Every time, when you run your web browser the Search.webfindersearch.com web page that you don’t remember installing as start page or search provider keeps annoying you? Search.webfindersearch.com is a application that falls under the category of malicious software from web-browser hijackers family. It can end up on your PC system in various ways. Most commonly is when you download and install another free program and forget to uncheck the box for the optional apps installation. Do not panic because we’ve got the solution. Here’s a guide on how to get rid of intrusive Search.webfindersearch.com from any web browsers, including the Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Besides the fact that Search.webfindersearch.com hijacker changes your start page, this intrusive web page can set yourself as your search provider. But, obviously, it does not give you a good search results, as they will consist of a large number of advertisements, links to unwanted and ad web-pages and only the remaining part is search results for your query from the major search providers. Of course, the very fact that you encounter with the inability to properly search the Net, is an unpleasant moment. Moreover, the Search.webfindersearch.com browser hijacker be able to collect lots of privacy data about you. This confidential info, in the future, may be transferred to third parties. What creates the risk of theft of user information about you.
As well as unwanted web browser redirects to Search.webfindersearch.com, the hijacker can gather your Internet surfing activity by recording URLs visited, IP addresses, web browser version and type, cookie information, Internet Service Provider (ISP) and web-sites visited. Such kind of behavior can lead to serious security problems or confidential data theft. This is another reason why the browser hijacker that reroutes the internet browser to Search.webfindersearch.com, is categorized as PUP (potentially unwanted program).
Most often, the Search.webfindersearch.com hijacker affects most common internet browsers like Chrome, Firefox, MS Edge and IE. But such hijackers as well can infect other browsers by modifying its shortcuts (adding ‘http://site.address’ into Target field of internet browser’s shortcut). So every time you start the web browser, it will open Search.webfindersearch.com web-page. Even if you setup your home page again, the annoying Search.webfindersearch.com site will be the first thing which you see when you run the web browser.
To find out how to get rid of Search.webfindersearch.com , we suggest to read the steps added to this blog post below. The guide was prepared by experienced security specialists who discovered a method to remove the annoying Search.webfindersearch.com hijacker out of the computer.
How to remove Search.webfindersearch.com from personal computer
When a hijacker infection like the Search.webfindersearch.com gets installed on your machine without your knowledge, it’s not easy to uninstall. Most commonly, there is no Uninstall application that simply remove the hijacker that causes web-browsers to display undesired Search.webfindersearch.com web-site from your computer. So, we suggest using several well-proven free specialized tools such as Zemana Anti Malware, MalwareBytes Free or AdwCleaner. But the best solution to remove Search.webfindersearch.com home page will be to perform several manual steps, after that additionally run antimalware tools.
To remove Search.webfindersearch.com, perform the steps below:
- How to manually remove Search.webfindersearch.com
- Uninstall potentially unwanted applications using Microsoft Windows Control Panel
- Remove Search.webfindersearch.com from Mozilla Firefox by resetting browser settings
- Delete Search.webfindersearch.com startpage from Google Chrome
- Remove Search.webfindersearch.com redirect from Internet Explorer
- Disinfect the internet browser’s shortcuts to delete Search.webfindersearch.com
- How to automatically remove Search.webfindersearch.com hijacker infection
- Stop Search.webfindersearch.com and other annoying sites
- Tips to prevent Search.webfindersearch.com and other unwanted software
- Finish words
How to manually remove Search.webfindersearch.com
Most common browser hijackers may be deleted without any antivirus apps. The manual browser hijacker infection removal is guidance that will teach you how to delete the Search.webfindersearch.com startpage.
Uninstall potentially unwanted applications using Microsoft Windows Control Panel
First of all, check the list of installed programs on your system and remove all unknown and recently installed applications. If you see an unknown program with incorrect spelling or varying capital letters, it have most likely been installed by malware and you should clean it off first with malicious software removal tool like Zemana Anti-malware.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, click the Windows button , then press Search . Type “Control panel”and press Enter.
Windows XP, Vista, 7
First, click “Start” and select “Control Panel”.
It will open the Windows Control Panel as displayed below.
Next, press “Uninstall a program”
It will open a list of all software installed on your PC. Scroll through the all list, and remove any dubious and unknown applications. To quickly find the latest installed applications, we recommend sort apps by date in the Control panel.
Remove Search.webfindersearch.com from Mozilla Firefox by resetting browser settings
If your Firefox web-browser start page has replaced to Search.webfindersearch.com without your permission or an unknown search provider shows results for your search, then it may be time to perform the browser reset.
