How to remove SearchBox Search [Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge]

Experienced security researchers named the SearchBox Search a browser hijacker. What is a hijacker? The browser hijacker is a browser plugin or program that engages in behavior that is unexpected, or that negatively affects the user’s Web browsing experience. Examples include applications that replaces web browser’s homepage, search provider or other settings of a browser to ones you don’t want.

When you perform a search via SearchBox Search, in addition to search results from Yahoo, Bing or Google Custom Search which provide links to web pages, news articles, images or videos you’ll also be shown a ton of intrusive ads. The developers of SearchBox Search doing this to make advertising profit from these advertisements.

Some browser hijackers also contain adware (also known as ‘adware software’) which can open annoying ads or gather lots of confidential info which may be transferred third party companies. These undesired advertisements can be shown as pop-unders, pop-ups, in-text advertisements, video ads, text links or banners or even massive full page advertisements. Most of the adware is designed to open advertisements, but certain adware is form of spyware that often used to track users to collect lots of sensitive information about you.

Threat Summary

Name	SearchBox Search
Type	browser hijacker, search provider hijacker, home page hijacker, toolbar, unwanted new tab, redirect virus
Symptoms	pop up advertisements won’t go away when you go to a web site, you’re randomly rerouted to another website that you do not intend to visit your PC system starts automatically installing unexpected programs new toolbars in your internet browser your internet browser settings are being changed without your request
Removal	SearchBox Search removal guide

By following steps below it is easy to get rid of SearchBox Search redireci from Chrome, IE, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox and your personal computer. Learn how to detect and delete browser hijacker infection and other malicious software, as well as how to run a full computer virus scan.

How to Remove SearchBox Search from Windows 10 (8, 7, XP)

There are present several free browser hijacker removal tools. Also it is possible to get rid of SearchBox Search startpage manually. But we suggest to combine all these solutions below into the one removal algorithm. Follow the steps of the guidance. Read this manual carefully, bookmark or print it, because you may need to close your browser or reboot your computer.

To remove SearchBox Search, perform the steps below:

1. How to remove SearchBox Search manually
   • Delete questionable apps using MS Windows Control Panel
   • Delete SearchBox Search from Mozilla Firefox
   • Remove SearchBox Search from Internet Explorer
   • Remove SearchBox Search from Google Chrome
2. How to automatically remove SearchBox Search
   • Scan and clean your computer of SearchBox Search with Zemana Free
   • Use Hitman Pro to remove SearchBox Search
   • Use MalwareBytes Free to remove SearchBox Search redirect
3. Stop SearchBox Search redirect
4. Where the SearchBox Search browser hijacker comes from
5. Finish words

How to remove SearchBox Search manually

The following instructions is a step-by-step guide, which will help you manually delete SearchBox Search redirect from the MS Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome.

Delete questionable apps using MS Windows Control Panel

The best way to start the computer cleanup is to delete unknown and dubious applications. Using the Microsoft Windows Control Panel you can do this quickly and easily. This step, in spite of its simplicity, should not be ignored, because the removing of unneeded software can clean up the Google Chrome, Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox from popup advertisements hijackers and so on.

Windows 7	Windows 8
Click ‘Start’. In the Start menu select ‘Control Panel’. Find and select ‘Programs and Features’ or ‘Uninstall a program’. Select the program. Click ‘Uninstall’.	Press and hold Windows key and hit X key. Select ‘Programs and Features’ from the menu. Select the program. Click ‘Uninstall’.
Windows 10	Mac OS
Press and hold Windows key and hit X key. Select ‘Programs and Features’ from the menu. Select the program. Click ‘Uninstall’.	On the top menu select ‘Go’, then ‘Applications’. Drag an unwanted application to the Trash bin. Right-click on the ‘Trash’ and select ‘Empty Trash’.

Delete SearchBox Search from Mozilla Firefox

The Firefox reset will remove unwanted search engine and startpage like SearchBox Search, modified preferences, extensions and security settings. However, your saved passwords and bookmarks will not be changed, deleted or cleared.

First, launch the Firefox and click button. It will display the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web browser. Further, press the Help button () as displayed 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 web browser adress bar and press Enter. It will display the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown on the image below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.

It will open the confirmation prompt. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will begin a process to fix your problems that caused by the SearchBox Search browser hijacker. Once, it’s finished, click the “Finish” button.

Remove SearchBox Search from Internet Explorer

If you find that Microsoft Internet Explorer web-browser settings like new tab page, startpage and search engine by default had been hijacked, then you may return your settings, via the reset browser procedure.

First, start the Microsoft Internet Explorer, then click ‘gear’ icon . It will open the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the internet browser, then press the “Internet Options” as shown in the figure below.

In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then press the “Reset” button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will display the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” prompt. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, press the “Reset” button such as the one below.

Once the task is finished, click “Close” button. Close the IE and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your internet browser’s home page, search engine by default and new tab page to default state.

Remove SearchBox Search from Google Chrome

Reset Chrome will reset your start page, new tab page, search engine, and other web-browser settings hijacked by SearchBox Search browser hijacker. All unwanted and harmful extensions will also be uninstalled from the internet browser. Essential information like bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, cookies, auto-fill data and personal dictionaries will not be removed.

1. First start the Chrome and click Menu button (small button in the form of three dots).
2. It will open the Google Chrome main menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
3. You will 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 steps: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
4. Now open the Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
5. You will see the Google Chrome’s settings page. Scroll down and press “Advanced” link.
6. Scroll down again and click the “Reset” button.
7. The Google Chrome will open the reset profile settings page as shown on the image above.
8. Next click the “Reset” button.
9. Once this task is finished, your internet browser’s search provider, newtab and start page will be restored to their original defaults.
10. To learn more, read the post How to reset Chrome settings to default.

