The “Critical Alert From Microsoft” is an one of the many misleading websites that created in order to force you into calling the fake Microsoft Support Service. If the Google Chrome, Firefox, IE or Microsoft Edge browser opens automatically to this web page, then your computer is affected with an adware (sometimes called ‘ad-supported’ software), which was set on your system without your consent. Because, the ‘ad supported’ software is often used to display a lot of undesired pop up ads including misleading ads such as “Critical Alert From Microsoft” within the web browser’s screen. In the instructions below we explain how to remove adware and thereby remove “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop ups from your browser.
“Critical Alert From Microsoft” is a misleading advertising
While your computer is affected with the adware, the Google Chrome, IE, Firefox and MS Edge may be redirected to “Critical Alert From Microsoft” undesired web-page. The ware may insert a huge number of ads directly to the web-pages that you visit, creating a sense that the advertising banners has been added by the creators of the site. Moreover, a legal advertising banners may be replaced on the fake advertisements, that will offer to download and install various unnecessary and malicious programs.
The adware often change all internet browser shortcuts which located on your Desktop to force you visit some annoying ad web pages. As a result, your web-browser can still redirect you to the “Critical Alert From Microsoft” misleading web site despite your PC system is actually free of adware and other malware.
Thus, it’s clear that the presence of adware on your computer is not desirable, and you need to clean up your personal computer as quickly as possible. Follow the few simple steps below in order to remove Critical Alert From Microsoft.
Remove “Critical Alert From Microsoft” popup scam
There are a few ways that can be used to remove “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up. But, not all PUPs such as this ad supported software can be completely deleted using only manual ways. In many cases you’re not able to uninstall any ad supported software using standard Microsoft Windows options. In order to remove “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop up you need complete a few manual steps and run reliable removal tools. Most IT security specialists states that Zemana Anti Malware, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware or AdwCleaner utilities are a right choice. These free programs are able to find and remove “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop up from your computer and revert back your internet browser settings to defaults.
Remove “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up scam without any utilities
Read this “How to remove” section to know how to manually remove adware that causes multiple misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” alerts and pop-ups. Even if the step by step guide does not work for you, there are several free malware removers below that can easily handle such adware that causes internet browsers to open misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” popup scam.
Remove suspicious programs using MS Windows Control Panel
First method for manual ad supported software removal is to go into the Windows “Control Panel”, then “Uninstall a program” console. Take a look at the list of programs on your system and see if there are any suspicious and unknown applications. If you see any, you need to uninstall them. Of course, before doing so, you can do an Net search to find details on the program. If it is a potentially unwanted program, adware or malicious software, you will likely find information that says so.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, click Windows button
, then press Search 
. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as shown below.
When the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as shown in the figure below.
You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel like below.
Very carefully look around the entire list of applications installed on your computer. Most likely, one or more of them are responsible for the appearance of pop-up ads and internet browser redirect to the “Critical Alert From Microsoft” misleading site. If you have many programs installed, you can help simplify the search of harmful programs by sort the list by date of installation. Once you have found a suspicious, unwanted or unused application, right click to it, after that press ‘Uninstall’.
Windows XP, Vista, 7
First, click ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as shown on the image below.
After the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as on the image below.
You will see a list of programs installed on your personal 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 ads 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 uninstall is found, simply click on its name, and then click ‘Uninstall’ like below.
Remove unwanted Scheduled Tasks
If the “Critical Alert From Microsoft” misleading page opens automatically on Windows startup or at equal time intervals, then you need to check the Task Scheduler Library and get rid of all the tasks that have been created by adware.
Press Windows and R keys on your keyboard simultaneously. It will show a dialog box which called Run. In the text field, type “taskschd.msc” (without the quotes) and press OK. Task Scheduler window opens. In the left-hand side, click “Task Scheduler Library”, like below.
Task scheduler, list of tasks
In the middle part you will see a list of installed tasks. Select the first task, its properties will be open just below automatically. Next, click the Actions tab. Necessary to look at the text which is written under Details. Found something such as “explorer.exe http://site.address” or “chrome.exe http://site.address” or “firefox.exe http://site.address”, then you need remove this task. If you are not sure that executes the task, then google it. If it’s a component of the unwanted software, then this task also should be removed.
