The appearance SearchEmoji instead of your home page or search provider is a sign of a browser hijacker that installed on your machine. Moreover, the hijacker can lead to weird web browser behavior (freezing/crash), delays when starting a new internet browser window or delays when searching for anything on the Web. We think you definitely want to solve this problem. For this purpose, necessity to perform cleanup of your machine. You need to perform the tutorial below that will help you to remove SearchEmoji search redirect and free your internet browser from the browser hijacker infection using the standard features of MS Windows and some proven free applications.
In addition, the SearchEmoji hijacker may also modify the search provider selected in the web browser. When you try to search on the infected web browser, you’ll be presented with search results, consisting of advertisements and Google (or Yahoo, or Bing) search results for your query. Among these search results can occur links that lead to undesired and ad sites.
The SearchEmoji browser hijacker is not a virus, but the virus behaves similarly. As a rootkit hides in the system, makes various changes to settings of all your typical web-browsers, and blocks them from changing. Also this browser hijacker can install additional internet browser extensions and modules that will open advertisements and pop ups. And finally, the SearchEmoji hijacker infection has the ability to gather a wide variety of user data such as what pages you’re opening, what you are looking for the Internet and so on. This information, in the future, can be sold to third parties.
The browser hijacker like SearchEmoji often alter all web-browser shortcuts which located on your Desktop to force you visit some undesired webpages and display undesired advertisements. As a result, your internet browser can still reroute you to an unwanted website despite your internet browser is actually free of hijacker infection.
Thus, it is clear that the presence of hijacker on your PC system is not desirable, and you need to clean up your PC ASAP. Follow the step-by-step guide below in order to remove SearchEmoji from Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and IE.
Remove SearchEmoji search redirect
As with uninstalling adware, malicious software or potentially unwanted apps, there are few steps you may do. We recommend trying them all. If you do only one part of the instructions, then it should be use malicious software removal tool, because it should delete hijacker infection and block any further infection. But to completely remove the SearchEmoji you’ll have to at least reset your web browser settings such as homepage, new tab page and default search provider to default state, disinfect web browsers shortcuts, delete all unwanted and suspicious apps, and delete hijacker with malware removal utilities. Certain of the steps below will require you to close this site. So, please read the step-by-step guidance carefully, after that bookmark or print it for later reference.
To remove SearchEmoji, execute the steps below:
- How to manually remove SearchEmoji
- Deleting the SearchEmoji, check the list of installed apps first
- Get rid of SearchEmoji redirect from Internet Explorer
- Remove SearchEmoji from Mozilla Firefox by resetting web-browser settings
- Get rid of SearchEmoji search from Chrome
- Clean up the web browsers shortcuts which have been affected by SearchEmoji
- Run free malware removal utilities to completely get rid of SearchEmoji start page
- Block SearchEmoji and other intrusive sites
- How can you prevent the SearchEmoji hijacker
- To sum up
How to manually remove SearchEmoji
If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to remove the SearchEmoji redirect from the Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, Microsoft Edge and IE browsers.
Deleting the SearchEmoji, check the list of installed apps first
It is of primary importance to first identify and remove all PUPs, ad-supported software programs and hijackers through ‘Add/Remove Programs’ (Windows XP) or ‘Uninstall a program’ (Windows 10, 8, 7) section of your Windows Control Panel.
- If you are using Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 then press Windows button, next press Search. Type “Control panel”and press Enter.
- If you are using Windows XP, Vista, 7, then press “Start” button and press “Control Panel”.
- It will open the Windows Control Panel.
- Further, click “Uninstall a program” under Programs category.
- It will display a list of all applications installed on the PC.
- Scroll through the all list, and remove suspicious and unknown programs. To quickly find the latest installed apps, we recommend sort apps by date.
See more details in the video instructions below.
Get rid of SearchEmoji redirect from Internet Explorer
In order to recover all web browser default search engine, new tab and home page you need to reset the Internet Explorer to the state, that was when the Microsoft Windows was installed on your computer.
First, open the Internet Explorer, then click ‘gear’ icon 
. It will show the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the web-browser, then press the “Internet Options” like below.
In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will show the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” prompt. Further, press the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, press the “Reset” button as shown in the figure below.
After the procedure is complete, press “Close” button. Close the Microsoft Internet Explorer and restart your machine for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your browser’s homepage, search engine by default and newtab to default state.
Remove SearchEmoji from Mozilla Firefox by resetting web-browser settings
Resetting your Firefox is good initial troubleshooting step for any issues with your browser program, including the redirect to SearchEmoji web-site.
First, run the Firefox. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (
). It will show the drop-down menu. Next, click the Help button (
).
In the Help menu click the “Troubleshooting Information”. In the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page click on “Refresh Firefox” button as on the image below.
Confirm your action, click the “Refresh Firefox”.
Get rid of SearchEmoji search from Chrome
If your Google Chrome web-browser is rerouted to intrusive SearchEmoji web-page, it may be necessary to completely reset your web-browser program to its default settings.
First run the Chrome. Next, press the button in the form of three horizontal dots (
).
It will display the Chrome menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions. Carefully browse through the list of installed add-ons. If the list has the plugin signed with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Open the Chrome menu once again. Further, click the option named “Settings”.
The web browser will open the settings screen. Another way to display the Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the web-browser adress bar and press Enter
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the “Reset” section is visible, as shown on the screen below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Chrome will open the confirmation prompt as on the image below.
You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The web-browser will start the process of cleaning. When it is done, the internet browser’s settings including homepage, new tab page and search engine back to the values which have been when the Google Chrome was first installed on your computer.
