If you have found that the MaxSearch.live is set as your start page or search engine and you can’t remember making those changes, then may be possible that your system is affected by a PUP (potentially unwanted program) from the browser hijacker family and you should fix it without a wait. In this blog post we’ll inform you about the effective ways of removing MaxSearch.live from the Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox and Internet Explorer for good.
When you’re performing searches using the browser that has been affected with MaxSearch.live, the search results will be returned from Bing, Yahoo or Google Custom Search. The developers of MaxSearch.live browser hijacker are most probably doing this to make advertisement profit from the advertisements opened in the search results.
Also, adware (sometimes named ‘ad-supported’ software) can be installed on the machine together with MaxSearch.live browser hijacker. It will insert tons of ads directly to the web-pages which you view, creating a sense that ads has been added by the makers of the web site. Moreover, legal advertisements may be replaced on fake ads that will offer to download and install various unnecessary and harmful software. Moreover, the MaxSearch.live browser hijacker has the ability to gather marketing-type data about you which can be later used for marketing purposes.
The hijacker such as MaxSearch.live often alter all internet browser shortcuts which located on your Desktop to force you visit certain annoying websites and open intrusive advertisements. As a result, your browser can still reroute you to an undesired webpage despite your internet browser is actually free of browser hijacker.
Therefore it is very important to free your system of browser hijacker infection ASAP. Follow the few simple steps below to remove MaxSearch.live home page, as well as other malware and adware, which may be installed onto your computer along with it.
How to remove MaxSearch.live redirect (Virus removal guide)
Fortunately, we’ve an effective solution which will help you manually or/and automatically get rid of MaxSearch.live from your personal computer and bring your web browser settings, including new tab, startpage and default search provider, back to normal. Below you will find a removal steps with all the steps you may need to successfully remove this hijacker infection and its components. Some of the steps below will require you to exit this webpage. So, please read the step-by-step guide carefully, after that bookmark or print it for later reference.
To remove MaxSearch.live, use the steps below:
- Manual MaxSearch.live removal
- Run free malware removal tools to completely get rid of MaxSearch.live start page
- Run AdBlocker to stop MaxSearch.live and stay safe online
- How does your computer get infected with MaxSearch.live browser hijacker
- To sum up
Manual MaxSearch.live removal
Steps to remove MaxSearch.live browser hijacker without any applications are presented below. Be sure to carry out the step-by-step guidance completely to fully remove this unwanted MaxSearch.live .
Uninstall dubious apps using Microsoft Windows Control Panel
In order to get rid of potentially unwanted apps such as this browser hijacker, open the Windows Control Panel and click on “Uninstall a program”. Check the list of installed applications. For the ones you do not know, run an Internet search to see if they are adware, hijacker infection or potentially unwanted apps. If yes, remove them off. Even if they are just a software that you do not use, then deleting them off will increase your computer start up time and speed dramatically.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, press the Windows button , then click 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, click “Uninstall a program”
It will open a list of all software installed on your machine. Scroll through the all list, and uninstall any questionable and unknown applications. To quickly find the latest installed apps, we recommend sort applications by date in the Control panel.
Fix internet browser shortcuts, altered by MaxSearch.live browser hijacker infection
The browser hijacker which cause MaxSearch.live webpage to appear, may hijack various Windows shortcut files on your desktop (most often, all browsers shortcuts), so in this step you need to check and clean them by removing the argument such as http://site.address/.
Right click on the shortcut of hijacked internet browser as shown in the following example.
Select the “Properties” option and it will display the shortcut’s properties. Next, click the “Shortcut” tab and then delete the “http://site.address” string from Target field like below.
Then press OK to save changes. Repeat the step for all web browsers which are rerouted to the MaxSearch.live undesired site.
Remove MaxSearch.live from Firefox
If the Mozilla Firefox web-browser application 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 like new tab, homepage and search engine by default to their original settings. However, your saved passwords and bookmarks will not be changed, deleted or cleared.
