Google Chrome is one browser that is being targeted the most by malware authors. This is maybe because it is now the most-used browser all over the world. If Chrome is affected by an unknown extension or adware, users may experience frequent pop-up ads and redirects. The new tab also opens an unknown web address that usually promotes various products.
If adware or malware stays on the browser even for a while, the computer can be at high risk. Malicious programs coming from various hosts may be downloaded onto the compromised PC without the user’s knowledge. Most adware and malware are installed in the background without any traces. So, to avoid such a hazard, we highly promote the immediate removal of malicious programs from Google Chrome. You can remove malware extensions from Google Chrome using the guide in this post.
More signs that Google Chrome is infected with an Adware
- An unknown web address is controlling the homepage and the new tab window.
- When searching online, adware will redirect the searches to unwanted websites.
- Google Chrome adware is responsible for the display of excessive ads.
- The adware occasionally redirects a web page to a questionable URL.
- Slowing down the internet connection is also one symptom of a Google Chrome adware infection.
- The adware adds an additional toolbar to Google Chrome even without the user’s permission.
Procedures to remove Adware and Malware from Google Chrome
This guide doesn’t require technical expertise to successfully remove adware from Google Chrome. All you have to do is follow what is exactly stated in the procedures and use the recommended tools. Keep in mind to download tools and software only from the official web page, as stated in this guide.
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, adware, and malware.
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.
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 browser hijacker, adware, and malware, click on the Start Scan button. Wait for this scan to finish.
7. At the end of the scan process, click on Remove all threats to delete threats 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 : Turn Off Sync
At this point, it is crucial to turn off Google Sync to prevent any malware from restoring if in case it has exploited this feature. Follow the procedures below to Turn off sync.
1. Open Google Chrome application.
2. On top address bar, please type the following:
chrome://settings/syncSetup
3. Once you are in the Sync and Google Services, click on the Turn Off button.
4. If it prompts for the confirmation, click on Turn Off once again.
5. The process will turn off the sync for the corresponding Google account. Please restart the Google Chrome browser and proceed with the remaining steps.
Step 2 : Remove malicious extension from Google Chrome
1. Open Google Chrome browser and type chrome://extensions on the address bar.
2. Locate the Adware Extension and click the Remove button to delete the extension from Google Chrome.
3. You may now restart Google Chrome and see if the adware is gone.
Step 3 : Run Google Chrome Safety Check
Malware and adware may reside on the computer without the user’s knowledge. Tricks were used to accomplish this, and one of which is was bundling malicious files into free programs. Sometimes, removing an adware extension from Google Chrome is enough to fix the issue. If that doesn’t work, we recommend using the “Safety Check” feature of Google Chrome to find and delete harmful extensions automatically.
1. Open Google Chrome browser.
2. Type the following strings in the address bar and press Enter on your keyboard to proceed to Settings page.
chrome://settings/privacy
3. Under Safety Check section, click on Check Now button to start finding for harmful software.
4. Proceed to the next steps until all harmful software are totally deleted.
For Mac Users:
1. Open Google Chrome browser program.
2. In the address box, please type the strings: chrome://settings/system
3. Go to Reset Settings section.
4. Click “Restore settings to their original defaults“.
5. On the next prompt, please click Reset Settings button to proceed.
This procedure will reset Google Chrome (Mac) settings including Startup page, new tab, search engine, and pinned tabs. It will also disable the entire extension including those from Adware or Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP).
Step 4 : Scan the Computer with AdwCleaner
1. Download the tool called AdwCleaner from the location stated below.
Click here to download AdwCleaner (this will open a new window)
2. Once you have completed the download, please close all running programs on the computer.
3. Locate the file and double-click on adwcleaner_Ver.exe to start running the tool. Then, click on Scan button.
4. It searches for presence of harmful programs, plug-ins, add-ons, or any data that were found malicious and linked to adware or malware. You need to Clean all items detected by this tool.
5. Once scan is done, the tool may need to reboot your computer to finalize the cleaning process.
6. After reboot, AdwCleaner will display the log file of the recent scan.
Step 5 : Use Malwarebytes Anti-malware to totally clean Google Chrome
1. Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the link below. Save the file on your hard drive.
Click here to download MBAM (this will open a new window)
2. Once the download completes, double-click on the file MBSetup.exe to run the program.
3. Select desired option whether you are installing on Personal Computer or Work Computer.
4. On next window, click on Install button to load the basic requirements to run Malwarebytes Anti-malware.
5. It it prompts for License Agreement, you must accept this and click the Next button.
6. Proceed with the succeeding prompts until you reach the window that says Installing…
7. Installation process will take less than a minute. The program should run automatically after the setup process.
8. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware interface appears, please select Scan from menu to begin the process. The program will check for any available update before proceeding. Do not skip this step. Virus scan may take a while, please wait for the process to finish.
9. When scanning is done, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will display the list of identified threats. Remove all identified threats and restart the computer to finalized the scan process.
Originally published on Feb 27, 2013 at 12:22