Clean up the web browsers shortcuts which have been affected by SearchEmoji
Unfortunately, the browser hijacker infection which created to redirect your browser to the SearchEmoji web site, can also hijack Windows shortcut files (mostly, your internet browsers shortcuts), so that the SearchEmoji start page will be shown when you open the Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox or another browser.
To clear the internet browser shortcut, right-click to it and select Properties. On the Shortcut tab, locate the Target field. Click inside, you will see a vertical line – arrow pointer, move it (using -> arrow key on your keyboard) to the right as possible. You will see a text such as “http://site.address” which has been added here. You need to delete it.
When the text is removed, press the OK button. You need to clean all shortcut files of all your internet browsers, as they may be affected too.
Run free malware removal utilities to completely get rid of SearchEmoji start page
If you are not expert at computer technology, then all your attempts to delete SearchEmoji browser hijacker by completing the manual steps above might result in failure. To find and remove all of the SearchEmoji related files and registry entries that keep this browser hijacker infection on your machine, use free anti malware software like Zemana Anti Malware, MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) and HitmanPro from our list below.
Run Zemana to delete SearchEmoji
We recommend using the Zemana. You can download and install Zemana to scan for and remove SearchEmoji homepage from your computer. When installed and updated, the malicious software remover will automatically scan and detect all threats exist on the personal computer.
Now you can install and use Zemana Anti Malware to delete SearchEmoji start page from your web browser by following the steps below:
Visit the page linked below to download Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) installation package called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your PC system. Save it to your Desktop.
164032 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Start the setup file after it has been downloaded successfully and then follow the prompts to setup this tool on your PC.
During installation you can change some settings, but we suggest you don’t make any changes to default settings.
When setup is complete, this malicious software removal tool will automatically start and update itself. You will see its main window as displayed on the screen below.
Now press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the browser hijacker infection that cause SearchEmoji web page to appear. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your system and the speed of your machine. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the scanning is complete.
When Zemana Anti Malware has finished scanning your computer, Zemana Anti Malware will display a list of detected items. Review the report and then click “Next” button.
The Zemana will delete browser hijacker infection which designed to redirect your internet browser to the SearchEmoji web site and add threats to the Quarantine. After disinfection is finished, you can be prompted to reboot your PC system to make the change take effect.
Scan and free your computer of hijacker infection with HitmanPro
HitmanPro is a free program that designed to remove malware, PUPs, ad supported software and browser hijackers from your PC system running Microsoft Windows 10, 8, 7, XP (32-bit and 64-bit). It will help to identify and delete hijacker infection that responsible for web-browser redirect to the undesired SearchEmoji web-site, including its files, folders and registry keys.
- Installing the Hitman Pro is simple. First you’ll need to download HitmanPro from the following link. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
- After the download is finished, start the HitmanPro, double-click the HitmanPro.exe file.
- If the “User Account Control” prompts, click Yes to continue.
- In the Hitman Pro window, press the “Next” to search for browser hijacker that cause a redirect to SearchEmoji web page. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your computer and the speed of your computer. When a malware, ‘ad supported’ software or PUPs are found, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the scanning is finished.
- Once HitmanPro has completed scanning, the results are displayed in the scan report. You may remove items (move to Quarantine) by simply press “Next”. Now, click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to remove all malicious software found.
Run Malwarebytes to remove browser hijacker
We recommend using the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your computer of the browser hijacker. The free tool is an advanced malware removal program developed by (c) Malwarebytes lab. This application uses the world’s most popular anti-malware technology. It’s able to help you remove browser hijackers, PUPs, malicious software, adware, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your machine for free.
Installing the MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) is simple. First you’ll need to download MalwareBytes Anti Malware by clicking on the link below. Save it on your Windows desktop.
326384 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
Once the downloading process is finished, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the MalwareBytes AntiMalware will try to update itself and when this task is finished, press the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan for the hijacker which changes web browser settings to replace your search provider, new tab and startpage with SearchEmoji web-site. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your machine. When a malware, ad supported software or potentially unwanted apps are detected, the count of the security threats will change accordingly. You may delete threats (move to Quarantine) by simply press “Quarantine Selected” button.
The MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) 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 utility, we recommend you to read and follow the steps or the video guide below.
Block SearchEmoji and other intrusive sites
We advise to install an ad-blocker program which may block SearchEmoji and other unwanted web pages. The ad-blocking tool such as AdGuard is a program which basically removes advertising from the Net and stops access to malicious web-sites. Moreover, security experts says that using ad-blocking software is necessary to stay safe when surfing the Internet.
- Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard on your MS Windows Desktop from the link below.
Adguard download
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
- After downloading it, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
- After the installation is complete, click “Skip” to close the install program and use the default settings, or press “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 don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you run your computer, AdGuard will start automatically and block pop-up advertisements, SearchEmoji redirect, 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 icon named AdGuard, that can be found on your desktop.
How can you prevent the SearchEmoji hijacker
Many browser hijackers such as SearchEmoji come from web-browser toolbars, web browser extensions, BHOs (browser helper objects) and optional applications. In many cases, these items claim itself as apps that improve your experience on the World Wide Web by providing a fast and interactive homepage or a search engine that does not track you. Remember, how to avoid the unwanted software. Be cautious, start only reputable software which download from reputable sources. NEVER install an unknown and suspicious application.
To sum up
Once you’ve done the guide outlined above, your machine should be clean from this browser hijacker and other malicious software. The Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox and Edge will no longer open unwanted SearchEmoji web-site on startup. Unfortunately, if the few simple steps does not help you, then you have caught a new hijacker, 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 intrusive SearchEmoji search.
