If you encounter various redirects to the Search.hsmartsearching.net website, other unreliable or suspicious web-sites on the Chrome, Firefox, IE and MS Edge then most probably that you are a victim of a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that belongs to the adware (also known as ‘ad-supported’ software) group.
Search.hsmartsearching.net is a sign of a PUP infection
What does Adware mean? Adware is form of malware that displays undesired ads on a computer, redirects search results to advertising web-sites and gathers confidential data for marketing purposes. Adware can display banner ads, full-screen advertisements, pop-ups, videos, or other varieties of online advertising. Adware software can attack your computer’s web browsers such as the Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Edge. Maybe you approve the idea that the advertisements or popups is just a small problem. But these unwanted advertisements eat machine resources and slow down the system performance.
Unwanted search ads
Does adware steal your confidential data? Adware may monetize its functionality by gathering user info from your surfing sessions. This personal info, later, can be easily transferred to third parties. This puts your personal information at a security risk.
Threat Summary
| Name | Search.hsmartsearching.net |
| Type | adware software, PUP (potentially unwanted program), popup advertisements, pop-up virus, pop ups |
| Symptoms |
|
| Removal | Search.hsmartsearching.net removal guide |
How does Adware get on your computer
Adware software actively distributed with free software, as a part of the install package of these programs. Therefore, it is very important, when installing an unknown application even downloaded from well-known or big hosting site, read the Terms of use and the Software license, as well as to choose the Manual, Advanced or Custom setup mode. In this method, you can disable the installation of additional web browser extensions and apps and protect your system from adware. Do not repeat the mistakes of most users when installing unknown apps, simply click the Next button, and do not read any information which the free programs open them during its installation.
You probably want to know how to delete adware software as well as remove Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect. In the steps below we will tell you about how to solve your issues.
How to remove Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect (removal tutorial)
Fortunately, it is not hard to get rid of adware software which redirects your web-browser to the unwanted Search.hsmartsearching.net web-site. In the following guide, we will provide two ways to clean your computer of this adware. One is the manual removal solution and the other is automatic removal method. You can select the way that best fits you. Please follow the removal guidance below to delete Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect right now!
To remove Search.hsmartsearching.net, perform the steps below:
- How to remove Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect without any software
- Automatic Removal of Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect
- How to stop Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect
- To sum up
How to remove Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect without any software
In this section of the post, we have posted the steps that will allow to get rid of Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect manually. Although compared to removal utilities, this way loses in time, but you don’t need to download anything on the computer. It will be enough for you to follow the detailed tutorial with pictures. We tried to describe each step in detail, but if you realized that you might not be able to figure it out, or simply do not want to change the MS Windows and internet browser settings, then it’s better for you to use utilities from trusted developers, which are listed below.
Delete adware through the Windows Control Panel
In order to get rid of PUPs such as this adware, open the Windows Control Panel and click on “Uninstall a program”. Check the list of installed software. For the ones you do not know, run an Internet search to see if they are adware, browser hijacker or PUPs. If yes, uninstall them off. Even if they are just a apps which you do not use, then removing them off will increase your personal computer start up time and speed dramatically.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, press Windows button
, then press Search 
. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as on the image below.
After the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category such as the one below.
You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel as displayed on the screen below.
Very carefully look around the entire list of programs installed on your PC system. Most likely, one of them is the adware software that causes Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect in your web browser. If you’ve many programs installed, you can help simplify the search of malicious software by sort the list by date of installation. Once you have found a questionable, unwanted or unused application, right click to it, after that press ‘Uninstall’.
Windows XP, Vista, 7
First, click ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as displayed in the following example.
When the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ such as the one below.
You will see a list of applications installed on your computer. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the software that were installed last. Most probably, it’s the adware software responsible for Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect. If you are in doubt, you can always check the program by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. Once the program which you need to delete is found, simply click on its name, and then press ‘Uninstall’ as on the image below.
Delete Search.hsmartsearching.net from Mozilla Firefox by resetting internet browser settings
The Firefox reset will remove redirections to the unwanted Search.hsmartsearching.net web-page, modified preferences, extensions and security settings. When using the reset feature, your personal information like passwords, bookmarks, browsing history and web form auto-fill data will be saved.
Click the Menu button (looks like three horizontal lines), and click the blue Help icon located at the bottom of the drop down menu similar to the one below.
A small menu will appear, press the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, click “Refresh Firefox” button as shown below.
Follow the onscreen procedure to return your Firefox web-browser settings to their default state.
Remove Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect from Google Chrome
Reset Google Chrome settings to delete Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect. If you are still experiencing problems with Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect removal, you need to reset Google Chrome browser to its original settings. This step needs to be performed only if adware has not been removed by the previous steps.
First open the Google Chrome. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal dots (
).
It will display the Google Chrome menu. Choose 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 tutorial: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Open the Chrome menu once again. Further, press the option called “Settings”.
