MyIncognitoSearch Redirects - How to remove

MyIncognitoSearch is a malicious browser add-on. It gets installed without permission and forces the browser to open unexpected sites. It also tracks the user’s activities and may show them interest-based ads as browser notifications.

If MyIncognitoSearch gets installed on your browser, you might notice ads popping up on your screen and unfamiliar websites opening on their own.

About MyIncognitoSearch:

Type of threat	Browser hijacker, adware.
MyIncognitoSearch hijacking symptoms	Your browser opens pop-up ads labeled with “Myincognitosearch.com”, it opens websites like Searchlee.com, Nearbyme.io, and others, your new tab/home page looks different.
How hijackers infect browsers	Advertised online with deceptive pop-ups, bundled with free installers.
How to stop MyIncognitoSearch redirects	Uninstall MyIncognitoSearch and other unwanted extensions, use antivirus apps (Malwarebytes, etc.) to remove malware, review browser settings (default search engine, new tab, and notifications) and remove references to Myincognitosearch.com and other unwanted sites.

What is MyIncognitoSearch?

MyIncognitoSearch is a browser extension. It’s associated with the website Myincognitosearch.com. It’s very close to SearchZilla, SearchStreams, GoIncognitoSearch, IncognitoSearchWeb, and dozens of similar hijackers.

If you see the address Myincognitosearch.com on your screen, if you unexpectedly find yourself on Searchlee.com or Nearbyme.io, then MyIncognitoSearch may be installed on your browser.

MyIncognitoSearch redirects search queries to Searchlee and similar ad-filled sites. It logs your browsing and search history, which is full of personal details. It might show pop-up ads by using browser notifications.

Other than hijacking the browser, MyIncognitoSearch has no useful features. It gets installed without permission with the help of deceptive ads. It could infect your browser without you noticing.

How are malicious browser extensions installed?

MyIncognitoSearch is advertised online. Its ads are designed to look like download links or “required” and “recommended” extensions. Such ads trick people into installing unwanted add-ons by implying that these extensions are needed for another website to function or that they’re the item that the user was searching for.

Examples of such ads include Download Ready and Recommended Extension templates. These templates are used by many cyber spammers, so you might have seen them more than once already. If you ever see pages like these, close the browser tab.

MyIncognitoSearch may also be bundled with installers for various free programs. Some websites take free programs and free trials, bundle their installers with adware such as OfferCore, and upload for people to download freely. The download sites make money from the bundled offers, where items like MyIncognitoSearch may be offered to users.

During installation, MyIncognitoSearch asks for permission to change your search settings to Feed.myincognitosearch.com and to read your browsing history. If you’re installing on Google Chrome, you might be asked if you want to revert your search. If you say yes, the MyIncognitoSearch extension should be disabled. Though still installed, disabled extensions can’t do anything.

How to stop MyIncognitoSearch redirects

To stop MyIncognitoSearch from messing with your browser, simply uninstall it. The instructions for how to do that can be found below.

If you can’t remove MyIncognitoSearch, for example, if the Remove button in the browser doesn’t work, then the hijacker might have some malicious files and settings keeping it installed. You might need to check your registry (Windows) or profile configurations (macOS) as described in this post.

Or use anti-malware apps, such as Malwarebytes, to remove it, as well as other dangerous and suspicious apps and files.

After that, check your browser’s setting for default search, new tab, and web push notifications and remove references to Myincognitosearch.com or other unwanted sites.

Here are a few things you can do to avoid MyIncognitoSearch and similar hijackers:

• Download programs from the developer or official sites. Avoid free download sites that collect all programs in one place.
• Don’t install unknown browser extensions. First, check the developer and look at the privacy policy.
• Block malicious sites with anti-malware programs, malicious site blockers, or ad blockers.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manual removal instructions

How to remove MyIncognitoSearch Redirects using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like MyIncognitoSearch Redirects install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to MyIncognitoSearch Redirects . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make MyIncognitoSearch Redirects easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove MyIncognitoSearch Redirects from macOS

Delete MyIncognitoSearch Redirects from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the MyIncognitoSearch Redirects 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.

TopHow To remove MyIncognitoSearch Redirects 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 MyIncognitoSearch Redirects, 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 MyIncognitoSearch Redirects 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 MyIncognitoSearch Redirects 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 MyIncognitoSearch Redirects, 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 MyIncognitoSearch Redirects 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 MyIncognitoSearch Redirects, 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.

How to remove MyIncognitoSearch Redirects from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall MyIncognitoSearch Redirects 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 MyIncognitoSearch Redirects, 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.