If you have ever found your web-browser search engine inexplicably changing to Clever-find.com web site, or notice that your home page in your web-browser has modified, then you could say that your computer has been a victim of the hijacker. The creators of browser hijacker infection do so in order to make revenue via Google, Yahoo or Bing search engine. Thus, in order to force you to use Clever-find.com search services as often as possible the hijacker can change your browsers settings such as homepage, newtab page and default search engine.
In order to force you to use Clever-find.com as often as possible this hijacker infection can modify your browsers’ search provider. You may even find that your system’s web-browser shortcuts and Microsoft Windows HOSTS file are hijacked without your knowledge and conscious permission. The developers of this hijacker do so in order to make money via Google AdSence or another third-party ad network. Thus every your click on ads that placed on the Clever-find.com generates money for them.
The Clever-find.com hijacker is not a virus, but the virus behaves similarly. As a rootkit hides in the system, makes various changes to web-browsers settings, and blocks them from changing. Also this browser hijacker can install additional web browser extensions and modules that will show advertisements and pop ups. And finally, the Clever-find.com hijacker may gather a wide variety of user data like what web sites you are opening, what you are looking for the World Wide Web and so on. This information, in the future, can be sold to third parties.
The Clever-find.com browser hijacker mostly affects only the Chrome, Internet Explorer, FF and Microsoft Edge. However, possible situations, when any other web browsers will be affected too. The hijacker infection will perform a scan of the personal computer for web browser shortcuts and change them without your permission. When it infects the internet browser shortcuts, it will add the argument like ‘http://site.address’ into Target property. So, each time you open the web-browser, you will see the Clever-find.com annoying web-page.
We suggest you to delete Clever-find.com startpage and clean your computer of hijacker as quickly as possible, until the presence of the browser hijacker has not led to even worse consequences. Follow the few simple steps below that will allow you to completely get rid of Clever-find.com , using only the built-in Windows features and a few of specialized free tools.
Clever-find.com removal guidance
Even if you have the up-to-date classic antivirus installed, and you’ve checked your computer for malware and removed anything found, you need to do the tutorial below. The Clever-find.com browser hijacker infection removal is not simple as installing another antivirus. Classic antivirus programs are not developed to run together and will conflict with each other, or possibly crash MS Windows. Instead we recommend complete the manual steps below after that run Zemana Anti-malware, Malwarebytes or AdwCleaner, which are free software dedicated to find and remove malicious software such as Clever-find.com browser hijacker. Use these utilities to ensure the hijacker infection is removed.
Remove Clever-find.com without any utilities
If you perform exactly the step-by-step tutorial below you should be able to get rid of the Clever-find.com redirect from the Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Microsoft Edge browsers.
Delete all adware and other PUPs through the MS Windows Control Panel
The best way to start the computer cleanup is to uninstall unknown and suspicious software. Using the Windows Control Panel you can do this quickly and easily. This step, in spite of its simplicity, should not be ignored, because the removing of unneeded applications can clean up the Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer and MS Edge from advertisements hijackers and so on.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, click Windows button , then click Search . Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as on the image below.
When the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click 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 screen below.
Very carefully look around the entire list of applications installed on your personal computer. Most likely, one or more of them are responsible for the appearance of pop up advertisements and web-browser redirect to the annoying Clever-find.com site. If you have many programs installed, you can help simplify the search of harmful applications by sort the list by date of installation. Once you have found a suspicious, unwanted or unused application, 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 in the figure below.
Once the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to press ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as shown on the image below.
You will see a list of applications installed on your computer. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the programs that were installed last. Most likely they responsibility for the appearance of popups and internet browser redirect. If you are in doubt, you can always check the application by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. After the program which you need to remove is found, simply press on its name, and then click ‘Uninstall’ as shown in the figure below.
Fix infected web-browsers shortcuts
Unfortunately, the browser hijacker infection can also hijack Windows shortcuts (mostly, your browsers shortcuts), so that the Clever-find.com startpage will be opened when you start the Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer or another browser.
