If you see Search.microcosmtab.com show up on your web browser’s screen, then is a clear indication of the hijacker’s presence. The malware from the browser hijacker family modifies your home page and search engine. If your personal computer has been infected with browser hijacker, the undesired Search.microcosmtab.com page will appear when you open a new tab, or surf the Internet. Further into the article we will give you more information about this browser hijacker, but know that the best way to handle the Search.microcosmtab.com hijacker infection is to fully delete it from your PC system as quickly as possible.
The browser hijacker, which set the Search.microcosmtab.com as your startpage can also set this annoying site as your search provider. You will encounter the fact that the search in the web-browser has become uncomfortable to use, because the search results will consist of a large amount of advertisements, links to ad and unwanted pages and a small amount of regular links, which are obtained from a search in the major search engines. Therefore, look for something using Search.microcosmtab.com web-page would be a waste of time or worse, it can lead to even more infected system.
As well as undesired browser redirects to Search.microcosmtab.com, the hijacker infection may gather your Internet surfing activity by saving URLs visited, IP addresses, internet browser version and type, cookie information, Internet Service Provider (ISP) and web-pages visited. Such kind of behavior can lead to serious security problems or privacy information theft. This is another reason why the hijacker infection that redirects the web browser to Search.microcosmtab.com, is defined as PUP (potentially unwanted program).
The guidance below explaining steps to remove Search.microcosmtab.com problem. Feel free to use it for removal of the browser hijacker that may attack Chrome, Edge, Internet Explorer and Firefox and other popular web browsers. The few simple steps will allow you revert back your some settings of web browsers that previously changed by hijacker.
How to remove Search.microcosmtab.com
Even if you have the up-to-date classic antivirus installed, and you have checked your system for malware and removed anything found, you need to do the tutorial below. The Search.microcosmtab.com hijacker infection removal is not simple as installing another antivirus. Classic antivirus software are not developed to run together and will conflict with each other, or possibly crash Windows. Instead we suggest complete the manual steps below after that use Zemana, MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) or AdwCleaner, which are free software dedicated to find and delete malware such as Search.microcosmtab.com hijacker infection. Run these utilities to ensure the hijacker is removed.
To remove Search.microcosmtab.com, execute the steps below:
- How to manually remove Search.microcosmtab.com
- How to remove Search.microcosmtab.com start page with free programs
- Use AdBlocker to stop Search.microcosmtab.com and stay safe online
- How was Search.microcosmtab.com browser hijacker infection installed on computer
- To sum up
How to manually remove Search.microcosmtab.com
The following instructions is a step-by-step guide, which will help you manually remove Search.microcosmtab.com start page from the Chrome, MS Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Remove questionable programs using Windows Control Panel
We advise that you begin the computer cleaning process by checking the list of installed software and remove all unknown or suspicious apps. This is a very important step, as mentioned above, very often the harmful applications such as adware and browser hijacker infections may be bundled with free programs. Delete the unwanted software can remove the undesired ads or web-browser redirect.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, click Windows button , then click Search . Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as displayed on the screen below.
Once the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as shown below.
You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel like below.
Very carefully look around the entire list of software installed on your computer. Most probably, one of them is the browser hijacker responsible for modifying your internet browser settings to Search.microcosmtab.com. 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’ve found a dubious, unwanted or unused application, right click to it, after that press ‘Uninstall’.
Windows XP, Vista, 7
First, click ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as shown below.
After the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as on the image below.
You will see a list of applications installed on your system. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the applications that were installed last. Most likely, it’s the Search.microcosmtab.com hijacker and other web-browser’s malicious extensions. If you’re 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 on the image below.
Remove Search.microcosmtab.com from IE
In order to recover all web browser new tab, start page and search engine by default you need to reset the Internet Explorer to the state, which was when the Microsoft Windows was installed on your system.
First, open the Microsoft Internet Explorer, then press ‘gear’ icon . It will display the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the web-browser, then press the “Internet Options” as on the image below.
In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then press the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” prompt. Further, press the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button as shown on the image below.
When the process is complete, click “Close” button. Close the Internet Explorer and reboot your machine for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web browser’s start page, search provider by default and new tab to default state.
Remove Search.microcosmtab.com from Google Chrome
Like other modern web browsers, the Google Chrome has the ability to reset the settings to their default values and thereby recover the web-browser default search provider, new tab and startpage that have been modified by the Search.microcosmtab.com hijacker.
Open the Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (). It will show the drop-down menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions.
Carefully browse through the list of installed plugins. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.
Open the Chrome main menu again, click to “Settings” option.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, like below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.
Get rid of Search.microcosmtab.com start page from Firefox
If the Firefox web browser application is hijacked, then resetting its settings can help. The Reset feature is available on all modern version of Firefox. A reset can fix many issues by restoring FF settings such as home page, new tab page and search engine to its default state. It’ll save your personal information like saved passwords, bookmarks, and open tabs.
First, launch the Firefox. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (). It will open the drop-down menu. Next, click the Help button ().
In the Help menu click the “Troubleshooting Information”. In the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page press on “Refresh Firefox” button like below.
Confirm your action, press the “Refresh Firefox”.
How to remove Search.microcosmtab.com start page with free programs
Many antivirus companies have designed applications that help detect and get rid of hijacker, and thereby return all your typical browsers settings. Below is a a few of the free applications you may want to use. Your computer can have a ton of PUPs, adware and browser hijackers installed at the same time, so we suggest, if any unwanted or harmful program returns after rebooting the machine, then run your computer into Safe Mode and use the anti malware tool again.
