The Open PDF is a program that falls under the category of potentially unwanted software from browser hijackers family. Once installed, it may introduce some undesired changes to current settings of installed web-browsers. It will set Open PDF as your search provider by default, newtab page and homepage. Thus, if you open any of the internet browsers, it’ll always be open this intrusive web page. Moreover, when you create a new tab, the Mozilla Firefox, IE, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge can be also re-directed to Open PDF page.
The “Open PDF” makes changed to web browser settings
In addition, the Open PDF browser hijacker may also change the search engine selected in the browser. When you try to search on the affected web browser, you’ll be presented with search results, consisting of advertisements and Google (or Yahoo, or Bing) search results for your query. Among these search results can occur links that lead to unwanted and ad websites.
Often, the machine which has been affected by Open PDF hijacker, will be also infected with adware (also known as ‘ad-supported’ software) that shows a huge count of various advertisements. It can be pop-ups, text links in the websites, banners where they never had. What is more, the adware may replace the legitimate ads with malicious advertisements that will offer to download and install malicious software and unwanted applications or visit the various dangerous and misleading web pages.
So, it’s very important to free your personal computer of browser hijacker as soon as possible. The steps, which is shown below, will help you to get rid of Open PDF startpage from the Edge, Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Google Chrome and other web-browsers.
How to remove Open PDF from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
In the step-by-step tutorial below, we will try to cover the Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome and IE and provide general help to remove Open PDF redirect. You may find some minor differences in your MS Windows install. No matter, you should be okay if you follow the steps outlined below: delete all suspicious and unknown apps, reset internet browsers settings, fix browsers shortcuts, run free malware removal utilities. Read it once, after doing so, please print this page as you may need to close your web browser or reboot your PC.
To remove Open PDF new tab, follow the steps below:
- How to remove Open PDF without any software
- How to get rid of Open PDF search with free software
- Stop Open PDF redirect and other intrusive webpages
- Tips to prevent Open PDF and other unwanted apps
- Finish words
How to remove Open PDF without any software
To get rid of Open PDF browser hijacker, ‘ad supported’ software and other unwanted programs you can try to do so manually. Unfortunately some of the hijackers won’t show up in your application list, but some hijackers may. In this case, you may be able to get rid of it through the uninstall function of your MS Windows computer. You can do this by following the steps below.
Uninstall potentially unwanted programs through the MS Windows Control Panel
Check out the Microsoft Windows Control Panel (Programs and Features section) to see all installed applications. We advise to click on the “Date Installed” in order to sort the list of apps by the date you installed them. If you see any unknown and dubious applications, they are the ones you need to uninstall.
Make sure you have closed all internet browsers and other software. Next, uninstall any unknown and suspicious software from your Control panel.
Windows 10, 8.1, 8
Now, press the Windows button, type “Control panel” in search and press Enter. Select “Programs and Features”, then “Uninstall a program”.
Look around the entire list of software installed on your computer. Most probably, one of them is the browser hijacker infection related to Open PDF start page. Choose the questionable application or the program that name is not familiar to you and remove it.
Windows Vista, 7
From the “Start” menu in Windows, choose “Control Panel”. Under the “Programs” icon, select “Uninstall a program”.
Choose the dubious or any unknown software, then press “Uninstall/Change” button to uninstall this undesired program from your machine.
Windows XP
Click the “Start” button, select “Control Panel” option. Click on “Add/Remove Programs”.
Choose an undesired program, then press “Change/Remove” button. Follow the prompts.
Get rid of Open PDF from Chrome
In order to be sure that there is nothing left behind, we recommend you to reset Google Chrome internet browser. It’ll return Chrome settings including default search engine, newtab and start page to defaults.
First run the Google Chrome. Next, press the button in the form of three horizontal dots (
).
It will show the Chrome menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions. Carefully browse through the list of installed extensions. If the list has the addon signed with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following guide: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Open the Google Chrome menu once again. Further, press the option called “Settings”.
The internet browser will open the settings screen. Another solution to open the Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the web-browser adress bar and press Enter
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the “Reset” section is visible, like below and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Google Chrome will show the confirmation dialog box as shown on the screen below.
You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The web-browser will run the task of cleaning. Once it’s finished, the web-browser’s settings including home page, default search engine and new tab back to the values that have been when the Chrome was first installed on your computer.
Remove Open PDF redirect from Firefox
If Firefox homepage or search engine are hijacked by the Open PDF, your internet browser shows annoying popup advertisements, then ‘Reset Mozilla Firefox’ could solve these problems. It’ll keep your personal information such as browsing history, bookmarks, passwords and web form auto-fill data.
First, open the Mozilla Firefox and press 
button. It will open the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web-browser. Further, press 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 web browser adress bar and press Enter. It will show the “Troubleshooting Information” page as displayed 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 Firefox will begin a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the hijacker responsible for modifying your web browser settings to Open PDF. When, it’s finished, press the “Finish” button.
Remove Open PDF new tab from Internet Explorer
In order to recover all web-browser startpage, new tab page and default search provider you need to reset the Internet Explorer to the state, that was when the Microsoft Windows was installed on your personal computer.
