Mystartsearch.com is a browser virus that’s categorized as a browser hijacker. It replaces your homepage and default search engine with unwanted sites. Mystartsearch.com is promoted together with various freeware, like video players, PDF creators and other programs that you can get from the Internet.
Mystartsearch Com Virus quicklinks
- How It Was Installed On Your System
- Negative Impact of Mystartsearch.com Virus
- How To Completely Remove Mystartsearch.com
- Automatic Malware removal tools
- How to remove Mystartsearch for good
- How to remove Mystartsearch.com virus using Windows Control Panel
(Win)
Note: Spyhunter trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions,
(Mac)
Note: Combo Cleaner trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions, Refund Policy ,
Mystartsearch.com is problematic because it causes tons of redirects to unknown, potentially dangerous websites. It also records information about your browsing habits and sells it to third parties. The Mystartsearch.com virus also changes your search results by adding numerous sponsored websites just to increase their traffic. There is no question that you should eliminate this infection as soon as possible.
The removal of Mystartsearch.com can be performed either manually or automatically, so it’s completely up to you which removal method to choose. In this article, we provide you with detailed instructions on how to get rid of this virus and also protect your computer from similar viruses in the future.
Mystartsearch.com in short:
| Classification | Browser hijacker,
adware. |
|---|---|
| How Mystartsearch.com gets installed | Bundled with other programs as an optional offer,
hidden behind advanced installation settings. |
| Problems caused by the malware | Unreliable, ad-filled web search results,
your browsing data is logged and used for marketing. |
| How to remove Mystartsearch.com | Remove malware and unwanted programs with antivirus tools (Spyhunter for PC, Combo Cleaner for Mac, others),
uninstall the Mystartsearch.com extension. |
How It Was Installed On Your System
As already mentioned, Mystartsearch.com is installed together with other software. To avoid adding the Mystartsearch.com virus, be careful with what you are downloading. During installation, always choose Custom or Advanced settings. Never agree to change your homepage or search provider to unknown websites like Mystartsearch.com.
Also, make sure you deselect options that indicate additional downloads if they look suspicious. Most users don’t pay enough attention when installing new programs, which is why they end up getting browser hijackers, adware, add-ons, etc.
In case these instructions sound too complicated to you, you can get yourself a trustworthy anti-malware application, such as Spyhunter. It is free and has real-time protection feature, so it will be running in the background and monitoring incoming files. If some malicious files try to enter your system, Spyhunter will automatically stop this transaction and inform you about this.
Negative Impact of Mystartsearch.com Virus
If you look at the Mystartsearch.com page, it might not even look suspicious for you. It has a regular search field and even helps to quickly reach some of your favorite websites, like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Yahoo, Amazon or Gmail. However, the first time you try making a search using this search engine, you will see that your search results include sponsored links and ads. Some of them may even be unrelated to your search queries. And there are likely to be more harmful search results than normal.
The thing is, Mystartsearch.com virus was created to advertise certain commercial websites and its creators are getting pay if you click on these links. You may also notice more ads than usual. They are also a part of this marketing campaign.
Not to mention the fact that after it infiltrates computers using unfair methods and changes personal settings without even asking for permission to do that, Mystartsearch.com also collects your personal information and can transfer it to third parties. This is very dangerous – this way your personal data can be leaked to other cyber criminals, so you can become a victim of a scam campaign. Also, your computer can get infected with other viruses or malware.
All browser hijackers operate in a very similar manner. Hijackers like Moviesearchtool.com, Xtconnect.com, or Search.abcnews.io are similar in how they work. They all try to drive traffic to affiliated websites and make money this way. Fortunately, it is not that difficult to get rid of those infections.
How To Completely Remove Mystartsearch.com
If you have noticed Mystartsearch.com set as your homepage on your Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome, make sure you remove it as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to change your homepage that easily. Even if you set another website as your start page, as soon as you reboot your computer, Mystartsearch.com virus will come back and start messing with your search results again.
We have a tutorial on how to remove Mystartsearch.com from your system and how to restore the settings of each infected browser below this article. It is also highly recommended to scan your system with a reputable antispyware program, such as Spyhunter for Windows, Combo Cleaner for macOS, and others to make sure you get rid of all unwanted threats. Don’t forget to update your antispyware to its latest version. It will also protect your computer from a lot of similar infections.
Automatic Malware removal tools
(Win)
Note: Spyhunter trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions,
(Mac)
Note: Combo Cleaner trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions, Refund Policy ,
How to remove Mystartsearch for good
How to remove Mystartsearch.com virus using Windows Control Panel
Many hijackers and adware like Mystartsearch.com Virus 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 Mystartsearch.com virus . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make Mystartsearch.com Virus 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.
TopRemove shortcut hijack (all browsers) (optional): If your browser opens Mystartsearch.com virus page on startup only, try this:
- Right click on your browser icon. Choose Properties;
- Open Short cut tab;
- Delete Mystartsearch.com virus part from target field.
TopHow To remove Mystartsearch.com Virus 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 Mystartsearch.com virus, 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 Mystartsearch.com Virus 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 Mystartsearch.com Virus 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.
- 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.
TopHow to remove Mystartsearch.com Virus virus from Internet Explorer:
How to remove Mystartsearch.com Virus virus from Internet Explorer (older versions):
- Click on the arrow on the right of the search box.
- Do the following: on IE8-9 choose Manage Search providers, on IE7 click Change search defaults.
- Remove the Mystartsearch.com virus from the list.
How to remove Mystartsearch.com Virus from IE 11:
- Click on the Settings icon (top right) → Manage Addons.
- Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to Mystartsearch.com virus
and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
- Select Search Providers.
- If any of these search providers is not available, follow “Find more search providers” in the bottom of the screen and install Google.
- Close the Options.
- If your homepage was changed, click on the Gear icon on the top right corner to open the Internet Explorer menu, select Internet options
and choose General tab. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Apply.
(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings
If you are still experiencing any issues related to Mystartsearch.com Virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.
- Gear icon→Internet Options.
- Choose the Advanced tab and click on the Reset
- Select “Delete personal settings” checkbox and click on the Reset button.
- Click on the Close button on the confirmation box, then close your browser.
If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.
How to remove Mystartsearch.com Virus 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 Mystartsearch.com virus, 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 Mystartsearch.com Virus from Safari:Top
Remove malicious extensions- Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
- Select Extensions and uninstall Mystartsearch.com Virus 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.
- 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.
