Remove Unwanted Apps and Malware from Windows

STEP 1: Uninstall malicious programs from Windows

In this first step, we will manually check if any unknown or malicious programs are installed on the computer. Sometimes adware and browser hijackers can have a usable Uninstall entry that can be used to remove them.

Windows 11Windows 10Windows 8Windows 7
  1. Press the Windows key + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app.

    First, open Windows Settings by pressing Windows+I on your keyboard. You can also right-click your Start button and select “Settings” from the list.
    Windows 11 Open Settings

  2. In the Settings app, click on “Apps” and then “Apps & features”.

    When Settings opens, click “Apps” in the sidebar, then select “Apps & Features”.

    Windows 11 Apps and Feature

  3. Find the malicious program in the list of installed apps and uninstall it.

    In Apps & Features settings, scroll down to the app list and search for unknown or suspicious programs. To make things easier, you can sort all installed programs by their installation date. To do this, click “Sort by” and select “Install date”.
    Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program. When you find a malicious program, click the three dots button beside it and select “Uninstall” in the menu that appears.

    Windows 11 Uninstall malicious program

    If you have checked your computer for malicious programs and did not find any, you can proceed with the next step in this guide.
  4. Follow the prompts to uninstall the program.

    In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Uninstall, then follow the prompts to uninstall the malicious program.
    Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read them closely.

    Windows 11 Confirm Uninstall

  1. Press the Windows key + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app.

    Press the Windows key + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app. You can also ope the Settings app by clicking the Start button on the taskbar, then select “Settings” (gear icon).
    Windows 10: Click the Start button then click on Settings

  2. In the Settings app, click on “Apps”.

    When the “Windows Settings” window opens, click on “Apps“. By default, it should open “Apps and Features” but if it doesn’t, select it from the list on the left.

    Windows 10: Click on Apps

  3. Find the malicious program in the list of installed apps and uninstall it.

    In Apps & Features settings, scroll down to the app list and search for unknown or suspicious programs. To make things easier, you can sort all installed programs by their installation date. To do this, click “Sort by” and select “Install date”.
    Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program. When you find a malicious program, click on it and select “Uninstall” in the menu that appears.

    Windows 10: Uninstall malware from Windows

    If you have checked your computer for malicious programs and did not find any, you can proceed with the next step in this guide.
  4. Follow the prompts to uninstall the program.

    In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Uninstall, then follow the prompts to uninstall the malicious program.
    Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read closely.
    Windows 10: Complete the uninstall process

  1. Go to “Program and Features”.

    Right-click on the Start button in the taskbar, then select “Programs and Features”. This will take you directly to your list of installed programs.
    Right click on Start and select Programs and Features

  2. Search for malicious program and uninstall it.

    The “Programs and Features” screen will be displayed with a list of all the programs installed on your computer. Scroll through the list until you find any unknown or suspicious program, then click to highlight it, then click the “Uninstall” button.

    Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program.

    If you have checked your computer for malicious programs and did not find any, you can proceed with the next step in this guide. 

    Select malicious program then click on Uninstall

  3. Follow the on-screen prompts to uninstall malicious program.

    In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Yes, then follow the prompts to uninstall malicious program. Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read closely.

  1. Open the “Control Panel”.

    Click on the “Start” button, then click on “Control Panel“.
    Windows 7 go to Control Panel

  2. Click on “Uninstall a Program”.

    When the “Control Panel” appears, click on “Uninstall a Program” from the Programs category.
    Select Uninstall malicious program from Control Panel

  3. Search for malicious programs and uninstall them.

    The “Programs and Features” screen will be displayed with a list of all the programs installed on your computer. Scroll through the list until you find any suspicious or unknown program, then click to highlight it, then click the “Uninstall” button.
    Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program.

    If you have checked your computer for malicious programs and did not find any, you can proceed with the next step in this guide. 