Start the Firefox and click the menu button (it looks like three stacked lines) at the top right of the internet browser screen. Next, click the question-mark icon at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It will display the slide-out menu.
Select the “Troubleshooting information”. If you’re 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 on the screen below.
Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right of the Troubleshooting Information page. Select “Refresh Firefox” in the confirmation prompt. The Mozilla Firefox will start a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the browser hijacker infection which cause a redirect to Search.webfindersearch.com web-page. After, it is done, press the “Finish” button.
Delete Search.webfindersearch.com startpage from Google Chrome
In order to be sure that there is nothing left behind, we suggest you to reset Chrome browser. It will return Chrome settings including default search engine, newtab page and start page to defaults.
First run the Google Chrome. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal dots ().
It will display the Google Chrome menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions. Carefully browse through the list of installed plugins. If the list has the plugin signed with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following guide: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Open the Google Chrome menu once again. Further, click the option called “Settings”.
The browser will open the settings screen. Another method to show the Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the internet browser adress bar and press Enter
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and press the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the “Reset” section is visible, as shown in the following example and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Google Chrome will show the confirmation dialog box as on the image below.
You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The web-browser will start the task of cleaning. After it’s finished, the web-browser’s settings including homepage, newtab and default search provider back to the values that have been when the Google Chrome was first installed on your PC.
Remove Search.webfindersearch.com redirect from Internet Explorer
In order to restore all web browser new tab, start page and search provider by default you need to reset the IE to the state, which was when the Windows was installed on your PC system.
First, start the Internet Explorer, click ) button. Next, click “Internet Options” as displayed in the figure below.
In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, click Reset button. The Internet Explorer will show the Reset Internet Explorer settings dialog box. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box and click Reset button.
You will now need to restart your system for the changes to take effect. It will get rid of browser hijacker related to Search.webfindersearch.com start page, disable malicious and ad-supported web browser’s extensions and restore the Microsoft Internet Explorer’s settings such as new tab, search engine and homepage to default state.
Disinfect the internet browser’s shortcuts to delete Search.webfindersearch.com
Important to know, most anti malware software which are able to delete browser hijacker infection which reroutes your web browser to undesired Search.webfindersearch.com web page, but unable to detect and recover modified shortcuts. So, you need to fix the desktop shortcuts for your FF, Chrome, Edge and Internet Explorer internet browsers manually.
Click the right mouse button to a desktop shortcut file which you use to open your web-browser. Next, choose the “Properties” option. Important: necessary to click on the desktop shortcut file for the web browser that is redirected to the Search.webfindersearch.com or other intrusive site.
Further, necessary to look at the text that is written in the “Target” field. The hijacker that cause Search.webfindersearch.com site to appear can replace the contents of this field, which describes the file to be launch when you launch your web browser. Depending on the internet browser you’re using, there should be:
- Google Chrome: chrome.exe
- Opera: opera.exe
- Firefox: firefox.exe
- Internet Explorer: iexplore.exe
If you’re seeing an unknown text similar to “http://site.addres” that has been added here, then you should remove it, as displayed on the screen below.
Next, press the “OK” button to save the changes. Now, when you open the browser from this desktop shortcut, it does not occur automatically redirect on the Search.webfindersearch.com web page or any other annoying web sites. Once the step is finished, we recommend to go to the next step.
How to automatically remove Search.webfindersearch.com hijacker infection
If you are not expert at computer technology, then we suggest to use free removal utilities listed below to remove Search.webfindersearch.com redirect for good. The automatic solution is highly recommended. It has less steps and easier to implement than the manual method. Moreover, it lower risk of system damage. So, the automatic Search.webfindersearch.com removal is a better option.
How to automatically delete Search.webfindersearch.com with Zemana
Zemana Anti Malware is a tool which can remove ad supported software, PUPs, hijackers and other malware from your personal computer easily and for free. Zemana Anti-Malware is compatible with most antivirus software. It works under Windows (10 – XP, 32 and 64 bit) and uses minimum of system resources.
Now you can setup and run Zemana to remove Search.webfindersearch.com search from your web-browser by following the steps below:
Visit the page linked below to download Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) installer called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your PC system. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
164030 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Run the installation package after it has been downloaded successfully and then follow the prompts to install this tool on your computer.
During installation you can change some settings, but we recommend you don’t make any changes to default settings.
When installation is complete, this malicious software removal tool will automatically start and update itself. You will see its main window as displayed on the image below.
