How to remove Potnormal.com pop-ups (Virus removal guide)

What is Potnormal.com?

Potnormal.com is a web site that is designed to fool you and other unsuspecting users into subscribing to browser notifications. Although push notifications cannot harm you directly, scammers use them to display annoying advertisements, promote fake downloads, and encourage users to visit misleading web-sites.

When you visit the Potnormal.com site, you’ll be greeted with a popup which asks whether you want to agree to them or not. Your options will be ‘Block’ and ‘Allow’. If you click on the ‘Allow’ button, this web-site gets your permission to send notifications in form of popup ads in the right bottom corner of your screen.

Threat Summary

Name	Potnormal.com pop-up
Type	browser notification spam, spam push notifications, pop-up virus
Distribution	suspicious pop-up advertisements, social engineering attack, potentially unwanted applications, adware
Symptoms	unwanted advertisements on desktop your web browser settings are being modified without your request unwanted advertising links appear on websites that you are visiting slow browsing Internet
Removal	Potnormal.com removal guide

How did you get infected with Potnormal.com popups

These Potnormal.com pop ups are caused by malicious ads on the web-sites you visit or adware. Adware is a part of harmful programs. It does not delete files or infect them, but can show unwanted ads, change web-browser settings, download and install harmful browser extensions. All the time, while adware software is running, your browser will be fill with annoying advertisements. Most probably, adware has been installed on your computer without your’s knowledge and you don’t even know how and where adware has got into your device

A large number of spyware, adware programs, web-browser toolbars, hijackers, and PUPs are installed when installing freeware and peer-2-peer file sharing software. Therefore, when installing free software, you need to be careful not to accidentally install additional software. It is important that you pay attention to the EULA (End User License Agreements) and choose the Custom, Manual or Advanced installation option as it will typically disclose what third-party software will also be installed.

Remove Potnormal.com notifications from internet browsers

If you’ve allowed the Potnormal.com browser notifications, you might notice that this web-site sending requests, and it can become annoying. To better control your PC, here’s how to remove Potnormal.com push notifications from your web-browser.

Google Chrome	Android
Just copy and paste the following text into the address bar of Google Chrome. chrome://settings/content/notifications Press Enter. Remove the Potnormal.com URL and other suspicious sites by clicking three vertical dots button next to each and selecting ‘Remove’.	Open Google Chrome. Tap on the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner. In the menu tap ‘Settings’, scroll down to ‘Advanced’. Tap on ‘Site settings’ and then ‘Notifications’. In the opened window, find the Potnormal.com site, other rogue notifications and tap on them one-by-one. Tap the ‘Clean & Reset’ button and confirm.
Mozilla Firefox	Edge
In the top right corner, click the Firefox menu (three horizontal stripes). Select ‘Options’ and click on ‘Privacy & Security’ on the left hand side of the screen. Scroll down to ‘Permissions’ and then to ‘Settings’ next to ‘Notifications’. In the opened window, find Potnormal.com URL, other suspicious URLs, click the drop-down menu and select ‘Block’. Click ‘Save Changes’ button.	In the top-right corner, click the Edge menu button (three dots). Click ‘Settings’. Click ‘Advanced’ on the left side of the window. In the ‘Website permissions’ section click ‘Manage permissions’. Click the switch below the Potnormal.com and each suspicious URL.
Internet Explorer	Safari
In the top right hand corner of the window, click on the gear icon (menu button). When the drop-down menu appears, click on ‘Internet Options’. Click on the ‘Privacy’ tab and select ‘Settings’ in the pop-up blockers section. Locate the Potnormal.com and click the ‘Remove’ button to remove the URL.	Click ‘Safari’ button on the left-upper corner of the browser and select ‘Preferences’. Open ‘Websites’ tab, then in the left menu click on ‘Notifications’. Locate the Potnormal.com and select it, click the ‘Deny’ button.

How to remove Potnormal.com redirect from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

We can assist you remove Potnormal.com from your browsers, without the need to take your computer to a professional. Simply follow the removal guidance below if you currently have the unwanted adware on your computer and want to delete it. If you have any difficulty while trying to get rid of the adware software that redirects your internet browser to the annoying Potnormal.com web-site, feel free to ask for our help in the comment section below. Read it once, after doing so, please bookmark this page (or open it on your smartphone) as you may need to exit your browser or restart your personal computer.

The below steps for devices using Windows, for Android phones, use How to remove virus from Android phone, and for Apple computers based on Mac OS use How to remove browser hijacker, pop-ups, ads from Mac

To remove Potnormal.com pop ups, follow the steps below:

Remove Potnormal.com notifications from internet browsers
How to get rid of Potnormal.com pop-up advertisements without any software
Automatic Removal of Potnormal.com pop up ads
Stop Potnormal.com ads

How to get rid of Potnormal.com pop-up advertisements without any software

Looking for a method to remove Potnormal.com popup advertisements manually without installing any utilities? Then this section of the post is just for you. Below are some simple steps you can take. Performing these steps requires basic knowledge of web browser and MS Windows setup. If you doubt that you can follow them, it is better to use free utilities listed below that can help you remove Potnormal.com pop ups.

Uninstall newly added adware software

The main cause of Potnormal.com redirect could be PUPs, adware or other unwanted programs that you may have accidentally installed on the device. You need to find and uninstall all dubious software.

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’.

Remove Potnormal.com ads from Chrome

Reset Chrome settings to delete Potnormal.com popup advertisements. If you’re still experiencing issues with Potnormal.com redirect removal, you need to reset Google Chrome browser to its default state. This step needs to be performed only if adware has not been removed by the previous steps.

Open the Google Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (). It will show the drop-down menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions.

