The IconRunner is classified as adware (also known as ‘ad-supported’ software). It is made to make revenue. The IconRunner can show unwanted ads within the Edge, Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. As a result of the adware infection, your web-browser will be full of ads (pop-ups, banners, in-text links, offers to install an unwanted software) and your system will be slower and slower.
It is likely that you might be worried with the IconRunner which cause undesired ads to appear. You should not disregard this undesired software. The ‘ad supported’ software might not only show intrusive ads, but redirect your internet browser to shady sites. What is more, the ‘ad supported’ software can analyze your browsing, and gain access to your privacy information and, subsequently, can use it for marketing purposes. Thus, there are more than enough reasons to get rid of IconRunner from your machine.
In addition to that, as was mentioned earlier, the IconRunner adware to also modify all web-browsers shortcut files that located on your Desktop or Start menu. So, every affected shortcut will try to redirect your web-browser to intrusive ad sites, some of which might be malicious. It can make the whole computer more vulnerable to hacker attacks.
It is important, do not use IconRunner software and don’t click on its ads. The best option is to use the steps posted below to free your PC system of the IconRunner adware and thus delete any unwanted ads.
Remove IconRunner adware
When the adware gets installed on your PC system without your knowledge, it’s not easy to remove. In most cases, there is no Uninstall program which simply delete the IconRunner adware that created to redirect your internet browser to various ad web pages from your system. So, we recommend using several well-proven free specialized tools like Zemana Anti Malware, MalwareBytes Free or HitmanPro. But the best solution to remove IconRunner adware will be to perform several manual steps, after that additionally use antimalware utilities.
To remove IconRunner, follow the steps below:
- How to remove IconRunner without any software
- Uninstall IconRunner associated software by using MS Windows Control Panel
- Remove IconRunner from Mozilla Firefox
- Remove IconRunner adware from Google Chrome
- Remove IconRunner adware from Internet Explorer
- Get rid of unwanted Scheduled Tasks
- Disinfect the browser’s shortcuts to get rid of IconRunner redirect
- Scan your PC system and get rid of IconRunner ad supported software with free tools
- Run AdBlocker to stay safe online
- How can you prevent the IconRunner
- To sum up
How to remove IconRunner without any software
The few simple steps will help you delete IconRunner adware. These IconRunner removal steps work for the Microsoft Internet Explorer, Edge, Google Chrome and Firefox, as well as every version of Microsoft Windows operating system.
Uninstall IconRunner associated software by using MS Windows Control Panel
First, you should try to identify and remove the program that causes the appearance of annoying advertisements or browser redirect, using the ‘Uninstall a program’ which is located in the ‘Control panel’.
- If you are using Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 then click Windows button, next click Search. Type “Control panel”and press Enter.
- If you are using Windows XP, Vista, 7, then press “Start” button and click “Control Panel”.
- It will display the Windows Control Panel.
- Further, click “Uninstall a program” under Programs category.
- It will show a list of all apps installed on the computer.
- Scroll through the all list, and delete dubious and unknown applications. To quickly find the latest installed apps, we recommend sort software by date.
See more details in the video guidance below.
Remove IconRunner from Mozilla Firefox
If the Mozilla Firefox browser program is hijacked, then resetting its settings can help. The Reset feature is available on all modern version of Firefox. A reset can fix many issues by restoring Firefox settings such as startpage, search engine by default and new tab to its default state. It will save your personal information like saved passwords, bookmarks, and open tabs.
First, run the Mozilla Firefox and press 
button. It will show the drop-down menu on the right-part of the browser. Further, press the Help button (
) as on the image below.
In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the browser adress bar and press Enter. It will open the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown in the following example. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.
It will show the confirmation dialog box. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Firefox will start a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the IconRunner ‘ad supported’ software that redirects your web browser to annoying ad sites. After, it is finished, click the “Finish” button.
Remove IconRunner adware from Google Chrome
Reset Google Chrome settings is a simple way to delete the browser hijackers, harmful and ‘ad-supported’ extensions, as well as to recover the web browser’s search provider, homepage and new tab page that have been replaced by IconRunner ad supported software that causes web browsers to display intrusive pop-up ads.
- First run the Chrome and press Menu button (small button in the form of three dots).
- It will show the Chrome main menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
- You’ll see the list of installed add-ons. If the list has the addon labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following tutorial: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
- Now open the Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
- You will see the Google Chrome’s settings page. Scroll down and click “Advanced” link.
- Scroll down again and click the “Reset” button.
- The Google Chrome will show the reset profile settings page as shown on the screen above.
- Next click the “Reset” button.
- Once this procedure is finished, your browser’s home page, search provider and newtab page will be restored to their original defaults.
- To learn more, read the blog post How to reset Chrome settings to default.
Remove IconRunner adware from Internet Explorer
The Internet Explorer reset is great if your web browser is hijacked or you have unwanted addo-ons or toolbars on your internet browser, that installed by an malware.
First, launch the Internet Explorer, then press ‘gear’ icon 
. It will open the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the internet 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 IE will show the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” dialog box. Further, press the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button like below.
When the task is complete, click “Close” button. Close the IE and reboot your PC system for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web-browser’s search provider by default, newtab page and start page to default state.
Get rid of unwanted Scheduled Tasks
Once installed, the IconRunner adware can add a task in to the Windows Task Scheduler Library. Due to this, every time when you launch your personal computer, it will open an intrusive web-site. So, you need to check the Task Scheduler Library and get rid of all harmful tasks that have been created by ‘ad-supported’ programs.
