Searchworm.com New Tab - How to remove

Searchworm.com is the website that handles the internet search queries of those who have the New Tab Theme Buddy extension installed on their browser. Whether Searchworm.com is a malicious search hijacker or just a mild annoyance is up for each user to decide. It doesn’t appear to be malicious, but it is not useful either.

About Searchworm.com:

Classification	Potentially unwanted program, browser hijacker.
Problems with Searchworm.com	It restricts the users’ search engine choices, it has access to a lot of user data.
Alternatives	New tab settings available in web browsers by default, extensions that don’t ask for permissions as intrusive as those asked by Searchworm.com.
How to remove Searchworm.com	Uninstall New Tab Theme Buddy, check your computer for malware with Spyhunter for PC, Combo Cleaner for Mac, or other anti-malware tools.

How Searchworm.com works

New tab replacer

New Tab Theme Buddy is a browser extension that replaces your browser’s home page and new tab page. It adds background pictures, greetings, a clock. It can be downloaded on Searchworm.com, where it’s presented as a tool to “enhance” your new tab.

In my opinion, Searchworm.com does not offer an improvement over the default Chrome, Edge, and Firefox new tabs. Changing backgrounds, adding and removing shortcuts – these things can easily be done without installing any extensions.

On top of Searchworm.com being a little redundant, it’s a bit concerning how much access to your browser it wants. Not just to replace your new tab page, but also to replace your search engine and to read and change your data on all sites that you visit. Even if Searchworm.com doesn’t use these permissions for anything suspicious, it is problematic because it’s an unnecessary risk. Extensions that can access your data on the sites you visit can, in theory, add and remove items on the webpages that you see, as well as read all the text.

It’s good that Searchworm.com doesn’t do these things, but it’s even better to avoid extensions that request excessive permissions.

Advertising and search redirects

Still, Searchworm.com exists and it does offer those features. And a free extension like New Tab Theme Buddy is still a commercial product and needs to make money. In Searchworm.com’s privacy policy, it’s explained that SearchWorm is a division of Brus Media, which is a marketing and monetization company.

One of the ways that Searchworm.com makes money is by controlling how you search the internet. It partners with CodeFuel – a monetization company that allows browser extensions to make money by providing customized search results through the new tab search box. And ads in those search results, of course.

This is why Searchworm.com replaces your search engine. It says that it’ll provide you with the “best search results” – the “best” must mean those results that’ll make the most money for Searchworm.com. It’s how other browser hijackers (Hmysocialtab.net, Hemailaccesshere.com, etc.) do it, too.

For this to work, Searchworm.com needs to collect user data, such as people’s search terms and IP addresses. It says that it tries to minimize the amount of personal information that it shares with third parties, which is good, but it’s still something to keep in mind: Searchworm.com is yet another site that gets to read your search terms – potentially sensitive information.

How to remove Searchworm.com

Uninstall the New Tab Theme Buddy extension

You can keep using New Tab Theme Buddy if you like it, it’s not dangerous as far as I can tell. As long as you’re aware that Searchworm.com is ultimately a commercial product that makes money from your internet searches.

If you decide to remove Searchworm.com, you can do it by uninstalling the New Tab Theme Buddy from your settings or the extension area in the upper right corner of your browser.

Remove malware

It’s important to remember how you installed Searchworm.com. Did you discover it while browsing the Chrome Web Store? Did you see an ad for Searchworm.com? Maybe it came bundled with another program? Or maybe you don’t remember installing it at all?

If you did not install Searchworm.com on your own, then I recommend having your computer scanned with an antivirus program, such as Spyhunter for Windows, Combo Cleaner for macOS, and others. If you find a potentially unwanted program or a bundler, know that those sorts of programs often bring unexpected software with them – sometimes, that software is far worse than the relatively harmless Searchworm.com.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Restore browser settings

TopHow To remove Searchworm.com New Tab 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 Searchworm.com New Tab, 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 Searchworm.com New Tab 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 Searchworm.com New Tab, 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 Searchworm.com New Tab 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 Searchworm.com New Tab 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 Searchworm.com New Tab, 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.