Run Zemana to remove browser hijacker
You can remove Search.microcosmtab.com automatically with a help of Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM). We suggest this malicious software removal tool because it can easily get rid of browser hijacker infections, potentially unwanted programs, adware and toolbars with all their components such as folders, files and registry entries.
- Installing the Zemana AntiMalware is simple. First you’ll need to download Zemana Free by clicking on the following link.
Zemana AntiMalware
164108 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
- Once the downloading process is done, close all applications and windows on your PC system. Open a file location. Double-click on the icon that’s named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
- Further, click Next button and follow the prompts.
- Once setup is finished, click the “Scan” button . Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) program will scan through the whole PC for the browser hijacker that changes browser settings to replace your search provider by default, new tab and home page with Search.microcosmtab.com site. This task can take quite a while, so please be patient. While the Zemana program is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as threat.
- When Zemana has completed scanning, Zemana AntiMalware will display a screen that contains a list of malicious software that has been detected. Review the results once the utility has finished the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click “Next”. After that process is done, you may be prompted to reboot your system.
Remove Search.microcosmtab.com homepage with Malwarebytes
Manual Search.microcosmtab.com homepage removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the hijacker may be not completely removed. We advise that run the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your personal computer of hijacker. Moreover, the free program will help you to delete malware, PUPs, adware and toolbars that your personal computer can be infected too.
- Download MalwareBytes on your PC from the link below.
Malwarebytes Anti-malware
326461 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
- After the download is finished, close all apps and windows on your computer. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup.
- Further, press Next button and follow the prompts.
- Once installation is finished, click the “Scan Now” button . MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) tool will start scanning the whole system to find out Search.microcosmtab.com browser hijacker infection and other web browser’s harmful extensions. Depending on your computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. During the scan MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) will find out threats present on your personal computer.
- Once that process is complete, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will display you the results. Next, you need to click “Quarantine Selected”. After disinfection is complete, you can be prompted to restart your system.
The following video offers a steps on how to remove hijacker infections, adware and other malware with MalwareBytes Anti-Malware.
Double-check for potentially unwanted apps with AdwCleaner
The AdwCleaner tool is free and easy to use. It can scan and delete hijacker infection that responsible for browser reroute to the intrusive Search.microcosmtab.com site, malware, potentially unwanted programs and adware from PC system (Microsoft Windows 10, 8, 7, XP) and thereby return web browsers default settings (search engine, start page and newtab page). AdwCleaner is powerful enough to search for and delete malicious registry entries and files that are hidden on the PC system.
- Installing the AdwCleaner is simple. First you’ll need to download AdwCleaner on your Windows Desktop from the link below.
AdwCleaner download
225298 downloads
Version: 8.4.1
Author: Xplode, MalwareBytes
Category: Security tools
Update: October 5, 2024
- When the download is finished, double click the AdwCleaner icon. Once this tool is launched, press “Scan” button for checking your machine for the hijacker infection that designed to redirect your internet browser to the Search.microcosmtab.com site. This process can take some time, so please be patient. While the AdwCleaner utility is scanning, you can see count of objects it has identified as being affected by malicious software.
- When the checking is done, AdwCleaner will display a list of found items. Review the results once the utility has finished the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click “Clean” button. It will show a prompt, click “OK”.
These few simple steps are shown in detail in the following video guide.
Use AdBlocker to stop Search.microcosmtab.com and stay safe online
Run an ad blocker utility like AdGuard will protect you from harmful advertisements and content. Moreover, you may find that the AdGuard have an option to protect your privacy and stop phishing and spam sites. Additionally, ad-blocker apps will allow you to avoid unwanted pop up advertisements and unverified links that also a good way to stay safe online.
Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard by clicking on the link below. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop or in any other place.
26656 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
Once the download is complete, double-click the downloaded file to launch it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen like 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 guidance like below.
Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick guide which will help you get to know AdGuard better.
Each time, when you run your computer, AdGuard will run automatically and stop popups, web-pages like Search.microcosmtab.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 may be found on your desktop.
How was Search.microcosmtab.com browser hijacker infection installed on computer
The Search.microcosmtab.com browser hijacker infection usually come along with another application in the same setup file. The risk of this is especially high for the various free programs downloaded from the Internet. The makers of the applications are hoping that users will run the quick install method, that is simply to click the Next button, without paying attention to the information on the screen and do not carefully considering every step of the install procedure. Thus, the hijacker can infiltrate your system without your knowledge. Therefore, it is very important to read all the information that tells the application during install, including the ‘Terms of Use’ and ‘Software license’. Use only the Manual, Custom or Advanced installation type. This method will help you to disable all optional and unwanted apps and components.
To sum up
Now your machine should be free of the browser hijacker that causes web-browsers to open undesired Search.microcosmtab.com web site. Remove AdwCleaner. We suggest that you keep Zemana Anti-Malware (to periodically scan your PC system for new browser hijacker infections and other malicious software) and AdGuard (to help you stop annoying popup advertisements and harmful web-pages). Moreover, to prevent hijacker infections, please stay clear of unknown and third party software, make sure that your antivirus program, turn on the option to detect potentially unwanted apps.
If you need more help with Search.microcosmtab.com related issues, go to our Spyware/Malware removal forum.