Press Windows and R keys on your keyboard together. It will open a dialog box that titled as Run. In the text field, type “taskschd.msc” (without the quotes) and press OK. Task Scheduler window opens. In the left-hand side, press “Task Scheduler Library”, as displayed on the screen 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. If you are not sure that executes the task, then google it. If it is a component of the malicious program, then this task also should be removed.
Further click on it with the right mouse button and select Delete like below.
Task scheduler, delete a task
Repeat this step, if you have found a few tasks that have been created by ‘ad-supported’ applications. Once is finished, close the Task Scheduler window.
Disinfect the browser’s shortcuts to get rid of IconRunner redirect
Now you need to clean up the browser shortcuts. Check that the shortcut referring to the right exe-file of the web browser, and not on any unknown file.
Open the properties of the web-browser shortcut file. Right click on the shortcut file of affected web browser and select 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 as displayed 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 shortcut files which have been altered by IconRunner software, usually point to .bat, .cmd or .url files instead of .exe like 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 like below.
In order to fix the infected 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 changed by IconRunner which redirects your browser to intrusive ad web-sites.
| Chrome | C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe |
| C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe | |
| FF | C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe |
| IE | 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 done, click OK to save changes. Repeat the step for all web browsers which are re-directed to the IconRunner ads.
Scan your PC system and get rid of IconRunner ad supported software with free tools
Manual removal is not always as effective as you might think. Often, even the most experienced users can not completely get rid of IconRunner adware that causes multiple annoying advertisements and pop-ups. So, we advise to scan your computer for any remaining malicious components with free adware removal applications below.
Delete IconRunner ad supported software with Zemana Anti-malware
We recommend using the Zemana Anti-malware which are completely clean your computer of the ad-supported software. The utility is an advanced malware removal program created by (c) Zemana lab. It is able to help you remove potentially unwanted apps, browser hijackers, malicious software, toolbars, ransomware and IconRunner which redirects your internet browser to annoying ad pages.
- Download Zemana on your PC system by clicking on the following link.
Zemana AntiMalware
164040 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
- Once the downloading process is finished, close all apps and windows on your machine. Open a folder in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
- Further, press Next button and follow the prompts.
- Once setup is complete, click the “Scan” button to scan for IconRunner adware that causes undesired advertisements. A system scan may take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your PC system. During the scan Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will detect threats present on your machine.
- Once Zemana Free completes the scan, Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will open you the results. When you are ready, press “Next”. Once that process is done, you may be prompted to reboot your system.
Run HitmanPro to remove IconRunner
HitmanPro cleans your PC from browser hijackers, potentially unwanted software, unwanted toolbars, browser extensions and other unwanted programs like IconRunner adware which designed to redirect your browser to various ad web-pages. The free removal tool will help you enjoy your computer to its fullest. HitmanPro uses advanced behavioral detection technologies to search for if there are undesired apps in your computer. You can review the scan results, and choose the threats you want to uninstall.
- Download HitmanPro on your computer from the link below.
- When downloading is finished, launch the HitmanPro, double-click the HitmanPro.exe file.
- If the “User Account Control” prompts, click Yes to continue.
- In the Hitman Pro window, click the “Next” to perform a system scan for the IconRunner adware that causes multiple unwanted advertisements and popups. Depending on your computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the HitmanPro program is scanning, you can see number of objects it has identified as threat.
- Once Hitman Pro has completed scanning, you can check all items found on your computer. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and click “Next”. Now, click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to remove all malicious software found.
Run Malwarebytes to delete IconRunner
We advise using the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your PC system of the ‘ad supported’ software. The free utility is an advanced malicious software removal program made by (c) Malwarebytes lab. This program uses the world’s most popular antimalware technology. It is able to help you get rid of unwanted IconRunner from your browsers, PUPs, malicious software, browser hijackers, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your system for free.
Download MalwareBytes AntiMalware on your system from the link below.
326393 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
After downloading is done, close all applications and windows on your computer. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s called mb3-setup as on the image below.
When the installation begins, you will see the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Malwarebytes on your computer.
Once installation is finished, you’ll see window as displayed on the screen below.
Now click the “Scan Now” button. MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) application will scan through the whole system for the IconRunner adware which cause intrusive ads to appear. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your computer. When a threat is found, the count of the security threats will change accordingly.
After the scan is done, MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) will prepare a list of unwanted and ad supported software. Review the report and then press “Quarantine Selected” button.
The Malwarebytes will now delete IconRunner adware that causes multiple undesired ads and pop-ups. When that process is complete, you may be prompted to restart your computer.
The following video explains guide on how to remove browser hijacker infection, adware and other malware with MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM).
Run AdBlocker to bstay safe online
By installing an ad blocker program such as AdGuard, you are able to block autoplaying video ads and get rid of a large amount of distracting and intrusive ads on pages.
- Please go to the link below to download the latest version of AdGuard for Microsoft Windows. Save it to your Desktop.
Adguard download
26629 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
- When the download is finished, launch 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 press “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that 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 run your PC, AdGuard will run automatically and stop pop up ads, as well as other harmful 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, that can be found on your desktop.
How can you prevent the IconRunner
The ad-supported software come as a part of certain freeware. So always read carefully the installation screens, disclaimers, ‘Terms of Use’ and ‘Software license’ appearing during the install procedure. Additionally pay attention for additional programs which are being installed along with the main program. Ensure that you unchecked all of them! Also, run an ad blocker application that will help to stop malicious, misleading, illegitimate or untrustworthy web sites.
To sum up
After completing the steps shown above, your system should be clean from this adware and other malicious software. The Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox will no longer display intrusive IconRunner ads. Unfortunately, if the step by step guidance 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 IconRunner adware.
