The term “My Search Finder” is seemingly a valuable browser tool that is able to enhance web user’s online search. In fact, it is really promoted as browser extension that is helpful in improving the search function once it is installed on the browser and replaced the current settings. The problem is, My Search Finder is often making a forcible install that does not heed computer user’s consent. It is disregarding the restriction of the computer by being bundled to various freeware or shareware.
Most of the time My Search Finder or any kind of unwanted program is utilizing the software bundling technique as primary means to distribute the code. It is integrated to freeware such as free tools, utilities, games, media player, download helper, and many more. When computer user proceeds with the setup, My Search Finder likewise installed but with complete secrecy. It aims to evade users’ awareness to prevent them from stopping the installation process.
As soon as My Search Finder installation completes on the internet browser program, it carries out modification on homepage and search engine. Both will utilize the service from Search-find.net, which is actually skeptical. In the first place, Search-find.net will never provide same accurate and fast search results compare to current user’s preference. Therefore, replacing it with this unknown search tool is somehow unreasonable.
User’s online privacy is also at risk during the presence of My Search Finder. The threat is actively collecting browser’s data relating to user’s online activity including search keywords, favorite sites, geographical location, and so on. People behind My Search Finder may misuse the gathered information for their other online frauds or may sell them to third party online marketers that have high demand for web user’s data.
To conclude, makers may promote My Search Finder as valuable app but it is computer user’s responsibility to scrutinize the program and make sure that it brings no threat. If already installed and found to be suspicious, immediate removal is recommended. Procedures to remove My Search Finder are the topic on the next section. Please carry out the steps carefully and thoroughly scan the computer with suggested virus and malware removal tool.
My Search Finder Removal Procedure
Below is a systematic instruction that is very useful in getting rid of the potentially unwanted program (PUP) from compromised Windows computer. Aside from removing the malicious browser extension, this guide is also helpful in deleting Mysearchfinder.co hijacker and pop-ups.
In order to totally eliminate the threat, it is vital to follow the process in exact manner.
Step 1 : Delete My Search Finder Browser Extension
Most adware and unwanted programs are using a program called browser extension to be able to take over the settings of internet applications. Therefore, we highly recommend to check and remove the extension that is closely related to My Search Finder.
Remove My Search Finder Extension from Google Chrome
1. Open Google Chrome browser.
2. Type chrome://extensions/ in the address bar and press Enter on keyboard.
3. Find My Search Finder or relevant entry like Mysearchfinder.co and remove it from Google Chrome browser.
Uninstall My Search Finder Extension from Mozilla Firefox
1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. Type about:addons in the address bar and press Enter on keyboard.
3. Choose Extensions on sidebar menu.
4. Look for object that is pertaining to My Search Finder and remove it from the browser.
After deleting the malicious browser extension, it is expected that Mysearchfinder.co is also gone from the homepage.
Remove My Search Finder Add-ons from Internet Explorer and Edge Browser
1. Open Internet Explorer program.
2. Go to top Menu and click Tools. Then, select Manage Add-ons from the drop-down list.
3. Look for and Remove or Disable entries of My Search Finder from Toolbars and Extension. Additionally, delete Mysearchfinder.co from Search Providers section.
4. Close the window and restart Internet Explorer.
If My Search Finder is still present on the IE browser and there are still homepage and pop-ups originating from Mysearchfinder.co, another option is to remove the adware from Windows Control Panel.
5. Press Windows Key + R and then, type appwiz.cpl command.
6. Program and Features window will open. Arrange the list in chronological manner with recently installed applications on top. To do this, click on 'Installed On' column.
7. Select My Search Finder or recently installed unwanted entry. Then, click on Uninstall to remove it from Windows system.
Step 2 : Scan the computer with Sophos Antivirus
To remove My Search Finder automatically, checking the computer with this powerful malware scanner recommended. This security application does not just uncover known threats like viruses or malware, it is also effective in discovering browser hijacker that assigns Mysearchfinder.co as the homepage URL.
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.
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 My Search Finder.
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 My Search Finder and other suspicious entities. Be sure to remove all identified threats.
The above procedures should have totally eliminated the My Search Finder browser hijacker. However, if you found that there are still remnants of the threat and Mysearchfinder.co still exists on internet application, 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 My Search Finder 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 Mysearchfinder.co 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 My Search Finder.
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.
4. AdwCleaner searches the computer for malicious programs, extensions, plug-ins, adware, and any items that may be associated to My Search Finder. It will also check for suspicious entries on browser settings that is associated with Mysearchfinder.co.
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 Mysearchfinder.co. 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 My Search Finder. The procedure below discuss on resetting various browsers to its default state.
Restore Google Chrome to Default Settings
Resetting Google Chrome to default settings is helpful in deleting hard-to-remove extension such as from My Search Finder. This method is highly advisable to perform if you have difficulty in removing unwanted extension.
