If you see Search.handycafe.com show up on your browser’s screen, then is a clear indication of the browser hijacker’s presence. The unwanted software from the browser hijacker family replaces your startpage and search engine. If your personal computer has been infected with hijacker, the unwanted Search.handycafe.com web-site will appear when you open a newtab, or surf the World Wide Web. Further into the blog post we will give you more information about this browser hijacker, but know that the best method to handle the Search.handycafe.com hijacker is to fully remove it from your PC system ASAP.
http://search.handycafe.com/
Except that the Search.handycafe.com makes changes to web browser’s home page and new tab page, it also replaces your search engine, which leads to the fact that use of the browser’s search becomes uncomfortable. The reason for this is that the search results will consist of a large count of ads, links to unwanted and ad sites and only the remaining part is search results for your query from well-known search providers such as Google or Bing.
While redirecting, your internet browser’s status bar may show the following messages: ‘Waiting for Search.handycafe.com’, ‘Transferring data from Search.handycafe.com’, ‘Looking up Search.handycafe.com’, ‘Read Search.handycafe.com’, ‘Connected to Search.handycafe.com’.
The Search.handycafe.com browser hijacker mostly affects only the Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox and Microsoft Edge. However, possible situations, when any other web browsers will be affected too. The hijacker will perform a scan of the system for internet browser shortcuts and alter them without your permission. When it infects the web-browser shortcuts, it will add the argument such as ‘http://site.address’ into Target property. So, each time you start the web-browser, you will see the Search.handycafe.com annoying web-page.
We suggest you to clean your PC system of hijacker infection ASAP. Use the steps below that will allow to remove Search.handycafe.com startpage and malicious application, which can be installed onto your PC system along with it.
How to remove Search.handycafe.com
The Search.handycafe.com is a browser hijacker that you might have difficulty in deleting it from your PC. Luckily, you’ve found the effective removal guidance in this blog post. Both the manual removal method and the automatic removal solution will be provided below and you can just select the one that best for you. If you have any questions or need help then type a comment below. Some of the steps below will require you to close this site. So, please read the step by step instructions carefully, after that bookmark or print it for later reference.
Remove Search.handycafe.com redirect without any utilities
The following instructions is a step-by-step guide, which will help you manually delete Search.handycafe.com from the Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and MS Edge.
Removing the Search.handycafe.com, check the list of installed software first
Check out the MS Windows Control Panel (Programs and Features section) to see all installed programs. We suggest to click on the “Date Installed” in order to sort the list of programs by the date you installed them. If you see any unknown and suspicious programs, they are the ones you need to remove.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, click Windows button
, then press Search 
. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter like below.
Once the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as displayed 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 machine. Most likely, one or more of them are responsible for the appearance of advertisements and web browser redirect to the annoying Search.handycafe.com page. If you have many programs installed, you can help simplify the search of harmful programs 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 displayed in the following example.
Once the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to press ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as on the image below.
You will see a list of applications installed on your machine. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the applications that were installed last. Most likely they responsibility for the appearance of pop-up advertisements and web browser redirect. If you are in doubt, you can always check the program by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. After the program which you need to remove is found, simply click on its name, and then click ‘Uninstall’ as shown on the screen below.
Fix infected browsers shortcuts to remove Search.handycafe.com
Now you need to clean up the browser shortcuts. Check that the shortcut referring to the right exe-file of the browser, and not on any unknown file.
Open the properties of the web browser shortcut. Right click on the shortcut of infected internet browser and choose the “Properties” option and it’ll open the properties of the shortcut. Next, choose the “Shortcut” tab and have a look at the Target field as shown in the figure below.
Normally, if the last word in the Target field is chrome.exe, iexplore.exe, firefox.exe. Be sure to pay attention to the extension, should be “exe”! All shortcuts which have been altered by browser hijacker infection like Search.handycafe.com usually point to .bat, .cmd or .url files instead of .exe as displayed below
Another variant, an address has been added at the end of the line. In this case the Target field looks like …Application\chrome.exe” http://site.address as displayed on the screen below.
In order to fix a shortcut, you need to insert right path to the Target field or remove an address (if it has been added at the end). You can use the following information to fix your shortcuts that have been altered by browser hijacker.
| Chrome | C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe |
| C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe | |
| FF | C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe |
| IE | C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe |
| C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe | |
| Opera | C:\Program Files (x86)\Opera\launcher.exe |
| C:\Program Files\Opera\launcher.exe |
Once is finished, click OK to save changes. Repeat the step for all browsers that are re-directed to the Search.handycafe.com unwanted page.
Remove Search.handycafe.com from FF by resetting browser settings
The Firefox reset will keep your personal information such as bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill data and get rid of unwanted search provider and home page such as Search.handycafe.com, modified preferences, extensions and security settings.
First, open the Firefox and click 
button. It will show the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web browser. Further, press the Help button (
) as shown on the image below
.
In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the web browser adress bar and press Enter. It will show the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown in the following example. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.
It will show the confirmation prompt. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Firefox will start a process to fix your problems that caused by the browser hijacker that cause Search.handycafe.com site to appear. After, it is finished, press the “Finish” button.
Get rid of Search.handycafe.com search from Internet Explorer
The IE reset is great if your web browser is hijacked or you have unwanted add-ons or toolbars on your web browser, that installed by a malware.
First, open the Internet Explorer, then click ‘gear’ icon 
. It will display the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the web-browser, then press the “Internet Options” as shown in the figure 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 as displayed on the screen below.
When the procedure is complete, 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 new tab, startpage and search engine by default to default state.