Carefully browse through the list of installed plugins. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following tutorial: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.

Open the Google Chrome main menu again, click to “Settings” option.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, as displayed in the following example and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.

Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.

Remove Potnormal.com from Firefox by resetting internet browser settings

If the Mozilla Firefox settings such as home page, default search engine and new tab page have been replaced by the adware software, then resetting it to the default state can help. However, your themes, bookmarks, history, passwords, and web form auto-fill information will not be deleted.

Click the Menu button (looks like three horizontal lines), and click the blue Help icon located at the bottom of the drop down menu as displayed in the following example.

A small menu will appear, press the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, click “Refresh Firefox” button as shown on the image below.

Follow the onscreen procedure to revert back your Firefox internet browser settings to their original state.

Delete Potnormal.com redirect from Internet Explorer

If you find that Microsoft Internet Explorer browser settings such as search provider by default, new tab page and homepage had been changed by adware software that causes the unwanted Potnormal.com pop-up ads, then you may restore your settings, via the reset internet browser procedure.

First, launch the IE. Next, click the button in the form of gear (). It will open the Tools drop-down menu, press 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 Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as displayed on the screen below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then press “Reset” button.

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

Automatic Removal of Potnormal.com pop up ads

It is very difficult for classic antivirus software to detect adware and other kinds of potentially unwanted programs. We suggest you run a free anti-adware like Zemana Anti-Malware, MalwareBytes Free and Hitman Pro from our list below. These tools will help you scan and remove trojans, malware, spyware, keyloggers, bothersome and malicious adware software from an infected computer.

Run Zemana AntiMalware to remove Potnormal.com advertisements

Does Zemana Anti Malware delete adware that causes the Potnormal.com popups in your internet browser? The adware is often installed with malware that can cause you to install an application such as PUPs you don’t want. Therefore, recommend using the Zemana Free. It is a utility designed to scan and delete adware and other malware from your computer for free.

Installing the Zemana is simple. First you will need to download Zemana AntiMalware on your PC system from the following link.

Zemana AntiMalware
164029 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019

After the download is complete, close all programs and windows on your computer. Double-click the install file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown on the screen below, click the “Yes” button.

It will open the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Zemana Anti-Malware on your PC. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.

Once setup is complete successfully, Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will automatically start and you can see its main screen as on the image below.

Now press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the adware that causes the Potnormal.com popup advertisements in your web browser. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your PC and the speed of your PC system.

When Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) has finished scanning your computer, Zemana Anti Malware will open a screen which contains a list of malware that has been found. In order to remove all items, simply press “Next” button. The Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will get rid of adware related to the Potnormal.com ads. After disinfection is done, you may be prompted to restart the computer.

Remove Potnormal.com popup advertisements from web browsers with HitmanPro

HitmanPro cleans your personal computer from browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs, unwanted toolbars, browser add-ons and other unwanted applications like adware which redirects your browser to the unwanted Potnormal.com web page. The free removal utility will help you enjoy your computer to its fullest. HitmanPro uses advanced behavioral detection technologies to look for if there are unwanted software in your PC system. You can review the scan results, and select the threats you want to delete.

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

HitmanPro
12066 downloads
Author: Sophos
Category: Security tools
Update: June 28, 2018

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

Double click the Hitman Pro desktop icon. When the tool is launched, you will see a screen like below.

Further, press “Next” button to detect adware associated with the Potnormal.com popup ads. This process can take some time, so please be patient. When the system scan is complete, it will show the Scan Results as shown in the following example.

All found items will be marked. You can delete them all by simply press “Next” button. It will show a dialog box, click the “Activate free license” button.

Use MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) to delete Potnormal.com pop up advertisements

You can delete Potnormal.com redirect automatically with a help of MalwareBytes. We suggest this free malware removal tool because it can easily remove browser hijackers, adware software, PUPs and toolbars with all their components such as files, folders and registry entries.

MalwareBytes can be downloaded from the following link. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.

Malwarebytes Anti-malware
326382 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
At the download page, click on the Download button. Your internet browser will display the “Save as” dialog box. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
Once the downloading process is finished, please close all software and open windows on your personal computer. Double-click on the icon that’s called MBSetup.
This will start the Setup wizard of MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) onto your PC system. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) will launch and display the main window.
Further, press the “Scan” button . MalwareBytes AntiMalware program will scan through the whole computer for the adware software that causes the Potnormal.com popup ads in your web browser. This process may take some time, so please be patient.
When MalwareBytes has completed scanning, MalwareBytes Free will prepare a list of unwanted applications and adware software.
You may delete items (move to Quarantine) by simply click the “Quarantine” button. When the task is finished, you may be prompted to restart the device.
Close the Anti-Malware and continue with the next step.

Video instruction, which reveals in detail the steps above.

Stop Potnormal.com ads

It is also critical to protect your browsers from harmful web-pages and ads by using an ad blocking program like AdGuard. Security experts says that it will greatly reduce the risk of malicious software, and potentially save lots of money. Additionally, the AdGuard may also protect your privacy by blocking almost all trackers.

First, visit the following page, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of AdGuard.

After the download is done, double-click the downloaded file to launch it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as shown 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 similar to the one below.

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

Each time, when you start your computer, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block Potnormal.com, as well as other malicious 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.

To sum up

Once you’ve complete the few simple steps outlined above, your computer should be clean from adware which redirects your browser to the intrusive Potnormal.com web page and other malware. The Chrome, Edge, Internet Explorer and Firefox will no longer redirect you to various unwanted webpages like Potnormal.com. Unfortunately, if the step-by-step tutorial does not help you, then you have caught a new adware, and then the best way – ask for help here.