Homepage and new tab window that suddenly returns Initdex.com page is an indication of adware infection. So far, there are two browser extensions that victim’s claims to be relevant to this hijacker and these are TextToPDF and ConvertPDF. So, removing these culprit might stop Initdex.com from overriding homepage and search settings. For complete ways to remove Initdex.com from Mac and PC, please see the procedures below.
Meanwhile, it is important to educate web users that Initdex.com is part of several software bundles presently offered on a number of downloading websites. Some of these freeware are illegally modified versions of legitimate free programs. To draw user’s interests, adware is commonly repacked to free games, utilities, media player, and software updates. These software packages are not interested in disclosing the contents to users so do not expect to receive a prompt when installing downloaded app from dubious sources. For sure, there are other malicious software in the bundle aside from adware that supports Initdex.com. In this particular instance, Initdex.com is identified to arrive on the system next to PDF conversion tools.
When downloading freeware from the internet, it is crucial to obtain it only from reputable provider. There is no other dependable source other than the official website. Alternatively, partners and affiliates are also authorized to distribute legitimate and clean copies of useful applications. Do not engage on malicious advertising campaign that cyber attackers are utilizing to dish-up freeware directly to web users.
If your browser is infected with Initdex.com, we have effective guide on this page to properly get rid of it whether you are PC or Mac user. Execute the procedures in particular order to ensure complete removal of Initdex.com.
Initdex.com Removal Procedure for PC
Below is a systematic instruction that is very useful in getting rid of the browser hijacker from compromised computer.
In order to totally eliminate the threat, it is vital to follow the process in exact manner.
Stage 1: Delete Browser Extension
Most homepage hijacker and redirects 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 Initdex.com.
Remove Initdex.com Extension from Google Chrome
1. Open Google Chrome browser.
2. Type chrome://extensions/ in the address bar and press Enter on keyboard.
3. Find Initdex.com, TextToPDF, or relevant entry and remove it from Google Chrome.
Uninstall Extension from 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 objects that is pertaining to Initdex.com or TextToPDF, and remove it from the browser.
Delete Extension from Safari
1. Run Safari browser application.
2. Click on Safari Settings icon located on upper right corner of the window.
3. Choose Preferences from the drop-down list.
4. On Extension window, select Extensions tab.
5. Select Initdex.com or relevant entry and remove it from Safari.
Remove Add-ons from Internet Explorer
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 Initdex.com from Toolbars and Extension and Search Providers section.
4. Close the window and restart Internet Explorer.
If Initdex.com is still present on the IE browser, 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 Initdex.com, TextToPDF, or recently installed unwanted entry. Then, click on Uninstall to remove it from Windows system.
Stage 2: 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 Initdex.com on the browser that was not deleted during the preceding steps. This tool will scan the computer and check for presence of malicious applications.
1. Follow the link below to download the tool called AdwCleaner.
Click here to download AdwCleaner (this will open a new window)
2. When the download has completed, please close all running programs on the computer especially browsers affected by Initdex.com.
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 Initdex.com.
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.
Stage 3: Remove Initdex.com Add-on and Cleanup the Browser
Preceding steps may have removed Initdex.com from the browser already. This next procedure is needed to double-check that browser is free from any adware remnants especially from Initdex.com. Avast Browser Cleanup is a free tool that restores the browser to its initial, clean state. It will get rid of annoying browser extensions, toolbars, and search hijackers.
1. Click the link below to download this free tool.
Avast Browser Cleanup Download Link (This will open in a new window)
2. To run the installer, please double-click the executable file avast-browser-cleanup-sfx.exe.
3. Run the tool to start analyzing the browsers. It will state wether browser is free from threats or cleanup is needed. Perform suggested cleanup if the tool found suspicious extensions, add-ons, or plug-ins.
4. If Avast Browser Cleanup verifies if you want to permanently delete suspicious entries, click Yes to proceed with the removal of Initdex.com.
Stage 4: Scan the Computer with Sophos Virus Removal Tool
Lastly, we will scan the computer with a multi-function security program. This will inspect the computer for possible presence of virus, malware, rootkit, adware as well as unwanted homepage like Initdex.com.
