How to uninstall Smooth Search Tab from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

What is Smooth Search Tab

Smooth Search Tab is a potentially unwanted program (browser extension) that belongs to the group of browser hjackers. Browser hjackers are developed to change the web-browser settings of an affected computer. Usually a browser hijacker alters the new tab, search engine by default and home page. Most often browser hjackers are installed on a computer unnoticed, by accident or by a user who was misled by PUPs makers.

Typically, browser hijackers and potentially unwanted programs promote specially created webpages by setting their address as the start page or search provider of the affected internet browser. In this case, Smooth Search Tab changes the browser settings to smoothsearch.online. That is, in other words, browser hijackers are created for the sole purpose of forcing the user to visit a special address like smoothsearch.online when the user opens the start page or uses the search provider. Therefore, the only way to remove a browser redirect to this unwanted website is to completely delete the browser hijacker associated with it. The reason for this is that PUPs and browser hijackers often block the ability to change browser settings, thus preventing the user from restoring the homepage and search provider. For example, in this case, to get rid of smoothsearch.online from the address of the home page and search provider, the user needs to uninstall Smooth Search Tab.

Another reason why you need to remove Smooth Search Tab is its online data-tracking activity. It can collect sensitive information, including:

• IP addresses;
• URLs visited;
• search queries/terms;
• clicks on links and ads;
• web browser version information.

To find out how to remove Smooth Search Tab browser hijacker, we advise to read the few simple steps added to this article below. The instructions was prepared by experienced security professionals who discovered a method to remove the Smooth Search Tab browser hijacker out of the personal computer.

How can Smooth Search Tab get on your machine

Browser hijackers most likely to occur during the setup of freeware due the fact that PUPs like this are usually hidden in the installer. Thus, if you have installed some free software using Quick(Standard) method, you may have let a browser hijacker get inside the machine. Keep in mind that the Quick mode is unreliable because it do not warn about additional apps. Thus, additional programs will be installed automatically unless you select Advanced/Custom mode and disable its installation.

Threat Summary

Name	Smooth Search Tab
Type	homepage hijacker, redirect virus, search engine hijacker, PUP, browser hijacker
Associated domains	smoothsearch.online
Affected Browser Settings	search engine, newtab URL, startpage
Symptoms	you experience lots of of unwanted advertisements you keep getting redirected to unfamiliar web-pages there is an unwanted application in the ‘App & Features’ section of Microsoft Windows settings new internet browser toolbars in your web browser your browser home page or search provider keeps changing or is not set to Google anymor
Removal	Smooth Search Tab removal guide

How to remove Smooth Search Tab hijacker

In order to remove Smooth Search Tab, start by closing any programs and pop-ups that are open. If a pop up won’t close, then close your web-browser (Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Chrome and Mozilla Firefox). If a program won’t close then please reboot your computer. Next, follow the steps below.

To remove Smooth Search Tab, execute the following steps:

1. Remove Smooth Search Tab without any utilities
   • Uninstall potentially unwanted applications using Windows Control Panel
   • Remove Smooth Search Tab from Chrome
   • Remove Smooth Search Tab hijacker from Microsoft Internet Explorer
   • Remove Smooth Search Tab from Firefox by resetting browser settings
2. Automatic Removal of Smooth Search Tab
   • Run Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) to get rid of Smooth Search Tab hijacker
   • Use Hitman Pro to remove Smooth Search Tab from the personal computer
   • Run MalwareBytes to get rid of Smooth Search Tab hijacker
3. How to block Smooth Search Tab
4. Finish words

Remove Smooth Search Tab without any utilities

To delete Smooth Search Tab browser hijacker, adware and other unwanted programs you can try to do so manually. Unfortunately some of the browser hijacker infections won’t show up in your program list, but some hijacker infections may. In this case, you may be able to get rid of it via the uninstall function of your computer. You can do this by completing the steps below.

Uninstall potentially unwanted applications using Windows Control Panel

Check out the Microsoft Windows Control Panel (Programs and Features section) to see all installed applications. We recommend to click on the “Date Installed” in order to sort the list of applications by the date you installed them. If you see any unknown and questionable programs, they are the ones you need to delete.

Carefully browse through the list of installed applications and get rid of all dubious and unknown software. We recommend to press ‘Installed programs’ and even sorts all installed software by date. Once you have found anything suspicious that may be the Smooth Search Tab hijacker or other PUP, then choose this application and click ‘Uninstall’ in the upper part of the window. If the suspicious application blocked from removal, then run Revo Uninstaller Freeware to completely remove it from your PC system.

Remove Smooth Search Tab from Chrome

Reset Chrome will reset your startpage, new tab page, search engine, and other web-browser settings hijacked by Smooth Search Tab. All unwanted and harmful addons will also be removed from the browser. It’ll keep your personal information like browsing history, bookmarks, passwords and web form auto-fill data.

1. First launch the Chrome and press Menu button (small button in the form of three dots).
2. It will show the Chrome main menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
3. You’ll see the list of installed add-ons. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: 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 click “Advanced” link.
6. Scroll down again and click the “Reset” button.
7. The Chrome will show the reset profile settings page as shown on the screen above.
8. Next click the “Reset” button.
9. Once this task is done, your browser’s search engine by default, new tab and homepage will be restored to their original defaults.
10. To learn more, read the article How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.

Remove Smooth Search Tab hijacker from Microsoft Internet Explorer

The Internet Explorer reset is great if your browser is hijacked or you have unwanted extensions or toolbars on your browser, that installed by a malware.

First, launch the Internet Explorer. Next, click the button in the form of gear (). It will open the Tools drop-down menu, click the “Internet Options” as displayed on the image below.

