Remove Search Encrypt (Searchencrypt.com)

Search Encrypt with web address searchencrypt.com is a browser search engine and is actually promoted as tool that provides private online searches. According to official website, this service intercepts user’s online searches, encrypted them locally, and redirected to privacy-enhanced search engine. Search Encrypt may emerge instantly as default start-up page and act as your usual search engine but make no mistake that this is all due to virus infection. The presence of Search Encrypt was established because you allow it to be installed on the browser. Whether unknowingly or intentionally, user’s intervention is needed for this tool to be part of internet application. So, speculating that Search Encrypt is some kind of virus is a misconception of some users.

Whether Search Encrypt is a valuable tool or some kind of intrusive application, we are not in the position to judge the legitimacy and effectiveness of this browser extension. See for yourself what Search Encrypt users have to say about this browser extension from the discussion on Chrome Web Store. Here are some user reviews, which we found to be a mix assessment:

The search results are good. Privacy searches good too. Does exactly what it says. – Brian Smith

This extension is malware. After removing it, the default search engine is hijacked to Search Encrypt. Still working to fix this. – Ida Gochenaur

Search Encrypt

We’ve downloaded this extension company wide to help prevent our competitors from seeing what we search for. The initial results have been satisfactory. Not sure I’d use it all the time, as Google really KNOWS what I’m looking for. But it works great if you’re wanting to search with privacy and anonymity. It’s been a good product for our business, at least. – Matt Diamond

I hate this extension. It wont remove from new tab even when I removed it from Chrome. I would give a 0 out of 10. – Matt Nichols

By nature I am very skeptical. So therefore, when first installed I wasn’t quite sure. After further investigation (by me) I am satisfied with this product. Thank you. – Debra TerrellMontoya

If there is a need to remove Search Encrypt from the computer, simply execute the removal steps below.

Search Encrypt Removal Procedure

Below is a systematic instruction that is very useful in getting rid of unwanted programs from compromised Windows computers. Aside from removing the malicious browser extension, this guide is also helpful in deleting browser hijackers and pop-ups. In order to totally eliminate the threat, it is vital to follow the process exactly.

Quick Fix - Scan the PC with Combo Cleaner for Windows

Combo Cleaner is a trusted PC security and optimization tool equipped with powerful virus and malware detection engine. This program can get rid of browser hijacker like Search Encrypt through this procedure.

1. Download the application from the following page:

2. Save the file to your preferred location.

3. Double-click the downloaded file CCSetup.exe and install with the default settings.

CC for Windows Installation

4. At the end of the setup process, click Finish to run Combo Cleaner.

5. The tool will update the signature file, please wait for this process to complete.

6. To begin checking for threats like Search Encrypt, click on the Start Scan button. Wait for this scan to finish.

CC for Windows Start Scan

7. At the end of the scan process, click on Remove all threats to delete Search Encrypt hijacker including all malicious objects from the computer.

Free features of Combo Cleaner for Windows includes Disk Cleaner, Big Files finder, Duplicate files finder, and Uninstaller. To use antivirus, privacy scanner, and to delete identified threats, users have to upgrade to a premium version.

Please continue with the succeeding removal procedures if your are comfortable to manually get rid of the threat and malicious items linked with it.

Step 1 : Delete Search Encrypt Browser Extension

Most adware and unwanted programs use an application called a "browser extension" to be able to take over the settings of internet applications. Therefore, we highly recommend checking and removing the extension that is closely related to Search Encrypt. If it is not present, look for and delete any suspicious browser extension.

Remove the Search Encrypt Extension from Google Chrome

1. Open your Google Chrome browser.

2. Type chrome://extensions/ in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard.

Chrome URL

3. Find Search Encrypt or any relevant entry and remove it from the Google Chrome browser.

Search Encrypt Chrome Extension

Uninstall the Search Encrypt Extension from Mozilla Firefox

1. Open the Mozilla Firefox browser.

2. Type about:addons in the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard.

Firefox URL

3. Choose Extensions from the sidebar menu.

Search Encrypt Firefox Extension

4. Look for an object that pertains to Search Encrypt and remove it from the browser.

After deleting the malicious browser extension, it is expected that pop-ups and other troubles will be gone from the internet browser.

Remove Search Encrypt from Microsoft Windows and Edge Browser

1. On your keyboard, press Windows Key + R and then, type the appwiz.cpl command.

2. The Program and Features window will open. Arrange the list in a chronological manner, with recently installed applications on top. To do this, click on the 'Installed On' column.

Add-Remove Malware

3. Select Search Encrypt or a recently installed unwanted entry. Then, click on Uninstall to remove it from the Windows system.

If Search Encrypt is still present on the browser and there are still homepage and pop-ups, another option is to remove the browser hijacker from the browser settings.

4. Open the Microsoft Edge program.

5. Input edge://extensions/ in the URL bar and press Enter on the keyboard.

6. Look for and Remove or Disable entries for Search Encrypt from the Installed Extensions area. Additionally, delete the same object from the Search Providers section by executing the Hijacker Removal Procedure for Edge.

7. Close the window and restart Microsoft Edge.

Step 2 : Scan the computer with Sophos Antivirus

To remove Search Encrypt automatically, scanning the computer with this powerful anti-virus tool is recommended. This scanner does not just uncover known threats like viruses or malware, it is also effective in discovering browser hijacker like Search Encrypt that slows down online browsing activities.