1. Download Sophos Virus Removal Tool from the link below. Save the file on your computer where you can easily access it.
Sophos Virus Removal Tool Download Link (this will open a new window)
2. Once the download completes, browse the location of the file. Double-click to run the program and begin the install process. If Windows prompts for User Account Control, please click Yes to proceed.
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.
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 Initdex.com.
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 Initdex.com and other suspicious entities. Be sure to remove all identified threats.
Option: Alternative Method to Clean Up Internet Browser from Initdex.com
Not all browser hijackers are the same. Some cannot be removed by deleting relevant extensions and codes. On this instances, resetting the browser to default configuration is the only best solution. If Initdex.com is still bothering you after completing all the steps above, please execute the procedures below to reset the settings of affected browser program.
Remove Initdex.com from Google Chrome
1. Open Google Chrome application.
2. Type this strings in the address box: chrome://settings/ and then, press Enter on keyboard.
3. Scroll down to expand Advanced settings area.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page until you see Reset and Cleanup section.
5. Click on Restore settings to their original defaults. If it prompts for confirmation, please click Reset Settings button to proceed.
This function will reset Google Chrome’s home page, new tab page, search engine, and other areas affected by Initdex.com. Unwanted extensions will also be removed from the browser. This will not affect your bookmarks, history, and other saved data. You may also use Chrome Cleanup feature for advance scanning. See more details on this page.
Reset Mozilla Firefox to Default
If Mozilla Firefox is affected by Initdex.com and procedures above were not helpful, we suggest that you carry out these steps. This process can fix the issue by restoring Firefox browser to default factory state. Most browser data will be affected but not bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, and internet cookies. Extensions and other installed plug-ins maybe deleted by this function. Therefore, if you wish to remove specific extension only, please see manual add-on removal from this link.
1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and type the following in the address bar: about:support
2. Browser will be directed to a page of Troubleshooting Information. You will notice a section on upper-right corner of the screen stating ‘Give Firefox a Tune Up‘. Click the Refresh Firefox button.
3. Confirmation window will pop-up, click Refresh Firefox to continue.
4. The reset process will automatically close the browser and proceed with the restoration. Next, it will display a list of restored data. Initdex.com should be gone by now. Click Finish to close the current window and open a fresh window of Mozilla Firefox.
Reset Safari Browser to Normal Settings
1. Open Safari browser.
2. Click on the Safari Settings icon located on upper right corner of the browser window.
3. Select Reset Safari from the drop-down list.
4. Pop-up window will appear. You may select all boxes for total reset or follow the options below if you only want to remove Initdex.com from Safari browser.
5. Please restart Safari browser for changes to take effect.
Restore Internet Explorer to Default Settings
1. Open Internet Explorer browser.
2. On top menu, click Tools, and then Internet Options. It will open a new window.
3. Select Advanced tab. See image below.
4. On Reset Internet Explorer Settings area, click the Reset button to start the restoration procedures.
This process will not affect browsing history, bookmarks, and favorites. Add-ons and other integrated codes will be deleted including those that are linked to Initdex.com. If you choose to perform the procedure manually, please view instructions here.
Procedures to Remove Initdex.com Hijacker from Mac
This section contains comprehensive guide to help you remove threats from the affected computer.
Procedures on this page are written in a manner that can be easily understand and execute by Mac users.
Quick Fix : Instant Removal
Combo Cleaner is a trusted Mac utility application with complete antivirus and optimization features. It is useful in dealing with adware, malware, and PUP’s. Moreover, it can get rid of malicious browser adware that causes annoyances. You may need to purchase full version if you require to maximize its premium features.
1. Download the tool from the following page:
2. Double-click the downloaded file.
3. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon onto your Applications folder icon.
4. Open your Launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon.
5. Wait until antivirus downloads its latest virus definition updates and click on “Start Combo Scan“.
6. Free features of Combo Cleaner include Disk Cleaner, Big Files finder, Duplicate files finder, and Uninstaller. To use antivirus and privacy scanner users have to upgrade to a premium version.
Proceed with the rest of the removal steps if you are comfortable in manually removing malicious objects associated with the threat.
Step 1: Remove Browser Extensions that belongs to Initdex.com
Adware and malware normally adds extension to the browser that may result to various unwanted redirects and pop-ups. We need to find and delete this add-on.
