How to remove Start.yoursearch.me [Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge]

If you keep receiving the Start.yoursearch.me when you start the internet browser, then most likely your internet browser is affected by obnoxious potentially unwanted program from the browser hijacker family. Once installed, it makes various changes to settings of all your typical web browsers. So, every time, when you will start the browser, it will begin to display Start.yoursearch.me unwanted instead of your startpage. Moreover, this malicious software may block an option to revert back your home page.

In order to force you to use Start.yoursearch.me as often as possible this hijacker infection can modify your browsers’ search provider. You may even find that your computer’s web-browser shortcuts and MS Windows HOSTS file are hijacked without your knowledge and conscious permission. The developers of this hijacker infection do so in order to make money via Google AdSense or another third-party ad network. Thus every your click on advertisements that placed on the Start.yoursearch.me generates revenue for them.

Although, Start.yoursearch.me browser hijacker is not a virus, but it does bad things, and it may make certain unwanted changes to internet browsers settings. Moreover, an adware (sometimes called ‘ad-supported’ software) can be additionally installed on to your PC system by this hijacker, that will show tons of advertisements, or even massive full page advertisements that blocks surfing the Internet. Often such these advertisements can recommend to install other unknown and unwanted applications or visit malicious web-sites.

In addition to that, as was mentioned earlier, certain browser hijacker infections like Start.yoursearch.me to also change all web-browsers shortcuts which located on your Desktop or Start menu. So, every affected shortcut will try to redirect your browser to unwanted pages, certain of which might be harmful. It can make the whole machine more vulnerable to hacker attacks.

It’s important, don’t use Start.yoursearch.me page and don’t click on advertisements placed on it, as they can lead you to a more malicious or misleading sites. The best option is to use the guide posted below to free your personal computer of hijacker infection, get rid of the Start.yoursearch.me startpage, and thereby return your previous start page and search provider.

How to remove Start.yoursearch.me from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

In the instructions below we will have a look at the browser hijacker and how to remove Start.yoursearch.me from Google Chrome, FF, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer browsers for Microsoft Windows OS, natively or by using a few free removal tools. Read it once, after doing so, please print this page as you may need to shut down your web-browser or reboot your PC.

If you are using an Apple computer running Mac OS, then use the following steps How to delete browser hijacker, pop-ups, ads from Mac

To remove Start.yoursearch.me, use the steps below:

How to manually remove Start.yoursearch.me
Start.yoursearch.me automatic removal
Stop Start.yoursearch.me and other annoying web-pages
Why has my home page and search engine changed to Start.yoursearch.me?
To sum up

How to manually remove Start.yoursearch.me

The steps will help you get rid of Start.yoursearch.me search. These Start.yoursearch.me removal steps work for the Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Edge, as well as every version of MS Windows operating system.

Delete potentially unwanted programs using Microsoft Windows Control Panel

We recommend that you start the PC cleaning process by checking the list of installed programs and delete all unknown or suspicious applications. This is a very important step, as mentioned above, very often the malicious software such as ‘ad supported’ software and browser hijackers may be bundled with free programs. Uninstall the unwanted applications can remove the annoying advertisements or browser redirect.

Press Windows button , then click Search . Type “Control panel”and press Enter. If you using Windows XP or Windows 7, then click “Start” and select “Control Panel”. It will display the Windows Control Panel as shown on the screen below.

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

Clean up the web-browsers shortcuts that have been hijacked by Start.yoursearch.me

After the hijacker is started, it can also modify the web browser’s shortcuts, adding an argument such as “http://site.address” into the Target field. Due to this, every time you launch the internet browser, it will open an annoying web site.

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

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

Look at the example as displayed below.

Once is complete, press the “OK” button to save the changes. Please repeat this step for browser shortcuts which redirects to an intrusive web-sites. When you have completed, go to next step.

Get rid of Start.yoursearch.me search from Microsoft Internet Explorer

The Microsoft Internet Explorer reset is great if your web-browser is hijacked or you have unwanted plugins or toolbars on your internet browser, which installed by a malware.

First, run the Microsoft Internet Explorer. Next, click the button in the form of gear (). It will open the Tools drop-down menu, click the “Internet Options” as shown in the figure below.

In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as on the image below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click “Reset” button.

You will now need to reboot your PC for the changes to take effect.

Remove Start.yoursearch.me from Mozilla Firefox by resetting internet browser settings

Resetting your Firefox is first troubleshooting step for any issues with your web-browser program, including the redirect to Start.yoursearch.me web site.

First, run the Firefox. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (). It will display the drop-down menu. Next, click the Help button ().

In the Help menu press the “Troubleshooting Information”. In the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page press on “Refresh Firefox” button as on the image below.

Confirm your action, press the “Refresh Firefox”.

Remove Start.yoursearch.me startpage from Chrome

If your Google Chrome browser is redirected to unwanted Start.yoursearch.me web-page, it may be necessary to completely reset your web-browser program to its default settings.

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

The browser will show 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 displayed below and click the “Reset settings” button.

The Google Chrome will show the confirmation prompt. You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The browser will launch the procedure of cleaning. Once it’s complete, the browser’s settings including newtab, startpage and search provider by default back to the values that have been when the Chrome was first installed on your computer.