1. Open Google Chrome Internet browser.
2. On the address bar, type chrome://settings/reset and press Enter key.
3. Under Reset and clean up section, choose Restore settings to their original defaults.
4. Click Reset settings button to clear all entries of My Search Finder.
5. Close the existing tab and restart Google Chrome. That should have removed My Search Finder extension and associated objects.
Reset Mozilla Firefox to Default
This section describes how to remove unwanted extension from Firefox that may be related to My Search Finder. 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 specific extension, please see manual removal of add-on from Firefox.
1. Input the string about:support on Firefox web address and press Enter on keyboard.
2. You will now see the Troubleshooting Information page of Mozilla Firefox.
3. You will notice a section on upper-right corner of the screen stating Give Firefox a tune up. Click the Refresh Firefox button.
4. If 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. My Search Finder should be gone by now. Click Finish to open a fresh version of Firefox.
Restore Internet Explorer to Default Settings
1. Open Internet Explorer and navigate to top menu. Click Tools, and then Internet Options.
2. Select Advanced tab on Internet Options window.
3. On lower part of the window, under Reset Internet Explorer Settings area, click the Reset button. Please see image for reference.
Your data like favorites, bookmark, and history will remain in the browser. However, this process may delete add-ons by My Search Finder and other unknown objects. If you prefer to carry out the procedure manually, please add-on removal from Internet Explorer.
Clear the Safari Internet Browser (Mac)
1. Open your Safari browser application.
2. In the Safari menu, click on Preferences from the drop-down list.
3. On Preferences window, please select the Privacy tab.
4. Click on Manage Website Data button.
5. Select unwanted entry like My Search Finder and click the Remove button. If you choose to Remove All, you may be logout from most visited websites and online services. Therefore, we advise to remove suspicious item one at a time to prevent changing behavior towards your favorite websites.
6. If it prompts, please confirm your actions.
7. Next, we will need to clear the Cache. Back at the Safari Preferences window, choose Advanced tab.
8. Navigate to the bottom and activate Show Develop menu in menu bar.
9. Go to Safari menu, choose on Develop from the drop down list and click on on Empty Caches.
10. Next thing to do is to restore the Homepage to your preference and remove the one from My Search Finder.
11. Back at the Safari Preferences window, click on General tab.
12. Under Homepage section, type your desired URL to be the default start-up page.
13. Lastly, make sure to have the right Search Engine.
14. Go back to Safari Preferences window and click on Search tab.
15. Select your desired Search tool under the Search engine section.
16. You may not restart Safari browser.
How to remove Mysearchfinder.co Pop-ups (Notification)
Most of the time, browser hijackers are combined with intrusive pop-up ads originating from the source website Mysearchfinder.co. It is taking advantage of push notification feature of popular internet programs like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Edge. These pop-up ads from Mysearchfinder.co are extra ordinary as it exceeds the normal display volume and they are certainly annoying.
Normally, Mysearchfinder.co pop-ups will start to bombard internet browser screen with pop-ups if web user was deceived to click “Allow” button that triggers the said website to send push notification. To stop Mysearchfinder.co from showing the pop-ups, please execute the procedures below. Remember, these steps may only be successful after the removal of the main component or dubious browser extension.
Google Chrome
1. On Google Chrome browser, input the following in the address bar and press Enter:
chrome://settings/content/notifications
2. Navigate to the list under "Allow" section and look for Mysearchfinder.co.
3. Click the ellipses (3 dots) beside Mysearchfinder.co list to reveal the options.
4. Click on Block or Remove to stop Mysearchfinder.co from displaying pop-up ads on Google Chrome browser.
6. Please restart Google Chrome browser.
Mozilla Firefox
1. On Mozilla Firefox browser, type the following in the address bar and press Enter key:
about:preferences#privacy
2. Navigate below to Permission area and look for Notifications.
3. Click the Settings button aligned with the Notifications.
4. Look for Mysearchfinder.co entry and change the Status to Block.
5. Click on Save Changes and restart Mozilla Firefox and check if Mysearchfinder.co pop-up is gone.
Safari (Mac)
1. On top menu, click on Safari and then, select Preferences from the drop-down list.
2. Click on Websites tab to open its settings.
3. Select Notifications from the left sidebar.
4. On right panel, it will display a list of websites with "Allow" attribute.
5. Find and click on Mysearchfinder.co.
6. You may choose to Deny or Remove it from the notification list.
7. You may now restart Safari browser and see if Mysearchfinder.co pop-up is gone.
Microsoft Edge
1. Assuming that Edge browser is open, click on the ellipses (3 dots) on upper right corner to open the Settings. Alternatively, you can press Alt + X on the keyboard.
2. Select Settings from the drop-down list.
3. Click on Advanced.
4. Under Website Permissions area, click on Manage Permissions button.
4. Find and select Mysearchfinder.co from the list. Click on X button to stop it from showing pop-up ads or notifications.
5. You may now restart Edge browser.
