How to remove unwanted pop up ads [Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge]

Most often, the ‘ad supported’ software affects the most common web-browsers such as the Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and MS Edge. But such the malicious software as well may infect another web-browsers by changing its shortcuts (adding an argument such as ‘http://site.address’ into Target field of a internet browser’s shortcut). So every time you run the web browser, it’ll reroute to unwanted ads. Even if you setup a new homepage, an annoying page will be the first thing you see when you start the Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.

The instructions below explaining steps to get rid of unwanted pop-up ads. Feel free to use it for removal of the adware that may attack Google Chrome, Firefox, MS Edge and Microsoft Internet Explorer and other popular internet browsers. The step by step guide will help you get rid of ad-supported software and thereby clean your web browser from all undesired advertisements.

How to remove unwanted pop up ads

The answer is right here on this page. We have put together simplicity and efficiency. It will allow you easily to free your personal computer of adware that causes a large amount of unwanted advertisements. Moreover, you can choose manual or automatic removal way. If you are familiar with the personal computer then use manual removal, otherwise use the free antimalware utility made specifically to remove ad supported software. Of course, you can combine both methods. Read it once, after doing so, please print this page as you may need to close your browser or reboot your computer.

How to remove unwanted pop up ads without any software

The detailed procedure can be followed by anyone as it really does take you step-by-step. If you follow this process to remove unwanted advertisements from your browser let us know how you managed by sending us your comments please.

Uninstall adware by using Microsoft Windows Control Panel

The best way to begin the machine cleanup is to uninstall unknown and suspicious programs. Using the Microsoft Windows Control Panel you can do this quickly and easily. This step, in spite of its simplicity, should not be ignored, because the removing of unneeded applications can clean up the Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and MS Edge from pop-up ads hijackers and so on.

It will display the Windows Control Panel as shown in the figure below.

Next, press “Uninstall a program”
It will display a list of all software installed on your PC. Scroll through the all list, and delete any suspicious and unknown applications. To quickly find the latest installed software, we recommend sort software by date in the Control panel.

Fix browser shortcuts, changed by ad-supported software

Once installed, this adware may add an argument like “http://site.address” into the Target property of the desktop shortcut for the Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Edge. Due to this, every time you run the internet browser, it will open an unwanted ad web-page.

Right click on the 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 web-browser’s shortcuts. So, repeat this step for the Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.

Remove unwanted pop-up ads from Firefox

If the Mozilla Firefox settings such as startpage, new tab page and search engine by default have been changed by the ad-supported software, then resetting it to the default state can help.

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 shown on the image below.

A small menu will appear, press the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, press “Refresh Firefox” button as on the image below.

Follow the onscreen procedure to revert back your Firefox web browser settings to its original state.

Remove unwanted ads from Google Chrome

Reset Google Chrome settings is a simple way to delete the hijackers, harmful and ‘ad-supported’ extensions, as well as to recover the web-browser’s start page, new tab and search engine by default that have been changed by adware that cause unwanted popup advertisements to appear.

1. First launch the Google Chrome and press Menu button (small button in the form of three horizontal stripes).
2. It will display the Google Chrome main menu. Select “Settings” option.
3. You will see the Google Chrome’s settings page. Scroll down and click “Show advanced settings” link.
4. Scroll down again and press the “Reset settings” button.
5. The Chrome will open the reset profile settings page as shown on the screen above.
6. Next click the “Reset” button.
7. Once this process is done, your browser’s homepage, newtab page and search provider by default will be restored to their original defaults.
8. To learn more, read the blog post How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.

Delete unwanted popup ads from Internet Explorer

In order to restore all internet browser startpage, newtab and search engine by default you need to reset the IE to the state, which was when the MS Windows was installed on your personal computer.

First, run the Microsoft Internet Explorer, then click ‘gear’ icon . It will show the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the web-browser, then press the “Internet Options” like below.

In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The IE will show the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” dialog box. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, press the “Reset” button as shown on the screen below.

Once the process is complete, press “Close” button. Close the Internet Explorer and reboot your personal computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your internet browser’s home page, newtab page and default search provider to default state.

How to automatically remove unwanted advertisements

If your computer is still infected with ad-supported software that made to redirect your web-browser to various ad web pages such as unwanted, then the best method of detection and removal is to use an anti-malware scan on the computer. Download free malicious software removal tools below and run a full system scan. It will allow you get rid of all components of the ‘ad supported’ software from hardisk and Windows registry.

How to automatically remove unwanted pop-up ads with Zemana Anti-malware

Zemana Anti-malware is a utility which can get rid of ad-supported software, PUPs, hijackers and other malicious software from your PC system 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 system resources.

Download Zemana anti malware by clicking on the link below.

When downloading is finished, close all applications and windows on your PC. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup as shown below.

When the installation starts, you will see the “Setup wizard” that will help you install Zemana anti malware on your PC.

Once setup is finished, you will see window like below.

