The Play.leadzu.com site appeared on your system without any notice? After that, you are faced with the fact that your web browser is now rerouted to other annoying sites and filled with a variety of pop up ads and banners. The cause of all your problems with your computer is adware (sometimes called ‘ad-supported’ software) that has been installed on many PCs around the world without users permission, so you are one of many. Most probably, you do not even know how and where this adware has got into your system. In the step-by-step guide below, we will explain all the general features of ad-supported software and its typical behavior on the PC, as well as effective methods for manually removing Play.leadzu.com popup ads from your computer.
The ad-supported software is not a virus, but the virus behaves similarly. As a rootkit hides in the system, changes browser settings and blocks them from changing. Also the adware can install additional web browser extensions and modules that will inject advertising links within the FF, Google Chrome, IE and Edge’s screen.
The adware can change the settings of the Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, but often that a harmful software like this can also infect all types of web browsers by changing their desktop shortcuts. Thus forcing the user each time start the internet browser to see Play.leadzu.com unwanted advertisements.
We recommend to get rid of the ad-supported software that causes lots of annoying Play.leadzu.com pop-up ads, as soon as you found this problem, as it can direct you to web-resources that may load other malicious software on your machine.
Remove Play.leadzu.com
The ‘ad supported’ software is a form of malicious software that you might have difficulty in removing it from your personal computer. Luckily, you have found the effective Play.leadzu.com pop-up advertisements removal guide in this post. Both the manual removal solution and the automatic removal solution will be provided below and you can just select the one that best for you. If you’ve any questions or need assist then type a comment below. Some of the steps below will require you to exit the site. So, please read the step-by-step guide carefully, after that bookmark or print it for later reference.
Remove Play.leadzu.com redirect without any utilities
Read this “How to remove” section to know how to manually get rid of adware that causes undesired Play.leadzu.com popup ads. Even if the few simple steps does not work for you, there are several free malware removers below that can easily handle such adware that causes a large count of undesired Play.leadzu.com popup ads.
Remove Play.leadzu.com associated software by using Microsoft Windows Control Panel
It is of primary importance to first identify and remove all potentially unwanted programs, adware applications and browser hijackers through ‘Add/Remove Programs’ (Windows XP) or ‘Uninstall a program’ (Windows 10, 8, 7) section of your MS Windows Control Panel.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, press Windows button , then click Search . Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as shown in the following example.
Once the ‘Control Panel’ opens, press the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as on the image below.
You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel as shown below.
Very carefully look around the entire list of programs installed on your computer. Most likely, one or more of them are responsible for the appearance of advertisements and browser redirect to the intrusive Play.leadzu.com web page. If you have many programs installed, you can help simplify the search of malicious applications by sort the list by date of installation. Once you have found a suspicious, unwanted or unused program, right click to it, after that click ‘Uninstall’.
Windows XP, Vista, 7
First, click ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as shown on the image below.
After the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as shown in the following example.
You will see a list of programs installed on your PC. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the software that were installed last. Most likely they responsibility for the appearance of advertisements and web browser redirect. If you are in doubt, you can always check the application by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. Once the application which you need to uninstall is found, simply press on its name, and then press ‘Uninstall’ as displayed on the screen below.
Delete unwanted Scheduled Tasks
Once installed, the adware can add a task in to the Windows Task Scheduler Library. Due to this, every time when you open your machine, it will show Play.leadzu.com intrusive web-site. So, you need to check the Task Scheduler Library and get rid of all malicious tasks which have been created by malicious application.
Press Windows and R keys on your keyboard at the same time. It will show a prompt which called Run. In the text field, type “taskschd.msc” (without the quotes) and click OK. Task Scheduler window opens. In the left-hand side, click “Task Scheduler Library”, as displayed in the figure below.
In the middle part you will see a list of installed tasks. Select the first task, its properties will be display just below automatically. Next, click the Actions tab. Necessary to look at the text which is written under Details. Found something like “explorer.exe http://site.address” or “chrome.exe http://site.address” or “firefox.exe http://site.address”, then you need remove this task. If you are not sure that executes the task, then google it. If it is a component of the adware, then this task also should be removed.