Now click the “Scan” button to perform a system scan for the hijacker related to Search.webfindersearch.com . This process can take some time, so please be patient. While the Zemana Free is scanning, you can see count of objects it has identified either as being malicious software.
When Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) completes the scan, Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will display a list of detected threats. Review the scan results and then click “Next” button.
The Zemana Anti Malware will remove hijacker that alters internet browser settings to replace your startpage, search provider and newtab page with Search.webfindersearch.com web-page and move threats to the program’s quarantine. Once that process is finished, you can be prompted to reboot your machine to make the change take effect.
Run Malwarebytes to remove browser hijacker infection
We suggest using the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your PC of the hijacker infection. The free utility is an advanced malicious software removal program created by (c) Malwarebytes lab. This program uses the world’s most popular antimalware technology. It’s able to help you delete browser hijackers, potentially unwanted software, malicious software, adware, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your machine for free.
- Please go to the link below to download MalwareBytes Free. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop or in any other place.
Malwarebytes Anti-malware
326382 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
- Once the downloading process is complete, close all programs and windows on your machine. Open a folder in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
- Further, click Next button and follow the prompts.
- Once setup is done, click the “Scan Now” button to start checking your system for the Search.webfindersearch.com hijacker infection and other browser’s malicious extensions. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your computer and the speed of your PC system. While the utility is scanning, you can see how many objects and files has already scanned.
- When the system scan is finished, MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) will show a list of all items detected by the scan. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and click “Quarantine Selected”. Once that process is finished, you can be prompted to reboot your personal computer.
The following video offers a step-by-step tutorial on how to remove browser hijackers, ad supported software and other malicious software with MalwareBytes Anti Malware.
Scan and free your PC system of browser hijacker infection with AdwCleaner
The AdwCleaner tool is free and easy to use. It can scan and remove browser hijacker infection responsible for redirecting your web-browser to Search.webfindersearch.com site, malicious software, potentially unwanted software and adware from computer (Windows 10, 8, 7, XP) and thereby restore internet browsers default settings (newtab, start page and search engine). AdwCleaner is powerful enough to detect and remove malicious registry entries and files that are hidden on the machine.
Download AdwCleaner from the link below. Save it to your Desktop.
225259 downloads
Version: 8.4.1
Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
Category: Security tools
Update: October 5, 2024
Once downloading is finished, open the file location. You will see an icon like below.
Double click the AdwCleaner desktop icon. After the utility is started, you will see a screen as displayed below.
Further, click “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the browser hijacker infection which alters browser settings to replace your search provider, newtab page and start page with Search.webfindersearch.com web-site. This task can take quite a while, so please be patient. Once AdwCleaner has completed scanning, a list of all items detected is produced as displayed in the figure below.
All found items will be marked. You can remove them all by simply click “Clean” button. It will show a prompt as shown on the image below.
You need to click “OK”. When disinfection is done, the AdwCleaner may ask you to reboot your system. When your personal computer is started, you will see an AdwCleaner log.
These steps are shown in detail in the following video guide.
Stop Search.webfindersearch.com and other annoying sites
In order to increase your security and protect your computer against new unwanted ads and malicious sites, you need to run ad-blocker program that blocks an access to malicious ads and web-sites. Moreover, the program can block the show of intrusive advertising, which also leads to faster loading of sites and reduce the consumption of web traffic.
Installing the AdGuard ad blocker program is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard by clicking on the following link. Save it directly to your Microsoft Windows Desktop.
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After the download is complete, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as displayed in the figure 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 guide as on the image below.
Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick guide that will help you get to know AdGuard better.
Each time, when you launch your system, AdGuard will run automatically and stop pop-ups, Search.webfindersearch.com redirect, as well as other malicious 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 can be found on your desktop.
Tips to prevent Search.webfindersearch.com and other unwanted software
Many of the free applications out there install unwanted web browser toolbars, ‘ad supported’ software and PUPs such as the hijacker infection that causes web browsers to display intrusive Search.webfindersearch.com web site along with them without your knowledge. One has to be attentive while installing free applications in order to avoid accidentally installing third-party apps. It’s important that you pay attention to the EULA (End User License Agreements) and select the Custom, Manual or Advanced installation method as it will typically disclose what optional software will also be installed.
Finish words
After completing the steps outlined above, your computer should be clean from browser hijacker infection responsible for redirecting user searches to Search.webfindersearch.com and other malicious software. The MS Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Chrome will no longer open annoying Search.webfindersearch.com site on startup. Unfortunately, if the step-by-step guide does not help you, then you have caught a new hijacker, and then the best way – ask for help in our Spyware/Malware removal forum.