How to remove Adware.BetterAds [Virus removal guide]

The Adware.BetterAds is an adware (sometimes named ‘ad-supported’ software). It is a type of harmful apps that developed to show lots of annoying pop-ups. Unlike viruses, the Adware.BetterAds will not delete or infect your files, but its actions will cause some problems with your web-browser. This is because, it will hijack your machine, get full access to your browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer, Chrome, MS Edge and Mozilla Firefox and can be used to modify their settings. Of course, the Adware.BetterAds did not ask you for permission and do it secretly as possible. Once your browser settings will be modified, you will be rerouted to annoying ads, some of which can lead to harmful or misleading pages. For this reason, we recommend that you start the clean up of your system sooner and thus remove Adware.BetterAds from your web-browser.

The Adware.BetterAds adware which cause intrusive popups to appear, is not a virus, but the virus behaves similarly. As a rootkit hides in the system, changes web browser settings and blocks them from changing. Also the adware can install additional web browser add-ons and modules that will inject sponsored links within the IE, Google Chrome, Firefox and Edge’s screen. Moreover, the adware may install web browser hijacker that once started, will modify the web-browser’s startpage and search provider. The worst is, the adware has the ability to collect a wide variety of your personal info such as what pages you are opening, what you are looking for the World Wide Web and so on. This privacy data, afterwards, may be transferred third party companies.

The ad supported software can modify the settings of the Internet Explorer, Edge, Firefox and Chrome, but often that a harmful software such as this can also hijack all types of web browsers by modifying their desktop shortcuts. Thus forcing the user each time run the internet browser to see the annoying Adware.BetterAds ads.

Thus, it’s clear that the presence of ad-supported software on your personal computer is not desirable, and you need to clean up your PC as quickly as possible. Follow the guide below in order to delete Adware.BetterAds from Windows 10, 8, 7, XP for free.

Remove Adware.BetterAds (Virus removal)

The answer is right here on this page. We have put together simplicity and efficiency. It will allow you easily to free your system of Adware.BetterAds that causes web-browsers to open unwanted popup ads. Moreover, you can select manual or automatic removal solution. If you’re familiar with the PC system then use manual removal, otherwise use the free anti malware tool created specifically to get rid of adware. Of course, you can combine both methods. Read this manual carefully, bookmark or print it, because you may need to close your browser or reboot your personal computer.

To remove Adware.BetterAds, execute the following steps:

1. Manual Adware.BetterAds adware removal
   • Remove Adware.BetterAds related software through the Control Panel of your system
   • Remove Adware.BetterAds from Chrome
   • Remove Adware.BetterAds ad supported software from Firefox
   • Remove Adware.BetterAds ‘ad supported’ software from Microsoft Internet Explorer
   • Clean up the web browsers shortcuts that have been affected by ad supported software
   • Get rid of unwanted Scheduled Tasks
2. Scan your personal computer and delete Adware.BetterAds adware with free utilities
   • Use Zemana Anti-malware to remove Adware.BetterAds
   • Use Malwarebytes to delete Adware.BetterAds adware
   • Scan and clean your computer of ad supported software with AdwCleaner
3. How to stay safe online
4. Do not know how your browser has been hijacked by Adware.BetterAds ?
5. To sum up

Manual Adware.BetterAds adware removal

If you perform exactly the step by step guidance below you should be able to remove the Adware.BetterAds adware from the IE, Google Chrome, MS Edge and Mozilla Firefox internet browsers.

Remove Adware.BetterAds related software through the Control Panel of your system

Some of PUPs, ad-supported software and hijackers can be deleted using the Add/Remove programs tool that is located in the Microsoft Windows Control Panel. So, if you’re using any version of MS Windows and you have noticed an unwanted program, then first try to get rid of it through Add/Remove programs.

Carefully browse through the list of installed programs and delete all dubious and unknown apps. We recommend to press ‘Installed programs’ and even sorts all installed apps by date. When you’ve found anything suspicious that may be the Adware.BetterAds that causes multiple undesired ads and pop-ups or other potentially unwanted application (PUA), then select this program and press ‘Uninstall’ in the upper part of the window. If the suspicious program blocked from removal, then use Revo Uninstaller Freeware to fully delete it from your computer.

Remove Adware.BetterAds from Chrome

Reset Google Chrome settings is a simple way to remove the adware, harmful and adware extensions, as well as to recover the web-browser’s default search provider, startpage and newtab that have been replaced by Adware.BetterAds adware which causes intrusive pop ups.

