What is Speed Dial?
Speed Dial is supposed to be a browser extension that will improve the browsing experience, but according to security experts, it acts as Browser hijacker. The aim of browser hijackers is to generate advertising profit. For example, a browser hijacker redirects the user’s homepage to the browser hijacker’s page that contains ads 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 authors of browser hijackers can collect user data such as user browsing habits as well as browsing history and sell this information to third parties for marketing purposes.
Unwanted search ads
If your PC is infected with Speed Dial hijacker you will be forced to use its own search engine. It could seem not to be dangerous, but you still should be very careful, since it can show unwanted and harmful ads created to mislead you into buying certain questionable programs or products, provide search results which may redirect your web browser to certain deceptive, scam or harmful pages. We recommend that you use only the reliable search engine such as Google, Yahoo or Bing.
And finally, the Speed Dial hijacker be able to gather lots of personal info about you such as what webpages you’re opening, what you’re looking for the Internet and so on. This information, in the future, can be used for marketing purposes.
If your personal computer has been hijacked with the Speed Dial browser hijacker, you must have done the steps below. Once you have cleaned your PC system by following our tutorial, make sure not to commit the same mistakes again in the future.
How can a browser hijacker get on your personal computer
Usually, browser hijackers and potentially unwanted programs get into computers as part of a bundle with freeware, sharing files and other unsafe software which users downloaded from the Internet. The PUPs developers pays software developers for distributing broser hijackers within their software. So, bundled applications is often included as part of the installer. In order to avoid the installation of any browser hijackers such as Speed Dial: choose only Manual, Custom or Advanced installation mode and disable all additional programs in which you are unsure.
Threat Summary
| Name | Speed Dial |
| Type | start page hijacker, search provider hijacker, PUP, redirect virus, browser hijacker |
| Affected Browser Settings | search engine, startpage, new tab URL |
| Distribution | misleading popup advertisements, free programs installers, fake software updaters |
| Symptoms | Popup ads won’t go away. When you go to a web site, you’re automatically redirected to another website that you do not intend to visit. Unexpected application installed without your say-so. Unwanted web-browser toolbar(s) Your computer settings are being altered without your request. |
| Removal | Speed Dial removal guide |
How to remove Speed Dial from computer
Most often hijackers requires more than a simple uninstall through the use of MS Windows Control panel in order to be fully removed. For that reason, our team designed several removal methods which we’ve summarized in a detailed instructions. Therefore, if you have the Speed Dial browser hijacker on your computer and are currently trying to have it deleted then feel free to follow the steps below in order to resolve your problem. Some of the steps below will require you to exit this web-page. So, please read the steps carefully, after that bookmark it or open it on your smartphone for later reference.
To remove Speed Dial, complete the following steps:
How to manually delete Speed Dial
To remove browser hijackers, adware and other unwanted software you can try to do so manually. Unfortunately some of the browser hijackers won’t show up in your program list, but some hijackers may. In this case, you may be able to remove it via the uninstall function of your PC. You can do this by completing the steps below.
Remove Speed Dial related programs through the Control Panel of your computer
You can manually remove nonaggressive browser hijacker by deleting the program that it came with or removing the browser hijacker itself using ‘Add/Remove programs’ or ‘Uninstall a program’ option in MS Windows Control Panel.
Windows 10, 8.1, 8
Click the Windows logo, and then click Search 
. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as shown on the image below.
After the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category similar to the one below.
Windows 7, Vista, XP
Open Start menu and select the ‘Control Panel’ at right like below.
Then go to ‘Add/Remove Programs’ or ‘Uninstall a program’ (Windows 7 or Vista) as shown on the image below.
Carefully browse through the list of installed apps and remove all questionable and unknown applications. We recommend to click ‘Installed programs’ and even sorts all installed apps by date. Once you’ve found anything questionable that may be the Speed Dial hijacker or other potentially unwanted program, then select it and click ‘Uninstall’ in the upper part of the window. If the questionable program blocked from removal, then use Revo Uninstaller Freeware to fully remove it from your PC system.
Get rid of Speed Dial hijacker from IE
If you find that Microsoft Internet Explorer internet browser settings like search engine, new tab and startpage had been hijacked, then you may revert back your settings, via the reset browser process.
First, launch the IE. Next, click the button in the form of gear (
). It will show the Tools drop-down menu, press the “Internet Options” as displayed in the figure below.
In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then press the Reset button. The IE will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as displayed on the image below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click “Reset” button.
You will now need to restart your device for the changes to take effect.
Delete Speed Dial from Mozilla Firefox by resetting browser settings
If the Firefox browser program is hijacked, then resetting its settings can help. The Reset feature is available on all modern version of Mozilla Firefox. A reset can fix many issues by restoring Firefox settings such as home page, search provider by default and newtab page to their original state. However, your saved passwords and bookmarks will not be changed, deleted or cleared.
Start the Firefox and click the menu button (it looks like three stacked lines) at the top right of the browser screen. Next, click 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’re unable to access the Help menu, then type “about:support” in your address bar and press Enter. It bring up the “Troubleshooting Information” page such as the one below.
Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right of the Troubleshooting Information page. Select “Refresh Firefox” in the confirmation prompt. The Firefox will begin a process to fix your problems that caused by the Speed Dial hijacker. After, it’s complete, press the “Finish” button.
