Tabsearch.net Start Page - How to remove

Tabsearch.net is a new alternative search engine. It’s promoted as offering a privacy-focused site that doesn’t track you as much as the other search engines do. Tabsearch.net is related to the Tab Search Start Page extension.

However, some people believe that Tabsearch.net is an adware infection and a browser hijacker. It might be best to remove this extension from your browser.

In short about Tabsearch.net:

Classification	Potentially unwanted program.
How Tabsearch.net affects the browser	It replaces the new tab page, it redirects searches to Bing and Yahoo.
Problems and issues	Tabsearch.net doesn’t protect the users’ privacy as well as it implies that it does.
How you can remove Tabsearch.net	Uninstall the Tab Search Start Page extension, use antivirus tools (Spyhunter for PC, Combo Cleaner for Mac, etc.) to check your computer for malware.

Is Tabsearch.net safe?

Tabsearch.net is a new search engine

Tabsearch.net describes itself as an alternative search engine that focuses on privacy. It’s been getting very popular in the last few months with traffic to the site skyrocketing.

Tabsearch.net is connected to a browser extension called Tab Search Start Page. The extension is a simple new tab page. It has a light and dark theme and displays your most visited websites on the new tab.

However, some cybersecurity blogs say that Tabsearch.net is dangerous, that it’s an adware infection and that it should not be used. Is it true? Is the site truly harmful?

It’s not a private website

I don’t believe that Tabsearch.net is dangerous. I couldn’t see anything suspicious in the Tab Search Start Page extension.

Tabsearch.net is described as a privacy-oriented search engine and it promises in its privacy policy to not collect any unnecessary data about its users. Here’s the problem:

• Tabsearch.net is not a search engine. It doesn’t search the web. It has Bing or Yahoo deliver web search results.
• Tab Search Start Page has search queries go to Tabsearch.net, which is completely unnecessary.

Tabsearch.net says in its description that it uses Bing to deliver internet search results. Microsoft’s Bing is a good search engine, but it’s not focused on privacy, which seems incompatible with Tabsearch.net’s advertising. If you want to manage how Bing tracks you and how it uses that data, you have to go to Bing settings Bing.com/profile/history.

Tabsearch.net also redirects users to Yahoo, which is yet another ad-supported search engine that has no special privacy features.

Unusual reviews

In addition, there’s something really strange about Tab Search Start Page’s reviews. Some of them imply that, more than a year ago, Tab Search Start Page used to be a game extension before it became a new tab add-on.

All of the new reviews praise Tab Search Start Page as a good new tab, but they are all very similar to each other and they were all posted within the span of just two days. These could be the signs of the reviews being fake.

It’s similar to browser hijackers

Because of all these little issues, it is not surprising that cybersecurity websites have pounced on Tabsearch.net. It does look a lot like a few search hijackers that we’ve seen before: websites like TheSilentSearch and SearchIncognito that mislead users about their state of privacy and scare them unnecessarily. Or even worse, sites like IncognitoSearches that use deceptive advertising and log user data.

Needless to say, we are skeptical when we encounter privacy search engines like Tabsearch.net. However, Tabsearch.net does not seem to be dangerous. It just seems harmless and a little useless.

How you can remove Tabsearch.net

If you want to, you can uninstall the Tab Search Start Page extension in your browser. It’s up to you if you want to do that. Tabsearch.net is not harmful, but it might not be wise to let it control your web search.

Besides, the Tabsearch.net new tab hardly offers anything over Google Chrome’s default new tab. The Chrome new tab can also sync with your computer’s color scheme, displays links to your favorite websites, and it’s customizable (Customize Chrome’s New Tab Page).

Also, it’s recommended to check your computer for malware and other potentially unwanted items. Scan your device with an antivirus program, such as Spyhunter for Windows, Combo Cleaner for macOS, and others. Delete malicious items if any are found.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to uninstall browser extensions

TopRemoving Tabsearch.net Start Page 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 Tabsearch.net New Tab. Click on the trash bin icon next to Tabsearch.net Start Page 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 Tabsearch.net New Tab, 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 Tabsearch.net Start Page 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 Tabsearch.net Start Page. Click on the "Remove" icon next to Tabsearch.net New Tab 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.