Speedtest-guide.com Hijacker - How to remove

Speedtest-guide.com promotes an internet speed test, but with a twist – you have to install a browser extension to use it. This browser extension, Speed Test Guide, replaces your usual new tab page with Speedtest-guide.com. It also promotes a notification spammer site and tries to hijack your searches. It’s best to remove Speedtest-guide.com and find a less intrusive speed tester.

About Speedtest-guide.com:

Type of threat	Adware, browser hijacker.
How it’s installed	Advertised online, bundled with other programs.
How Speed Test Guide works	Replaces the new tab page with Speedtest-guide.com, the new tab page has to be opened to use the speed test. promotes dubious sites, promotes Yahoo search.
Removing Speedtest-guide.com	Uninstall Speed Test Guide and other suspicious add-ons, look for malware and suspicious programs with an antivirus tool (Combo Cleaner for macOS, Spyhunter for Windows, and others), block unwanted notifications.

Problems with Speedtest-guide.com

Dishonest installation

Speedtest-guide.com is a website that promotes the Speed Test Guide browser extension. Visitors to Speedtest-guide.com are greeted with a banner saying “Free Internet Speed Test Tool” and a big round button that says “Continue”. Some do find Speedtest-guide.com by searching online for a speed test.

Most internet speed testers perform the test right on their website. Not Speedtest-guide.com, though – it tries to get people to install the Speed Test Guide extension. I thought that the big round button with “Continue” written on it was a dashboard for internet speed measurements to be displayed, a common user interface element for speed testers, and not a link to install a browser add-on. I wonder if many others experienced the same confusion.

Once Speed Test Guide was installed, the speed testing pop-up worked great. It is unfortunate that it came with a new tab hijacker.

Hijacking the new tab

The speed test widget by Speedtest-guide.com in nice enough and has test history, which is a cool feature. The problem is that, instead of being implemented as an extension pop-up, this speed tester lives on Speedtest-guide.com/newtab.

When Speed Test Guide is installed, it replaces the browser’s new tab page with Speedtest-guide.com/newtab. It also gets access to browsing history. The problems with Speedtest-guide.com are a few:

• It features a search box that leads to Yahoo.
• It promotes Livenewseveryday.co, which is a notification spammer.
• Some complaints about Speedtest-guide.com also mention browsers being spammed by Searchactiv, which is another adware site.
• Unlike default new tabs, Speedtest-guide.com cannot be customized in any way.

There is no good reason for Speedtest-guide.com to install Speed Test Guide, but there is even less reason for it to hijack the new tab page. The only reason is that it enables Speedtest-guide.com’s creators to advertise to users and spy on their search queries.

It’s unsurprising that Speedtest-guide.com is made by Innover Group, the same company that has released many very similar new tab hijackers, including Trackpackagetab.com, Convertersuite.com, and Quicklivenews.com.

How to remove Speedtest-guide.com

There are many good internet speed tests that do not require a browser extension to be installed. There are also good browser extensions that do not ask for intrusive permissions and do not replace the new tab page. Speedtest-guide.com fails at both of these. It’s best to remove it and find a safer alternative.

To remove Speedtest-guide.com from the new tab page, Speed Test Guide needs to be removed from extensions. Possibly, a few other extensions, too. Go to your browser, open the main menu, open Settings (or Preferences), and click on Extensions. Review all of them. Here are a few permissions that ought to make you suspicious:

• Read and change your data on all websites.
• Read and change your data on Google.com, Bing.com, etc.
• Replace the new tab page.
• Change your default search engine.

Permissions define what browser extensions can use. Speed Test Guide, for example, reads your browsing history, replaces the new tab, and has access to everything that you do on Speedtest-guide.com (including what search queries you type into that search box). While the are legitimate uses for the aforementioned permissions, they can also be abused by malicious extensions to steal data and show unwanted advertisements. This is why you should review all the extensions that you have installed and see if you trust their developers.

You could also scan your computer with an antivirus application, like Combo Cleaner for macOS, Spyhunter for Windows, and others. They can check the programs and files on your device and point out those that are malicious, potentially unwanted, or low-reputation.

If you removed Speed Test Guide and all the other bad browser extensions but are still getting unwanted pop-up ads, that can also be fixed. Sites that abuse notifications to show little pop-up ads in the browser can be stopped by just changing some browser settings:

1. Go to your notification settings:
   • Chrome – type “chrome://settings/content/notifications” in the address box.
   • Edge (Chromium) – type “edge://settings/content/notifications” in the address box.
   • Safari – in the Safari menu, choose Preferences, Websites, Notifications.
   • Firefox – open Settings, Preferences, Privacy & Security, scroll down to Permissions, and click on Settings next to Notifications.
2. Find sites that are sending unwanted notifications, press the button next to each of them and then click “Block”.

A link to these instructions can also be found on Speedtest-guide.com/newtab, at the bottom of the page.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Remove browser extensions

TopRemoving Speedtest-guide.com 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 Speedtest-guide.com Hijacker. Click on the trash bin icon next to Speedtest-guide.com 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 Speedtest-guide.com Hijacker, 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 Speedtest-guide.com 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 Speedtest-guide.com Hijacker 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 Speedtest-guide.com 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 Speedtest-guide.com 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 Speedtest-guide.com Hijacker. Click on the "Remove" icon next to Speedtest-guide.com 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.