Tag Search Adware - How to remove

Tag Search is a browser add-on that may get installed without permission. It adds a context menu entry and lets you search highlighted text on HashAtIt, ImgInn, and TikTok. It also logs that search data.

Although Tag Search doesn’t look malicious, it’s also unhelpful and potentially dangerous. It’s considered by some cybersecurity vendors to be an adware infection, which means that it can cause ads and redirects in the browser. It should be uninstalled as soon as it’s discovered.

About Tag Search:

Threat type	Potentially unwanted program, adware, browser hijacker.
Problems with Tag Search	It logs your browsing data, including search terms used with Hashtag-search.net, it receives intrusive permissions.
How it gets installed	Advertised online with deceptive pop-up ads.
How to get rid of Tag Search	Remove malware with antivirus programs (Spyhunter for PC, Combo Cleaner for Mac, others), uninstall unwanted extensions, check your browser settings.

Why Tag Search is problematic

Tag Search logs browsing data

To be able to deliver search results, Tag Search needs to be able to read highlighted text. For this purpose, it gets access to your data on all the sites that you visit. This permission is a little risky (Permissions requested by apps and extensions) because it allows extensions to see everything that you do on the sites that you visit, including your personal messages and passwords. Tag Search does not appear to abuse this access, but it’s still a risky permission.

It seems like Tag Search only collects data on what you search for. That’s not good – your search history could include personal information. Sites like Google and Bing allow you to delete entries from your search history, but Tag Search? Tag Search doesn’t even link to its privacy policy on the Chrome Web Store.

If we do go and read Tag Search’s privacy policy on Hashtag-search.net, it says that it logs your browsing activity on its sites, some technical data about your computer, and the queries that you search for using the Tag Search extension.

Overall, Tag Search is extremely similar to Search with Engine of your choice, just a lot more specialized.

 

It’s advertised unfairly

The biggest problem with Tag Search is that it sues deceptive advertisements, like the “Download Ready” page, which is basically a fake Download link. Ads like this are often shown as pop-ups on file download and pirating sites. They’re meant to confuse people who are trying to download some other files into clicking the “Download” button and installing the advertised extension (in this case, Tag Search).

Since Tag Search is very invisible once installed, it could slip almost unnoticed into web browsers and stay there for who knows how long. Some of us don’t check our extension/plugin pages all that often.

In addition, Tag Search could get new features to give it more power. It could receive an update adding more intrusive features and not even ask for new permissions.

It’s risky to have unused browser extensions with powerful permissions installed and enabled. Even when those extensions are not malicious, it is still bad for privacy.

How to delete Tag Search

Uninstall the Tag Search extension manually as described below. Also, check your other extensions – see if any of them might have been installed accidentally, without your permission. Really, it’s a good idea to disable or remove all third-party (those that did not come with your browser) extensions that you don’t use regularly.

It’s also helpful to check your computer with an antivirus program, such as Spyhunter for Windows, Combo Cleaner for macOS, and others. Check the scan results and, if any malicious or potentially unwanted items were detected, delete them.

Check your default search engine and new tab settings. Tag Search doesn’t change them, but just in case, it’s good to make sure that no extension is controlling these settings without your permission.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Uninstall browser extensions

TopHow To remove Tag Search Adware 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 Tag Search 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.
  
• 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 Tag Search Adware from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.

• Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings

• Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.

• Choose Manage search engines.

• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.

• 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.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Tag Search 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.

• 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 Tag Search 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).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything Tag Search 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.
  
• 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.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Tag Search 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.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.