How to remove Plugins Button from Google Chrome

The malicious programs from the ‘ad supported’ software family that changes the settings of internet browsers usually affects only the Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and MS Edge. However, possible situations, when any other browsers will be affected too. The ‘ad supported’ software may change the Target property of a web browser’s shortcut, so every time you open the web-browser, instead of your home page, you will see the undesired Plugins Button advertisements.

Instructions which is shown below, will help you to clean your computer from the adware as well as get rid of Plugins Button unwanted pop-ups from the Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox and Microsoft Edge and other web browsers.

Remove Plugins Button extension

Even if you have the up-to-date classic antivirus installed, and you have checked your personal computer for malware and removed anything found, you need to do the instructions below. The Plugins Button ‘ad supported’ software removal is not simple as installing another antivirus. Classic antivirus applications are not made to run together and will conflict with each other, or possibly crash Windows. Instead we advise complete the manual steps below after that use Zemana Anti-malware, Malwarebytes or AdwCleaner, which are free applications dedicated to scan for and delete Plugins Button adware which redirects your web browser to intrusive ad pages. Use these tools to ensure the ad supported software is removed.

How to manually remove Plugins Button

Most common ad supported software may be deleted without any antivirus software. The manual ‘ad supported’ software removal is step by step tutorial that will teach you how to delete the Plugins Button malicious extension.

Uninstall Plugins Button associated software by using Windows Control Panel

First of all, check the list of installed applications on your computer and remove all unknown and recently installed applications. If you see an unknown application with incorrect spelling or varying capital letters, it have most likely been installed by malicious software and you should clean it off first with malicious software removal utility such as Zemana Anti-malware.

Carefully browse through the list of installed applications and delete all programs which has the name similar to the Plugins Button. We suggest to click ‘Installed programs’ and even sorts all installed applications by date. Once you have found anything suspicious that may be the browser hijacker, ‘ad supported’ software or potentially unwanted applications, then choose this application and click ‘Uninstall’ in the upper part of the window. If the suspicious program blocked from removal, then use Revo Uninstaller Freeware to fully get rid of it from your system.

Disinfect the web browser’s shortcuts

Now you need to clean up the browser shortcuts. Check that the shortcut referring to the right exe-file of the internet browser, and not on any unknown file.

Right click to a desktop shortcut for your web browser. Choose the “Properties” option. It will open the Properties window. Select the “Shortcut” tab here, after that, look at the “Target” field. The ad-supported software can replace it. If you are seeing something like “…exe http://site.address” then you need to remove “http…” and leave only, depending on the browser you are using:

• Google Chrome: chrome.exe
• Opera: opera.exe
• Firefox: firefox.exe
• Internet Explorer: iexplore.exe

Look at the example as shown below.

Once is complete, click the “OK” button to save the changes. Please repeat this step for browser shortcuts which redirects to an annoying pages. When you have completed, go to next step.

Remove Plugins Button adware from Chrome

Run the Reset web browser utility of the Google Chrome to reset all its settings such as new tab page, homepage and search engine by default to original defaults. This is a very useful tool to use, in the case of web-browser redirects to annoying ad web-pages.

First open the Chrome. Next, press the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (). It will open the main menu. Further, click the option named “Settings”. Another way to show the Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the browser adress bar and press Enter.

The browser will display the settings screen. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Show advanced settings” link. Now scroll down until the “Reset settings” section is visible, as shown on the image below and press the “Reset settings” button.

The Chrome will show the confirmation dialog box. You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The browser will start the task of cleaning. Once it’s done, the internet browser’s settings including newtab page, startpage and search provider by default back to the values that have been when the Chrome was first installed on your computer.

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 launch your system, it will open an annoying site. So, you need to check the Task Scheduler Library and get rid of all malicious tasks which have been created by ‘ad-supported’ applications.

Press Windows and R keys on your keyboard at the same time. It will show a prompt that titled with 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 shown on the screen below.

In the middle part you will see a list of installed tasks. Select the first task, its properties will be open just below automatically. Next, press 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 get rid of this task. If you are not sure that executes the task, then google it. If it’s a component of the unwanted software, 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 malicious application. Once is finished, close the Task Scheduler window.

Run free malware removal tools to completely remove Plugins Button

Many antivirus companies have made software that help detect adware and thereby remove Plugins Button from the Chrome and other internet browsers. Below is a a few of the free programs you may want to use. Your machine can have lots of potentially unwanted software, adware and hijacker infections installed at the same time, so we advise, if any unwanted or malicious program returns after restarting the PC, then start your computer into Safe Mode and run the antimalware utility again.

