PDF Opener - How to remove

PDF Opener is a PUP (potentially unwanted program) and a browser extension. When installed, PDF Opener provides quick access to a PDF file converter and changes the search engine so that internet search results come in Bing.com. Advertising is built into PDF Opener, which is understandable but not always welcome. PDF Opener doesn’t need to be feared but if you are uncomfortable with it being in your browser, go ahead and remove it.

In short about PDF Opener:

Type of threat	PUP.
How PDF Opener works	Displays an extension pop-up for converting files, promotes other browser extensions.
Problems caused by it	Browsing history and search terms are read and used for advertising, default search engine is changed to Pdfsrch.com and this setting is locked down.
How to remove PDF Opener	Remove unwanted browser extensions, check your computer for malware (Combo Cleaner for Mac, Spyhunter for PC, others).

What is PDF Opener

PDF Opener is a browser extension that adds a file to PDF converter to your browser. It can be found on Thedocpdfconverter.com and installed on the Chrome web store. It is extremely similar to Your Docs To PDF and other browser extensions that are offered by someone named “New Media”.

Once it’s installed, PDF Opener changes your search settings to Pdfsrch.com. This site usually opens Bing.com to deliver your search results. It looks as if your browser suddenly decided that Bing.com should be your new default search engine.

Browser extensions are pretty powerful – they have access to the web browsers that they are installed on and they can change how those browsers behave. What exactly a browser extension can do is revealed by permissions. PDF Opener asks for these:

• Read and change your data on a few of sites, including Pdfsrch.com. It can use this permission to decide where to send your search query when you search the internet.
• Read your browsing history.
• Communicate with cooperating websites.
• Change your search settings to Pdfsrch.com.

PDF Opener may promote a browser extension called Search Manager which changes your default search engine to Srchbar.com. It also briefly advertises a few other browser extensions on your new tab page. But at least PDF Opener doesn’t actually hijack your new tab page, unlike ConvertPDFToWord, QuickPDFMerger, and others. PDF Opener’s description implies that it would replace your new tab – something very commonly done by adware browser extensions -, but when installed, it mostly leaves the new tab alone.

And PDF Opener does have a PDF converter that appears in an extension pop-up. It’s not so bad, compared to some other extensions.

However, it still unnecessarily replaces your search engine settings. According to PDF Opener’s description, this is used to offer you a better browsing experience by redirecting specific queries to affiliated partners. So, advertising.

What’s the problem

PDF Opener is an advertising-supported browser extension and that is made clear in its privacy policy. As a browser extension, it is able to collect information about you and show you ads better than a random website. No wonder then that PDF Opener is made by ironSource Ltd, an app monetization company.

Whether PDF Opener is really useful is another question. Converting files to PDF is already easy without the use of any third-party apps. A lot of programs that can open and edit a file also allow exporting it to PDF – no new apps are needed. As for PDF to Doc conversion, if you want good results, using an online converter without any settings that you could change will have poor results.

Undeniably, using PDF Opener has a bit of a negative effect on your privacy, as it reveals your browsing history and search queries to an advertising company and to another search engine (Bing). It’s generally better to not have unnecessary browser extensions installed because they are not great for privacy.

The advertising that is done with PDF Opener’s help is meant to make up for the free PDF converter provided by the extension. But it restricts your ability to choose your search engine in your browser, which is a pretty steep price.

More importantly, the search hijacking might be a violation of Chrome’s policy that extensions must have a single purpose. PDF Opener is for converting files to PDF, not for changing search settings.

How to remove PDF Opener

You can manually uninstall PDF Opener by right-clicking its icon (the little red rectangle) and choosing “Remove”. Or you can remove it from browser settings, as shown in the next section.

It’s a good idea to scan your computer with an antivirus app (like Combo Cleaner for macOS, Spyhunter for Windows, etc.) to check for malware and other potentially unwanted programs. With PDF Opener having no reviews or ratings from any of its thousands of users, there’s a chance that it uses bundling and other dishonest distribution practices – and that it was distributed with other PUPs.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manually remove browser extensions

TopRemoving PDF Opener 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 PDF Opener. Click on the trash bin icon next to PDF Opener 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 PDF Opener, 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.

How to remove PDF Opener 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 PDF Opener. Click on the "Remove" icon next to PDF Opener 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.

TopRemoving PDF Opener 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 PDF Opener 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 PDF Opener, 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.