OnlineStreamSearch Redirects - How to remove

Does OnlineStreamSearch appear in your browser and mess with your searches? It redirects search queries to unexpected sites, logs your search history and browsing history, and may open unwanted advertisements.

OnlineStreamSearch is an infection caused by a malicious browser extension. It was installed thanks to a malicious ad or an infected installer for an unrelated program. Once installed, OnlineStreamSearch takes over your search settings. It can be really frustrating.

Luckily, OnlineStreamSearch can be removed very easily.

About OnlineStreamSearch:

Threat type	Browser hijacker, adware.
How to remove OnlineStreamSearch	Delete all malicious programs (Combo Cleaner for Mac, Spyhunter for PC, others), uninstall suspicious browser extensions, block unwanted advertisements.
How OnlineStreamSearch affects the browser	It opens unexpected and unwanted websites, it displays pop-up ads, it collects user data.
How it was installed	Advertised online, embedded in the installers of other programs.

How to remove OnlineStreamSearch

Remove malware

Use antivirus programs to remove OnlineStreamSearch and, if needed, other malicious extensions, infected installers, and adware bundles. Scan your device with Combo Cleaner for macOS, Spyhunter for Windows, and other programs to find and delete all malicious software. Pay attention to the detections of PUPs – potentially unwanted programs. Consider removing them, too.

Uninstalling the OnlineStreamSearch extension can also be done manually, in your browser settings. The instructions for each web browser can be found at the bottom.

Block pop-up ads

Even after OnlineStreamSearch is removed, the Onlinestreamsearch.com website may send you pop-up ads and show them on your screen. This can be stopped by going into your browser settings and blocking unwanted sites from sending you notifications.

You can also block the ads by clicking the gear icon on an unwanted pop-up and selecting the option to block all notifications from that site.

If you want to block malicious sites (and not just their notification ads), you can use an anti-malware program with a web filter. They can immensely improve your security by stopping malicious sites from opening at all.

The effects of an OnlineStreamSearch infection

Search redirects

Once OnlineStreamSearch is installed, it’s not very obvious. You may notice the text “Search OnlineStreamSearch” in your address bar if you look closely. Your browser’s new tab page may look different, too.

When you type a search term into your address bar, OnlineStreamSearch takes it and sends it to whatever site it wants. It could be a real search site to show you the results, or it could be a sponsored ad.

You could try to change your default search engine in your browser settings, but OnlineStreamSearch needs to be removed for that to happen.

Data collection

While OnlineStreamSearch is installed, it has access to a lot of data about your activities online:

• All the websites that you visit on the infected browser.
• What you search for and when.
• Which search results and ads you click on.
• Your location, language, and some data about your device.

For the sake of security, it’s advised to limit the number of websites that can collect your data to reputable and trustworthy companies.

But OnlineStreamSearch is not a reputable extension, in fact, its creators seem to be the same people who made Linkury (as well as GameSearchClub, StreamBeeSearch, and other hijackers). In addition, OnlineStreamSearch exposes your data to unnecessarily many websites. This is bad for privacy and for user choice.

Pop-up ads

Depending on how you installed OnlineStreamSearch, it may also show pop-up ads in your browser. This can be done through the OnlineStreamSearch extension or through browser settings.

Seeing pop-ups from unwanted sites can be frustrating, luckily, these ads are relatively easy to stop in your browser settings.

How OnlineStreamSearch is installed

Despite its name, OnlineStreamSearch has no useful features at all. In fact, although it has an entry in the Chrome Web Store, it can’t be found without knowing the exact address. OnlineStreamSearch is not meant to be installed like a normal extension.

Instead, OnlineStreamSearch infects computers with the help of deceptive ads or be being embedded in the installers of other programs.

Deceptive ads for OnlineStreamSearch are like fake download buttons, in a way. They are promoted on file-hosting sites and video streaming/download sites. They are created to confuse people, to make you think “Oh, is this the download link?” or “I guess I’m meant to install this if I want to download the file.”

In reality, these are just deceptive installation tactics, the type that gets extensions banned if Google finds out about them.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manual removal instructions

TopHow To remove OnlineStreamSearch 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 OnlineStreamSearch 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 OnlineStreamSearch 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 OnlineStreamSearch 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 OnlineStreamSearch 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 OnlineStreamSearch 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 OnlineStreamSearch 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.