In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will show the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as shown in the following example. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click “Reset” button.

You will now need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Remove Smooth Search Tab from Firefox by resetting browser settings

The Mozilla Firefox reset will delete unwanted search provider and startpage like Smooth Search Tab, modified preferences, extensions and security settings. Your saved bookmarks, form auto-fill information and passwords won’t be cleared or changed.

Run the Mozilla Firefox and click the menu button (it looks like three stacked lines) at the top right of the browser screen. Next, press 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 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 as shown in the figure below.

Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right of the Troubleshooting Information page. Select “Refresh Firefox” in the confirmation prompt. The Mozilla Firefox will begin a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the Smooth Search Tab browser hijacker. Once, it is complete, press the “Finish” button.

Automatic Removal of Smooth Search Tab

If you’re not expert at computer technology, then we suggest to use free removal tools listed below to delete Smooth Search Tab for good. The automatic solution is highly recommended. It has less steps and easier to implement than the manual solution. Moreover, it lower risk of system damage. So, the automatic Smooth Search Tab removal is a better option.

Run Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) to get rid of Smooth Search Tab hijacker

Zemana Anti-Malware is extremely fast and ultra light weight malware removal tool. It will help you remove browser hijacker infection, adware, potentially unwanted software and other malware. This program gives real-time protection which never slow down your system. Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) is designed for experienced and beginner computer users. The interface of this tool is very easy to use, simple and minimalist.

1. Installing the Zemana Free is simple. First you will need to download Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) on your Microsoft Windows Desktop from the link below.
   
   

   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 browser will open the “Save as” dialog box. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. Once downloading is done, please close all software and open windows on your computer. Next, run 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 open and show the main window.
6. Further, press the “Scan” button . Zemana Anti Malware application will scan through the whole machine for the Smooth Search Tab hijacker. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your personal computer. While the Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) is scanning, you can see number of objects it has identified either as being malicious software.
7. Once the system scan is done, Zemana Free will prepare a list of unwanted apps and hijacker.
8. Review the scan results and then click the “Next” button. The tool will remove Smooth Search Tab hijacker. Once disinfection is done, you may be prompted to reboot the PC system.
9. Close the Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) and continue with the next step.

Use Hitman Pro to remove Smooth Search Tab from the personal computer

HitmanPro is a malware removal utility that is created to scan for and terminate browser hijacker infections, potentially unwanted apps, adware and dubious processes from the affected machine. It is a portable program that can be run instantly from Flash Drive. Hitman Pro have an advanced computer monitoring tool that uses a white-list database to isolate questionable tasks and applications.

Installing the HitmanPro is simple. First you’ll need to download Hitman Pro by clicking on the link below.

When the downloading process is complete, open the file location. You will see an icon like below.

Double click the Hitman Pro desktop icon. Once the utility is started, you will see a screen as displayed on the screen below.

Further, click “Next” button . HitmanPro tool will start scanning the whole PC to find out the Smooth Search Tab browser hijacker. This procedure can take quite a while, so please be patient. After Hitman Pro has finished scanning your PC, Hitman Pro will open a list of all threats found by the scan like below.

Review the scan results and then press “Next” button. It will show a dialog box, click the “Activate free license” button.

Run MalwareBytes to get rid of Smooth Search Tab hijacker

We suggest using the MalwareBytes Free. You can download and install MalwareBytes to detect and delete Smooth Search Tab hijacker from your machine. When installed and updated, this free malware remover automatically detects and removes all threats exist on the machine.

Visit the page linked below to download MalwareBytes Free. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop or in any other place.

After downloading is complete, close all apps and windows on your personal computer. Double-click the set up file called MBSetup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown in the figure below, click the “Yes” button.

It will open the Setup wizard which will help you install MalwareBytes Free on your computer. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.

Once installation is done successfully, press “Get Started” button. MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you can see its main screen as on the image below.

Now click the “Scan” button for scanning your system for the Smooth Search Tab hijacker. While the MalwareBytes AntiMalware program is checking, you can see number of objects it has identified as threat.

Once the system scan is done, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will show a list of all items detected by the scan. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and click “Quarantine” button. The MalwareBytes will delete Smooth Search Tab hijacker and move the selected threats to the program’s quarantine. When the process is done, you may be prompted to restart the computer.

We advise you look at the following video, which completely explains the procedure of using the MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) to delete adware, browser hijacker infection and other malware.

How to block Smooth Search Tab

If you want to get rid of unwanted advertisements, internet browser redirections and pop-ups, then install an ad blocking program like AdGuard. It can stop Smooth Search Tab redirect, ads, pop ups and stop web pages from tracking your online activities when using the Internet Explorer, MS Edge, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. So, if you like browse the Net, but you do not like annoying advertisements and want to protect your computer from malicious webpages, then the AdGuard is your best choice.

AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link. Save it on your Windows desktop.

When the downloading process is finished, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as shown on the image below.

Follow the prompts. AdGuard will then be installed and an icon will be placed on your desktop. A window will show up asking you to confirm that you want to see a quick guidance as on the image below.

Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick guidance which will help you get to know AdGuard better.

Each time, when you launch your machine, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block Smooth Search Tab, 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 can be found on your desktop.

Finish words

Now your machine should be clean of the Smooth Search Tab browser hijacker. We suggest that you keep Zemana (to periodically scan your machine for new browser hijackers and other malicious software) and AdGuard (to help you block intrusive pop-ups and harmful webpages). Moreover, to prevent any hijacker infection, please stay clear of unknown and third party programs, make sure that your antivirus application, turn on the option to scan for PUPs.

If you need more help with Smooth Search Tab related issues, go to here.