How to automatically remove SearchBox Search

Malware removal utilities are pretty useful when you think your computer is affected by browser hijacker. Below we will discover best utilities which be able to identify and get rid of SearchBox Search from your machine.

Scan and clean your computer of SearchBox Search with Zemana Free

Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) is a free program for Windows OS to scan for and remove potentially unwanted programs, adware, harmful browser extensions, browser toolbars, and other undesired applications like browser hijacker infection that responsible for internet browser redirect to the annoying SearchBox Search webpage.

1. Installing the Zemana Anti Malware is simple. First you’ll need to download Zemana AntiMalware on your Windows Desktop from the following link.
   
   

   Zemana AntiMalware
   164032 downloads
   Author: Zemana Ltd
   Category: Security tools
   Update: July 16, 2019
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your internet browser will display the “Save as” prompt. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. After the download is complete, please close all applications and open windows on your computer. Next, launch a file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
4. This will run the “Setup wizard” of Zemana Free onto your computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the Zemana Free will start and display the main window.
6. Further, click the “Scan” button to find hijacker infection responsible for changing your internet browser settings to SearchBox Search. Depending on your computer, the scan may take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the Zemana Anti Malware utility is checking, you can see how many objects it has identified as being infected by malicious software.
7. Once finished, Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will open a list of detected threats.
8. In order to delete all threats, simply press the “Next” button. The tool will get rid of browser hijacker responsible for redirects to SearchBox Search and move threats to the program’s quarantine. When the cleaning process is finished, you may be prompted to reboot the computer.
9. Close the Zemana Anti-Malware and continue with the next step.

Use Hitman Pro to remove SearchBox Search

HitmanPro is a malware removal utility that is created to look for and remove hijackers, PUPs, adware software and questionable processes from the affected computer. It is a portable program which can be run instantly from USB flash drive. Hitman Pro have an advanced system monitoring utility that uses a white-list database to isolate dubious processes and programs.

1. First, visit the page linked below, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of HitmanPro.
   
   

   HitmanPro
   12066 downloads
   Author: Sophos
   Category: Security tools
   Update: June 28, 2018
   
2. Once downloading is done, start the Hitman Pro, double-click the HitmanPro.exe file.
3. If the “User Account Control” prompts, click Yes to continue.
4. In the HitmanPro window, click the “Next” to perform a system scan for the hijacker that causes web browsers to show intrusive SearchBox Search webpage. This process can take some time, so please be patient. While the Hitman Pro tool is scanning, you may see count of objects it has identified as being infected by malware.
5. When the scan is complete, you will be shown the list of all detected items on your system. When you are ready, press “Next”. Now, click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to remove all malware found.

Use MalwareBytes Free to remove SearchBox Search redirect

Manual SearchBox Search home page removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the browser hijacker infection may be not completely removed. We advise that use the MalwareBytes that are completely free your system of hijacker infection. Moreover, this free program will help you to remove malicious software, PUPs, adware and toolbars that your machine may be infected too.

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

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware
   326384 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: April 15, 2020
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your web-browser will open the “Save as” prompt. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. When the download is done, please close all apps and open windows on your computer. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
4. This will open the “Setup wizard” of MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) onto your PC. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will run and show the main window.
6. Further, click the “Scan Now” button . MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) utility will begin scanning the whole PC system to find out browser hijacker infection that redirects your internet browser to unwanted SearchBox Search webpage. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your system and the speed of your computer. While the tool is scanning, you can see number of objects and files has already scanned.
7. After the scan is finished, you can check all threats detected on your machine.
8. Review the scan results and then click the “Quarantine Selected” button. Once the task is complete, you may be prompted to reboot the system.
9. Close the Anti-Malware and continue with the next step.

Video instruction, which reveals in detail the steps above.

Stop SearchBox Search redirect

If you browse the Web, you can’t avoid malvertising. But you can protect your web-browser against it. Download and use an ad blocking program. AdGuard is an ad blocking that can filter out lots of of the malicious advertising, stoping dynamic scripts from loading malicious content.

Visit the page linked below to download the latest version of AdGuard for Windows. Save it on your Desktop.

Once the downloading process is done, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as shown in the figure below.

Follow the prompts. After the installation is done, you will see a window as shown on the screen below.

You can press “Skip” to close the install application and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button 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 start your personal computer, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block SearchBox Search, as well as other harmful 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 can be found on your desktop.

Where the SearchBox Search browser hijacker comes from

The SearchBox Search browser hijacker usually come bundled with some free software that you download off of the Net. Once started, it will infect your computer and alter browser’s settings like newtab, home page and search provider by default without your permission. To avoid infection, in the Setup wizard, you should be be proactive and carefully read the ‘Terms of use’, the ‘license agreement’ and other setup screens, as well as to always choose the ‘Manual’ or ‘Advanced’ install type, when installing anything downloaded from the Net.

Finish words

Now your computer should be free of the hijacker that responsible for web browser reroute to the undesired SearchBox Search website. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted popup advertisements and intrusive harmful web-pages) and Zemana (to periodically scan your computer for new malware, hijacker infections and adware). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for MS Windows OS. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new browser hijackers, harmful applications and adware software are released.

If you are still having problems while trying to remove SearchBox Search home page from your browser, then ask for help here.