How to remove "Windows Security Notification" popup scam

The “Windows Security Notification” is a misleading web-page that created to show various fake alerts in order to trick you into calling the fake Microsoft Support Service. If the IE, Edge, FF and Google Chrome are redirected to the “Windows Security Notification” misleading page, then most probably that your web browser has been affected with the PUP (potentially unwanted program) from the adware (also known as ‘ad-supported’ software) category. In many cases, the unwanted program installs on the computer in a bundle with freeware that you downloaded and installed from the Internet. Once it gets inside your machine, it will alter some PC’s settings including search provider, startpage and new tab page in order to reroute your’s browser to misleading web-pages or show tons of intrusive advertisements from various third-party ad networks.

“Windows Security Notification” is a misleading advertising like shown on the example above

It is probably that you might be worried with the adware that causes multiple misleading “Windows Security Notification” alerts and popups. You should not disregard this unwanted software. The adware might not only show unwanted ads, but redirect your browser to misleading web-pages. What is more, the adware can analyze your browsing, and gain access to your personal info and, later, can sell it to third parties. Thus, there are more than enough reasons to remove “Windows Security Notification” pop up from your PC.

Most often, the ‘ad supported’ software infects the most common web-browsers like the Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer and MS Edge. But such the malicious software as well may affect another browsers by modifying its shortcuts (adding an argument such as ‘http://site.address’ into Target field of a web-browser’s shortcut file). So every time you run the internet browser, it will redirect to the intrusive “Windows Security Notification” web-page. Even if you setup a new homepage, an intrusive page will be the first thing you see when you open the Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and MS Edge.

Instructions that is shown below, will allow you to clean your computer from the adware as well as get rid of “Windows Security Notification” intrusive pop-ups from the Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer and other web browsers.

Remove “Windows Security Notification” popup scam

Without a doubt, the adware is harmful to your computer. So you need to quickly and completely delete this adware that cause misleading “Windows Security Notification” fake alerts to appear. To remove this ‘ad supported’ software, you can use the manual removal guide that are given below or free malicious software removal utility like Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM), MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) or AdwCleaner (all are free). We advise you use automatic removal solution which will allow you to delete “Windows Security Notification” pop-up warnings easily and safely. Manual removal is best used only if you’re well versed in personal computer or in the case where adware is not removed automatically. Certain of the steps below will require you to exit this web page. So, please read the step-by-step instructions carefully, after that bookmark or print it for later reference.

To remove “Windows Security Notification”, use the steps below:

Manual “Windows Security Notification” pop-up scam removal
“Windows Security Notification” pop-up scam automatic removal
Stop “Windows Security Notification” fake alerts and other unwanted pages
How to “Windows Security Notification” popup get installed onto computer
Finish words

Manual “Windows Security Notification” pop-up scam removal

The following instructions is a step-by-step guide, which will help you manually get rid of “Windows Security Notification” pop-up from the IE, Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox.

Uninstall potentially unwanted programs using Windows Control Panel

The process of ad-supported software removal is generally the same across all versions of MS Windows OS from 10 to XP. To start with, it is necessary to check the list of installed applications on your computer and uninstall all unused, unknown and dubious programs.

Windows 10, 8.1, 8

Click the Windows logo, and then click Search . Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as shown on the image below.

When the ‘Control Panel’ opens, press the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as displayed in the figure below.

Windows 7, Vista, XP

Open Start menu and choose the ‘Control Panel’ at right as shown below.

Then go to ‘Add/Remove Programs’ or ‘Uninstall a program’ (Microsoft Windows 7 or Vista) as shown in the following example.

Carefully browse through the list of installed programs and get rid of all questionable and unknown apps. We recommend to press ‘Installed programs’ and even sorts all installed programs by date. When you’ve found anything questionable that may be the adware that cause misleading “Windows Security Notification” popup to appear or other PUP (potentially unwanted program), then choose this program and click ‘Uninstall’ in the upper part of the window. If the dubious program blocked from removal, then use Revo Uninstaller Freeware to fully delete it from your system.

Remove unwanted Scheduled Tasks

Once installed, the ‘ad supported’ software can add a task in to the Windows Task Scheduler Library. Due to this, every time when you run your computer, it will show “Windows Security Notification” unwanted site. So, you need to check the Task Scheduler Library and delete all malicious tasks that have been created by ‘ad-supported’ program.