Run the Mozilla Firefox and click the menu button (it looks like three stacked lines) at the top right of the web browser screen. Next, press the question-mark icon at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It will open the slide-out menu.
Select the “Troubleshooting information”. If you are unable to access the Help menu, then type “about:support” in your address bar and press Enter. It bring up the “Troubleshooting Information” page like below.
Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right of the Troubleshooting Information page. Select “Refresh Firefox” in the confirmation dialog box. The Firefox will start a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the hijacker that cause MaxSearch.live website to appear. When, it’s finished, click the “Finish” button.
Remove MaxSearch.live redirect from Internet Explorer
In order to recover all web-browser search engine, newtab and homepage you need to reset the Internet Explorer to the state, which was when the MS Windows was installed on your PC.
First, launch the Microsoft Internet Explorer, click ) button. Next, press “Internet Options” as shown below.
In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, click Reset button. The IE 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 PC system for the changes to take effect. It will remove hijacker responsible for MaxSearch.live homepage, disable malicious and ad-supported web-browser’s extensions and restore the Microsoft Internet Explorer’s settings like newtab, search engine by default and homepage to default state.
Remove MaxSearch.live from Google Chrome
The MaxSearch.live as your search provider or home page or other symptom of having hijacker in your internet browser is a good reason to reset Chrome. This is an easy method to restore the Google Chrome settings and not lose any important information.
- First, run the Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three dots).
- It will display the Chrome main menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions.
- You will see 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 guidance: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
- Now open the Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
- Next, click “Advanced” link, that located at the bottom of the Settings page.
- On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
- The Google Chrome will open the reset settings prompt as on the image above.
- Confirm the browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
- To learn more, read the blog post How to reset Chrome settings to default.
Run free malware removal tools to completely get rid of MaxSearch.live start page
After completing the manual removal steps above all unwanted apps and web-browser’s extensions which causes browser redirects to the MaxSearch.live site should be removed. If the problem with MaxSearch.live browser hijacker is still remained, then we recommend to scan your PC for any remaining malicious components. Use recommended free browser hijacker removal applications below.
Run Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) to remove hijacker
Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) is extremely fast and ultra light weight malicious software removal utility. It will assist you remove MaxSearch.live browser hijacker infection, ad supported software, PUPs and other malicious software. This program gives real-time protection that never slow down your computer. Zemana Free is made for experienced and beginner computer users. The interface of this tool is very easy to use, simple and minimalist.
Visit the page linked below to download the latest version of Zemana for Microsoft Windows. Save it to your Desktop.
164034 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
After downloading is finished, close all software and windows on your computer. Double-click the install file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown in the following example, click the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” that will help you install Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) on your system. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
Once install is complete successfully, Zemana Free will automatically start and you can see its main screen as displayed in the following example.
Now click the “Scan” button . Zemana AntiMalware tool will begin scanning the whole PC system to find out hijacker responsible for redirections to MaxSearch.live. A system scan may take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your computer. While the Zemana Anti Malware is checking, you may see how many objects it has identified either as being malicious software.
After that process is finished, Zemana will show you the results. When you’re ready, click “Next” button. The Zemana Anti Malware will begin to remove hijacker that causes browsers to display undesired MaxSearch.live website. Once the clean up is finished, you may be prompted to restart the computer.
Use Hitman Pro to remove MaxSearch.live from the PC system
HitmanPro is a portable program which requires no hard installation to find and remove hijacker infection which cause MaxSearch.live webpage to appear. The program itself is small in size (only a few Mb). HitmanPro does not need any drivers and special dlls. It is probably easier to use than any alternative malicious software removal utilities you have ever tried. Hitman Pro works on 64 and 32-bit versions of Windows 10, 8, 7 and XP. It proves that removal tool can be just as effective as the widely known antivirus programs.
Download HitmanPro by clicking on the following link.