Further click on it with the right mouse button and select Delete like below.
Repeat this step, if you have found a few tasks that have been created by ‘ad-supported’ program. Once is done, close the Task Scheduler window.
Disinfect the browser’s shortcuts to remove Play.leadzu.com redirect
Now you need to clean up the internet browser shortcuts. Check that the shortcut referring to the right exe-file of the web-browser, and not on any unknown file.
Right click on the web browser’s shortcut, click Properties option. On the Shortcut tab, locate the Target field. Click inside, you will see a vertical line – arrow pointer, move it (using -> arrow key on your keyboard) to the right as possible. You will see a text “http://site.address” that has been added here. Remove everything after .exe. An example, for Google Chrome you should remove everything after chrome.exe.
To save changes, click OK . You need to clean all internet browser’s shortcuts. So, repeat this step for the Firefox, Google Chrome, IE and MS Edge.
Remove Play.leadzu.com popup advertisements from Google Chrome
Reset Chrome settings is a easy way to remove the adware, malicious and adware extensions, as well as to recover the browser’s homepage, new tab and default search provider that have been modified by ‘ad supported’ software that causes a ton of annoying Play.leadzu.com popup advertisements.
- First, start the Google Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three horizontal stripes).
- It will display the Chrome main menu, click the “Settings” menu.
- Next, press “Show advanced settings” link, which located at the bottom of the Settings page.
- On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, click the “Reset settings” button.
- The Chrome will display the reset settings prompt as shown on the screen above.
- Confirm the web browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
- To learn more, read the blog post How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.
Remove Play.leadzu.com pop-ups from Microsoft Internet Explorer
By resetting IE browser you return your web-browser settings to its default state. This is good initial when troubleshooting problems that might have been caused by ad-supported software that causes internet browsers to open annoying Play.leadzu.com pop up advertisements.
First, start the Microsoft Internet Explorer, then press ‘gear’ icon . It will show the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the browser, then click the “Internet Options” as shown on the image below.
In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will show the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” prompt. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, press the “Reset” button like below.
Once the process is done, click “Close” button. Close the Internet Explorer and restart your PC system for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web-browser’s startpage, new tab and search engine by default to default state.
Remove Play.leadzu.com from Firefox by resetting web-browser settings
If your Mozilla Firefox internet browser is re-directed to Play.leadzu.com without your permission or an unknown search engine displays results for your search, then it may be time to perform the web-browser reset.
Press the Menu button (looks like three horizontal lines), and click the blue Help icon located at the bottom of the drop down menu as on the image below.
A small menu will appear, click the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, click “Refresh Firefox” button as displayed below.
Follow the onscreen procedure to revert back your Firefox browser settings to its original state.
Use free malware removal utilities to completely delete Play.leadzu.com pop-up ads
If your computer is still infected with adware that causes unwanted Play.leadzu.com popup ads, then the best method of detection and removal is to use an anti-malware scan on the computer. Download free malware removal tools below and launch a full system scan. It will help you delete all components of the adware from hardisk and Windows registry.
Get rid of Play.leadzu.com redirect with Zemana Anti-malware
Zemana Anti-malware is a tool that can remove adware, PUPs, browser hijacker infections and other malicious software from your computer easily and for free. Zemana Anti-malware is compatible with most antivirus software. It works under Windows (10 – XP, 32 and 64 bit) and uses minimum of PC resources.
Download Zemana Anti-Malware by clicking on the following link and save it to your Desktop.
164112 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Once the download is finished, close all applications and windows on your computer. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup like below.
When the installation begins, you will see the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Zemana Anti-Malware on your computer.
Once installation is finished, you will see window like below.
Now click the “Scan” button for scanning your machine for the ad supported software that causes annoying Play.leadzu.com pop-up ads. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your machine and the speed of your PC system. During the scan Zemana will detect all threats exist on your PC system.
After Zemana has finished scanning, Zemana will display you the results. When you’re ready, press “Next” button.
The Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will remove adware that causes multiple unwanted advertisements and pop-ups and add items to the Quarantine.