Now click the “Scan” button for checking your personal computer for the ‘ad supported’ software that causes browsers to open lots of unwanted pop-up ads. This process can take some time, so please be patient. While the tool is scanning, you can see number of objects and files has already scanned.

When the system scan is finished, you can check all items found on your PC. In order to remove all threats, simply click “Next” button.

The Zemana Anti-malware will start removing adware related files, folders and registry keys.

How to remove unwanted ads with Malwarebytes

Delete all unwanted pop-up ads manually is difficult and often the ad-supported software is not completely removed. Therefore, we suggest you to use the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your machine. Moreover, the free program will help you to get rid of malicious software, PUPs, toolbars and browser hijackers that your computer can be infected too.

Download Malwarebytes on your PC from the link below. Save it on your Windows desktop or in any other place.

When downloading is finished, close all programs and windows on your computer. Double-click the set up file named mb3-setup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up as shown on the image below, click the “Yes” button.

It will open the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Malwarebytes on your system. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.

Once install is complete successfully, click Finish button. Malwarebytes will automatically start and you can see its main screen as shown on the screen below.

Now press the “Scan Now” button to start scanning your personal computer for the adware that causes annoying unwanted popup ads.

Once the scan is done, you’ll be displayed the list of all found threats on your machine. When you’re ready, click “Quarantine Selected” button. The Malwarebytes will begin removing adware and other security threats. Once disinfection is complete, you may be prompted to reboot the computer.

We suggest you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the Malwarebytes to remove adware and other malware.

Scan and clean your computer of adware with AdwCleaner

AdwCleaner is a free portable program that scans your computer for ‘ad supported’ software which designed to redirect your internet browser to unwanted ads, pups and browser hijacker infections and helps remove them easily. Moreover, it’ll also allow you get rid of any harmful browser extensions and add-ons.

Download AdwCleaner utility from the link below. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.

Once the downloading process is finished, open the file location and double-click the AdwCleaner icon. It will start the AdwCleaner tool and you will see a screen like below. If the User Account Control prompt will ask you want to display the program, press Yes button to continue.

Next, click “Scan” to perform a system scan for the adware that created to show a lot of unwanted pop-up ads. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your machine and the speed of your system. While the program is checking, you may see count of objects it has identified as threat.

Once the system scan is done is complete, a list of all threats detected is produced as shown in the figure below.

Next, you need to click “Clean” button. It will display a dialog box. Click “OK” to begin the cleaning process. When the cleaning procedure is complete, the AdwCleaner may ask you to reboot your computer. After restart, the AdwCleaner will show the log file.

All the above steps are shown in detail in the following video instructions.

Run AdBlocker to stop unwanted ads and stay safe online

In order to increase your security and protect your PC system against unwanted ads and harmful web sites, you need to use adblocker program that blocks an access to harmful advertisements and web-sites. Moreover, the program can block the show of intrusive advertising, which also leads to faster loading of web-sites and reduce the consumption of web traffic.

Installing the AdGuard ad blocker program is simple. First you will need to download AdGuard from the following link.

Once the download is finished, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as shown 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 instructions as shown on the screen below.

Press “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will assist you get to know AdGuard better.

Each time, when you start your PC, AdGuard will run automatically and block pop ups, unwanted pop-up ads, as well as other malicious or misleading pages. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that can be found on your desktop.

How can you prevent your PC from the attack of unwanted pop up advertisements

Most of unwanted pop-up ads come from browser toolbars, web-browser extensions, BHOs (browser helper objects) and additional applications. Most often, these items claim itself as applications which improve your experience on the Web by providing a fast and interactive home page or a search engine that does not track you. Remember, how to avoid any adware. Be cautious, start only reputable applications which download from reputable sources. NEVER install any unknown and suspicious software.

Finish words

Once you have finished the step-by-step tutorial above, your personal computer should be clean from malware, hijacker infections and adware. The Chrome, Firefox, MS Edge and Internet Explorer will no longer open unwanted pop-up ads when you browse the Net. Unfortunately, if the few simple steps does not help you, then you have caught a new adware, and then the best way – ask for help.

1. Download HijackThis by clicking on the link below and save it to your Desktop.
   
   

   HijackThis download
   4709 downloads
   Version: 2.0.5
   Author: OpenSource
   Category: Security tools
   Update: November 7, 2015
   
2. Double-click on the HijackThis icon. Next click “Do a system scan only” button.
3. Once the checking is finished, the scan button will read “Save log”, press it. Save this log to your desktop.
4. Create a Myantispyware account here. Once you’ve registered, check your e-mail for a confirmation link, and confirm your account. After that, login.
5. Copy and paste the contents of the HijackThis log into your post. If you are posting for the first time, please start a new thread by using the “New Topic” button in the Spyware Removal forum. When posting your HJT log, try to give us some details about your problems, so we can try to help you more accurately.
6. Wait for one of our trained “Security Team” or Site Administrator to provide you with knowledgeable assistance tailored to your problem with the annoying unwanted popup ads.