1. First start the Chrome and click Menu button (small button in the form of three dots).
2. It will show the Google Chrome main menu. Select More Tools, then press Extensions.
3. You’ll see the list of installed addons. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following guidance: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
4. Now open the Google Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
5. You will see the Google Chrome’s settings page. Scroll down and press “Advanced” link.
6. Scroll down again and click the “Reset” button.
7. The Chrome will open the reset profile settings page as shown on the image above.
8. Next click the “Reset” button.
9. Once this process is complete, your web-browser’s newtab, search provider by default and start page will be restored to their original defaults.
10. To learn more, read the article How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.

Remove Adware.BetterAds ad supported software from Firefox

If your Firefox browser is rerouted to Adware.BetterAds ads without your permission or an unknown search provider displays results for your search, then it may be time to perform the browser reset.

First, start the Mozilla Firefox and click button. It will open the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web-browser. Further, press the Help button () like below

.

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

It will open the confirmation prompt. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The FF will begin a task to fix your problems that caused by the Adware.BetterAds adware that causes lots of undesired popup advertisements. Once, it is done, click the “Finish” button.

Remove Adware.BetterAds ‘ad supported’ software from Microsoft Internet Explorer

If you find that Microsoft Internet Explorer web-browser settings such as start page, default search engine and newtab having been modified by Adware.BetterAds which causes annoying advertisements, then you may restore your settings, via the reset browser procedure.

First, start the Internet Explorer, click ) button. Next, press “Internet Options” as on the image below.

In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, click Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer 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 personal computer for the changes to take effect. It will delete Adware.BetterAds ad supported software that causes multiple intrusive advertisements and pop-ups, disable malicious and ad-supported browser’s extensions and restore the Internet Explorer’s settings such as new tab, startpage and default search provider to default state.

Clean up the web browsers shortcuts that have been affected by ad supported software

Unfortunately, the Adware.BetterAds which redirects your web browser to annoying ad web-sites, can also hijack Windows shortcuts (mostly, your web browsers shortcut files), so that the Adware.BetterAds ads will be opened when you launch the MS Edge, Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Chrome or another web-browser.

Open the properties of the web-browser shortcut file. Right click on the shortcut file of affected internet browser and choose the “Properties” option and it will open the properties of the shortcut. Next, choose the “Shortcut” tab and have a look at the Target field like 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 which have been modified by Adware.BetterAds ‘ad supported’ software that causes multiple intrusive advertisements and popups, usually point to .bat, .cmd or .url files instead of .exe as displayed in the figure below

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

In order to fix the hijacked shortcut file, 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 shortcut files that have been modified by Adware.BetterAds adware.

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
Internet Explorer	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, press OK to save changes. Repeat the step for all internet browsers which are re-directed to the Adware.BetterAds ads.

Get rid of unwanted Scheduled Tasks

Once installed, the Adware.BetterAds can add a task in to the Windows Task Scheduler Library. Due to this, every time when you start your PC system, it will open various unwanted web sites. So, you need to check the Task Scheduler Library and remove all malicious tasks which have been created by ‘ad-supported’ application.

Press Windows and R keys on the keyboard together. This shows a prompt that titled as Run. In the text field, type “taskschd.msc” (without the quotes) and click OK. Task Scheduler window opens. In the left-hand side, click “Task Scheduler Library”, as shown in the following example.

In the middle part you will see a list of installed tasks. Please select the first task, its properties will be display just below automatically. Next, click the Actions tab. Pay attention to that it launches on your computer. If you are not sure that executes the task, check it through a search engine. If it’s a component of the malicious program, then this task also should be removed.

Having defined the task that you want to remove, then click on it with the right mouse button and select Delete as displayed below.

Repeat this step, if you have found a few tasks which have been created by the Adware.BetterAds. Once is finished, close the Task Scheduler window.

Scan your personal computer and delete Adware.BetterAds adware with free utilities

If you are unsure how to delete Adware.BetterAds adware easily, consider using automatic adware removal programs that listed below. It will identify the Adware.BetterAds adware that causes multiple undesired advertisements and popups and delete it from your personal computer for free.

Use Zemana Anti-malware to remove Adware.BetterAds

You can remove Adware.BetterAds automatically with a help of Zemana Anti-malware. We recommend this malware removal utility because it can easily remove browser hijackers, PUPs, ad-supported software which reroutes your web browser to Adware.BetterAds web site with all their components such as folders, files and registry entries.

Visit the page linked below to download Zemana Free. Save it on your Desktop.

When the download is complete, close all windows on your personal computer. Further, start the install file called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as on the image below, click the “Yes” button.