1. Locate the add-on or extension that is relevant to the adware. To do this, please follow the procedure depending on affected browser.
Safari – Choose Preferences from the Safari menu, then click the Extensions icon. This will open a window showing all installed extensions.
Chrome – Select Preferences from the Chrome menu, and then click the Extensions link found on the left pane.
Firefox – Choose Add-ons from the Tools menu. Look at both the Extensions and Plugins lists when it opens a new window.
2. Once you have located Initdex.com, click on Remove or Uninstall, to get rid of it.
3. Close the browser and proceed to the next steps.
Step 2: Delete Malicious Files that have installed Initdex.com
1. Select and copy the string below to your Clipboard by pressing Command + C on your keyboard.
~/Library/LaunchAgents
2. Go to your Finder. From the menu bar please select Go > Go to Folder…
3. Press Command + V on your keyboard to paste the copied string. Press Return to go to the said folder.
4. You will now see a folder named LaunchAgents. Take note of the following files inside the folder:
- unknown.download.plist
- unknown.ltvbit.plist
- unknown.update.plist
The term unknown is just a representation of the actual malware name. It is normally an unfamiliar file name such as the following:
– Genieo, TextToPDF, ConvertPDF
If you cannot find the specified file, please look for any unfamiliar or suspicious entries. It may be the one causing the Initdex.com to be present on your Mac. Arranging all items to see the most latest ones may also help you identify recently installed unfamiliar files. Please press Option + Command + 4 on your keyboard to arrange the application list in chronological order.
Important: Take note of all the suspicious files as you may also delete the same item on another folder as we go on.
5. Drag all suspicious files that you may find to Trash.
6. Please restart the computer.
7. Open another folder using the same method as above. Copy and Paste the following string to easily locate the folder.
~/Library/Application Support
8. Look for any suspicious items that are similar to the ones in Step 4. Drag them to the Trash.
Optional: For locked files that cannot be removed, do the following:
1. Go to Launchpad, Utilities folder, open Activity Monitor.
2. Select the process you want to quit.
3. Click on Force Quit button.
4. You may now delete or remove locked files that belongs to Initdex.com.
Step 3: Scan the System with Adware Removal Tool for Mac
1. Download Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac from this link:
Click here to download MBAM for Mac (this will open a new window)
2. Run Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac. It will check for updates and download if most recent version is available. This is necessary in finding recent malware threats including Initdex.com.
3. If it prompts to close all running web browser, please do so. Thus, we advise you to PRINT this guide for your reference before going offline.
4. Once it opens the user interface, please click on Scan button to start scanning your Mac computer.
5. After the scan, Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac will display a list of identified threats, Initdex.com is surely part of it. Be sure to select all items in the list. Then, click Remove button to clean the computer.
Step 4 : Reset the default Home Page and Search Engine
Safari
– Open your Safari browser.
– Go to Safari Menu located on upper left hand corner, and then select Preferences.
– Under General tab, navigate to Default Search Engine section and select Google or any valid search engine.
– Next, be sure that “New Windows Open With” field is set to Homepage.
– Lastly, remove Initdex.com from the Homepage field. Replace it with your preferred URL to be set as your default homepage.
Google Chrome
– Open Chrome browser.
– Type the following on the address bar and press Enter on keyboard : chrome://settings/
– Look for ‘On Startup’ area.
– Select ‘Open a specific page or set of pages’.
– Click on Set pages.
– Enter the desired web address as your home page, replacing Initdex.com.
– To set default search engine, go to Search area.
– Click on ‘Manage search engines…‘ button.
– Highlight the desired Search Engine and Click on ‘Make Default‘.
– On the same window, highlight Initdex.com and Click “X” to delete it.
Mozilla Firefox
– Run Mozilla Firefox browser.
– Type the following on the address bar and hit Enter on keyboard : about:preferences
– On Startup area, select ‘Show my home page when Firefox starts’.
– Under Home Page field, type the desired URL.
– To configure default search engine, select Search on left sidebar to display settings.
– Under Default Search Engine list, please select one.
– On the same page, you have an option to Remove unwanted search engine.