    Uninstall malware from Windows 7

  4. Follow the on-screen prompts to uninstall malicious program.

    In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Yes, then follow the prompts to uninstall malicious program. Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read closely.

If you are experiencing difficulty while attempting to uninstall a program, you can use Revo Uninstaller to completely remove the unwanted program from your computer.

Now that the malicious programs have been removed from your computer, we can proceed with the next step in this guide.

STEP 2: Reset browsers back to default settings

In this step, we will remove spam notifications,  malicious extensions, and change to default any settings that might have been changed by malware.
Please note that this method will remove all extensions, toolbars, and other customizations but will leave your bookmarks and favorites intact. For each browser that you have installed on your computer, please click on the browsers tab below and follow the displayed steps to reset that browser.

ChromeFirefoxMicrosoft EdgeInternet Explorer
Reset Chrome for Windows to default settings

We will now reset your Chrome browser settings to their original defaults. This will reset your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs. It will also disable all extensions and clear temporary data like cookies. Your favorites, history, and saved passwords will not be cleared.

  1. Click the three dots in the top-right corner and then click on “Settings”.

    Open Chrome and click on the menu button (represented by three vertical dots) in the top right corner of the window. In the dropdown menu that opens, click “Settings“. Click on the Chrome menu button then on the Settings button

  2. Click “Advanced”.

    Chrome’s “Settings” should now be displayed in a new tab or window, depending on your configuration. In the left sidebar, click on the “Advanced” link. Click on the Advanced link

  3. Click “Reset and clean up”.

    In the left sidebar, under the “Advanced” section, click on “Reset and clean up“. Click Reset and clean up button

  4. Click “Reset settings to their original defaults”.

    In the main window, the “Reset and clean up” section is visible, as shown in the screenshot below. Click on “Reset settings to their original defaults“. Click on Reset settings to their original defaults

  5. Click “Reset settings”.

    A confirmation dialog will now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, click on the “Reset settings” button. Click on Reset Settings to restore Google Chrome to its default settings

  6. (Optional) Reset Chrome Data Sync.

    In case a malicious extension reinstalls itself even after performing a browser reset, you have an additional option to reset the data sync for your browser. To do this, navigate to chrome.google.com/sync and click on the Clear Data button. Chrome Sync Reset

Reset Firefox for Windows to default settings

We will now reset your Firefox browser settings to their default. The reset feature fixes many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information like bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill information, browsing history, and open tabs.

  1. Click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner and then click on “Help”.

    Click on Firefox’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal lines. When the drop-down menu appears, select the option labeled “Help“.
    Click on the Firefox Menu button then select Help button

  2. Click “More troubleshooting information”.

    From the Help menu, click on “More troubleshooting information“.
    Click More Troubleshooting Information

  3. Click on “Refresh Firefox”

    When the “Troubleshooting Information” page opens, click on the “Refresh Firefox” button.
    Click on Refresh Firefox

  4. Confirm that you want to reset your browser settings.

    To finish the reset process, click on the “Refresh Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.
    Click again on Refresh Firefox button

  5. Click “Finish”.

    Firefox will now close itself and will revert to its default settings. When it’s done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click on “Finish“.

    Your old Firefox profile will be placed on your desktop in a folder named “Old Firefox Data“. If the reset didn’t fix your problem you can restore some of the information not saved by copying files to the new profile that was created. If you don’t need this folder any longer, you should delete it as it contains sensitive information.

Reset Microsoft Edge to default settings

We will now reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings to their default. This will reset your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs. It will also disable all extensions and clear temporary data like cookies. Your favorites, history, and saved passwords will not be cleared.

