How to Remove Search Maven

Search Maven is an adware that will inject ads on the context of a web page. It is clear that the main purpose of this potentially unwanted program is to deliver banners, inline text, and other sorts of advertisements to monetize its presence. Search Maven will also gather some data on the computer that it may use to display ads that will attract web users.

Normal penetration method by Search Maven to gain access into one’s computer is by bundling itself to freeware and third-party programs. Some users may also obtain the code from malicious links posted on social networking sites and dubious web pages.

Once inside the PC, Search Maven is normally installed as browser add-on, extension, or plug-in. It affects known programs like Edge, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari. Presence of this adware can be confirmed by excessive display of ads and redirect problems. There is also added components on add/remove program of Windows which some users didn’t suspect as malicious. On its official website Searchmaven.co, this adware carries the slogan “Take your searches to the next level with search maven!

Screenshot of Search Maven

Do not be tricked that Search Maven will provide better experience when browsing the web. It may help a little but more than that, your computer may suffer from serious troubles due to its aggressive acts. Aside from the display of ads, Search Maven may reap sensitive data from your computer, especially those that are relevant to your web browsing. We highly suggest the removal of Search Maven adware as soon as possible to avoid any unruly behavior it may cause on the PC.

Search Maven Removal Procedure

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

Quick Fix - Scan the PC with Combo Cleaner for Windows

Combo Cleaner is a trusted PC security and optimization tool equipped with a powerful virus and malware detection engine. This program can get rid of adware like Search Maven 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 Maven, 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 Maven adware, including all malicious objects from the computer.

Free features of Combo Cleaner for Windows include 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 you are comfortable manually getting rid of the threat and malicious items linked to it.

Step 1 : Turn Off Sync on Google Chrome

At this point, it is crucial to turn off Google Sync to prevent Search Maven from restoring if in case it has exploited this feature. Follow the procedures below to sign out and 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.

Google Chrome Sync Turn Off Image

4. If it prompts for the confirmation, click on Turn Off once again.

5. The process will turn off the sync and logout the Google account as well. Please restart Google Chrome browser and proceed with the remaining steps.

Remove the Search Maven 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 Maven or any relevant entry and remove it from the Google Chrome browser.

Uninstall the Search Maven 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.

4. Look for an object that pertains to Search Maven 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 Maven 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 Maven or a recently installed unwanted entry. Then, click on Uninstall to remove it from the Windows system.

If Search Maven is still present on the browser and there are still homepage and pop-ups, another option is to remove the adware 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 Maven 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 3 : Scan the computer with Sophos Antivirus

To remove Search Maven automatically, scanning the computer with this powerful virus and malware removal tool is recommended. This scanner does not just uncover known threats like viruses or malware; it is also effective in discovering adware like Search Maven.

1. Download the 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 installation process.

3. On the first window of the 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 the Sophos Virus Removal Tool.

5. An 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 adware like Search Maven.

6. Click the button to carry out the Scan. This will check the system for the presence of malicious objects, malware, and viruses. The tool reveals items that were found linked to Search Maven 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 Maven adware. However, if you find that there are still remnants of the threat, please proceed to the succeeding procedures below.

Step 4 : Scan and Delete Adware with AdwCleaner

In addition to the procedure, we suggest scanning the computer with the AdwCleaner tool. Possibly, there are some traces of Search Maven on the browser that were not deleted during the preceding steps. This tool will scan the computer and check for the presence of malicious applications as well as invalid browser entries that produce annoying 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 Maven.

3. Browse to the location of the downloaded file and double-click on adwcleaner_Ver.exe to start running the tool. Then, click on the 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 with Search Maven. It will also check for suspicious entries in browser settings.

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 the detected threats.

Check if your internet browser application is no longer being bothered by Search Maven. If the adware still persists, please continue with the steps below to reset internet programs to their 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 Maven. 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 Maven. 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 Maven.
5. Close the existing tab and restart Google Chrome. That should have removed the Search Maven 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 Maven. 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 Maven 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 Maven and other unknown objects.

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