How to remove Utopia.net [Virus removal guide]

Probably you are one of those people, who are facing Utopia.net and its harmful changes to system’s settings, may think that there is something wrong with your PC system. The constant browser redirects may cause the difficulty of surfing the World Wide Web. Your attempts to revert back your previous system’s settings are usually in vain because restoring the Windows 10 (8, 7, XP) settings to default states becomes impossible unless you fully remove Utopia.net virus from your system.

Computer security researchers has determined that the Utopia.net virus is classified as hijacker (sometimes called hijackware). The so-called hijacker is created to manipulate your system’s settings such as Network settings, DNS settings and HOSTS file, so that the affected computer visits various unwanted web pages instead of your selected one.

While redirecting, your browser’s status bar may show the following messages: ‘Waiting for Utopia.net’, ‘Transferring data from Utopia.net’, ‘Looking up Utopia.net’, ‘Read Utopia.net’, ‘Connected to Utopia.net’.

What is more, the Utopia.net virus may be used to display intrusive ads or collect lots of user information which can be used for marketing purposes. These unwanted ads can be shown in the form of pop-unders, pop-ups, in-text ads, video advertisements, text links or banners or even massive full page ads.

The Utopia.net virus often modify all browser shortcuts which located on your Desktop to force you visit various undesired web pages and open annoying advertisements. As a result, your browser can still redirect you to an unwanted web-page despite your browser is actually free of hijacker.

So, it’s very important to free your machine of Utopia.net hijacker virus as soon as possible. The steps, which is shown below, will allow you to remove Utopia.net virus from the Windows 10 (8, 7, XP).

Remove Utopia.net virus

The Utopia.net is a hijacker that you might have difficulty in deleting it from your personal computer. Thankfully, you’ve found the effective removal instructions 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 exit this page. So, please read the step-by-step guidance carefully, after that bookmark or print it for later reference.

To remove Utopia.net virus, use the steps below:

1. Remove Utopia.net virus without any utilities
   • Remove potentially unwanted applications using Microsoft Windows Control Panel
   • Disinfect the web-browser’s shortcuts to remove Utopia.net redirect
   • Remove Utopia.net from Firefox
   • Delete Utopia.net from Google Chrome
   • Delete Utopia.net from Microsoft Internet Explorer
2. How to remove Utopia.net virus with freeware
   • How to automatically delete Utopia.net with Zemana Free
   • Scan and clean your computer of hijacker with Malwarebytes
   • Double-check for potentially unwanted programs with AdwCleaner
3. Use AdBlocker to block Utopia.net redirect and stay safe online
4. How does your personal computer get infected with Utopia.net hijacker
5. Finish words

Remove Utopia.net virus without any utilities

The few simple steps will help you remove Utopia.net malware. These removal steps work for the Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, as well as every version of Microsoft Windows operating system.

Remove potentially unwanted applications using Microsoft Windows Control Panel

In order to get rid of Utopia.net virus, first thing you need to do is to uninstall unknown and suspicious programs from your PC using Windows control panel. When removing this browser hijacker, check the list of installed programs and try to find suspicious programs and remove them all. Pay special attention to recently installed programs, as it’s most probably that the Utopia.net hijacker сame along with it.

1. If you are using Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 then click Windows button, next click Search. Type “Control panel”and press Enter.
2. If you are using Windows XP, Vista, 7, then click “Start” button and click “Control Panel”.
3. It will open the Windows Control Panel.
4. Further, press “Uninstall a program” under Programs category.
5. It will open a list of all software installed on the system.
6. Scroll through the all list, and remove suspicious and unknown software. To quickly find the latest installed programs, we recommend sort programs by date.

See more details in the video guide below.

Disinfect the web-browser’s shortcuts to remove Utopia.net redirect

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

To clear the internet browser shortcut, right-click to it and select Properties. 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 similar to “http://site.address” which has been added here. You need to delete it.

When the text is removed, click the OK button. You need to clean all shortcuts of all your web browsers, as they may be infected too.

Remove Utopia.net from Firefox by resetting web-browser settings

If your Firefox web-browser startpage has changed to an unwanted web site without your permission or an unknown search provider shows results for your search, then it may be time to perform the web-browser reset.

First, start the Firefox and click button. It will open the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web-browser. Further, click the Help button () as displayed 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 display the “Troubleshooting Information” page as displayed in the following example. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.

It will show the confirmation dialog box. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Firefox will start a task to fix your problems that caused by the Utopia.net hijacker that causes web-browsers to show an annoying web-site. Once, it is complete, press the “Finish” button.

Delete Utopia.net from Google Chrome

If your Google Chrome web browser is rerouted to unwanted web pages, it may be necessary to completely reset your internet browser application to its default settings.

1. First, start the Google Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three horizontal stripes).
2. It will show the Google Chrome main menu, click the “Settings” menu.
3. Next, click “Show advanced settings” link, which located at the bottom of the Settings page.
4. On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, click the “Reset settings” button.
5. The Chrome will open the reset settings prompt as shown on the screen above.
6. Confirm the internet browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
7. To learn more, read the article How to reset Chrome settings to default.