Right click on the web browser’s shortcut, click Properties option. On the Shortcut tab, locate the Target field. Click inside, you will see a vertical line – arrow pointer, move it (using -> arrow key on your keyboard) to the right as possible. You will see a text “http://site.address” that has been added here. Remove everything after .exe. An example, for Google Chrome you should remove everything after chrome.exe.
To save changes, click OK . You need to clean all internet browser’s shortcuts. So, repeat this step for the FF, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Edge.
Delete Clever-find.com redirect from Google Chrome
Reset Google Chrome settings is a simple way to remove the hijacker infection, harmful and ‘ad-supported’ extensions, as well as to recover the internet browser’s start page, newtab and search engine by default that have been modified by Clever-find.com browser hijacker.
Open the Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (). It will show the drop-down menu. Next, press to “Settings” option.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Show advanced settings” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, as shown on the image below and press the “Reset settings” button.
Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.
Remove Clever-find.com from Firefox
The Firefox reset will keep your personal information like bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill data and remove unwanted search engine and startpage like Clever-find.com, modified preferences, extensions and security settings.
Run the Mozilla Firefox and click the menu button (it looks like three stacked lines) at the top right of the internet browser screen. Next, press the question-mark icon at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It will open the slide-out menu.
Select the “Troubleshooting information”. If you are unable to access the Help menu, then type “about:support” in your address bar and press Enter. It bring up the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown below.
Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right of the Troubleshooting Information page. Select “Refresh Firefox” in the confirmation dialog box. The Firefox will begin a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the Clever-find.com browser hijacker infection. When, it’s finished, press the “Finish” button.
Remove Clever-find.com startpage from IE
By resetting IE internet browser you restore your web-browser settings to its default state. This is first when troubleshooting problems that might have been caused by browser hijacker infection like Clever-find.com.
First, start the Internet Explorer, 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 in the figure below.
In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will display the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” dialog box. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button as shown on the image below.
When the procedure is done, click “Close” button. Close the Microsoft Internet Explorer and restart your machine for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your browser’s start page, new tab page and search provider by default to default state.
Scan your PC and get rid of Clever-find.com with free tools
If your computer is still infected with the Clever-find.com hijacker infection, then the best solution of detection and removal is to run an anti malware scan on the PC system. Download free malicious software removal tools below and run a full system scan. It will help you remove all components of the browser hijacker from hardisk and Windows registry.
Scan and free your PC of Clever-find.com with Zemana Anti-malware
We recommend using the Zemana Anti-malware that are completely clean your PC of the hijacker. The utility is an advanced malicious software removal application designed by (c) Zemana lab. It’s able to help you remove PUPs, browser hijackers, adware, malware, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your PC for free.
Download Zemana AntiMalware on your system by clicking on the link below. Save it on your Windows desktop or in any other place.
164316 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Once the download is complete, close all applications and windows on your computer. Double-click the install file called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up as shown on the image below, click the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” that will help you install Zemana Anti Malware on your computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once setup is done successfully, Zemana Anti-Malware will automatically start and you can see its main screen as shown below.
Now press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this tool for the Clever-find.com browser hijacker and other malicious software and ad-supported software. This procedure may take quite a while, so please be patient. When a malware, adware or potentially unwanted applications are detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is finished.
Once the system scan is finished, you will be opened the list of all detected threats on your PC system. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and press “Next” button. The Zemana AntiMalware will remove hijacker that causes web browsers to open undesired Clever-find.com web-page and move threats to the program’s quarantine. When finished, you may be prompted to reboot the machine.
How to automatically remove Clever-find.com with Malwarebytes
Delete Clever-find.com hijacker manually is difficult and often the browser hijacker is not completely removed. Therefore, we suggest you to run the Malwarebytes Free which are completely clean your PC. Moreover, the free application will help you to delete malware, PUPs, toolbars and adware that your computer can be infected too.
