How to remove Search.hfreeforms.co [Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge]

http://search.hfreeforms.co/

When you’re performing searches using the browser that has been affected with Search.hfreeforms.co, the search results will be returned from Bing, Yahoo or Google Custom Search. The devs behind Search.hfreeforms.co browser hijacker infection are most likely doing this to earn advertisement revenue from the advertisements shown in the search results.

Also, adware (sometimes named ‘ad-supported’ software) can be installed on the computer together with Search.hfreeforms.co browser hijacker. It will insert a large amount of ads directly to the web pages which you view, creating a sense that ads has been added by the authors of the web-site. Moreover, legal advertisements can be replaced on fake advertisements that will offer to download and install various unnecessary and harmful software. Moreover, the Search.hfreeforms.co hijacker has the ability to gather personal information about you that can be later sold to third parties.

We strongly suggest that you perform the guide below that will help you to delete Search.hfreeforms.co startpage using the standard features of Windows and some proven free programs.

How to remove Search.hfreeforms.co from PC

Fortunately, we’ve an effective way that will assist you manually or/and automatically get rid of Search.hfreeforms.co from your machine and bring your internet browser settings, including new tab, start page and search provider by default, back to normal. Below you’ll find a removal tutorial with all the steps you may need to successfully remove this browser hijacker and its components. Read this manual carefully, bookmark or print it, because you may need to exit your web browser or restart your system.

Manual Search.hfreeforms.co search removal

If you perform exactly the guide below you should be able to remove the Search.hfreeforms.co from the Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer and MS Edge web browsers.

Remove Search.hfreeforms.co associated software by using Windows Control Panel

In order to get rid of PUPs such as this browser hijacker, open the Windows Control Panel and click on “Uninstall a program”. Check the list of installed software. For the ones you do not know, run an Internet search to see if they are adware, browser hijacker or potentially unwanted applications. If yes, uninstall them off. Even if they are just a programs that you do not use, then removing them off will increase your personal computer start up time and speed dramatically.

Press Windows button , then click Search . Type “Control panel”and press Enter. If you using Windows XP or Windows 7, then press “Start” and select “Control Panel”. It will show the Windows Control Panel as displayed in the figure below.

Further, click “Uninstall a program”
It will show a list of all applications installed on your PC system. Scroll through the all list, and uninstall any suspicious and unknown programs.

Remove Search.hfreeforms.co homepage from IE

The Microsoft Internet Explorer reset is great if your internet browser is hijacked or you’ve unwanted extensions or toolbars on your web-browser, that installed by a malicious software.

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

In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” dialog box. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button as displayed in the following example.

After the task is done, click “Close” button. Close the Internet Explorer and restart your computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web browser’s newtab, homepage and search provider by default to default state.

Remove Search.hfreeforms.co from Google Chrome

Run the Reset web-browser utility of the Chrome to reset all its settings like home page, newtab and search provider by default to original defaults. This is a very useful utility to use, in the case of browser hijacks like Search.hfreeforms.co.

1. First run the Chrome and click Menu button (small button in the form of three horizontal stripes).
2. It will open the Chrome main menu. Select “Settings” option.
3. You will see the 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 show the reset profile settings page as shown on the screen above.
6. Next click the “Reset” button.
7. Once this task is finished, your web browser’s new tab page, start 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.

Remove Search.hfreeforms.co from FF by resetting browser settings

If the FF settings like start page, newtab and search provider by default have been changed by the browser hijacker infection, then resetting it to the default state can help.

First, open the Firefox and click button. It will show the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web-browser. Further, click the Help button () as shown in the figure below

.

In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the internet browser adress bar and press Enter. It will show the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown on the screen below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.

It will open the confirmation dialog box. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will begin a process to fix your problems that caused by the Search.hfreeforms.co hijacker and other internet browser’s harmful add-ons. After, it is finished, click the “Finish” button.

How to automatically delete Search.hfreeforms.co hijacker

There are not many good free antimalware programs with high detection ratio. The effectiveness of malware removal utilities depends on various factors, mostly on how often their virus/malware signatures DB are updated in order to effectively detect modern malware, ad supported software, browser hijackers and other PUPs. We suggest to use several programs, not just one. These applications which listed below will help you delete all components of the hijacker from your disk and Windows registry and thereby remove Search.hfreeforms.co startpage.

Automatically remove Search.hfreeforms.co with Zemana Free

We recommend using the Zemana Free. You can download and install Zemana Free to scan for and remove Search.hfreeforms.co redirect from your PC. When installed and updated, the malware remover will automatically scan and detect all threats present on the personal computer.