Remove Speed Dial from Google Chrome
Reset Google Chrome settings to remove Speed Dial. If you are still experiencing issues with Speed Dial removal, you need to reset Chrome browser to its default values. This step needs to be performed only if hijacker has not been removed by the previous steps.
First launch the Chrome. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal dots (
).
It will show the Chrome menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions. Carefully browse through the list of installed extensions. If the list has the add-on signed with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Open the Google Chrome menu once again. Further, click the option named “Settings”.
The browser will display the settings screen. Another solution to show the Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the web-browser adress bar and press Enter
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and press the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the “Reset” section is visible, as shown on the screen below and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Chrome will show the confirmation dialog box as displayed below.
You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The web browser will launch the procedure of cleaning. After it’s done, the web-browser’s settings including search provider, start page and new tab back to the values that have been when the Chrome was first installed on your device.
Automatic Removal of Speed Dial
If you’re unsure how to delete Speed Dial hijacker easily, consider using automatic hijacker removal apps which listed below. It will identify the browser hijacker and get rid of it from your personal computer for free.
Remove Speed Dial hijacker with Zemana Free
Zemana Anti-malware is a free removal tool for Microsoft Windows OS to detect and remove PUPs, adware software, malicious web browser extensions, browser toolbars, and other unwanted software like Speed Dial hijacker.
Now you can install and use Zemana Free to get rid of Speed Dial hijacker from your internet browser by following the steps below:
Please go to the following link to download Zemana Anti-Malware installer named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your PC system. Save it directly to your Windows Desktop.
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 install this tool on your computer.
During setup you can change certain settings, but we recommend you don’t make any changes to default settings.
When setup is done, this malware removal utility will automatically launch and update itself. You will see its main window as displayed in the figure below.
Now click the “Scan” button . Zemana Anti-Malware application will scan through the whole computer for the Speed Dial hijacker. This procedure can take some time, so please be patient. While the Zemana Free program is scanning, you may see how many objects it has identified as threat.
Once finished, Zemana Free will open a list of found items. In order to remove all threats, simply click “Next” button.
The Zemana will delete Speed Dial hijacker and move the selected items to the program’s quarantine. When the process is finished, you can be prompted to reboot your PC system to make the change take effect.
Remove Speed Dial hijacker from web browsers with HitmanPro
HitmanPro will help delete browser hijackers that slow down your device. The browser hijackers, adware and other PUPs slow your internet browser down and try to trick you into clicking on malicious advertisements and links. Hitman Pro removes the browser hijacker and lets you enjoy your PC without Speed Dial.
- Click the following link to download the latest version of Hitman Pro for Microsoft Windows. Save it to your Desktop.
- When downloading is finished, launch the HitmanPro, double-click the HitmanPro.exe file.
- If the “User Account Control” prompts, click Yes to continue.
- In the HitmanPro window, click the “Next” for checking your computer for the Speed Dial hijacker. Depending on your computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. During the scan HitmanPro will search for threats exist on your computer.
- When finished, the results are displayed in the scan report. Review the scan results and then click “Next”. Now, click the “Activate free license” button to start the free 30 days trial to remove all malware found.
How to delete Speed Dial with MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM)
If you’re still having problems with the Speed Dial browser hijacker — or just wish to scan your PC occasionally for browser hijacker and other malicious software — download MalwareBytes Anti Malware. It is free for home use, and scans for and deletes various unwanted apps that attacks your PC system or degrades device performance. MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) can get rid of adware, potentially unwanted apps as well as malware, including ransomware and trojans.
First, please go to the link below, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM).
326379 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
When downloading is finished, close all programs and windows on your PC system. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named MBSetup as shown on the screen below.
When the install begins, you will see the Setup wizard which will help you setup Malwarebytes on your computer.
Once installation is complete, you will see window like below.
Now press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the Speed Dial browser hijacker. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your PC system and the speed of your PC system. While the MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) utility is checking, you can see count of objects it has identified as being infected by malicious software.
When MalwareBytes has finished scanning, a list of all items detected is produced. Once you have selected what you want to delete from your personal computer click “Quarantine” button.
The Malwarebytes will now remove Speed Dial browser hijacker and move the selected items to the program’s quarantine. Once disinfection is complete, you may be prompted to reboot your device.
The following video explains steps on how to delete hijacker, adware and other malicious software with MalwareBytes.
How to stop Speed Dial redirect
It is important to run ad blocker software like AdGuard to protect your device from malicious websites. Most security experts says that it’s okay to stop ads. You should do so just to stay safe! And, of course, the AdGuard can stop Speed Dial redirect and block malicious websites.
- First, click the following link, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of AdGuard.
Adguard download
26627 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
- After downloading it, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
- Once the installation is done, press “Skip” to close the setup program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” 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 run your PC system, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted ads, block Speed Dial redirects, as well as other harmful or misleading webpages. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the icon called AdGuard, that is located on your desktop.
To sum up
Once you have removed the hijacker using this instructions, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer will no longer redirect you to unwanted sites. Unfortunately, if the few simple steps does not help you, then you have caught a new browser hijacker, and then the best way – ask for help.
Please create a new question by using the “Ask Question” button in the Questions and Answers. Try to give us some details about your problems, so we can try to help you more accurately. Wait for one of our trained “Security Team” or Site Administrator to provide you with knowledgeable assistance tailored to your problem with the Speed Dial browser hijacker.