Download Malwarebytes Free on your personal computer by clicking on the link below. Save it on your desktop.
326655 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
When downloading is finished, close all windows on your computer. Further, open the file named mb3-setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown below, click the “Yes” button.
It will display the “Setup wizard” which will allow you install Malwarebytes on the personal computer. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
Once setup is complete successfully, click Finish button. Then Malwarebytes will automatically launch and you can see its main window like below.
Next, press the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan for the Clever-find.com browser hijacker infection and other kinds of potential threats such as malicious software and ad supported software. A system scan may take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your PC.
When finished, it’ll display a list of detected items. You may move items to Quarantine (all selected by default) by simply click “Quarantine Selected” button.
The Malwarebytes will start to remove Clever-find.com hijacker and other web-browser’s harmful extensions. Once that process is complete, you can be prompted to reboot your computer. We recommend you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the Malwarebytes to delete browser hijackers, adware and other malware.
Double-check for potentially unwanted programs with AdwCleaner
AdwCleaner is a free removal utility that can be downloaded and run to remove browser hijackers, ad supported software, malware, potentially unwanted software, toolbars and other threats from your personal computer. You can run this utility to scan for threats even if you have an antivirus or any other security application.
Download AdwCleaner tool by clicking on the link below. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
225380 downloads
Version: 8.4.1
Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
Category: Security tools
Update: October 5, 2024
After the downloading process is finished, open the directory in which you saved it and double-click the AdwCleaner icon. It will launch the AdwCleaner utility and you will see a screen as on the image below. If the User Account Control prompt will ask you want to show the application, press Yes button to continue.
Next, click “Scan” to begin scanning your PC for the Clever-find.com hijacker infection and other browser’s harmful add-ons. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your computer and the speed of your machine.
After finished is complete, you will be shown the list of all found threats on your machine as shown in the figure below.
Review the report and then press “Clean” button. It will show a prompt. Click “OK” button. The AdwCleaner will delete hijacker which alters internet browser settings to replace your newtab page, homepage and search engine by default with Clever-find.com site. When the process is complete, the tool may ask you to reboot your PC. After reboot, the AdwCleaner will open the log file.
All the above steps are shown in detail in the following video instructions.
How to stop Clever-find.com home page
If you surf the Web, you cannot avoid malvertising. But you can protect your web browser against it. Download and use an ad blocker program. AdGuard is an ad-blocking which can filter out a huge number of of the malicious advertising, blocking dynamic scripts from loading malicious content.
- Download AdGuard application by clicking on the following link.
Adguard download
26729 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
- After the downloading process is finished, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
- Once the install is finished, click “Skip” to close the install application and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial which will help you get to know AdGuard better.
- In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you launch your personal computer, AdGuard will start automatically and block popup advertisements, sites such Clever-find.com, as well as other malicious or misleading pages. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the icon named AdGuard, which is located on your desktop.
Tips to prevent Clever-find.com and other unwanted software
Most often Clever-find.com hijacker infection gets on your personal computer in the composition, together with various free software, as a bonus. Therefore it’s very important at the stage of installing programs downloaded from the World Wide Web carefully review the Terms of use and the License agreement, as well as to always select the Advanced, Custom or Manual install mode. In this mode, you can turn off all unwanted add-ons, including the Clever-find.com browser hijacker infection, which will be installed along with the desired program. Of course, if you uninstall the free applications from your PC, your favorite internet browser’s settings will not be restored. So, to return the Chrome, FF, MS Edge and IE’s home page, newtab and search provider by default you need to follow the step by step tutorial above.
To sum up
Now your personal computer should be clean of the Clever-find.com . Delete AdwCleaner. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted pop ups and annoying malicious web pages) and Malwarebytes (to periodically scan your computer for new malware, browser hijackers and ‘ad supported’ software). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Windows OS. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new hijacker infections, malicious applications and ad supported software are released.
If you are still having problems while trying to get rid of Clever-find.com from your browser, then ask for help in our Spyware/Malware removal forum.