Simple Word Count Adware - How to remove

Simple Word Count is a potentially harmful browser extension. It counts words in sentences, but it also interferes with internet searches. It hijacks Google search pages and replaces them with alternative sites, like Fxsmash.xyz and Websearches.club.

Simple Word Count does this to advertise and to give these sites more traffic. For users, it is unhelpful and disruptive.

Simple Word Count:

Classification Adware,

browser hijacker.

Problems and issues Simple Word Count hijacks internet search results,

it promotes sites that don’t have a clear privacy policy,

it may be installed without permission.

How Simple Word Count spreads It is advertised online.
How to uninstall Simple Word Count Remove the extension and other potentially unwanted apps manually and with anti-malware tools (Spyhunter for PC, Spyhunter for Mac, Combo Cleaner for Mac, etc.),

check your search settings and remove all traces of adware.

What is Simple Word Count?

Simple Word Count hijacks internet search

Simple Word Count is a browser add-on for Google Chrome and other Chromium browsers, like Edge.

On the Chrome Web Store, Simple Word Count offers to help users count words in sentences. But that’s not all that it does! Simple Word Count also can catch when you try to search the internet by using a regular search engine, such as Google. It then replaces the search page with its own, opening Fxsmash.xyz, Websearches.club, or another site.

Thanks to Simple Word Count’s redirects, your search results might look a bit strange:

  • Filters and other tools which are present in mainstream search engines are missing.
  • A lot of ads in those search results. The ads are often irrelevant to the search query.
  • The sites that Simple Word Count opens don’t have clear privacy policies. This could be a problem for privacy.

The goal of Simple Word Count is to make money. It does this by improving the traffic of related websites and by showing ads on these sites. This is why Simple Word Count is adware. It doesn’t directly inject ads into web browsers (Understanding malvertising through ad-injecting browser extensions). But it does promote sites whose main purpose is to advertise. In a way, what Simple Word Count does is similar to a scheme that some call “harming” (Pharming explained: How attackers use fake websites to steal data.

Simple Word Count here opens websearches.club.

It’s downloaded from the internet

Simple Word Count’s function is counting words. It’s not the only extension on the Chrome Web Store that does this, but is it quite strange when compared t the others:

  • Simple Word Count’s description is incredibly short and poorly formatted.
  • Despite being pretty new, this extension already has thousands of users, according to the Chrome Web Store.
  • And yet, not a single user has reviewed or rated the extension. That is very strange.

If Simple Word Count really does have thousands of users, it has gained them very quickly, in days. For an add-on with no marketing, that seems unbelievable.

That’s because there was marketing. You might be familiar with the “Download Ready” ads and similar pop-ups that infest certain websites. Ads like these are meant to trick people into installing browser extensions that they might not really want. These ads might be disguised as download links, or they might say that installation supports the website (as advertisements do). Most likely, users who install Simple Word Count do it unintentionally.

Download Ready template

How to remove Simple Word Count

If your browser is being strange, opening unknown websites and showing excessive ads, look first into your browser extensions. Getting rid of the Simple Word Count add-on should stop Websearches.club and other strange websites from opening. If it doesn’t, then there must be another adware infection that needs to be removed. This is very possible, as malware infections sometimes spread in groups of two and three.

You can remove Simple Word Count and other extensions in your browser settings, see instructions below. After that, check your settings and see if the adware extensions left any unwanted traces.

To check your device for malware thoroughly, scan it with anti-malware apps, like Spyhunter for Windows, Spyhunter for Mac, Combo Cleaner for Mac, etc. If the scans detect any suspicious apps or files, remove them.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Download Spyhunter for Malware detection
(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,

Download Combo Cleaner for Malware detection
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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 extensions

TopHow To remove Simple Word Count Adware from Google Chrome:

  • Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
    Extensions
  • Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
    Remove extensions
  • Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
    Open settings
  • Select Manage Search engines
    Manage search engines
  • Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
    Delete search engines
  • 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.
    Set pages
  • Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
    Delete start pages

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Simple Word Count Adware, 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.
    Resset settings
  • Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
    Reset approve

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

How to remove Simple Word Count Adware from Microsoft Edge:Top

  • Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.
Open the menu and choose Extensions.
  • Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
Press Remove for the extensions you want to remove
  • Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings
Edge new open the three-dot menu and choose settings.
  • Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.
Edge new Open Address bar settings.
  • Choose Manage search engines.
Edge new choose manage search engines.
  • Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.
Edge new choose remove for unwanted search engines.
  • 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.
Edge new remove startup pages. (Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Simple Word Count Adware, 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.
Edge new restore settings.
  • Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
Edge new restore settings comfirmation. If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How To remove Simple Word Count Adware 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).
    Select add-on
  • Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything Simple Word Count Adware 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.
    Remove add-on
  • 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.
    Restore default
(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Simple Word Count Adware, 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.
    Help button
  • ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
    Troubleshooting
  • Click on theReset Firefox button.
    Refresh firefox
  • Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
    Refresh firefox approve
If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.
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