The SD Downloader is a potentially unwanted application (PUA) from the browser hijacker family. Most often, the unwanted application installs on the system in abundle with free applications that you downloaded and installed from the World Wide Web. Once it gets inside your web-browser, it will alter browser’s settings to its own. The SD Downloader is created in order to reroute user’s web browser and display lots of annoying advertisements and sponsored links from AdSense or another third-party vendors in your search results.
If your personal computer has been infected with SD Downloader browser hijacker, every time you launch your web-browser you’ll see an unwanted web-page. As mentioned above, the browser hijacker infection may modify the default search provider on an intrusive web page too, so all your search queries will be rerouted via SD Downloader. Thus the authors of the hijacker can collect the search terms of your queries, and redirect you to undesired web-sites.
It’s likely that you might be worried with the SD Downloader browser hijacker which cause a redirect to an intrusive site. You should not disregard this unwanted software. The browser hijacker infection might not only change your home page or search engine, but reroute your internet browser to malicious sites. What is more, the hijacker can analyze your surfing, and gain access to your personal information and, later, can transfer it third party companies. Thus, there are more than enough reasons to get rid of SD Downloader from your internet browser.
Hijacker is usually written in ways common to malware, spyware and adware. In order to get rid of hijacker and thus get rid of SD Downloader hijacker, you will need complete the following steps or use free removal utility listed below.
How to remove SD Downloader browser hijacker
The answer is right here on this web-page. We have put together simplicity and efficiency. It will help you easily to free your computer of browser hijacker infection. Moreover, you can choose manual or automatic removal solution. If you’re familiar with the PC system then use manual removal, otherwise run the free anti-malware utility made specifically to remove hijacker infection like SD Downloader. Of course, you can combine both methods. Certain of the steps below will require you to exit this webpage. So, please read the tutorial carefully, after that bookmark or print it for later reference.
To remove SD Downloader, execute the steps below:
- Remove potentially unwanted programs through the Microsoft Windows Control Panel
- Get rid of SD Downloader browser hijacker from Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Remove SD Downloader browser hijacker from Firefox
- Remove SD Downloader from Google Chrome
- How to delete SD Downloader hijacker with free software
- Use AdBlocker to stay safe online
How to get rid of SD Downloader hijacker without any software
SD Downloader is a hijacker that can rewrite your web browser search engine, new tab and start page and redirect you to the web-sites which may contain countless advertisements. Not every antivirus program can identify and delete SD Downloader easily from your web-browser. Follow the few simple steps below and you can remove browser hijacker by yourself.
Remove potentially unwanted programs through the Microsoft Windows Control Panel
In order to get rid of SD Downloader, first thing you need to do is to remove unknown and dubious applications from your system using Microsoft Windows control panel. When uninstalling this hijacker infection, check the list of installed programs and try to find dubious applications and remove them all. Pay special attention to recently installed applications, as it’s most probably that the SD Downloader browser hijacker сame along with it.
Press Windows button 
, then click Search 
. Type “Control panel”and press Enter. If you using Windows XP or Windows 7, then press “Start” and select “Control Panel”. It will open the Windows Control Panel as shown on the screen below.
Further, click “Uninstall a program” 
It will show a list of all apps installed on your computer. Scroll through the all list, and delete any dubious and unknown software.
Get rid of SD Downloader browser hijacker from Microsoft Internet Explorer
In order to restore all browser home page, newtab page and search provider by default you need to reset the IE to the state, which was when the Windows was installed on your personal computer.
First, open the IE, press 
) button. Next, click “Internet Options” as displayed on the screen below.
In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, press Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will show the Reset Internet Explorer settings prompt. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box and click Reset button.
You will now need to reboot your personal computer for the changes to take effect. It will remove SD Downloader browser hijacker which modifies internet browser settings to replace your start page, new tab page and search provider, disable malicious and ad-supported web browser’s extensions and restore the IE’s settings such as home page, newtab and search provider to default state.
Remove SD Downloader browser hijacker from Firefox
Resetting your Firefox is basic troubleshooting step for any issues with your web-browser program, including the reroute to SD Downloader website. It will keep your personal information such as browsing history, bookmarks, passwords and web form auto-fill data.
Run the Firefox and click the menu button (it looks like three stacked lines) at the top right of the web-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 displayed on the image below.
Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right of the Troubleshooting Information page. Select “Refresh Firefox” in the confirmation prompt. The Firefox will begin a task to fix your problems that caused by the SD Downloader hijacker. Once, it’s finished, press the “Finish” button.
Remove SD Downloader from Google Chrome
If Chrome new tab, startpage and search provider by default were hijacked by SD Downloader then ‘Reset Chrome’ is a method that helps to revert back the internet browser to its factory state. To reset Chrome to the original defaults, follow the instructions below.
First open the Google Chrome. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal dots (
).
It will open the Google Chrome menu. Select More Tools, then press Extensions. Carefully browse through the list of installed extensions. If the list has the extension 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 called “Settings”.
The browser will open the settings screen. Another way to open the Google Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the web 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 on the image below and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Google Chrome will open the confirmation dialog box as shown on the screen below.
You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The web-browser will run the procedure of cleaning. Once it is done, the web-browser’s settings including search engine by default, newtab page and startpage back to the values that have been when the Google Chrome was first installed on your computer.
How to delete SD Downloader hijacker with free software
Many antivirus companies have created software that help detect and remove browser hijacker infection, and thereby revert back installed web-browsers settings. Below is a a few of the free programs you may want to use. Your system can have lots of potentially unwanted applications, adware and hijackers installed at the same time, so we recommend, if any unwanted or malicious program returns after rebooting the PC, then start your computer into Safe Mode and run the antimalware tool once again.
Get rid of SD Downloader hijacker with Zemana
Download Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) to remove SD Downloader automatically from all of your browsers. This is a free software specially made for malware removal. This utility can remove adware, browser hijacker from Edge, Firefox, Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Windows registry automatically.
- Installing the Zemana Free is simple. First you’ll need to download Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) by clicking on the link below. Save it on your Windows desktop or in any other place.
Zemana AntiMalware
164032 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
- At the download page, click on the Download button. Your web browser will display the “Save as” prompt. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
- Once the downloading process is done, please close all apps and open windows on your computer. Next, launch a file called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
- This will open the “Setup wizard” of Zemana Free onto your machine. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
- When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will open and display the main window.
- Further, click the “Scan” button . Zemana Anti-Malware utility will begin scanning the whole personal computer to find out SD Downloader browser hijacker related files, folders and registry keys. Depending on your personal computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour.
- When Zemana Anti-Malware has completed scanning your PC, Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will create a list of undesired programs adware.
- When you’re ready, click the “Next” button. The utility will delete SD Downloader browser hijacker infection that alters your start page and search engine. When disinfection is finished, you may be prompted to restart the computer.
- Close the Zemana Free and continue with the next step.
Use AdBlocker to stay safe online
We suggest to install an adblocker program that may block SD Downloader and other unwanted sites. The adblocker tool such as AdGuard is a application that basically removes advertising from the Web and stops access to malicious web-sites. Moreover, security experts says that using ad-blocker programs is necessary to stay safe when surfing the Web.
- AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link. Save it on your MS Windows desktop or in any other place.
Adguard download
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
- When the download is done, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
- Once the setup is finished, click “Skip” to close the installation program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial which will allow 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 system, AdGuard will start automatically and stop popup ads, as well as other harmful or misleading 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 is located on your desktop.
Do not know how your internet browser has been hijacked by SD Downloader?
Most often SD Downloader browser hijacker is bundled within free programs. So, think back, have you ever download and run any freeware? Because most users, in the Setup Wizard, simply press the Next button and don’t read any information such as ‘Terms of use’ and ‘Software license’. This leads to the fact that the personal computer is infected, the internet browser’s settings are changed and your’s search provider, new tab and start page set to the SD Downloader. Even removing the free software that contains this browser hijacker infection, your browser’s settings will not be restored. Therefore, you must follow the guidance above to return the Firefox, Chrome, IE and MS Edge’s home page, default search provider and new tab.
To sum up
After completing the step-by-step instructions above, your personal computer should be free from SD Downloader browser hijacker infection and other security threats and other malware. The Internet Explorer, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Chrome will no longer display intrusive SD Downloader website on startup. Unfortunately, if the few simple steps does not help you, then you have caught a new browser hijacker infection, and then the best way – ask for help here.
