Active Search Bar Virus — How to Remove Guide

The Active Search Bar search hijacker is an illustration of a standard unwanted program; such applications are distributed massively these days. In this article you will see the complete instructions of “Active Search Bar” hijacker elimination in different ways: using anti-malware programs and manual elimination process.

It is better to prevent, than repair and repent!

Removing Active Search Bar manually may take hours and may damage your PC in the process. I recommend you to download GridinSoft Anti-Malware for threats removal. Allows to complete scan and cure your PC during the trial period.

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Active Search Bar – What is it?

“Active Search Bar” search hijacker is a potentially unwanted application (PUA)¹, that is spread as a plugin for your web browser. It is typically shared as an add-on for Chrome or Firefox, that aids to browse some particular details, as an example, about sport events, make your web browser far more safe, enable downloading of any kind of web video, et cetera. Also, this app adds the “Managed by your organization” feature (on Chrome browsers).

Nevertheless, the “Active Search Bar” plugin is rather useless because all such features are currently integrated to your browser and/or system. Such advertising mottos are targeted at low-skilled computer users, for example, pensioners or schoolchildren. However frequently even expert users are getting caught on such an appeal. In certain scenarios, this hijacker is distributed along with free programs.

Active Search Bar Search Hijacker

Here is a info for the Active Search Bar hijacker

How harmful is Active Search Bar hijacker?

Besides its uselessness, Active Search Bar hijacker is additionally rather unsafe for browser use. It changes your search engine to its particular – Activesearchbar.me, and additionally changes your background, putting its watermark on your background image (or, sometimes, altering it to default with the mentioned sign).

Aside from aesthetic transformations done by Active Search Bar hijacker, you may notice that a couple of your search inquiries are redirecting to the suspicious web pages, full of web links and advertisements – so-called doorway websites. Such sites can include links for malware downloads. The chance of redirecting surges if you attempt to open Google search page forcibly.

But all these actions are more frustrating than really hazardous. The biggest risk, particularly for people who have a considerable amount of secret information in their browsers, is installed in information gathering capabilities. Cookie files, conversations, often-visited sites, as well as various other activities are simply collected by Active Search Bar hijacker.

How to remove Active Search Bar search hijacker?

• Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
• Open GridinSoft Anti-Malware and perform a “Standard scan“.
• “Move to quarantine” all items.
• Open “Tools” tab – Press “Reset Browser Settings“.
• Select proper browser and options – Click “Reset”.
• Restart your computer.

Browser hijackers are almost always fairly very easy to deal with. For the most part, they have a separate app that can be found in the list of installed programs. As a result of the certain distribution way of Active Search Bar hijacker, it can be easily tracked and removed by hand. Nonetheless, if you got Active Search Bar in the package with a free applications, your system may be infected with a lot more serious malware – trojans, spyware and even ransomware. That’s why I’d suggest you make use of anti-malware programs to delete the Active Search Bar PUA and all other malware.

You can make use of Microsoft Defender² – it is capable of detecting and clearing away various malware, including named hijacker. Nevertheless, severe malware, that may exist on your computer in the specified case, can disable the Windows antivirus program by editing the Group Policies. To keep away from such scenarios, it is far better to make use of GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

To detect and remove all unwanted applications on your personal computer with GridinSoft Anti-Malware, it’s better to utilize Standard or Full scan. Quick Scan is not able to find all the malicious programs, because it checks only the most popular registry entries and directories.

You can spectate the detected malicious programs sorted by their possible harm during the scan process. But to perform any actions against malicious apps, you need to hold on until the scan is over, or to stop the scan.

To set the action for every detected virus or unwanted program, click the arrow in front of the name of the detected malicious app. By default, all malware will be moved to quarantine.

Reverting browser settings to original ones

To revert your browser settings, you need to use the Reset Browser Settings option. This action is not able to be counteracted by any virus, hence, you will surely see the result. This option can be found in the Tools tab.

After pressing the Reset Browser Settings option, the menu will be shown, where you can specify, which settings will be reverted to the original.

Deleteing Active Search Bar hijacker manually

Besides using anti-malware software for browser restoration, you may choose the “Reset browser settings” function, which is usually embedded in all popular browsers.

To reset Edge, do the following steps :

1. Open “Settings and more” tab in upper right corner, then find here “Settings” button. In the appeared menu, choose “Reset settings” option :



2. After picking the Reset Settings option, you will see the following menu, stating about the settings which will be reverted to original :

For Mozilla Firefox, do the next actions :

1. Open Menu tab (three strips in upper right corner) and click the “Help” button. In the appeared menu choose “troubleshooting information” :



2. In the next screen, find the “Refresh Firefox” option :


After choosing this option, you will see the next message :

If you use Google Chrome

1. Open Settings tab, find the “Advanced” button. In the extended tab choose the “Reset and clean up” button :



2. In the appeared list, click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” :



3. Finally, you will see the window, where you can see all the settings which will be reset to default :
   

Opera can be reset in the next way

1. Open Settings menu by pressing the gear icon in the toolbar (left side of the browser window), then click “Advanced” option, and choose “Browser” button in the drop-down list. Scroll down, to the bottom of the settings menu. Find there “Restore settings to their original defaults” option :



2. After clicking the “Restore settings…” button, you will see the window, where all settings, which will be reset, are shown :

As an afterword, I want to say that time plays against you and your PC. The activity of browser hijacker must be stopped as soon as possible, because of the possibility of other malware injection. This malware can be downloaded autonomously, or offered for you to download in one of the windows with advertisements, which are shown to you by the hijacker. You need to act as fast as you can.

How to Remove Active Search Bar?

Name: Active Search Bar

Description: Active Search Bar - a lot of users became a victim of browser hijacker. I have a lot of friends who literally bombed me with the questions like “how to remove Active Search Bar?”. In this article we will show you how to deal with Active Search Bar (Activesearchbar.me), which may corrupt your browser’s correct performance, and create a lot of troubles while you are working.

Operating System: Windows

Application Category: Browser Hijacker

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