OnlineFormsDirect Hijacker - How to remove

OnlineFormsDirect is a browser add-on that offers access to various government forms while also hijacking important browser settings for the sake of showing you more ads. Because OnlineFormsDirect takes over your new tab page even though it doesn’t need to and because it promotes an affiliated search engine (Myway.com), it’s considered to be adware and a browser hijacker by many antivirus vendors. It’s recommended to uninstall it.

In short about OnlineFormsDirect:

Type of threat	Adware, replaces browser search page, reads your browsing history and search queries.
Similar threats	GetFormsHere, MyFormsFinder, FormFetcherPro.
How OnlineFormsDirect gets installed	Downloaded and installed with freeware, installed by following deceptive ads.
Removal of OnlineFormsDirect	Find and remove malware (Combo Cleaner for Mac OS, SpyHunter for Windows, others), uninstall OnlineFormsDirect and other unwanted browser add-ons.

How adware spreads

Did you install OnlineFormsDirect yourself, or did it just appear out of nowhere?

Browser add-ons like OnlineFormsDirect can appear unexpectedly after they’re installed by another program. For example, if you’re familiar with downloading freeware from download sites, you’ve probably encountered optional offers that are installed by default. Unwanted programs hidden in the installer of a wanted program will be downloaded on your device unless you refuse them during the installation. And sometimes, you miss the warnings and accidentally allow unwanted programs to be installed.

Occasionally, the unwanted software is installed after a delay, which helps hide the tracks and throw off suspicion.

Then there are misleading ads and fake websites where you could have found OnlineFormsDirect. You might have encountered a website that told you that you had to install OnlineFormsDirect for whatever reason; that’s a misleading ad. Or you may have seen an ad for OnlineFormsDirect in your web search results. Likely, your browser was already hijacked by adware, such as Info.com.

Basically, OnlineFormsDirect most likely arrived on your computer because you downloaded and installed some unreliable freeware, visited some shady pirating website, or followed an ad shown in your browser by adware.

You might have avoided getting OnlineFormsDirect if you had:

• scanned installers with anti-malware and antivirus programs,
• deleted adware and unreliable browser add-ons earlier,
• blocked ads and/or malicious URLs,
• been incredulous of sites that tell you to install stuff.

OnlineFormsDirect isn’t some really bad malware or anything, so there’s nothing to be afraid of there, but it’s still no good to have installed.

Problems with OnlineFormsDirect

OnlineFormsDirect looks like it should be a very simple app: it just gives you access to some free online forms. But when you’re installing it, you see how many different permissions it asks for: change your new tab page, read your browsing history, manage your extensions, and read your actions on Ask.com and Myway.com.

OnlineFormsDirect changes how your web browser works: it sets a new start page as hp.myway.com/onlineformsdirect/ttab02/index.html and it reads your search queries. Worse, it may install more browser add-ons later. Supposedly, that’s necessary to provide the government form features. But it’s not!

OnlineFormsDirect doesn’t need to take over your start page or to install other add-ons. To show you government forms, it opens Getformsonline.com. This website is perfectly usable without any browser add-ons. You can go there right now and find all the forms that the site hosts.

And yet, OnlineFormsDirect takes a firm hold over your browser. There’s a reason for that: advertising. The creators of OnlineFormsDirect operate a few search engines and they make money from ads. The ad-supported sites, Myway.com and Ask.com, need more users to be more profitable. Cue OnlineFormsDirect putting a search box that opens Myway.com right in the middle of the new start page.

At least, OnlineFormsDirect is not outright malicious. It still messes with your browser for bad reasons. If you notice your browser’s start page or search engine unexpectedly changing, it’s probably not normal – it’s an infection on your side and you can fix it.

How to remove OnlineFormsDirect

In general, browser extensions are very easy to remove: just right-click the icon of the extension and choose “Remove”. But you shouldn’t stop there – it’s a good idea to be more thorough.

Check all the browser add-ons that you have installed on your browser. Remove unfamiliar add-ons and consider if you need all of your add-ons. If you don’t use some, it might be a good idea to disable them for now. Browser add-ons have a lot of power over your browser, so you should be sure that you trust them to not abuse it.

You can scan your device with Combo Cleaner for Mac, SpyHunter for PC to find and remove malware on yoru computer, including other unwanted browser add-ons.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manual Removal Tools

TopRemoving OnlineFormsDirect Hijacker from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to OnlineFormsDirect. Click on the trash bin icon next to OnlineFormsDirect Hijacker or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

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

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

TopRemoving OnlineFormsDirect Hijacker from Firefox

• 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 OnlineFormsDirect 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.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to OnlineFormsDirect 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.
  
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

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

How to remove OnlineFormsDirect Hijacker from Microsoft Edge:Top

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

• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to OnlineFormsDirect. Click on the "Remove" icon next to OnlineFormsDirect Hijacker or other add-ons you want to remove.

• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.

• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.

• Restart Microsoft Edge.