WeatherBug - How to remove

WeatherBug is a weather app developed by the Earth Networks company. It is advertised as a helpful utility that provides you with weather forecasts for locations all around the globe. It can help you find data from satellites and maps, live cameras, photos and videos of popular places, and other useful and amusing content.

Although WeatherBug looks like a helpful utility, there are a few reputable anti-virus programs that report it as adware.

As a result, some antivirus scanners may flag WeatherBug. For example, one of its installers is detected by a couple of scanners on Virustotal.com.

IT support people generally dislike it, based on this Spiceworks page.

This guide will explain why exactly some antivirus programs dislike WeatherBug and describe the activity of WeatherBug that was considered problematic.

About WeatherBug in short:

Classification	Potentially unwanted program, adware.
How is WeatherBug installed?	Downloaded from its home page, installed from app stores, bundled with other programs.
Problems and issues	Ads and pop-ups, unwanted software installation.
How to remove WeatherBug	Uninstall the program, check your device for malicious items with an antivirus scanner, like Spyhunter for PC, Combo Cleaner for Mac, and others.

How did WeatherBug appear on your PC

Some users install WeatherBug intentionally.

For those who don’t, they would notice WeatherBug for the first time as it’s running on startup on their computer. In that case, the problem would be that WeatherBug was distributed through bundling with other free applications.

For example, you may find some excellent PDF-converting utility without the need to pay for any licensed version. The problem, however, is that its installer contains certain additional applications that all together may be installed into your system unintentionally.

You should be very careful during the setup process of such applications. Always pay very close attention to important details provided in the EULAs (End User License Agreements). If you discover any additional utilities suggested by default, make sure to switch to the “Advanced” or “Custom” installation mode where you will be able to uncheck these additional programs from the default installation.

Unfortunately, many people fail to pay attention to important details while installing free software. The information about optional offers may be provided in a small-print form, so it may be very hard for you to realize that this program is additionally suggested. Hence, when you agree with all the installation details you automatically end up installing the advertised program – WeatherBug or another.

Often, programs distributed this way are unwanted or even malicious. The fact that WeatherBug used to be distributed this way is not a good sign.

Impact of WeatherBug on your browsing

Based on people’s complaints, it appears that WeatherBug used to mess with people’s browsers, causing pop-up ads, redirects, etc. This would have been done in a way that forces the user to visit unwanted websites:

• injecting unwanted advertisement banners, pop-up ads and other ads into open webpages;
• tracking your browsing activities online;
• redirecting the browser to random third-party pages or opening new tabs in the browser without the user’s permission.

This would have made WeatherBug function both as adware and spyware. It would inject sponsored content into the websites you visit. Because of that, you would find it hard to concentrate on important work online. Injected ads tend to be very obnoxious, such as deals, coupons, fake security warnings, often placed on top of other important information in your screen.

This is what people mean when they call WeatherBug “adware”.

Furthermore, WeatherBug would track your technical info and analyze your actions online. It does this so that it can display more relevant ads, such as ads by local businesses.

How to remove WeatherBug for good

WeatherBug is as popular as ever, but the complaints about its unethical behavior have gone quiet. At this time, it does not appear that WeatherBug is at all dangerous. So, you can keep using it without worry.

Do keep in mind that it tracks your activities like most advertisement-supported sites, though.

But if WeatherBug was installed on your computer through bundling, there may be some other unwanted applications, too. It is important to thoroughly check your available programs. Uninstall those third-party programs that seem suspicious to you or that you did not install. Use an anti-malware program, such as Spyhunter for Windows, Combo Cleaner for macOS, and others to see if any potentially unwanted programs are present on your computer.

Even without being included in your list of all installed software, some files are able to cause pop-ups, browser redirects, and other issues. If this happens, use an antivirus program to scan your computer.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove WeatherBug using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like WeatherBug install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to WeatherBug . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make WeatherBug easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove WeatherBug from macOS

Delete WeatherBug from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the WeatherBug app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopRemove malicious extensions from Internet Explorer

• Press on the Gear icon→Manage Add-ons.
  
• Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to WeatherBug and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
  
• Close the Options.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to WeatherBug, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Press on the Gear icon->Internet Options.
  
• Choose the Advanced tab and click on the Reset button.
  
• Select a “Delete personal settings” checkbox and click on the Reset button.
  
• Click on the Close button on the confirmation box, then close your browser.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving WeatherBug 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 WeatherBug. Click on the trash bin icon next to WeatherBug 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 WeatherBug, 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 WeatherBug 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 WeatherBug 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 WeatherBug, 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 WeatherBug 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 WeatherBug. Click on the "Remove" icon next to WeatherBug 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 WeatherBug from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the WeatherBug. Remove all other unknown or suspicious entries too. If you are not sure whether you need the extension or not, you can simply uncheck the Enable check-box to disable the extension temporarily.
  
• Restart Safari.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to WeatherBug, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari.
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.