Press Windows and R keys on your keyboard together. It will show a prompt 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”, as displayed in the figure 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 show 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 get rid of this task. If you are not sure that executes the task, then google it. If it’s a component of the adware, then this task also should be removed.

Further click on it with the right mouse button and select Delete as displayed on the screen below.

Task scheduler, delete a task

Repeat this step, if you have found a few tasks that have been created by ‘ad-supported’ program. Once is finished, close the Task Scheduler window.

Remove “Windows Security Notification” pop up warnings from Google Chrome

Like other modern browsers, the Google Chrome has the ability to reset the settings to their default values and thereby recover the browser’s settings such as home page, search provider by default and newtab page that have been modified by the adware which causes misleading “Windows Security Notification” popup on your web-browser.

Open the Google Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (). It will show the drop-down menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.

Carefully browse through the list of installed extensions. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following guide: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.

Open the Chrome main menu again, press to “Settings” option.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, as shown on the screen below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.

Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.

Remove “Windows Security Notification” from Firefox by resetting web-browser settings

The Mozilla Firefox reset will keep your personal information like bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill data, recover preferences and security settings, remove redirections to undesired “Windows Security Notification” page and ad-supported software.

Press the Menu button (looks like three horizontal lines), and click the blue Help icon located at the bottom of the drop down menu as on the image below.

A small menu will appear, click the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, click “Refresh Firefox” button as displayed in the following example.

Follow the onscreen procedure to restore your Firefox browser settings to its original state.

Remove “Windows Security Notification” pop-up from Internet Explorer

The IE reset is great if your internet browser is hijacked or you have unwanted addo-ons or toolbars on your web browser, which installed by an malicious software.

First, run the Internet Explorer, press ) button. Next, click “Internet Options” as displayed in the following example.

In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, click Reset button. The Internet Explorer will open 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 machine for the changes to take effect. It will delete ad-supported software that cause misleading “Windows Security Notification” fake alerts to appear, disable malicious and ad-supported browser’s extensions and restore the Internet Explorer’s settings like home page, newtab and search engine by default to default state.

Fix infected web-browsers shortcuts to remove “Windows Security Notification” redirect

Once the ad supported software is started, it can also modify the web browser’s shortcut files, adding an argument similar to “http://site.address” into the Target field. Due to this, every time you launch the web-browser, it will open an intrusive web-page.

Click the right mouse button to a desktop shortcut which you use to start your web-browser. Next, select the “Properties” option. Important: necessary to click on the desktop shortcut for the web-browser that is redirected to the “Windows Security Notification” or other annoying web page.

Further, necessary to look at the text which is written in the “Target” field. The adware that causes multiple misleading “Windows Security Notification” alerts and pop ups can replace the contents of this field, which describes the file to be start when you open your browser. Depending on the browser you are 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 like “http://site.addres” that has been added here, then you should remove it, as displayed below.

Next, click the “OK” button to save the changes. Now, when you start the web browser from this desktop shortcut, it does not occur automatically redirect on the “Windows Security Notification” page or any other unwanted web pages. Once the step is finished, we recommend to go to the next step.

“Windows Security Notification” pop-up scam automatic removal

If you’re unsure how to get rid of “Windows Security Notification” pop-up easily, consider using automatic adware removal software which listed below. It will identify the adware that causes multiple misleading “Windows Security Notification” alerts and pop-ups and remove it from your machine for free.

Use Zemana Anti-malware to get rid of “Windows Security Notification” pop up

You can delete “Windows Security Notification” popup automatically with a help of Zemana Anti-malware. We suggest this malicious software removal utility because it may easily get rid of hijackers, potentially unwanted software, adware which reroutes your web browser to “Windows Security Notification” web site with all their components such as folders, files and registry entries.

Click the following link to download Zemana Anti-Malware. Save it on your Desktop.

Zemana AntiMalware
164028 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
When downloading is finished, close all applications and windows on your system. Open a file location. Double-click on the icon that’s named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
Further, click Next button and follow the prompts.
Once install is done, click the “Scan” button . Zemana Free utility will begin scanning the whole PC system to find out adware that causes misleading “Windows Security Notification” pop-up scam on your browser. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your PC system and the speed of your machine.
After Zemana Anti Malware has completed scanning your machine, Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will create a list of unwanted and ‘ad supported’ software applications. When you’re ready, click “Next”. After finished, you may be prompted to restart your personal computer.