Delete Utopia.net from Microsoft Internet Explorer

In order to restore all web-browser start page, new tab page and search provider by default you need to reset the Internet Explorer to the state, which was when the MS Windows was installed on your machine.

First, start the Internet Explorer, then click ‘gear’ icon . It will show the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the web browser, then click the “Internet Options” as displayed in the following example.

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

Once the task is finished, click “Close” button. Close the Internet Explorer and restart your system for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your browser’s startpage, new tab page and default search engine to default state.

How to remove Utopia.net virus with freeware

Manual removal is not always as effective as you might think. Often, even the most experienced users can not completely delete hijacker from the infected PC system. So, we recommend to check your machine for any remaining malicious components with free hijacker infection removal software below.

How to automatically delete Utopia.net with Zemana Free

We suggest using the Zemana which are completely clean your computer of the hijacker infection. The tool is an advanced malicious software removal application designed by (c) Zemana lab. It’s able to help you delete PUPs, browser hijacker infections, adware, malicious software, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your computer for free.

Download Zemana Free by clicking on the link below. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop or in any other place.

Once downloading is done, close all windows on your PC. Further, start the setup file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up like below, click the “Yes” button.

It will display the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Zemana Free on the PC. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.

Once install is finished successfully, Zemana Anti Malware will automatically start and you can see its main window as displayed in the figure below.

Next, press the “Scan” button .Zemana program will scan through the whole system for the Utopia.net virus that cause a reroute to unwanted and ad web pages. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your personal computer and the speed of your computer. During the scan Zemana will detect all threats present on your computer.

Once Zemana completes the scan, Zemana Free will display a list of detected threats. When you’re ready, click “Next” button.

The Zemana will start to remove the Utopia.net hijacker infection that cause annoying web sites to appear. After the cleaning procedure is finished, you can be prompted to reboot your personal computer.

Scan and clean your computer of browser hijacker with Malwarebytes

Remove Utopia.net virus manually is difficult and often the hijacker is not completely removed. Therefore, we recommend you to run the Malwarebytes Free which are completely clean your computer. Moreover, the free program will help you to remove malicious software, PUPs, toolbars and adware that your PC system may be infected too.

1. Download MalwareBytes Anti-Malware on your Microsoft Windows Desktop from the following link.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware
   317610 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: April 15, 2020
   
2. When the downloading process is finished, close all software and windows on your machine. Open a file location. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
3. Further, press Next button and follow the prompts.
4. Once installation is finished, click the “Scan Now” button for checking your PC for the Utopia.net virus. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your machine and the speed of your PC. During the scan MalwareBytes Free will detect all threats present on your personal computer.
5. Once that process is finished, the results are displayed in the scan report. Make sure all items have ‘checkmark’ and press “Quarantine Selected”. Once finished, you may be prompted to reboot your PC.

The following video offers a guide on how to delete hijackers, ad supported software and other malware with MalwareBytes.

Double-check for potentially unwanted programs with AdwCleaner

AdwCleaner is a free removal utility which can check your computer for a wide range of security threats such as ad supported software, malicious software, PUPs as well as the Utopia.net hijacker infection which redirects your web browser to unwanted pages. It will perform a deep scan of your computer including hard drives and Microsoft Windows registry. When a malware is detected, it will help you to remove all detected threats from your personal computer with a simple click.

Download AdwCleaner by clicking on the link below. Save it on your Desktop.

Once the downloading process is complete, open the file location. You will see an icon like below.

Double click the AdwCleaner desktop icon. When the utility is launched, you will see a screen as displayed below.

Further, click “Scan” button . AdwCleaner tool will begin scanning the whole PC to find out the Utopia.net hijacker that modifies system’s settings. When AdwCleaner has completed scanning, AdwCleaner will open a scan report as shown in the figure below.

Review the report and then press “Clean” button. It will show a dialog box as on the image below.

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

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

Use AdBlocker to block Utopia.net redirect and stay safe online

If you surf the Net, you cannot avoid malicious advertising. But you can protect your internet browser against it. Download and run an ad blocker application. AdGuard is an ad-blocking that can filter out a large count of of the malicious advertising, blocking dynamic scripts from loading harmful content.

Installing the AdGuard ad blocker program is simple. First you will need to download AdGuard by clicking on the following link. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop.

When the download is done, double-click the downloaded file to run it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as displayed in the figure 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 in the following example.

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 run your machine, AdGuard will start automatically and block pop-up advertisements, Utopia.net redirect, as well as other malicious or misleading web-pages. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, which is located on your desktop.

How does your personal computer get infected with Utopia.net hijacker

The Utopia.net hijacker can be bundled within various free programs. This means that you need to be very careful when installing programs downloaded from the Internet, even from a large proven hosting. Be sure to read the Terms of Use and the Software license, select only the Manual, Advanced or Custom installation method, switch off all additional modules and applications are offered to install.

Finish words

Once you have done the few simple steps outlined above, your personal computer should be free from Utopia.net virus that causes web-browsers to open various annoying web-pages. The Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge will no longer show an unwanted page on startup. Unfortunately, if the few simple steps does not help you, then you have caught a new hijacker, and then the best way – ask for help in our Spyware/Malware removal forum.