It will open the “Setup wizard” that will assist you install Zemana Anti-Malware on the computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.

Once installation is finished successfully, Zemana will automatically start and you may see its main window as shown on the screen below.

Next, press the “Scan” button to detect Adware.BetterAds ad supported software which made to redirect your web-browser to various ad pages. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your computer. When a malicious software, adware or potentially unwanted apps are detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is finished.

When that process is finished, Zemana Free will display a list of found items. All detected threats will be marked. You can delete them all by simply press “Next” button.

The Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will get rid of Adware.BetterAds adware that causes unwanted pop ups and move items to the program’s quarantine. When that process is complete, you can be prompted to reboot your PC system.

Use Malwarebytes to delete Adware.BetterAds adware

Remove Adware.BetterAds adware manually is difficult and often the adware is not completely removed. Therefore, we recommend you to use the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your PC. Moreover, the free program will help you to remove malware, potentially unwanted apps, toolbars and hijacker infections that your computer can be infected too.

1. Visit the following page to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) for Windows. Save it directly to your Microsoft Windows Desktop.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware
   326382 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: April 15, 2020
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your web browser will display 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 system. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
4. This will start the “Setup wizard” of MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) onto your machine. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the MalwareBytes will start and show the main window.
6. Further, click the “Scan Now” button . MalwareBytes tool will start scanning the whole machine to find out Adware.BetterAds adware that redirects your browser to undesired ad web-pages. This process can take some time, so please be patient. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.
7. After MalwareBytes Anti-Malware has completed scanning your machine, MalwareBytes will prepare a list of unwanted and adware programs.
8. Make sure all items have ‘checkmark’ and click the “Quarantine Selected” button. When disinfection is finished, you may be prompted to reboot the PC system.
9. Close the Anti Malware and continue with the next step.

Video instruction, which reveals in detail the steps above.

Scan and clean your computer of ad supported software with AdwCleaner

AdwCleaner is a completely free tool. You do not need expensive solutions to remove Adware.BetterAds adware that causes browsers to display unwanted pop-ups and other malicious apps. AdwCleaner will remove all the undesired applications such as adware and browser hijacker infections for free.

1. Visit the following page to download AdwCleaner. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
   
   

   AdwCleaner download
   225259 downloads
   Version: 8.4.1
   Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: October 5, 2024
   
2. Once downloading is complete, double click the AdwCleaner icon. Once this utility is started, click “Scan” button . AdwCleaner tool will start scanning the whole PC system to find out Adware.BetterAds adware that causes browsers to open unwanted ads. During the scan AdwCleaner will scan for threats exist on your computer.
3. As the scanning ends, you’ll be opened the list of all found items on your PC. You may move items to Quarantine (all selected by default) by simply click “Clean” button. It will show a prompt, click “OK”.

These few simple steps are shown in detail in the following video guide.

How to stay safe online

Run ad-blocking application such as AdGuard in order to stop advertisements, malvertisements, pop-ups and online trackers, avoid having to install malicious and adware browser plug-ins and add-ons that affect your PC performance and impact your computer security. Browse the Internet anonymously and stay safe online!

Download AdGuard program on your Windows Desktop from the following link.

After the download is complete, run the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as displayed in the figure below.

Follow the prompts. After the install is done, you will see a window as shown on the screen below.

You can click “Skip” to close the installation application and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.

In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you start your PC, AdGuard will start automatically and block pop-ups, as well as other malicious or misleading web 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, that is located on your desktop.

Do not know how your browser has been hijacked by Adware.BetterAds ?

Most often the ad supported software come bundled with free applications. So, think back, have you ever download and run any freeware? Because most users, in the Setup Wizard, simply press the Next button and do not read any information like ‘Terms of use’ and ‘Software license’. This leads to the fact that the personal computer is infected and all your browsers configured to open a ton of intrusive Adware.BetterAds popup advertisements. Even removing the freeware that contains this adware, the unwanted advertisements does not disappear. Therefore, you must follow the step by step guide above to clean your computer from the ‘ad supported’ software and thereby remove Adware.BetterAds ads.

To sum up

Now your computer should be free of the Adware.BetterAds that causes tons of unwanted pop up advertisements. Uninstall AdwCleaner. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted ads and intrusive malicious sites) and Zemana Anti-Malware (to periodically scan your machine for new malware, browser hijackers and adware). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Windows OS. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new adwares, malicious applications and adware are released.

If you are still having problems while trying to delete Adware.BetterAds from your browser, then ask for help in our Spyware/Malware removal forum.