The web-browser will display 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 click the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the “Reset” section is visible, as shown in the following example and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Google Chrome will open the confirmation dialog box as shown in the figure below.
You need to confirm your action, press the “Reset” button. The browser will run the task of cleaning. After it is finished, the web browser’s settings including new tab, homepage and default search engine back to the values which have been when the Google Chrome was first installed on your machine.
Get rid of Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect from Internet Explorer
In order to restore all browser new tab, home page and search engine you need to reset the Microsoft Internet Explorer to the state, which was when the Windows was installed on your machine.
First, launch the Internet Explorer, then press ‘gear’ icon 
. It will show the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the internet browser, then click the “Internet Options” as displayed in the following example.
In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then press the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will display the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” dialog box. Further, press the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button as on the image below.
Once the task is done, press “Close” button. Close the Microsoft Internet Explorer and restart your personal computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your browser’s homepage, newtab page and search provider by default to default state.
Automatic Removal of Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect
Best Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect removal tool should locate and remove adware, malware, PUPs, toolbars, keyloggers, browser hijackers, worms, Trojans, and advertisements generators. The key is locating one with a good reputation and these features. Most quality programs listed below offer a free scan and malware removal so you can locate and remove undesired apps without having to pay.
Use Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) to get rid of Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect
Zemana highly recommended, because it can scan for security threats such adware and malicious software that most ‘classic’ antivirus software fail to pick up on. Moreover, if you have any Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect removal problems which cannot be fixed by this utility automatically, then Zemana provides 24X7 online assistance from the highly experienced support staff.
Now you can install and run Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) to delete Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect from your internet browser by following the steps below:
Visit the page linked below to download Zemana installer named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your personal computer. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
164027 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Run the setup file after it has been downloaded successfully and then follow the prompts to set up this utility on your machine.
During installation you can change some settings, but we suggest you do not make any changes to default settings.
When install is finished, this malicious software removal utility will automatically launch and update itself. You will see its main window such as the one below.
Now click the “Scan” button for checking your machine for the adware related to Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect. Depending on your computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is finished.
When Zemana is done scanning your personal computer, Zemana AntiMalware will open a screen which contains a list of malicious software that has been found. All detected items will be marked. You can delete them all by simply press “Next” button.
The Zemana Anti Malware will delete adware related to Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect and add items to the Quarantine. Once disinfection is complete, you can be prompted to restart your PC system to make the change take effect.
Use Hitman Pro to remove Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect
In order to make sure that no more harmful folders and files related to adware are inside your computer, you must run another effective malicious software scanner. We advise to use Hitman Pro. No installation is necessary with this tool.
- Download HitmanPro from the following link. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
- After downloading 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, click the “Next” to start checking your personal computer for the adware that causes Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect in your web-browser. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your machine and the speed of your PC. When a threat is found, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.
- As the scanning ends, HitmanPro will produce a list of unwanted applications and adware. Next, you need to click “Next”. Now, click the “Activate free license” button to start the free 30 days trial to remove all malware found.
Use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) to delete Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect
We suggest using the MalwareBytes Free. You can download and install MalwareBytes Free to locate adware and thereby remove Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect from your web browsers. When installed and updated, this free malicious software remover automatically searches for and removes all threats present on the computer.
MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) can be downloaded from the following link. Save it directly to your Microsoft Windows Desktop.
326379 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
When downloading is finished, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) will try to update itself and when this process is complete, click the “Scan Now” button to locate adware software that reroutes your browser to the undesired Search.hsmartsearching.net web-page. This task may take some time, so please be patient. Make sure all items have ‘checkmark’ and click “Quarantine Selected” button.
The MalwareBytes Anti-Malware is a free application that you can use to delete all detected folders, files, services, registry entries and so on. To learn more about this malicious software removal tool, we suggest you to read and follow the tutorial or the video guide below.
How to stop Search.hsmartsearching.net redirect
We recommend to install an ad blocking program that may block Search.hsmartsearching.net and other unwanted web-pages. The ad blocker utility such as AdGuard is a application that basically removes advertising from the Net and stops access to malicious webpages. Moreover, security experts says that using ad blocker programs is necessary to stay safe when surfing the Net.
Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you will need to download AdGuard on your Windows Desktop from the following link.
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
Once the download is done, run 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 in the following example.
You can click “Skip” to close the installation application and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial that 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 machine, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block Search.hsmartsearching.net, as well as other harmful or misleading web sites. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that is located on your desktop.
To sum up
Once you have done the step-by-step instructions above, your PC system should be free from adware software that reroutes your web-browser to the unwanted Search.hsmartsearching.net webpage and other malicious software. The Chrome, Microsoft Edge, IE and Mozilla Firefox will no longer reroute you to various undesired web sites such as Search.hsmartsearching.net. Unfortunately, if the steps does not help you, then you have caught a new adware, and then the best way – ask for help here.
