Start.xyz - Video Backgrounds - How to remove

Start.xyz – Video Backgrounds, called StartXYZ in its description, is a browser add-on that replaces your new tab page and gives it nice background pictures and videos. It can make the browser look nicer.

But StartXYZ also makes some potentially unwanted changes to browser settings: it directs web searches from the new tab page to Crypsearch.com, a site related to a search hijacker. StartXYZ also logs search queries and may use them for advertising, which isn’t great for privacy.

About StartXYZ:

Classification	Potentially unwanted program.
How StartXYZ changes the browser	It replaces the new tab page, it may replace the default search engine, it promotes potentially unwanted search engines, it collects data about its users.
Alternatives	Use browser extensions that let you use a search engine that you like, always check the privacy policy of the extension that you’re installing.
How to stop StartXYZ redirects	Uninstall the StartXYZ extension, check your device with an anti-malware program (Malwarebytes, others).

Is StartXYZ safe?

StartXYZ redirects searches

A few antivirus scanners consider Start.xyz to be a suspicious site: Virustotal.com. That doesn’t mean that StartXYZ is dangerous, but it’s something to keep in mind.

The extension start.xyz – Video Backgrounds is available on the Chrome Web Store for Chrome and Chromium-based browsers like Edge. Once installed, it replaces your new tab with its own.

StartXYZ’s description also hints that it replaces the default search engine, but it didn’t in my case. Maybe that functionality hasn’t been added yet?

The main feature of StartXYZ is that it shows videos as new tab backgrounds. These videos are very nice, plus you can choose a theme that you like.

But StartXYZ also restricts which search engine you can use on the new tab: Start.xyz’s search results are displayed by Crypsearch.com.

It also has its own search engine, Search.Start.xyz. This site looks a lot like Google.com, but lacks some important features – there’s no tools like you have in Google – and shows quite a lot more ads.

It logs user data

StartXYZ has access to people’s search queries and uses that to log user data:

• what extensions you have installed,
• what you search for from Start.xyz and from Crypsearch.com,
• which search ads you click on.

According to its privacy policy, it may use the data that it collects on people’s browsing habits to improve targeted advertising.

That’s not great for privacy. While sites like Google.com collect a lot of user data, they also have extensive user tools to manage that data. Start.xyz is much more of an unknown, so it’s harder to trust it.

Overall, StartXYZ is not dangerous. But it does look like a newtab virus, an extension that’s more interested in advertising than anything else.

How to stop StartXYZ redirects

To stop StartXYZ from redirecting your searches to Start.xyz or Crypsearch.com, just remove the extension. There are other browser add-ons that change your new tab background to a video – and that don’t force you to visit random sites. Be careful of extensions that change your search settings without telling you, such as Alive Tab and Amazing Tab.

The instructions for how to remove an extension can be found below. It’s simple – just go into your settings, the extension are, and click the Remove button. Or click the puzzle button at the top and remove StartXYZ from there.

You might also benefit from an anti-malware scan. Especially if you aren’t sure about how StartXYZ was installed on your device. We’ve seen browser hijackers get installed by adware bundlers, which can make it look as if some apps show up out of the blue. Anti-malware tools like Malwarebytes can detect suspicious and potentially unwanted programs and warn you about them.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manually remove extensions

TopRemoving Start.xyz - Video Backgrounds 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 Start.xyz . Click on the trash bin icon next to Start.xyz - Video Backgrounds 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 Start.xyz , 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 Start.xyz - Video Backgrounds 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 Start.xyz - Video Backgrounds. Click on the "Remove" icon next to Start.xyz 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 Start.xyz - Video Backgrounds 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 Start.xyz 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 Start.xyz - Video Backgrounds, 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.