1. Download Sophos Virus Removal Tool from the link below. Save the file on your computer where you can easily access it.

2. Once the download completes, browse the location of the file. Double-click to run the program and begin the install process.

3. On first windows of installation wizard, click Next to continue. Then, it will display the program’s License Agreement. You need to Accept the terms in order to proceed. If Windows prompts for User Account Control, please click Yes to proceed.

Screenshot of Sophos EULA Page

4. On succeeding windows, click Next or Continue to carry on with the installation. After completing the installation process, Launch Sophos Virus Removal Tool.

5. Internet connection is required when running this scanner in order to download important updates. Make sure that everything is up-to-date to effectively remove malicious program like Search Encrypt.

6. Click the  button to  carry out the Scan. This will check the system for presence of malicious objects, malware, and viruses. The tool reveals items that were found linked to Search Encrypt and other suspicious entities. Be sure to remove all identified threats.

Screenshot of Sophos Virus Scan

The above procedures should have totally eliminated the Search Encrypt browser hijacker. However, if you found that there are still remnants of the threat, please proceed to manual removal of associated objects as outlined below.

Step 3 : Scan and Delete Adware with AdwCleaner

In addition to the procedure, we suggest scanning the computer with AdwCleaner tool. Possibly, there are some traces of Search Encrypt on the browser that was not deleted during the preceding steps. This tool will scan the computer and check for presence of malicious applications as well as invalid browser entries that produces hijacking, redirects, and pop-ups.

1. Follow the link below to download the tool called AdwCleaner.

2. When the download has completed, please close all running programs on the computer especially browsers affected by Search Encrypt.

3. Browse the location of the downloaded file and double-click on adwcleaner_Ver.exe to start running the tool. Then, click on Scan button.

Image of AdwCleaner Dashboard

4. AdwCleaner searches the computer for malicious programs, extensions, plug-ins, adware, and any items that may be associated to Search Encrypt. It will also check for suspicious entries on browser settings that is associated with the hijacker.

5. Clean or Remove all suspicious and harmful items identified after the thorough scan.

6. After the cleanup procedure, rebooting the computer is required to finalize the removal of detected threats.

Check if your internet browser application is no longer being bothered by Search Encrypt. If the browser hijacker still persists, please continue with the steps below to reset internet programs to default settings.

Optional : Reset Internet Browser Program

Cleaning your internet browser from clutter and unwanted add-on/extension is a must when dealing with Search Encrypt. The procedure below discusses on resetting various browsers to their default state.

Restore Google Chrome to Default Settings

Resetting Google Chrome to its default settings is helpful in deleting hard-to-remove extensions, such as Search Encrypt. This method is highly advisable to perform if you have difficulty removing unwanted extensions.

1. Open the Google Chrome internet browser.
2. On the address bar, type chrome://settings/reset and press the Enter key.
3. Click on Reset Settings on the sidebar and choose Restore settings to their original defaults.
4. On the confirmation window, click the Reset settings button to clear all entries for Search Encrypt.
5. Close the existing tab and restart Google Chrome. That should have removed the Search Encrypt extension and associated objects.

Reset Mozilla Firefox to Default

This section describes how to remove unwanted extensions from Firefox that may be related to Search Encrypt. This process can fix many browser issues by restoring Firefox to factory settings without affecting your essential information (bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, and Internet cookies) on the browser. If you desire to remove only a specific extension, please see the manual removal of add-ons from Firefox.

1. Input the string about:support on the Firefox web address and press Enter on the keyboard.
2. You will now see the Troubleshooting Information page of Mozilla Firefox.
3. You will notice a section in the upper-right corner of the screen stating, Give Firefox a tune-up. Click the Refresh Firefox button.
4. If a confirmation window appears, click Refresh Firefox to continue.
5. Firefox browser will close and start the resetting process. When done, it will display a list of restored data. Search Encrypt should be gone by now. Click Finish to open a fresh version of Firefox.

Restore Microsoft Edge to Default Settings

1. Open the Microsoft Edge browser.
2. On the address bar, please input edge://settings/reset and press Enter on the keyboard.
3. Once you are on the Reset Settings page, click on Restore settings to their default values.
4. A confirmation window will appear; click on the Reset button to continue.

Your data, like favorites, bookmarks, and history, will remain in the browser. However, this process will delete add-ons by Search Encrypt and other unknown objects.

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6 thoughts on “Remove Search Encrypt (Searchencrypt.com)”

  1. Thank you! My son had accidentally got the search.myquickconverter.com malware which Malwarebytes was able to remove. However, MWB wasn’t able to get rid of SearchEncrypt which came with it (even though it was able to detect it). Your instructions for Firefox took care of it right away. Thanks!

  2. Since a Malwarebytes scan found and quarantined 28 SearchEncrypt occurrences, does that mean my system is clear of this browser hijacker infection? Do I still need to run AdwCleaner and reset the browsers?

  3. @Paul, even though MBAM found and removed some adware objects, it still does not guarantee that your computer is clean now. There may be some remnants that can only be catch if you run additional scanners. Running ADWCleaner is ensuring that no more Search Encrypt objects and other adware are left.

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