  1. Click the three dots in the top-right corner and then click on “Settings”.

    In the top right corner, click on Microsoft Edge’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal dots. When the drop-down menu appears, click on “Settings“.
    Click the three dots in the top-right corner and then click on Settings

  2. Click on “Reset Settings”.

    On the left side of the window, click on “Reset Settings“.
    Click Reset Settings option

  3. Click on “Restore settings to their default values”.

    In the main window, click on “Restore settings to their default values“.
    Select Restore settings to their default values

  4. Click “Reset”.

    A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, click on the “Reset” button.
    Click Reset to reset your browser
    Microsoft Edge will now erase all your personal data, browsing history, and disable all installed extensions. Your bookmarks, though, will remain intact and still be accessible.

Reset Internet Explorer to default settings

We will now reset your Internet Explorer browser settings to their default. You can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your computer.

  1. Go to “Internet Options”.

    Open Internet Explorer, click on the gear icon in the upper-right part of your browser, then select “Internet Options“.

  2. Select the “Advanced” tab, then click “Reset”

    In the “Internet Options” dialog box, select the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.

  3. Click on “Reset”.

    In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” checkbox, then click on the “Reset” button.

  4. Click on “Close”.

    When Internet Explorer has completed its task, click on the “Close” button in the confirmation dialogue box.
    Close your browser and then you can open Internet Explorer again.

STEP 3: Use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to remove malware and unwanted programs

In this third step, we will install Malwarebytes to scan and remove any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present on your computer.

Malwarebytes stands out as one of the leading and widely-used anti-malware solutions for Windows, and for good reason. It effectively eradicates various types of malware that other programs often overlook, all at no cost to you. When it comes to disinfecting an infected device, Malwarebytes has consistently been a free and indispensable tool in the battle against malware. We highly recommend it for maintaining a clean and secure system.

  1. Download Malwarebytes for Windows

    You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

    MALWAREBYTES FOR WINDOWS DOWNLOAD LINK
    (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)

  2. Install Malwarebytes

    After the download is complete, locate the MBSetup file, typically found in your Downloads folder. Double-click on the MBSetup file to begin the installation of Malwarebytes on your computer. If a User Account Control pop-up appears, click “Yes” to continue the Malwarebytes installation.

    MBAM1
  3. Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes

    When the Malwarebytes installation begins, the setup wizard will guide you through the process.

    • You’ll first be prompted to choose the type of computer you’re installing the program on—select either “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer” as appropriate, then click on Next.
      MBAM3 1
    • Malwarebytes will now begin the installation process on your device.
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    • When the Malwarebytes installation is complete, the program will automatically open to the “Welcome to Malwarebytes” screen.
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    • On the final screen, simply click on the Open Malwarebytes option to start the program.
      MBAM5 1
  4. Enable “Rootkit scanning”.

    Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start, and you will see the main screen as shown below. To maximize Malwarebytes’ ability to detect malware and unwanted programs, we need to enable rootkit scanning. Click on the “Settings” gear icon located on the left of the screen to access the general settings section.

    MBAM8

     

    In the settings menu, enable the “Scan for rootkits” option by clicking the toggle switch until it turns blue.

    MBAM9

     

    Now that you have enabled rootkit scanning, click on the “Dashboard” button in the left pane to get back to the main screen.

  5. Perform a Scan with Malwarebytes.

    To start a scan, click the Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its antivirus database and begin scanning your computer for malicious programs.

    MBAM10
  6. Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

    Malwarebytes will now scan your computer for browser hijackers and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check the status of the scan to see when it is finished.

    MBAM11
  7. Quarantine detected malware

    Once the Malwarebytes scan is complete, it will display a list of detected malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. To effectively remove these threats, click the “Quarantine” button.

    MBAM12

    Malwarebytes will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the program’s quarantine.

    MBAM13

     

  8. Restart your computer.

    When removing files, Malwarebytes may require a reboot to fully eliminate some threats. If you see a message indicating that a reboot is needed, please allow it. Once your computer has restarted and you are logged back in, you can continue with the remaining steps.

    MBAM14

STEP 4: Use HitmanPro to scan your computer for badware

In this next step, we will scan the computer with HitmanPro to ensure that no other malicious programs are installed on your device.

