Www-search.net virus - How to remove

Www-search.net virus is a browser hijacker that can affect Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Firefox. It is installed together with other programs but often fails to ask permission. Then it takes over browser settings, like the home page. Www-search.net is not a virus, but it is a potentially unwanted program that is better off removed.

Www-search.net is a fake search engine. It shows the same search results as other search providers, but adds a couple more ads in there. It’s a freeloader program that leeches off people’s time and passively collects the ad revenue.

Www-search.net is associated with Tuvaro and Trovi hijackers and fake search engines. It redirects search results to Yahoo, which happens to work with a lot of dubious browser extensions.

If you make a search using Www-search.net, many of your results will include sponsored commercial websites. The www-search.net virus advertises these pages and by redirecting users to them increases their traffic and page ranking in search results. Bear in mind that the program can also display links of malicious websites, so if you click on them you will risk getting your PC infected. This isn’t an overstatement – most browser hijackers are associated with adware viruses, which in turn promote the type of content that’s banned on normal ad-networks, including adult stuff, financial scams, unregulated medical products, fake lotteries, and plain malicious sites. And even though a lot of the ads by www-search.net may be safe, a larger number of ads is annoying and distracting.

Www-search.net is inferior to most custom search providers and, in fact, it’s predatory, so there’s no good reason for anyone to use it:

Type of threat	Adware Potentially unwanted program (PUP) Browser hijacker
Symptoms	Www-search.net visible in the address bar when making web searches Being redirected to Trovi or Tuvaro The number of ads in search results using the infected browser exceeds the number seen using other browsers
Distribution	Adware viruses Bundling with freeware Aggressive ads
Remove the hijacker	Uninstall suspicious software Scan the computer with anti-malware tools (SpyHunter) Uninstall suspicious browser extensions related to www-search.net

How www-search.net spreads

There is more than one way to get infected with www-search.net:

• Adware viruses.
• Redirects and ads on shady/infected websites.
• Bundling with free programs.

To avoid browser hijackers like www-search.net virus, you have to be more careful when installing any freeware from the Internet. Always choose Custom installation and follow the installation steps attentively. If you find any pre-selected checkboxes, pay attention to them by reading what they offer to add. If you see that you are offered to install additional applications or make changes in your browser settings, deselect these options as you will end up downloading something useless. It’s harder than it sounds because those options are made deliberately difficult to notice. You could also try using more trustworthy websites to download software from. If you can, use the first-party websites. But there’s no way to avoid bundling for sure. Even deselecting the optional offers doesn’t always work – www-search.net might get installed anyway.

It’s even harder to avoid malicious ads. If you go to websites that have very aggressive advertisements, such as Y2mate.com, you know what it’s like to click on the “home” button, or the “download” button and see a random website open in your browser all of a sudden. Some of these websites try to steal your data and money, others promote browser hijackers like www-search.net.

And then there’s the possibility that www-search.net was downloaded by a virus that was already on your computer previously, or offered with misleading pop-ups. Malware is often used to download ore malware, moreover, it can make it very difficult to uninstall the www-search.net hijacker. It’s still possible, but it might not be as simple as just removing the extension.

To remove www-search.net virus, go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs list and uninstall it from there. It is recommended to delete ALL programs added on the same date as problems have appeared. Some versions of this virus install software that blocks browser settings from changing. To identify them, scanning with Spyhunter or another reputable antispyware tool might be useful. It should find the offending malware and disable it. Then you can uninstall the extensions and reset settings in your browsers.

Automatic Malware removal tools

TopRemove shortcut hijack (all browsers) (optional): If your browser opens Www-search.net virus page on startup only, try this:

• Right click on your browser icon. Choose Properties;
  
• Open Short cut tab;
  
• Delete Www-search.net virus part from target field.

How to remove Www-search.net virus using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like Www-search.net virus 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 Www-search.net virus . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make Www-search.net virus 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 Www-search.net virus from macOS

Delete Www-search.net virus from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Www-search.net virus  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 Www-search.net virus 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 Www-search.net virus , 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 Www-search.net virus 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 Www-search.net virus . Click on the trash bin icon next to Www-search.net virus 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 Www-search.net virus , 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 Www-search.net virus 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 Www-search.net virus 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 Www-search.net virus, 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 Www-search.net virus 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 Www-search.net virus . Click on the "Remove" icon next to Www-search.net virus 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 Www-search.net virus from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the Www-search.net virus. 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 Www-search.net virus , 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.