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the web-browser, then click the “Internet Options” as shown on the screen below.

In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” prompt. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, press the “Reset” button as shown in the figure below.

Once the task is finished, press “Close” button. Close the IE and reboot your PC for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web browser’s homepage, new tab and default search engine to default state.

Delete Usearch.id from Chrome

Reset Chrome settings is a simple way to remove the browser hijacker, harmful and adware extensions, as well as to restore the browser’s new tab, start page and search provider by default that have been modified by hijacker infection.

1. First, launch the Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three horizontal stripes).
2. It will display the Chrome main menu, press the “Settings” menu.
3. Next, click “Show advanced settings” link, which located at the bottom of the Settings page.
4. On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, click the “Reset settings” button.
5. The Google Chrome will display the reset settings prompt as shown on the screen above.
6. Confirm the web-browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
7. To learn more, read the post How to reset Chrome settings to default.

Remove Usearch.id start page from Firefox

Resetting your Firefox is good initial troubleshooting step for any issues with your internet browser program, including the redirect to Usearch.id page.

First, open the Firefox and click button. It will open the drop-down menu on the right-part of the internet browser. Further, click the Help button () as shown on the screen below

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In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the web browser adress bar and press Enter. It will display the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown on the image below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.

It will open the confirmation dialog box. Further, press the “Refresh Firefox” button. The FF will start a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the Usearch.id browser hijacker. When, it’s done, click the “Finish” button.

How to remove Usearch.id homepage with freeware

The browser hijacker infection can hide its components which are difficult for you to find out and remove completely. This can lead to the fact that after some time, the hijacker once again infect your PC and alter current settings of all your typical web-browsers to Usearch.id. Moreover, I want to note that it is not always safe to remove browser hijacker infection manually, if you don’t have much experience in setting up and configuring the Windows operating system. The best solution to scan for and delete hijackers is to run free malicious software removal programs.

How to automatically get rid of Usearch.id with Zemana Anti-malware

You can remove Usearch.id start page automatically with a help of Zemana Anti-malware. We suggest this malicious software removal tool because it can easily remove hijackers, potentially unwanted applications, adware and toolbars with all their components such as folders, files and registry entries.

1. Please download Zemana antimalware to your desktop from the following link.
   
   

   Zemana AntiMalware
   164032 downloads
   Author: Zemana Ltd
   Category: Security tools
   Update: July 16, 2019
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your web browser will open the “Save as” dialog box. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. When downloading is finished, please close all programs and open windows on your computer. Next, run a file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
4. This will run the “Setup wizard” of Zemana antimalware onto your machine. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the anti malware will start and open the main window.
6. Further, click the “Scan” button to start scanning your computer for the hijacker infection which cause a reroute to Usearch.id. Depending on your system, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the utility is scanning, you can see number of objects it has identified as being infected by malicious software.
7. Once the scan is finished, a list of all items detected is produced.
8. In order to remove all threats, simply click the “Next” button to begin cleaning your PC. Once the task is done, you may be prompted to reboot the personal computer.
9. Close the Zemana Anti-Malware and continue with the next step.

Run Malwarebytes to get rid of browser hijacker infection

You can remove Usearch.id homepage automatically with a help of Malwarebytes Free. We suggest this free malware removal utility because it can easily remove hijackers, ‘ad supported’ software, PUPs and toolbars with all their components such as files, folders and registry entries.

Download Malwarebytes Free from the link below.

Once the download is done, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the Malwarebytes will try to update itself and when this process is complete, press the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the Usearch.id hijacker and web-browser’s malicious add ons. Depending on your computer, the scan may take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the utility is scanning, you can see number of objects and files has already scanned. Review the report and then click “Quarantine Selected” button.

The Malwarebytes is a free program that you can use to get rid of all detected folders, files, services, registry entries and so on. To learn more about this malware removal utility, we recommend you to read and follow the steps or the video guide below.

Use AdwCleaner to remove Usearch.id from the computer

The AdwCleaner tool is free and easy to use. It can scan and remove hijacker like Usearch.id, malware, PUPs and adware in Chrome, FF, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge internet browsers and thereby restore their default settings (newtab, start page and search provider by default). AdwCleaner is powerful enough to find and get rid of malicious registry entries and files that are hidden on the PC system.

Download AdwCleaner tool from the link below. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.

Once the downloading process is done, open the file location and double-click the AdwCleaner icon. It will launch the AdwCleaner tool and you will see a screen as shown below. If the User Account Control dialog box will ask you want to display the program, click Yes button to continue.

Next, press “Scan” to start scanning your PC system for the Usearch.id browser hijacker that cause a redirect to Usearch.id. This process can take quite a while, so please be patient.

When the system scan is done is finished, it’ll display a list of all items found by this utility as on the image below.

Make sure all entries have ‘checkmark’ and click “Clean” button. It will open a prompt. Click “OK” to start the cleaning process. When the clean up is finished, the AdwCleaner may ask you to restart your PC system. After restart, the AdwCleaner will show the log file.

All the above steps are shown in detail in the following video instructions.

How to block Usearch.id search

It is important to use ad-blocker applications such as AdGuard to protect your computer from malicious pages. Most security experts says that it’s okay to stop advertisements. You should do so just to stay safe! And, of course, the AdGuard may to stop Usearch.id and other annoying pages.

Installing the AdGuard adblocker program is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard from the following link.

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

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

Each time, when you run your PC system, AdGuard will start automatically and stop pop up ads, web pages such Usearch.id, as well as other malicious or misleading web-pages. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that can be found on your desktop.

Why is my browser redirected to Usearch.id?

Most commonly, the free programs installer includes the optional adware or potentially unwanted software like this hijacker infection. So, be very careful when you agree to install anything. The best way – is to select a Custom, Advanced or Manual installation mode. Here disable (uncheck) all third-party applications in which you are unsure or that causes even a slightest suspicion. The main thing you should remember, you don’t need to install the third-party programs which you don’t trust! The only thing I want to add. Once the freeware is installed, if you uninstall this software, the start page, new tab and search engine by default of your favorite web browser will not be restored. This must be done by yourself. Just follow the guidance above.

Finish words

Now your personal computer should be free of the Usearch.id . Uninstall AdwCleaner. We suggest that you keep Malwarebytes (to periodically scan your PC system for new malware, browser hijackers and ‘ad supported’ software) and AdGuard (to help you stop undesired popup ads and malicious web-sites). Moreover, to prevent browser hijackers, please stay clear of unknown and third party software, make sure that your antivirus program, turn on the option to find PUPs (potentially unwanted programs).

If you need more help with Usearch.id redirect related issues, go to our Spyware/Malware removal forum.