Further click on it with the right mouse button and select Delete as shown below.
Task scheduler, delete a task
Repeat this step, if you have found a few tasks that have been created by adware. Once is finished, close the Task Scheduler window.
Disinfect the browser’s shortcuts to delete “Critical Alert From Microsoft” redirect
Now you need to clean up the internet browser shortcuts. Check that the shortcut referring to the right exe-file of the internet browser, and not on any unknown file.
Click the right mouse button to a desktop shortcut which you use to start your browser. Next, select the “Properties” option. Important: necessary to click on the desktop shortcut for the web-browser which is redirected to the “Critical Alert From Microsoft” or other annoying page.
Further, necessary to look at the text that is written in the “Target” field. The adware can replace the contents of this field, which describes the file to be run when you run your web-browser. Depending on the web browser you are using, there should be:
- Google Chrome: chrome.exe
- Opera: opera.exe
- Firefox: firefox.exe
- Internet Explorer: iexplore.exe
If you are seeing an unknown text like “http://site.addres” which has been added here, then you should remove it, as displayed below.
Next, click the “OK” button to save the changes. Now, when you open the web browser from this desktop shortcut, it does not occur automatically reroute on the “Critical Alert From Microsoft” web-page or any other undesired web pages. Once the step is finished, we recommend to go to the next step.
Remove “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop up from Chrome
Reset Google Chrome settings is a simple way to remove the hijackers, malicious and ‘ad-supported’ extensions, as well as to restore the web-browser’s start page, new tab page and default search engine that have been changed by ‘ad supported’ software that displays misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up scam on your computer.
- First, start the Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three horizontal stripes).
- It will open the Chrome main menu, press the “Settings” menu.
- Next, click “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 Chrome will show the reset settings prompt as on the image above.
- Confirm the browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
- To learn more, read the article How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.
Get rid of “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop up from Internet Explorer
By resetting Internet Explorer web-browser you restore your web-browser settings to its default state. This is basic when troubleshooting problems that might have been caused by adware which shows misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” popup on your personal computer.
First, start the Internet Explorer, click 
) button. Next, click “Internet Options” as on the image below.
In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, click Reset button. The IE will display the Reset Internet Explorer settings prompt. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box and click Reset button.
You will now need to reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. It will get rid of ‘ad supported’ software that designed to show misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop up within your web browser, disable malicious and ad-supported internet browser’s extensions and restore the Internet Explorer’s settings like newtab, homepage and search engine by default to default state.
Remove “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up from FF
If the Firefox web browser program is hijacked, then resetting its settings can help. The Reset feature is available on all modern version of FF. A reset can fix many issues by restoring Mozilla Firefox settings such as new tab page, home page and search engine by default to its default state. It will save your personal information like saved passwords, bookmarks, and open tabs.
Start the Firefox and click the menu button (it looks like three stacked lines) at the top right of the browser screen. Next, click the question-mark icon at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It will show 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 in the following example.
Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right of the Troubleshooting Information page. Select “Refresh Firefox” in the confirmation dialog box. The FF will begin a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the ad supported software that shows misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up on your PC system. When, it’s finished, click the “Finish” button.
Delete “Critical Alert From Microsoft” popup with free applications
Many antivirus companies have designed applications that allow detect ad supported software and thereby delete “Critical Alert From Microsoft” from the Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge browsers. Below is a a few of the free programs you may want to run. Your PC may have a large count of PUPs, adware and browser hijacker infections installed at the same time, so we suggest, if any unwanted or malicious program returns after restarting the system, then boot your system into Safe Mode and run the anti malware tool again.
Automatically delete “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop up with Zemana Anti-malware
We suggest using the Zemana Anti-malware that are completely clean your system of the adware. The tool is an advanced malware removal program developed by (c) Zemana lab. It’s able to help you get rid of PUPs, hijackers, malware, toolbars, ransomware and ad supported software that causes multiple misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” alerts and pop-ups.
Download Zemana AntiMalware on your Windows Desktop by clicking on the link below.