1. Please download Zemana Free on your Windows Desktop by clicking on the link below.
   
   

   Zemana AntiMalware
   164117 downloads
   Author: Zemana Ltd
   Category: Security tools
   Update: July 16, 2019
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your web-browser will display the “Save as” dialog box. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. Once the downloading process is finished, please close all applications and open windows on your personal computer. Next, start a file called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
4. This will open the “Setup wizard” of Zemana Free onto your personal computer. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the Zemana Anti-Malware will open and open the main window.
6. Further, click the “Scan” button .Zemana program will scan through the whole PC system for the hijacker which redirects your web-browser to intrusive Search.hfreeforms.co web-page. A system scan may take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your PC. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.
7. When the checking is finished, you can check all items found on your machine.
8. You may move items to Quarantine (all selected by default) by simply click the “Next” button. The utility will delete Search.hfreeforms.co browser hijacker and other web browser’s harmful extensions. Once the task is finished, you may be prompted to restart the PC system.
9. Close the Zemana Free and continue with the next step.

Automatically remove Search.hfreeforms.co start page with Malwarebytes

We suggest using the Malwarebytes Free. You can download and install Malwarebytes to detect and remove Search.hfreeforms.co redirect from your PC. When installed and updated, the free malware remover will automatically scan and detect all threats present on the PC.

1. Please download MalwareBytes from the link below. Save it on your Windows desktop.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware
   326469 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: April 15, 2020
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your internet browser will show the “Save as” prompt. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. When the download is complete, please close all programs and open windows on your PC. 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 don’t make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the MalwareBytes Free will run and open the main window.
6. Further, click the “Scan Now” button .MalwareBytes Free program will scan through the whole system for the hijacker infection which cause a redirect to Search.hfreeforms.co web site.
7. Once MalwareBytes AntiMalware completes the scan, MalwareBytes Free will open a list of all items found by the scan.
8. All detected threats will be marked. You can remove them all by simply press the “Quarantine Selected” button. After finished, you may be prompted to restart the system.
9. Close the Anti-Malware and continue with the next step.

Video instruction, which reveals in detail the steps above.

Use AdwCleaner to get rid of Search.hfreeforms.co startpage

AdwCleaner is a free removal utility which can scan your PC for a wide range of security threats such as ad-supported software, malware, PUPs as well as browser hijacker infection that cause Search.hfreeforms.co web site to appear. It will perform a deep scan of your machine including hard drives and MS Windows registry. Once a malware is detected, it will help you to remove all detected threats from your machine by a simple click.

1. Download AdwCleaner by clicking on the following link and save it directly to your Windows Desktop.
   
   

   AdwCleaner download
   225301 downloads
   Version: 8.4.1
   Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: October 5, 2024
   
2. Select the file location as Desktop, and then click Save.
3. When the downloading process is finished, launch the AdwCleaner, double-click the adwcleaner_xxx.exe file.
4. If the “User Account Control” prompts, click Yes to continue.
5. Read the “Terms of use”, and press Accept.
6. In the AdwCleaner window, click the “Scan” .AdwCleaner program will scan through the whole computer for the Search.hfreeforms.co hijacker and other internet browser’s harmful plugins. This process can take some time, so please be patient.
7. When the scan is finished, AdwCleaner will display a list of detected items. You may move items to Quarantine (all selected by default) by simply press “Clean”. If the AdwCleaner will ask you to restart your PC system, click “OK”.

The step by step guide shown in detail in the following video.

Block Search.hfreeforms.co start page and other intrusive web pages

Using an ad-blocker program like AdGuard is an effective way to alleviate the risks. Additionally, adblocker applications will also protect you from harmful advertisements and pages, and, of course, block redirection chain to Search.hfreeforms.co and similar web sites.

1. Download AdGuard program on your computer from the following link.
   

   Adguard download
   26661 downloads
   Version: 6.4
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: November 15, 2018
   
2. After the downloading process is finished, start 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 installation program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will allow 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 start your computer, AdGuard will launch automatically and block advertisements, web-sites such Search.hfreeforms.co, as well as other harmful 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 icon named AdGuard, that can be found on your desktop.

Do not know how your web browser has been hijacked by Search.hfreeforms.co browser hijacker?

Many hijacker infections such as Search.hfreeforms.co come from web-browser toolbars, internet browser extensions, BHOs (browser helper objects) and optional applications. Most commonly, these items claim itself as software that improve your experience on the Web by providing a fast and interactive homepage 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 an unknown and suspicious program.

To sum up

Now your machine should be clean of the Search.hfreeforms.co hijacker infection and other internet browser’s malicious addons. Remove AdwCleaner. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted pop up ads and intrusive malicious web sites) and Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) (to periodically scan your computer for new malware, browser 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, harmful programs and adware are released.

If you are still having problems while trying to get rid of Search.hfreeforms.co homepage from your web browser, then ask for help in our Spyware/Malware removal forum.