How to remove Play.leadzu.com with Malwarebytes
Manual Play.leadzu.com pop up ads removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the ‘ad supported’ software can be not completely removed. We advise that run the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your computer of ad supported software. Moreover, the free application will help you to remove malware, PUPs, browser hijackers and toolbars that your computer can be infected too.
Download MalwareBytes from the following link.
326462 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
After the download is finished, close all applications and windows on your PC. Double-click the setup file called mb3-setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as displayed in the figure below, click the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” which will help you set up MalwareBytes on your PC. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once setup is finished successfully, press Finish button. MalwareBytes Anti Malware will automatically start and you can see its main screen as shown in the following example.
Now press the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the ‘ad supported’ software that causes multiple undesired advertisements and popups. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your personal computer and the speed of your personal computer. While the MalwareBytes application is checking, you can see count of objects it has identified as threat.
After the scan is finished, MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) will show you the results. Review the scan results and then press “Quarantine Selected” button. The MalwareBytes Anti Malware will remove adware that redirects your browser to annoying Play.leadzu.com web site and move threats to the program’s quarantine. Once the task is complete, you may be prompted to reboot the computer.
We advise you look at the following video, which completely explains the procedure of using the MalwareBytes Anti Malware to remove adware, hijacker and other malware.
Run AdwCleaner to delete Play.leadzu.com advertisements from web-browser
AdwCleaner is a free removal tool that can be downloaded and run to get rid of adware that made to reroute your web-browser to various ad web pages such as Play.leadzu.com, browser hijackers, malware, potentially unwanted software, toolbars and other threats from your machine. You can use this utility to scan for threats even if you have an antivirus or any other security application.
- Download AdwCleaner from the following link. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
AdwCleaner download
225300 downloads
Version: 8.4.1
Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
Category: Security tools
Update: October 5, 2024
- Once downloading is finished, double click the AdwCleaner icon. Once this tool is opened, click “Scan” button for checking your PC system for the adware which cause unwanted Play.leadzu.com popup ads to appear. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your machine and the speed of your personal computer. While the AdwCleaner program is checking, you can see count of objects it has identified as threat.
- Once finished, AdwCleaner will display a list of all items found by the scan. Review the report and then press “Clean” button. It will open a prompt, click “OK”.
These few simple steps are shown in detail in the following video guide.
Block Play.leadzu.com redirect and other unwanted sites
It’s also critical to protect your web browsers from harmful pages and ads by using an adblocker program like AdGuard. Security experts says that it’ll greatly reduce the risk of malicious software, and potentially save lots of money. Additionally, the AdGuard can also protect your privacy by blocking almost all trackers.
Installing the AdGuard ad blocking application is simple. First you will need to download AdGuard by clicking on the link below and save it directly to your MS Windows Desktop.
26658 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After downloading is done, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as on the image below.
Follow the prompts. AdGuard will then be installed and an icon will be placed on your desktop. A window will show up asking you to confirm that you want to see a quick tutorial as shown below.
Press “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick instructions that will help you get to know AdGuard better.
Each time, when you launch your PC system, AdGuard will run automatically and stop popup ads, web sites such Play.leadzu.com, as well as other malicious or misleading web-sites. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that is located on your desktop.
How does your system get infected with Play.leadzu.com advertisements
Most of undesired pop up advertisements such as Play.leadzu.com advertisements come from web browser toolbars, internet browser extensions, BHOs (browser helper objects) and third-party programs. Most commonly, these items claim itself as programs which improve your experience on the World Wide Web by providing a fast and interactive startpage or a search engine that does not track you. Remember, how to avoid the unwanted programs. Be cautious, start only reputable applications which download from reputable sources. NEVER install any unknown and suspicious applications.
Finish words
Once you’ve done the guidance shown above, your PC should be clean from adware that designed to redirect your internet browser to various ad web sites like Play.leadzu.com and other malicious software. The Chrome, Firefox, IE and Edge will no longer reroute you to various intrusive web-sites like Play.leadzu.com. Unfortunately, if the guide does not help you, then you have caught a new adware, and then the best way – ask for help in our Spyware/Malware removal forum.