HitmanPro is a second-opinion scanner that takes a unique cloud-based approach to malware scanning. HitmanPro scans the behavior of active files and also files in locations where malware normally resides for suspicious activity. If it finds a suspicious file that’s not already known, HitmanPro sends it to its clouds to be scanned by two of the best antivirus engines today, which are Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Although HitmanPro is shareware and costs $24.95 for 1 year on 1 PC, there is no limit on scanning. The limitation only kicks in when there is a need to remove or quarantine detected malware by HitmanPro on your system and by then, you can activate the one-time 30-days trial to enable the cleanup.

  1. Download HitmanPro.

    You can download HitmanPro by clicking the link below.

    HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK
    (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
  2. Install HitmanPro.

    When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on “hitmanpro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows) to install this program on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

    Double-click on the HitmanPro file

     

    You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

    Windows asking for permissions to run the HitmanPro setup

     

  3. Follow the on-screen prompts.

    When HitmanPro starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Click on the “Next” button to perform a system scan.

    Click Next to install HitmanPro on your PC

     

    HitmanPro final installer screen

     

  4. Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.

    HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malicious programs.
    HitmanPro scans your computer for any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present

  5. Click on “Next”.

    When HitmanPro has finished the scan, it will display a list of all the malware that it has found. Click on the “Next” button to have HitmanPro remove the detected items.

    HitmanPro scan summary. Click Next to remove malware

     

  6. Click on “Activate free license”.

    HitmanPro may now require to activate the free 30-days trial to remove the malicious files. To do this, click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
    Click on the Activate free license button

    When the malware removal process is complete, it will display a screen that shows the status of the various programs that were removed. At this screen, you should click on the Next button and then if prompted you should click on the Reboot button. If HitmanPro does not prompt you to reboot, please just click on the Close button.

STEP 5: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies

In this final step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove the malicious browser policies that were set by browser hijackers on your computer and delete malicious browser extensions.

AdwCleaner is a free popular on-demand scanner that can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find. This on-demand scanner includes a lot of tools that can be used to fix the side effects of adware. browser hijackers and other malware.

  1. Download AdwCleaner.

    You can download AdwCleaner by clicking the link below.

    ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK
    (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download AdwCleaner)

  2. Double-click on the setup file.

    Double-click on the file named “adwcleaner_x.x.x.exe” to start AdwCleaner. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
    Download AdwCleaner on your computer

    AdwCleaner program will now open and you will be presented with the program’s license agreement. After you read it, click on the I agree button if you wish to continue. If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.

    Windows ask if you want to run AdwCleaner

     

  3. Enable “Reset Chrome policies” to remove malicious browser policies.

    When AdwCleaner starts, on the left side of the window, click on “Settings” and then enable “Reset Chrome policies“.

    Enable Reset Chrome policies to remove malicious browser policies

     

  4. Click on the “Scan” button.

    On the left side of the AdwCleaner window, click on “Dashboard” and then click “Scan” to perform a computer scan.

    Click on Scan to start a AdwCleaner scan

     

  5. Wait for the AdwCleaner scan to finish.

    AdwCleaner will now scan your computer for malware. This process can take a few minutes.

    AdwCleaner scanning for adware and other malware

     

  6. Click on “Quarantine” to remove malware.

    When the AdwCleaner scan is completed it will display all of the items it has found. Click on the “Quarantine” button to remove the malicious programs from your computer.

    Click on Quarantine to remove malware

     

  7. Click on “Continue” to remove the malicious programs.

    AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or data as the program will need to close any open programs before it starts to clean. Click on the “Continue” button to finish the removal process.
    Click Continue to remove malicious files

    AdwCleaner will now delete all detected malware from your computer. When the malware removal process is complete, you may be asked to restart your computer.

Your computer should now be free of Unwanted Apps and Malware and other malware.

If your current antivirus allowed this malicious program on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing Malwarebytes Premium to protect against these types of threats in the future.
If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:

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