How to uninstall Games Search from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

What is Games Search?

According to experienced security specialists, Games Search is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) belonging to the group of Browser hijackers. The aim of a browser hijacker is to make advertising profit. For example, a browser hijacker redirects the user’s homepage to the browser hijacker’s page that contains advertisements or sponsored links; a browser hijacker redirects the user web searches to a link the browser hijacker wants the user to see, rather than to legitimate search provider results. When the user clicks on advertisements in the search results, creators of browser hijackers gets paid. The the developers behind browser hijackers can collect confidential information such as user browsing habits as well as browsing history and sell this information to third parties for marketing purposes.

Most often, browser hijackers promote fake search engines by setting their address as the default search provider. In this case, the browser hijacker installs games-search.net as a search engine. This means that users whose web-browser is infected with the hijacker are forced to visit games-search.net each time they search in the Internet, open a new window or tab. And since games-search.net is not a real search engine and does not have the ability to find the information users need, this website redirects the user’s web browser to the Yahoo search engine.

And finally, the Games Search hijacker can be used to collect lots of privacy information about you like what web-pages you’re opening, what you’re looking for the World Wide Web and so on. This information, in the future, can be transferred to third parties.

In order to get rid of browser hijacker from your computer, clean the infected web-browsers and return the Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, MS Edge and Google Chrome settings to its default state, please use the Games Search removal tutorial below.

How can a browser hijacker get on your device

Potentially unwanted programs and browser hijackers such as Games Search can get added to your web-browser or computer when you visit a web page and click an Install button, or when you download and run a questionable program, or when you install free application that includes a potentially unwanted program (PUP). Be very attentive when installing any apps and make sure you deselect any options for third-party programs that you do not want.

Threat Summary

Name	Games Search, “Games Search for Chrome” extension
Type	PUP, browser hijacker, search engine hijacker, home page hijacker, redirect virus
Affected Browser Settings	search provider, startpage, newtab URL
Associated web-domain	games-search.net
Distribution	shady popup ads, fake updaters, free programs setup files
Symptoms	Pop up advertisements won’t go away. You keep getting redirected to unfamiliar webpages. Unwanted program installed without your consent. New browser extensions suddenly added on your web browser. Your browser homepage or search provider keeps changing or is not set to Google anymor.
Removal	Games Search removal guide

How to remove Games Search from Windows 10 (8, 7, XP)

Fortunately, we’ve an effective solution that will help you manually or/and automatically remove Games Search from your PC system and bring your browser settings, including search engine, startpage and new tab page, back to normal. Below you’ll find a removal guidance with all the steps you may need to successfully get rid of this browser hijacker and its components. Read this manual carefully, bookmark it or open this page on your smartphone, because you may need to exit your web browser or reboot your computer.

To remove Games Search, perform the following steps:

1. How to manually remove Games Search
   • Uninstall potentially unwanted apps through the Windows Control Panel
   • Remove Games Search browser hijacker from web browsers
2. Automatic Removal of Games Search
   • Remove Games Search browser hijacker with Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM)
   • Run Hitman Pro to get rid of Games Search from the computer
   • Use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) to remove Games Search hijacker
3. Run AdBlocker to block Games Search redirects
4. To sum up

How to manually remove Games Search

If you perform exactly the step-by-step tutorial below you should be able to remove the Games Search browser hijacker from the Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Edge and Mozilla Firefox web-browsers.

Uninstall potentially unwanted apps through the Windows Control Panel

One of the first things to attempt for removal of hijacker is to check your computer installed programs screen and look for undesired and questionable programs. If there are any software you do not recognize or are no longer using, you should remove them. If that doesn’t work, then you may need to use malware removal utility like Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM).

1. If you are using Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 then click Windows button, next press Search. Type “Control panel”and press Enter.
2. If you are using Windows XP, Vista, 7, then click “Start” button and click “Control Panel”.
3. It will display the Windows Control Panel.
4. Further, press “Uninstall a program” under Programs category.
5. It will show a list of all programs installed on the computer.
6. Scroll through the all list, and delete questionable and unknown applications. To quickly find the latest installed software, we recommend sort applications by date.

See more details in the video guide below.