How to automatically delete “Windows Security Notification” with Malwarebytes

Manual “Windows Security Notification” pop-up scam removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the adware can be not completely removed. We recommend that run the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your machine of ad supported software. Moreover, the free program will help you to delete malicious software, potentially unwanted software, hijacker infections and toolbars that your PC can be infected too.

Download MalwareBytes from the link below. Save it on your MS Windows desktop.

Malwarebytes Anti-malware
326382 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
After the downloading process is complete, close all apps and windows on your system. Open a file location. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
Further, click Next button and follow the prompts.
Once install is done, click the “Scan Now” button . MalwareBytes utility will begin scanning the whole personal computer to find out adware that displays misleading “Windows Security Notification” pop up on your personal computer. This procedure may take some time, so please be patient. While the MalwareBytes Free application is checking, you can see number of objects it has identified as threat.
After MalwareBytes has completed scanning, you will be shown the list of all detected items on your system. You may move threats to Quarantine (all selected by default) by simply press “Quarantine Selected”. When the process is finished, you can be prompted to restart your PC system.

The following video offers a steps on how to get rid of hijacker infections, ‘ad supported’ software and other malware with MalwareBytes Free.

Scan your computer and remove “Windows Security Notification” pop-up with AdwCleaner

AdwCleaner is a free removal utility which can check your system for a wide range of security threats such as malicious software, ad supported softwares, potentially unwanted applications as well as adware that developed to display misleading “Windows Security Notification” popup within your web browser. It will perform a deep scan of your PC including hard drives and Microsoft Windows registry. Once a malware is found, it will help you to delete all detected threats from your system with a simple click.

Visit the following page to download the latest version of AdwCleaner for Windows. Save it on your Windows desktop or in any other place.

AdwCleaner download
225257 downloads
Version: 8.4.1
Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
Category: Security tools
Update: October 5, 2024
Select the folder in which you saved it as Desktop, and then click Save.
After the downloading process is finished, start the AdwCleaner, double-click the adwcleaner_xxx.exe file.
If the “User Account Control” prompts, press Yes to continue.
Read the “Terms of use”, and click Accept.
In the AdwCleaner window, click the “Scan” for scanning your machine for the adware which displays misleading “Windows Security Notification” pop up scam on your computer. When a malicious software, adware or potentially unwanted applications are found, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is finished.
After AdwCleaner completes the scan, AdwCleaner will show a list of all threats found by the scan. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and click “Clean”. If the AdwCleaner will ask you to restart your system, click “OK”.

The instructions shown in detail in the following video.

Stop “Windows Security Notification” fake alerts and other unwanted pages

By installing an ad blocking application such as AdGuard, you’re able to block “Windows Security Notification”, autoplaying video ads and remove a ton of distracting and unwanted ads on web sites.

Download AdGuard application from the following link. Save it directly to your MS Windows Desktop.

Adguard download
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After the downloading process is complete, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
Once the installation is done, click “Skip” to close the setup program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial which will assist 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 machine, AdGuard will start automatically and stop ads, “Windows Security Notification” 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 icon named AdGuard, which is located on your desktop.

How to “Windows Security Notification” popup get installed onto computer

The ‘ad supported’ software spreads bundled with various freeware, as a supplement, which is installed automatically. This is certainly not an honest way to get installed onto your personal computer. To avoid infecting of your computer and side effects in the form of unwanted “Windows Security Notification” ads, you should always carefully read the Terms of Use and the Software license. Additionally, always select Manual, Custom or Advanced setup method. This allows you to disable the install of unnecessary and often harmful apps. Even if you uninstall the free applications from your computer, this adware will not be fully removed. This means that you should manually delete adware that causes web-browsers to display misleading “Windows Security Notification” popup warnings by follow the step-by-step guide above.

Finish words

After completing the steps above, your PC system should be clean from this ad-supported software and other malware. The Edge, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox will no longer show annoying “Windows Security Notification” page when you browse the Internet. Unfortunately, if the tutorial does not help you, then you have caught a new ad supported software, and then the best way – ask for help.

Please start a new thread by using the “New Topic” button in the Spyware Removal forum. When posting your HJT log, try to give us some details about your problems, so we can try to help you more accurately. Wait for one of our trained “Security Team” or Site Administrator to provide you with knowledgeable assistance tailored to your problem with the annoying “Windows Security Notification” fake alerts.