Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results - How to remove

Kensaq.com is a search engine related to Ask.com. It shows web search results, but it’s focused on displaying ads. Though Kensaq.com is not dangerous, it does waste people’s time with irrelevant spam results.

People encounter Kensaq.com when links to it appear in their web search results (for example, on Google.com pages). These ads for Kensaq.com are a symptom of a browser hijacker – a malicious browser extension. Finding and removing the offending extension can stop the ad spam.

Kensaq.com – what is it and how to stop it:

What causes search ads for Kensaq.com?	Browser hijackers (malicious add-ons), adware or malicious files on your computer.
What are the symptoms of hijacker add-ons?	Ads for Kensaq.com appear in your search results, ads to other dubious search engines appear alongside Kensaq.com, these ads disappear once you’re in incognito mode or have disabled all of your extensions.
Are the Kensaq.com ads dangerous?	Browser hijackers may be bad for your privacy, Kensaq.com ads interfere with normal browsing and waste your time.
How to stop Kensaq.com from appearing in your search results	Uninstall malicious browser add-ons, remove malware from your computer (use reliable antivirus tools, for example, SpyHunter for Windows, SpyHunter for Mac, or Malwarebytes).

What is the Kensaq.com search engine?

Kensaq.com is a search engine – it has a search box and it displays search results from around the web. It does lack any unique features that would make it worth using, but despite that, it gets millions of visits each month.

Kensaq.com is part of Ask Media Group. If you type a marketable query in Kensaq.com’s search box, you get lots of links to other Ask Media sites (Questionsanswered.net, Fastquicksearch.com), as well as other advertising sites (Izito.wz, Temposearch.com).

Like many ad-supported sites, Kensaq.com logs your data for advertising purposes across the Ask products.

Ask is not only responsible for Pronto.com, Simpli.com, Top10answers.com, and Smarter.com, it is also related to the various Mindspark extensions, Homeandgardenideas.com, MyWay.com, and MySearch.com. Though none of these products are really malicious, they often use underhanded tactics to mislead people so that they install software that they don’t want.

What’s causing your browser to open Kensaq.com?

Did you start seeing Kensaq.com in your browser for seemingly no reason? When you search the web, do your search results look strange? Are there more ads than normal? Are the results quite different on one device from other devices?

If your search results are being weird, then a browser hijacker must be injecting unwanted ads.

Such a browser extension must be able to change any website that you visit, or at least the main search engine sites (Google, Bing, etc.). That would allow it to add links to Kensaq.com, Pronto.com, etc. to your web search results.

Another possibility is that your default search engine was changed.

It can be tricky to find out which of your browser add-ons is responsible for pushing Kensaq.com ads. Even trusted extensions can start misbehaving. It’s important to be critical:

• Some extensions just don’t look suspicious. For example, ImSearch or FocusProvide are made to look ordinary, boring. In reality, they’re pretty bad hijackers that mess with search results.
• Some functional extensions can nevertheless be malicious. For example, fake ad blockers that function as adware even while blocking ads also.
• Not to mention browser extensions that used to be good, but turned to the dark side after they were bought or the owner decided to cash out. A popular extension can be sold and update to start aggressively advertising to users.
• And lastly, bad extensions can be installed without you knowing. This can happen after some site demands you to agree to something to use a service or download a file, or when you carelessly install a free program that was bundling unwanted extensions. That wouldn’t be surprising, as Kensaq.com’s cousin company Mindspark does occasionally use dishonest tactics. Did something strange like that happen at around the time that Kensaq.com ads started appearing?

How to remove Kensaq.com ads and links

Find the responsible extension

To see which extension is spamming you with Kensaq.com ads, test your browser. Run it in Incognito mode, where most extensions do not work. Better yet, disable all of your extensions without exception. Then run your browser and see if your search results look any better. If there are no more weird links and ads that lead to Kensaq.com and other sites, then a browser add-on must be responsible. You just need to find out which one.

Disable all of your extensions and enable them one by one till ads for Kensaq.com pop up in your search results. Whichever extension was enabled then is the culprit and you need to remove it (instructions below).

What if you can’t remove it?

There can be some difficulties, though. You may be unable to remove the extension. Either due to syncing or because of hijacked settings. Consider scanning your computer with an anti-malware tool, such as Spyhunter for PC, Spyhunter for Mac, or Malwarebytes. That can help you find malicious files on your system.

Also, check for weird files in your browser’s folders. An issue that crops up with Ask’s extensions is the Enterprise Policy problem, where you can’t remove an extension because it’s “managed by your organization” and the “Remove” option is simply missing. To solve this problem, you may need to edit your Registry (Windows) or review your system preferences (Mac).

Another note – if syncing for extensions is enabled, that could make it harder to remove extensions:

• In Chrome, open settings on the menu on the right and choose the “settings” option.
• Click on “Sync and Google services”.
• Click on “Manage sync”.
• You should get a list of items that are synced. Turn off Extensions.

After all of this, Kensaq.com should be gone from your system. If not, try running your computer in safe mode and scanning it for malware. Check your browser settings in case you still need to fix them, such as what your default search engine is.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manual removal instructions

TopHow To remove Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results 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 Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results, 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 Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results 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 Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results 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 Kensaq.com , 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 Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

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

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

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

How to remove Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results 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 Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results, 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.

Review System Preferences (Mac)

How to remove Kensaq.com from macOS

Delete Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Kensaq.com app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

(Optional) Delete related settings

Some malicious apps make themselves difficult to delete by changing various settings and leaving behind malicious files. Remove settings related to Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results.

• Click the Apple logo in the menu bar. Open System Preferences.
• Some malicious applications set profiles to enforce unwanted settings. Remove unwanted configuration profiles.

1. 1. In System Preferences, click the Profiles icon. This icon is only visible if there are profiles on your Mac.
   2. Select unwanted profiles and remove them by pressing the minus '-'  button at the bottom.

• Some adware applications set SOCKS proxy to manipulate your internet traffic. Remove unwanted proxies:

1. 1. In System Preferences, click Network, Advanced, Proxies.
   2. If a proxy is set without your permission, uncheck it and click OK.

(Optional) Delete malicious files

Some malicious apps leave behind dangerous files in your Library folders. Delete files related to Kensaq.com .

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go -> Computer.
3. In the search box, type in Kensaq.com Ads in Search Results and variations of it.
4. Delete the files that are found and that seem to be related to Kensaq.com .