Once downloading is done, open the directory in which you saved it and double-click the Hitman Pro icon. It will run the HitmanPro tool. If the User Account Control prompt will ask you want to start the program, press Yes button to continue.
Next, click “Next” for checking your system for the hijacker related to MaxSearch.live . This procedure may take some time, so please be patient. While the Hitman Pro is scanning, you can see number of objects it has identified either as being malware.
Once that process is finished, HitmanPro will prepare a list of undesired applications adware like below.
Once you’ve selected what you want to remove from your PC system click “Next” button. It will display a dialog box, click the “Activate free license” button. The HitmanPro will get rid of browser hijacker which cause MaxSearch.live web site to appear and move threats to the program’s quarantine. Once the cleaning process is complete, the tool may ask you to reboot your machine.
Remove MaxSearch.live start page with Malwarebytes
You can remove MaxSearch.live home page automatically with a help of Malwarebytes Free. We recommend this free malware removal tool because it may easily remove hijackers, adware, PUPs and toolbars with all their components such as files, folders and registry entries.
Installing the MalwareBytes Anti Malware is simple. First you’ll need to download MalwareBytes on your PC from the link below.
326387 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
Once the download is finished, close all windows on your PC. Further, start the file called mb3-setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as displayed on the screen below, press the “Yes” button.
It will display the “Setup wizard” which will allow you install MalwareBytes Anti Malware on the personal computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once installation is finished successfully, click Finish button. Then MalwareBytes Free will automatically launch and you can see its main window as displayed on the image below.
Next, press the “Scan Now” button . MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) program will scan through the whole computer for the MaxSearch.live hijacker and other browser’s malicious extensions. This process can take quite a while, so please be patient. While the MalwareBytes Free is scanning, you may see count of objects it has identified either as being malware.
After MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) completes the scan, MalwareBytes will display a scan report. Once you’ve selected what you want to delete from your computer click “Quarantine Selected” button.
The MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) will start to get rid of hijacker that causes internet browsers to show intrusive MaxSearch.live webpage. When finished, you can be prompted to restart your personal computer. We recommend you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the MalwareBytes Free to remove hijackers, adware and other malicious software.
Run AdBlocker to stop MaxSearch.live and stay safe online
If you browse the Internet, you can’t avoid malvertising. But you can protect your browser against it. Download and use an ad-blocker program. AdGuard is an adblocker which can filter out a lot of of the malicious advertising, blocking dynamic scripts from loading harmful content.
Download AdGuard by clicking on the following link.
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After downloading it, run the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen like below.
Follow the prompts. Once the setup is done, you will see a window as shown in the following example.
You can click “Skip” to close the setup program and use the default settings, or press “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 don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you start your computer, AdGuard will start automatically and stop pop up ads, web sites such as MaxSearch.live, as well as other malicious or misleading web pages. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that is located on your desktop.
How does your computer get infected with MaxSearch.live browser hijacker
Most commonly MaxSearch.live hijacker come bundled with freeware. So, think back, have you ever download and run any freeware? Because most users, in the Setup Wizard, simply click the Next button and do not read any information like ‘Terms of use’ and ‘Software license’. This leads to the fact that the system is infected, the internet browser’s settings are modified and your’s new tab, search provider by default and startpage set to the MaxSearch.live. Even removing the free software that contains this hijacker, your browser’s settings will not be restored. Therefore, you must follow the guidance above to revert back the MS Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer’s new tab page, home page and search engine by default.
To sum up
Now your machine should be clean of the hijacker infection that changes internet browser settings to replace your search engine by default, new tab and startpage with MaxSearch.live web-site. We suggest that you keep Zemana Anti Malware (to periodically scan your personal computer for new hijacker infections and other malicious software) and AdGuard (to help you block undesired pop-ups and harmful web-pages). Moreover, to prevent any hijacker infection, please stay clear of unknown and third party applications, make sure that your antivirus application, turn on the option to scan for potentially unwanted software.
If you need more help with MaxSearch.live related issues, go to here.