Start.yoursearch.me automatic removal

There are not many good free anti-malware 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, hijackers and other potentially unwanted programs. We recommend to run several programs, not just one. These applications that listed below will help you delete all components of the browser hijacker infection from your disk and Windows registry and thereby remove Start.yoursearch.me .

How to automatically get rid of Start.yoursearch.me with Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM)

We advise you to run the Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) which are completely clean your PC system. Moreover, the utility will help you to get rid of PUPs, malware, toolbars and ‘ad supported’ software that your machine may be infected too.

Please download Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) by clicking on the link below.

Zemana AntiMalware
164103 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
At the download page, click on the Download button. Your internet browser will open the “Save as” prompt. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
After the download is complete, please close all applications and open windows on your machine. Next, start a file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
This will open the “Setup wizard” of Zemana Anti Malware onto your personal computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will open and open the main window.
Further, click the “Scan” button .Zemana AntiMalware program will scan through the whole computer for the browser hijacker infection that reroutes your web browser to unwanted Start.yoursearch.me page. This procedure can take quite a while, so please be patient. While the utility is checking, you may see how many objects and files has already scanned.
When the checking is finished, Zemana AntiMalware will display a screen that contains a list of malware that has been detected.
Review the report and then press the “Next” button. The utility will remove browser hijacker which cause Start.yoursearch.me web page to appear. When that process is complete, you may be prompted to reboot the PC.
Close the Zemana Anti Malware and continue with the next step.

How to automatically get rid of Start.yoursearch.me with Malwarebytes

You can remove Start.yoursearch.me automatically with a help of Malwarebytes Free. We recommend this free malicious software removal utility because it can easily get rid of browser hijackers, adware, PUPs and toolbars with all their components such as files, folders and registry entries.

Download MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) from the link below. Save it on your Desktop.

Malwarebytes Anti-malware
326457 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020

Once the download is finished, close all programs and windows on your machine. Double-click the install 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 Anti-Malware (MBAM) on your computer. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.

Once setup is finished successfully, press Finish button. MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) will automatically start and you can see its main screen like below.

Now press the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan for the hijacker that alters internet browser settings to replace your start page, newtab and default search engine with Start.yoursearch.me page. During the scan MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) will detect all threats exist on your PC system.

After that process is done, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will show a screen which contains a list of malicious software that has been detected. All found threats will be marked. You can delete them all by simply click “Quarantine Selected” button. The MalwareBytes AntiMalware will remove browser hijacker infection which cause Start.yoursearch.me web page to appear. When the task is complete, you may be prompted to reboot the personal computer.

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

Use AdwCleaner to remove Start.yoursearch.me from the computer

AdwCleaner is a free portable program that scans your PC for adware, PUPs and hijackers like Start.yoursearch.me and helps remove them easily. Moreover, it will also help you get rid of any malicious web browser extensions and add-ons.

Download AdwCleaner on your personal computer by clicking on the link below.

AdwCleaner download
225298 downloads
Version: 8.4.1
Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
Category: Security tools
Update: October 5, 2024
Select the directory in which you saved it as Desktop, and then click Save.
When the download is finished, run the AdwCleaner, double-click the adwcleaner_xxx.exe file.
If the “User Account Control” prompts, click Yes to continue.
Read the “Terms of use”, and click Accept.
In the AdwCleaner window, click the “Scan” .AdwCleaner program will scan through the whole computer for the browser hijacker which redirects your web-browser to intrusive Start.yoursearch.me web-page. While the AdwCleaner is scanning, you can see number of objects it has identified either as being malicious software.
After that process is finished, you can check all items found on your computer. When you are ready, click “Clean”. If the AdwCleaner will ask you to restart your PC, click “OK”.

The steps shown in detail in the following video.

Stop Start.yoursearch.me and other annoying web-pages

Use ad-blocker application such as AdGuard in order to stop advertisements, malvertisements, pop-ups and online trackers, avoid having to install harmful and adware browser plug-ins and add-ons that affect your computer performance and impact your machine security. Surf the Internet anonymously and stay safe online!

Download AdGuard program by clicking on the following link. Save it on your Desktop.

Adguard download
26655 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
Once downloading is complete, run the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
After the installation is complete, click “Skip” to close the install application and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will help 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 launch your computer, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop popup advertisements, pages such Start.yoursearch.me, as well as other malicious or misleading 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 is located on your desktop.

Why has my home page and search engine changed to Start.yoursearch.me?

These days certain freeware makers bundle third-party software that could be potentially unwanted programs like the Start.yoursearch.me hijacker, with a view to making some money. These are not free software as install an unwanted programs on to your MS Windows PC system. So whenever you install a new free application that downloaded from the Internet, be very careful during setup. Carefully read the EULA (a text with I ACCEPT/I DECLINE button), choose custom or manual installation mode, uncheck all additional applications.

To sum up

Now your personal computer should be free of the hijacker which changes browser settings to replace your start page, newtab page and search engine by default with Start.yoursearch.me web-page. Delete AdwCleaner. We suggest that you keep Zemana AntiMalware (to periodically scan your computer for new hijackers and other malware) and AdGuard (to help you stop undesired pop ups and harmful sites). Moreover, to prevent hijacker infections, please stay clear of unknown and third party software, make sure that your antivirus application, turn on the option to find PUPs (potentially unwanted programs).

If you need more help with Start.yoursearch.me home page related issues, go to our Spyware/Malware removal forum.