Automatically remove Plugins Button ad supported software with Zemana Anti-malware

You can get rid of Plugins Button automatically with a help of Zemana Anti-malware. We advise this malicious software removal utility because it can easily remove hijacker infections, PUPs, adware which redirects your web browser to Plugins Button page with all their components such as folders, files and registry entries.

Download Zemana Anti Malware from the link below.

After downloading is complete, close all applications and windows on your personal computer. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup like below.

When the setup starts, you will see the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Zemana Anti-Malware on your PC.

Once install is finished, you will see window as shown on the screen below.

Now press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the Plugins Button adware that created to redirect your browser to various ad web-pages. Depending on your computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the utility is checking, you may see number of objects it has identified either as being malware.

Once finished, it’ll display you the results. All detected items will be marked. You can remove them all by simply press “Next” button.

The Zemana Anti-malware will delete Plugins Button that causes a lot of undesired ads.

Scan and clean your computer of ‘ad supported’ software with Malwarebytes

We suggest using the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your computer of the ad-supported software. The free utility is an advanced malicious software removal program created by (c) Malwarebytes lab. This application uses the world’s most popular antimalware technology. It’s able to help you remove Plugins Button adware from your internet browsers, potentially unwanted programs, malicious software, hijackers, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your personal computer for free.

1. Please download Malwarebytes to your desktop by clicking on the following link.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware
   326456 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: April 15, 2020
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your browser will display the “Save as” prompt. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. After downloading is done, please close all applications and open windows on your machine. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
4. This will launch the “Setup wizard” of Malwarebytes onto your PC system. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the Malwarebytes will start and show the main window.
6. Further, click the “Scan Now” button . This will begin scanning the whole computer to find out Plugins Button ad-supported software that causes multiple annoying ads and pop ups. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your machine and the speed of your PC system. When a malware, adware or potentially unwanted programs are found, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.
7. After finished, it’ll open you the results.
8. When you are ready, click the “Quarantine Selected” button. Once the task is finished, you may be prompted to reboot the personal computer.
9. Close the AntiMalware and continue with the next step.

Video instruction, which reveals in detail the steps above.

Use AdwCleaner to remove Plugins Button ad supported software

The AdwCleaner utility is free and easy to use. It can check and get rid of malicious software, potentially unwanted software and adware in Firefox, Google Chrome, IE and Microsoft Edge web-browsers and thereby remove all unwanted ads. AdwCleaner is powerful enough to find and get rid of malicious registry entries and files that are hidden on the system.

Download AdwCleaner from the link below.

After the downloading process is done, open the directory in which you saved it. You will see an icon like below.

Double click the AdwCleaner desktop icon. After the tool is started, you will see a screen as shown in the figure below.

Further, press “Scan” button to begin scanning your computer for the Plugins Button that causes multiple intrusive ads and pop-ups. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your PC system. Once the scanning is finished, it’ll display you the results as shown on the screen below.

You may move threats to Quarantine (all selected by default) by simply press “Clean” button. It will open a prompt like below.

You need to click “OK”. When the process is finished, the AdwCleaner may ask you to reboot your personal computer. When your PC system is started, you will see an AdwCleaner log.

These steps are shown in detail in the following video guide.

How to stay safe online

By installing an ad blocking program such as AdGuard, you’re able to block malicious sites, autoplaying video ads and get rid of a ton of distracting and unwanted ads on web sites.

1. Download AdGuard program from the following link.
   

   Adguard download
   26655 downloads
   Version: 6.4
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: November 15, 2018
   
2. When the downloading process is complete, run the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
3. Once the installation is finished, press “Skip” to close the setup program and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will assist you get to know AdGuard better.
4. In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you run your computer, AdGuard will launch automatically and block advertisements, as well as other malicious or misleading web sites. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the icon named AdGuard, which is located on your desktop.

Finish words

Now your system should be clean of the Plugins Button which cause annoying popup advertisements to appear. Remove AdwCleaner. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted pop up advertisements and annoying malicious sites) and Zemana Anti-malware (to periodically scan your computer for new malicious software, hijackers and ad supported software). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Windows OS. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new hijackers, malware and ad supported software are released.

If you are still having problems while trying to remove Plugins Button adware extension from your browser, then ask for help in our Spyware/Malware removal forum.