First, open the Internet Explorer, then click ‘gear’ icon 
. It will display the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the internet browser, then press the “Internet Options” as shown below.
In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will display the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” dialog box. Further, press the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button as displayed on the image below.
When the procedure is complete, press “Close” button. Close the Internet Explorer and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web browser’s start page, newtab and default search engine to default state.
How to get rid of Open PDF search with free software
There are not many good free anti-malware programs with high detection ratio. The effectiveness of malicious software removal tools 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 potentially unwanted apps. We recommend to run several programs, not just one. These programs that listed below will help you remove all components of the browser hijacker from your disk and Windows registry and thereby remove Open PDF homepage.
Use Zemana Anti-Malware to delete Open PDF
We advise using the Zemana Anti Malware which are completely clean your machine of the hijacker infection. The utility is an advanced malware removal application designed by (c) Zemana lab. It is able to help you remove potentially unwanted apps, browser hijackers, adware, malicious software, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your system for free.
Now you can set up and run Zemana to delete Open PDF startpage from your web browser by following the steps below:
Please go to the following link to download Zemana Free installation package called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your machine. Save it directly to your Microsoft Windows Desktop.
164986 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Launch the installation package after it has been downloaded successfully and then follow the prompts to install this tool on your machine.
During installation you can change certain settings, but we advise you do not make any changes to default settings.
When installation is finished, this malicious software removal utility will automatically start and update itself. You will see its main window as on the image below.
Now click the “Scan” button to detect browser hijacker responsible for changing your web-browser settings to Open PDF. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your PC system. During the scan Zemana Anti-Malware will look for threats exist on your PC system.
When Zemana has finished scanning, Zemana Free will display a scan report. When you are ready, press “Next” button.
The Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will delete browser hijacker that causes web browsers to display undesired Open PDF website. When disinfection is finished, you may be prompted to reboot your PC system to make the change take effect.
Scan your PC system and delete Open PDF redirect with Hitman Pro
If Zemana cannot remove this hijacker, then we suggests to run the Hitman Pro. The HitmanPro is a free powerful, professional removal utility for malware, adware, PUPs, toolbars as well as hijacker responsible for redirecting your internet browser to Open PDF web-site. It completely removes all traces and remnants of the infection.
- Download Hitman Pro on your MS Windows Desktop from the following link.
- After downloading is finished, double click the Hitman Pro icon. Once this utility is launched, press “Next” button to perform a system scan for the browser hijacker infection that causes browsers to display undesired Open PDF web site. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your computer and the speed of your PC system.
- After HitmanPro has finished scanning, HitmanPro will show a list of all threats detected by the scan. Make sure all items have ‘checkmark’ and click “Next” button. Now click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to delete all malware found.
How to remove Open PDF with Malwarebytes
You can get rid of Open PDF start page automatically with a help of Malwarebytes Free. We recommend this free malware 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.
- Click the link below to download MalwareBytes Free. Save it on your Desktop.
Malwarebytes Anti-malware
327224 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
- When the download is finished, close all software and windows on your PC system. 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, press the “Scan Now” button to detect browser hijacker infection that cause Open PDF webpage to appear. Depending on your machine, the scan may take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. When a malicious software, adware or PUPs are found, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.
- Once MalwareBytes AntiMalware has finished scanning your PC, MalwareBytes will open a list of all items detected by the scan. In order to delete all threats, simply click “Quarantine Selected”. When the task is done, you can be prompted to reboot your computer.
The following video offers a steps on how to get rid of browser hijacker infections, adware and other malicious software with MalwareBytes Free.
Stop Open PDF redirect and other intrusive webpages
Use an ad blocker utility like AdGuard will protect you from harmful ads and content. Moreover, you can find that the AdGuard have an option to protect your privacy and block phishing and spam web sites. Additionally, ad-blocker apps will allow you to avoid annoying pop up ads and unverified links that also a good way to stay safe online.
Visit the page linked below to download AdGuard. Save it on your MS Windows desktop or in any other place.
26883 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
Once the downloading process is done, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as shown 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 instructions as on the image below.
Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial which will help you get to know AdGuard better.
Each time, when you run your PC system, AdGuard will start automatically and block pop up advertisements, Open PDF redirect, as well as other malicious or misleading websites. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, that is located on your desktop.
Tips to prevent Open PDF and other unwanted apps
Most often Open PDF hijacker infection spreads bundled with various free applications, as a bonus. Therefore it is very important at the stage of installing programs downloaded from the Internet carefully review the Terms of use and the License agreement, as well as to always choose the Advanced, Custom or Manual installation option. In this mode, you can turn off all unwanted add-ons, including the Open PDF hijacker, which will be installed along with the desired program. Of course, if you uninstall the free software from your machine, your favorite web browser’s settings will not be restored. So, to revert back the Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Chrome and Microsoft Edge’s search engine by default, start page and newtab you need to follow the step-by-step tutorial above.
Finish words
Once you have complete the few simple steps above, your computer should be clean from hijacker that responsible for browser redirect to the undesired Open PDF website and other malware. The Internet Explorer, Chrome, MS Edge and Firefox will no longer display annoying Open PDF web site on startup. Unfortunately, if the guide 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.
