StreamMe Search Redirect - How to remove

StreamMe looks like a simple, minimalistic extension that offers to help you search for news about films more easily. Unfortunately, it also hijacks your search bar and your browser way beyond what it should need to fulfill its features.

StreamMe forces you to use Yahoo as your search engine, even if you want to use something else. This extension also takes some alarming privileges which give it the power to function like real adware. On top of that, StreamMe is advertised using malware, which means that the people who install it might have already had some harmful software installed previously.

This risky extension shouldn’t be used without knowing what it can do. But due to how minimalistic it is, there are people who don’t even know that they have it installed. This doesn’t mean that they don’t experience the annoyances caused by StreamMe, only that they have a hard time tracking the root of the problem. Luckily, the solution to the redirects is simple and the harm so far is minimal.

StreamMe symptoms and removal:

Symptoms	Search queries redirected through feed.stream-me.com Queries redirected to Yahoo Search Can’t change the default search engine in the browser  settings Unusually many ads on various websites
Problems with StreamMe	Takes too much control over the browser Does things unrelated to the proposed features Promotes dangerous websites
Classification	Browser hijacker Adware
How to remove StreamMe	Uninstall StreamMe manually form the browser Scan for and remove suspicious software ( (Mac), SpyHunter (PC))

What are the issues with StreamMe?

You might recognize the design of StreamMe’s download page. It’s used by a few different malicious extensions, like Flash SD App and Score Stars. These extensions are also adware in disguise, tricking people with promises of useful functions, but never clearly mentioning that they actually replace the search engine.

If you install this extension, you will be warned about the abilities that StreamMe has:

• Read and change all your data on the websites you visit
• Change your search settings to: feed.stream-me.com
• Manage your apps, extensions, and themes

One of the red flags that an add-on is adware or some other type of unwanted software — too many privileges. Some extensions do have legitimate reasons to need to see all of the content of your visited webpages, but you should still be aware of what the implications are: at worst, your passwords could be read and revealed. This doesn’t mean that StreamMe does it, but it has the power to. As well as that, it could inject or replace ads on any website that you visit. If you start seeing more ads than usual online and this only happens on a particular device, that’s a sign that adware has been messing with your browser to show you ads.

StreamMe advertises a lot. It directs people to sites like install.notify-service.com and other ad-servers. This means that using StreamMe for an extended time is likely to result in more PUPs (potentially unwanted programs) being installed in the device because adware is advertised there a lot. Additionally, scams, frauds, and phishing sites are pushed by StreamMe, which is problematic because the people who fall for the scams end up losing hundreds of dollars.

How to stop StreamMe from redirecting

The way to return to using your usual search engine is to uninstall or disable StreamMe. This extension was created to be a hijacker and there is no extension without the redirecting.

If you use the Chrome browser, it’s enough to right-click on the icon of StreamMe to the right of the address bar at the top — you will find the option to remove the add-on there. More detailed instructions for Chrome are below this article. Check your other add-ons, too. You can check if they’re causing any problems by temporarily disabling them before you decide whether you need to remove them.

If you want to know if any PUPs are installed on your device, scan it with an aggressive antivirus program, such as Spyhunter, or Combo-Cleaner. They might not be real viruses, but PUPs are a security risk. Also, few of them are good programs. If you look online, you can probably find applications of better quality that don’t engage in shady business practices or try to spy on you.

If you’re experiencing pop-ups or redirects that aren’t fixed by removing StreamMe and, possibly, some of your other extensions or PUPs, you can also try disabling notifications. Some websites stalk and harass your browser by sending it ceaseless and overwhelming ads as notifications.

Automatic Malware removal tools

TopHow To remove StreamMe Search Redirect 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 StreamMe Search Redirect, 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.