Remove Search.handycafe.com from Google Chrome
Reset Google Chrome settings is a easy way to remove the browser hijacker, malicious and ‘ad-supported’ extensions, as well as to restore the browser’s startpage, new tab and default search engine that have been changed by Search.handycafe.com hijacker.
First start the Google Chrome. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (). It will display the main menu. Further, press the option named “Settings”. Another way to open the Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the internet browser adress bar and press Enter.
The web browser will open 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 screen below and click the “Reset settings” button.
The Chrome will open the confirmation prompt. You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The internet browser will launch the procedure of cleaning. After it’s finished, the web browser’s settings including new tab page, start page and search provider by default back to the values that have been when the Chrome was first installed on your PC.
Use free malware removal utilities to completely delete Search.handycafe.com redirect
There are not many good free anti-malware applications with high detection ratio. The effectiveness of malicious software removal utilities depends on various factors, mostly on how often their virus/malware signatures DB are updated in order to effectively detect modern malicious software, ad-supported software, browser hijacker infections and other PUPs. We suggest to use several applications, not just one. These programs that listed below will allow you remove all components of the hijacker from your disk and Windows registry and thereby delete Search.handycafe.com home page.
How to remove Search.handycafe.com with Zemana Anti-Malware
We recommend you to run the Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) that are completely clean your PC. Moreover, the utility will help you to delete PUPs, malware, toolbars and adware that your PC can be infected too.
Download Zemana Free on your MS Windows Desktop by clicking on the following link.
164112 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Once the download is complete, close all programs and windows on your PC. Double-click the setup file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown below, click the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Zemana Anti-Malware on your computer. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
Once setup is complete successfully, Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will automatically start and you can see its main screen as shown in the following example.
Now press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan for the hijacker infection that causes web-browsers to open unwanted Search.handycafe.com web page. Depending on your computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. During the scan Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will detect all threats present on your PC system.
When the scanning is finished, Zemana will open a scan report. Review the scan results and then press “Next” button. The Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will remove browser hijacker which alters web browser settings to replace your homepage, newtab and default search engine with Search.handycafe.com web page. After disinfection is finished, you may be prompted to restart the system.
Run Malwarebytes to remove browser hijacker
Manual Search.handycafe.com removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the browser hijacker can be not completely removed. We recommend that use the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your personal computer of browser hijacker. Moreover, the free program will help you to get rid of malware, potentially unwanted programs, adware and toolbars that your machine can be infected too.
- Download MalwareBytes Anti Malware by clicking on the link below. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop or in any other place.
Malwarebytes Anti-malware
326462 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
- After the downloading process is finished, close all programs and windows on your system. Open a file location. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
- Further, press Next button and follow the prompts.
- Once setup is done, click the “Scan Now” button . MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) utility will start scanning the whole personal computer to find out browser hijacker that modifies internet browser settings to replace your new tab page, start page and search provider by default with Search.handycafe.com page. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your PC. While the MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) utility is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as being infected by malicious software.
- Once the scanning is complete, the results are displayed in the scan report. You may move items to Quarantine (all selected by default) by simply press “Quarantine Selected”. Once disinfection is complete, you can be prompted to reboot your machine.
The following video offers a guidance on how to remove hijacker infections, adware and other malware with MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM).
Use AdwCleaner to get rid of Search.handycafe.com startpage
AdwCleaner is a free removal tool that may be downloaded and run to remove browser hijackers, adware, malware, potentially unwanted software, toolbars and other threats from your computer. You can run this tool to scan for threats even if you have an antivirus or any other security application.
- Download AdwCleaner from the link below.
AdwCleaner download
225300 downloads
Version: 8.4.1
Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
Category: Security tools
Update: October 5, 2024
- Once downloading is complete, double click the AdwCleaner icon. Once this tool is launched, click “Scan” button to perform a system scan for the Search.handycafe.com browser hijacker and other web-browser’s harmful extensions. This task may take some time, so please be patient.
- When the system scan is done, a list of all items found is produced. All found items will be marked. You can remove them all by simply click “Clean” button. It will display a prompt, click “OK”.
These few simple steps are shown in detail in the following video guide.
Block Search.handycafe.com redirect and other intrusive web pages
It’s also critical to protect your browsers from malicious web pages and advertisements by using an ad-blocker program such as 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.
Download AdGuard program from the following link and save it to your Desktop.
26658 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After the download is complete, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as shown below.
Follow the prompts. After the installation is complete, you will see a window as on the image below.
You can click “Skip” to close the setup application and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial which will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you run your machine, AdGuard will start automatically and block popup ads, web sites such Search.handycafe.com, as well as other harmful or misleading web 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 is located on your desktop.
Why has my start page and search provider changed to Search.handycafe.com?
The Search.handycafe.com browser hijacker spreads bundled with various free programs, as a supplement, which is installed automatically. This is certainly not an honest way to get installed onto your machine. To avoid infecting of your personal computer and side effects in the form of changing your browser settings to Search.handycafe.com home page, you should always carefully read the Terms of Use and the Software license. Additionally, always select Manual, Custom or Advanced install method. This allows you to disable the installation of unnecessary and often harmful applications. Even if you uninstall the free software from your machine, your web browser’s settings will not be restored. This means that you should manually remove Search.handycafe.com startpage from the Google Chrome, IE, Mozilla Firefox and MS Edge by follow the few simple steps above.
Finish words
Once you’ve finished the guide shown above, your system should be clean from this browser hijacker and other malicious software. The Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Edge will no longer display annoying Search.handycafe.com start page on startup. Unfortunately, if the guide does not help you, then you have caught a new hijacker infection, and then the best way – ask for help.
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. Wait for one of our trained “Security Team” or Site Administrator to provide you with knowledgeable assistance tailored to your problem with the intrusive Search.handycafe.com redirect.