Remove Games Search browser hijacker from web browsers

If you’re still seeing Games Search that won’t go away, you might have malicious add-ons installed on your internet browser. Check your browser for unwanted extensions using the steps below.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
Click on ‘three dots menu’ button at the top right corner of the Chrome window. Select ‘More tools’, then ‘Extensions’. Click ‘Remove’ to uninstall an extension. Click ‘Remove’ in the dialog box. You can also try to delete Games Search browser hijacker by reset Google Chrome settings.	Click on ‘menu’ button and select ‘Add-ons’. Go to ‘Extensions’ tab. To uninstall an add-on, click on ‘Remove’ button next to it. If you are still experiencing issues with Games Search hijacker removal, you need to reset Mozilla Firefox browser.
Internet Explorer	Safari
Click ‘Tools’ button in the top-right corner. Select ‘Manage add-ons’. In the drop-down menu under ‘Show’, select ‘All add-ons’. To delete an add-on, double-click it; in the new window click ‘Remove’. Another way to delete Games Search browser hijacker from Internet Explorer is reset IE settings.	On the top menu select ‘Safari’, then ‘Preferences’. Select ‘Extensions’ tab. Select an extension you want to delete and click ‘Uninstall’ button next to it.

Automatic Removal of Games Search

Manual removal guidance may not be for an unskilled computer user. Each Games Search removal step above, such as removing dubious applications, restoring hijacked shortcut files, removing the hijacker from system settings, must be performed very carefully. If you are unsure about the steps above, then we suggest that you use the automatic Games Search removal steps listed below.

Remove Games Search browser hijacker with Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM)

You can download and use the Zemana Free for free. This anti-malware utility will scan all the registry keys and files in your PC along with the system settings and internet browser add-ons. If it finds any malicious software, adware or a browser add-on that is causing browsers to show the Games Search website then the Zemana Free will delete them from your device completely.

Installing the Zemana Free is simple. First you’ll need to download Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) on your PC system from the following link.

After the download is complete, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the Zemana Free will try to update itself and when this task is finished, press the “Scan” button . Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) utility will start scanning the whole computer to find out Games Search browser hijacker.

This procedure can take quite a while, so please be patient. During the scan Zemana Anti Malware will scan for threats exist on your computer. Review the scan results and then click “Next” button.

The Zemana will begin to remove Games Search browser hijacker.

Run Hitman Pro to get rid of Games Search from the computer

Hitman Pro will help remove Games Search browser hijacker that slow down your device. The browser hijackers, adware and other potentially unwanted programs slow your web-browser down and try to mislead you into clicking on malicious advertisements and links. Hitman Pro removes the browser hijacker and lets you enjoy your PC without Games Search browser hijacker.

Download HitmanPro from the link below. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop.

Download and run Hitman Pro on your personal computer. Once started, click “Next” button . Hitman Pro utility will start scanning the whole computer to find out the Games Search hijacker. Depending on your personal computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the HitmanPro is scanning, you can see number of objects it has identified either as being malware..

When that process is done, you can check all threats detected on your PC system.

Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and click Next button.

It will show a dialog box, click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to remove all malware found.

Use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) to remove Games Search hijacker

Remove Games Search browser hijacker manually is difficult and often the hijacker is not fully removed. Therefore, we suggest you to use the MalwareBytes which are completely clean your PC system. Moreover, this free application will help you to remove malicious software, PUPs, toolbars and adware that your computer can be infected too.

First, click the following link, then press the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Anti Malware.

When the downloading process is finished, close all applications and windows on your computer. Double-click the install file called MBSetup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up as displayed below, click the “Yes” button.

It will open the Setup wizard that will help you install MalwareBytes Anti Malware on your personal computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.

Once setup is finished successfully, click “Get Started” button. MalwareBytes will automatically start and you can see its main screen like the one below.

Now click the “Scan” button . MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) utility will begin scanning the whole computer to detect the Games Search browser hijacker. This process can take some time, so please be patient. When a malware, adware or potentially unwanted software are detected, the count of the security threats will change accordingly.

After that process is done, it will display the Scan Results. Next, you need to press “Quarantine” button. The MalwareBytes will remove Games Search browser hijacker. After the cleaning procedure is finished, you may be prompted to reboot the computer.

We suggest you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the MalwareBytes Free to remove adware, hijacker and other malware.

Run AdBlocker to block Games Search redirects

If you surf the World Wide Web, you can’t avoid malicious advertising. But you can protect your web-browser against it. Download and run an ad blocker application. AdGuard is an ad blocking which can filter out tons of of the malvertising, blocking dynamic scripts from loading malicious content.

Please go to the following link to download AdGuard. Save it directly to your MS Windows Desktop.

Once the download is complete, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as displayed in the figure 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 tutorial as displayed in the figure below.

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

Each time, when you start your computer, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop unwanted ads, block Games Search, as well as other malicious or misleading web sites. 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.

To sum up

Now your personal computer should be clean of the Games Search browser hijacker. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted ads and undesired malicious web pages) and Zemana Free (to periodically scan your computer for new hijackers and other malicious software). Probably you are running an older version of Java or Adobe Flash Player. This can be a security risk, so download and install the latest version right now.

If you are still having problems while trying to delete Games Search from the Edge, Google Chrome, IE and Firefox, then ask for help here here.