164032 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
When downloading is finished, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will try to update itself and when this process is finished, click the “Scan” button to start checking your computer for the adware which cause misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop up scam to appear.
This process may take some time, so please be patient. When a malware, ‘ad supported’ software or PUPs are detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Review the scan results and then click “Next” button.
The Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will remove adware that cause misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up to appear.
How to get rid of “Critical Alert From Microsoft” with Malwarebytes
We recommend using the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your PC of the ad-supported software. The free tool is an advanced malicious software removal program designed by (c) Malwarebytes lab. This program uses the world’s most popular antimalware technology. It’s able to help you remove annoying “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up from your browsers, potentially unwanted programs, malware, browser hijacker infections, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your machine for free.
Download MalwareBytes from the following link and save it directly to your MS Windows Desktop.
326385 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
When downloading is finished, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) will try to update itself and when this process is finished, click the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan for the adware that causes misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up on your web-browser. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your PC. Review the results once the utility has finished the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply press “Quarantine Selected” button.
The MalwareBytes is a free application that you can use to remove all detected folders, files, services, registry entries and so on. To learn more about this malicious software removal tool, we recommend you to read and follow the guidance or the video guide below.
Delete “Critical Alert From Microsoft” popup from browsers with AdwCleaner
AdwCleaner is a free portable program that scans your computer for adware that shows misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” popup scam on your PC, potentially unwanted programs and hijackers and allows remove them easily. Moreover, it will also allow you remove any harmful web browser extensions and add-ons.
Download AdwCleaner by clicking on the link below. Save it on your Desktop.
225261 downloads
Version: 8.4.1
Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
Category: Security tools
Update: October 5, 2024
When the download is finished, open the directory in which you saved it. You will see an icon like below.
Double click the AdwCleaner desktop icon. Once the tool is started, you will see a screen like below.
Further, press “Scan” button for scanning your machine for the ‘ad supported’ software that causes multiple misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” alerts and popups. This task can take some time, so please be patient. When that process is complete, a list of all items found is produced as shown in the following example.
Make sure all items have ‘checkmark’ and click “Clean” button. It will display a dialog box as displayed below.
You need to click “OK”. Once the clean up is finished, the AdwCleaner may ask you to reboot your PC. When your machine is started, you will see an AdwCleaner log.
These steps are shown in detail in the following video guide.
Run AdBlocker to block Critical Alert From Microsoft
It is important to use ad-blocking programs such as AdGuard to protect your computer from malicious sites. Most security experts says that it is okay to stop advertisements. You should do so just to stay safe! And, of course, the AdGuard can to block Critical Alert From Microsoft and other annoying web-sites.
Installing the AdGuard ad blocker program is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard from the following link. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop or in any other place.
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
Once the download is complete, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen like 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 in the following example.
Press “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick guide that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
Each time, when you launch your PC, AdGuard will launch automatically and block pop up ads, Critical Alert From Microsoft, as well as other harmful or misleading sites. 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 can be found on your desktop.
How can you prevent the “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up scam
The ad supported software usually spreads as a part of various free applications. In many cases, it can be bundled within the setup files from Softonic, Cnet, Soft32, Brothersoft or other similar sites. So, you should run any files downloaded from the World Wide Web with great caution, read the User agreement, Software license and Terms of use. In the process of installing a new program, you should choose a Manual, Advanced or Custom setup mode to control what components and third-party applications to be installed, otherwise you run the risk of infecting your computer with an adware which causes misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up on your browser.
To sum up
Now your PC system should be free of the ad supported software that cause misleading “Critical Alert From Microsoft” pop-up to appear. Delete AdwCleaner. We suggest that you keep Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) (to periodically scan your PC for new ad supported softwares and other malicious software) and AdGuard (to help you block intrusive popup advertisements and malicious web-pages). Moreover, to prevent ad supported softwares, please stay clear of unknown and third party applications, make sure that your antivirus application, turn on the option to find PUPs (potentially unwanted programs).
If you need more help with “Critical Alert From Microsoft” popup related issues, go to our Spyware/Malware removal forum.
