Hconvertfilestools.com Hijacker - How to remove

Hconvertfilestools.com is a website that replaces the new tab page once Convert Files Tools, a browser extension, is installed. Hconvertfilestools.com has a bunch of links to various online converter sites, which is its main, um, feature. I would argue that Hconvertfilestools.com’s real main functionality is hijacking searches and pushing clickbait ads. It’s not helpful for users and should not be used.

In short about Hconvertfilestools.com:

Type of threat	Browser hijacker, adware.
How Hconvertfilestools.com harms the browser	Hijacks the new tab page, encourages using the search engine prescribed by Convert Files Tools, promotes a bunch of clickbait sites.
How hijackers get installed	Bundled with freeware, advertised online, advertised by adware infections.
Removing Hconvertfilestools.com	Uninstall Convert Files Tools, find and remove other hijackers and malware (you can use Spyhunter for PC, Combo Cleaner for Mac, and other anti-malware programs), block notifications from sites that spam ads through them.

The problems with Hconvertfilestools.com

Convert Files Tools is a browser extension – it changes how the browser works. The main thing it does is open Hconvertfilestools.com every time you open the new tab page. So, we’ll mostly be discussing Hconvertfilestools.com.

The promise that Convert Files Tools makes on the Chrome Web Store and other places is to supply useful converter links. And it does – in the top row, a sort of toolbar, there are a bunch of likes to sites like Allfilesconverter.com, Cloudconvert.com, Smallpdf.com, and others.

But that’s not all. Here are some other things that Hconvertfilestools.com does:

• Advertise in the middle of the page, usually for Amazon.
• Feature a search box that leads to Yahoo.com.
• Feature links to clickbait sites (Nationalweatheragency.org, Myemailcentral.com, Totalvideos.tv, others).

By the way, those clickbait sites, as well as Allfilesconverter.com, belong to the same company – Eightpoint Technologies. They all feature lots of clickbait ads and they use notifications to send out ads right to people’s browsers. Eightpoint happens to be behind Hconvertfilestools.com (Convert files Tools), as well. This probably means that Hconvertfilestools.com makes Eightpoint a bit of money. And though there’s nothing wrong with advertising when it’s used to monetize a good program or website, this dynamic is reversed in Hconvertfilestools.com: the ads are the product while the file converter links are just a low-effort addition.

That’s just how Eightpoint hijackers work. Compare Hconvertfilestools.com with Hmysearchassistance.com, Easygamingapptab.com, Hprintmyrecipes.com.

How Convert Files Tools gets installed

Some of the ways that Hconvertfilestools.com might have been installed:

• Bundled with free installers. Some browser hijackers are carried by freeware installers. Think about whether you installed anything unrelated around the time that Hconvertfilestools.com showed up.
• Advertised online. You might have been trying to find an online converter and got offered Hconvertfilestools.com. Avoid sites that require you to install extensions in order for them to work. One of the main differences between a website and a browser extension is that a browser extension is fit for being used regularly, all the time. Besides that, websites can do anything that browser extensions can.
• Advertised by adware. Browser hijackers are promoted by adware infections, including other browser hijackers.

Those who visit potentially unsafe sites (mainly pirating sites) and download a lot fo freeware are most at risk of encountering hijackers.

How to remove Hconvertfilestools.com

Remove Convert Files Tools from your browser settings. But it is very possible that other adware extensions besides Hconvertfilestools.com got installed at around the same time. So, pay attention to your other extensions and remove any that look suspicious to you.

Use an anti-malware program, such as Spyhunter for Windows, Combo Cleaner for macOS, to scan your computer and find items that are potentially dangerous.

Also, block unwanted notifications from Hconvertfilestools.com,

• Go to your notification settings:
  • Chrome – type “chrome://settings/content/notifications” in the address box.
  • Edge (Chromium) – type “edge://settings/content/notifications” in the address box.
  • Safari – in the Safari menu, choose Preferences, Websites, Notifications.
  • Firefox – open Settings, Preferences, Privacy & Security, scroll down to Permissions, and click on Settings next to Notifications.
• Find the sites that are sending unwanted notifications and press the button next to each of them and then click “Block”.

The next time a site pushes you to install a browser extension, think carefully. Sites don’t usually require an extension to be used. Not even the sites that Hconvertfilestools.com promotes. But because extensions can be used effectively to push ads, some sites still push them, hoping people to install them and forget them.

Also, remember that many programs allow you to export files as a variety of file types and third-party converters are not as useful as they present themselves. Before using a converter like Hconvertfilestools.com, check if you can do the conversion just by using the programs that are already installed on your device or use reputable applications.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Remove browser hijackers

TopHow To remove Hconvertfilestools.com Hijacker from Google Chrome:

• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
  
• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
  
• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
  
• Select Manage Search engines
  
• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
  
• Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
• If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
  
• Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Hconvertfilestools.com Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How To remove Hconvertfilestools.com Hijacker from Firefox:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything Hconvertfilestools.com Hijacker related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Options → General. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Restore to Default.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Hconvertfilestools.com Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.

How to remove Hconvertfilestools.com Hijacker from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.

• Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings

• Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.

• Choose Manage search engines.

• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.

• Go back to Settings. Open On start-up.
• Delete malicious search websites at Open specific page or pages by opening the three-dot menu and clicking Delete.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Hconvertfilestools.com Hijacker, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings

• Click on Edge's menu button and select Settings. Click on the Reset Settings button on the left.
• Press the Restore settings to their default values option.

• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.