The Privacy-search.xyz is a harmful browser hijacker that could bring various problems to your computer. After its install, it can make certain undesired changes to your web browser’s settings, making your homepage, newtab and search engine to become its own website. You may have some problems such as being rerouted to intrusive web sites, receiving a large number of unwanted popup advertisements, and confidential information about you being gathered without any knowledge, while this browser hijacker infection is installed on your personal computer.
As mentioned above, this browser hijacker infection can alter the default search provider on an unwanted site too, so all your search queries will be redirected to Privacy-search.xyz. Thus the authors of the hijacker infection can gather the search terms of your queries, and redirect you to intrusive pages.
The Privacy-search.xyz hijacker might not only modify your homepage or search engine, but redirect your web-browser to shady webpages. The hijacker infection can analyze your browsing, and gain access to your user info and, later, can sell it to third parties. Thus, there are more than enough reasons to get rid of Privacy-search.xyz from your browser.
The Privacy-search.xyz browser hijacker may change some settings of browsers, but often that this unwanted software can also infect all types of internet browsers by changing their desktop shortcuts. Thus forcing the user to see Privacy-search.xyz webpage every time start the web browser.
Therefore it’s very important to free your PC system of browser hijacker as quickly as possible. Follow the step-by-step instructions below to delete Privacy-search.xyz , as well as other malicious software and ad supported software, which can be installed onto your computer along with it.
Remove Privacy-search.xyz from Google Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge(removal guide)
Fortunately, we have an effective solution that will assist you manually or/and automatically remove Privacy-search.xyz from your personal computer and bring your internet browser settings, including new tab page, homepage and default search provider, back to normal. Below you’ll find a removal instructions with all the steps you may need to successfully get rid of this hijacker and its components. Read this manual carefully, bookmark or print it, because you may need to close your web browser or reboot your PC system.
To remove Privacy-search.xyz, perform the following steps:
- Delete Privacy-search.xyz without any tools
- Removing the Privacy-search.xyz, check the list of installed apps first
- Fix infected internet browsers shortcuts to delete Privacy-search.xyz search
- Remove Privacy-search.xyz from Mozilla Firefox by resetting web-browser settings
- Delete Privacy-search.xyz from Internet Explorer
- Remove Privacy-search.xyz from Chrome
- How to automatically remove Privacy-search.xyz browser hijacker
- How to block Privacy-search.xyz redirect
- How was Privacy-search.xyz hijacker installed on system
- To sum up
Delete Privacy-search.xyz without any tools
Most common browser hijacker infections may be deleted without any antivirus applications. The manual hijacker removal is guidance that will teach you how to get rid of the Privacy-search.xyz redirect.
Removing the Privacy-search.xyz, check the list of installed apps first
Some potentially unwanted applications, browser hijacking applications and ‘ad supported’ software can be uninstalled by uninstalling the free programs they came with. If this way does not succeed, then looking them up in the list of installed apps in Microsoft Windows Control Panel. Use the “Uninstall” command in order to remove them.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, click Windows button
, then press Search 
. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as displayed below.
When the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as displayed below.
You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel like below.
Very carefully look around the entire list of programs installed on your PC system. Most likely, one of them is the browser hijacker infection responsible for redirecting user searches to Privacy-search.xyz. If you’ve many programs installed, you can help simplify the search of harmful applications by sort the list by date of installation. Once you have found a dubious, unwanted or unused application, right click to it, after that click ‘Uninstall’.
Windows XP, Vista, 7
First, press ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as shown in the figure below.
After the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as displayed in the following example.
You will see a list of programs installed on your PC. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the programs that were installed last. Most likely, it is the browser hijacker infection responsible for redirecting your web-browser to Privacy-search.xyz site. 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 uninstall is found, simply press on its name, and then press ‘Uninstall’ as displayed in the following example.
Fix infected internet browsers shortcuts to delete Privacy-search.xyz search
Now you need to clean up the internet browser shortcut files. Check that the shortcut file referring to the right exe-file of the internet browser, and not on any unknown file.
Right click on the shortcut file of infected web browser like below.
Select the “Properties” option and it’ll open the shortcut’s properties. Next, click the “Shortcut” tab and then delete the “http://site.address” string from Target field as shown in the figure below.
Then press OK to save changes. Repeat the step for all web browsers which are redirected to the Privacy-search.xyz undesired web page.
Remove Privacy-search.xyz from Mozilla Firefox by resetting web-browser settings
Resetting Firefox web-browser will reset all the settings to their original state and will remove Privacy-search.xyz, malicious add-ons and extensions. When using the reset feature, your personal information such as passwords, bookmarks, browsing history and web form auto-fill data will be saved.
First, open the Mozilla Firefox. Next, press the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (
). It will show 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 as displayed in the following example.
Confirm your action, press the “Refresh Firefox”.
Delete Privacy-search.xyz from Internet Explorer
In order to restore all web browser newtab, startpage and search engine you need to reset the Microsoft Internet Explorer to the state, which was when the Windows was installed on your PC system.
First, run the Internet Explorer, then press ‘gear’ icon 
. It will open the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the internet browser, then click the “Internet Options” as on the image below.
In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Microsoft 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 shown below.
After the task is finished, click “Close” button. Close the IE and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your internet browser’s startpage, newtab page and default search provider to default state.
Remove Privacy-search.xyz from Chrome
If Chrome newtab page, search provider by default and start page were hijacked by Privacy-search.xyz then ‘Reset Chrome’ is a solution {which} helps to return the web browser to its factory state. To reset Chrome to the original defaults, follow the steps below.
First open the Google Chrome. Next, press the button in the form of three horizontal dots (
).
It will open the Chrome menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions. Carefully browse through the list of installed add-ons. If the list has the extension signed with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following guidance: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Open the Chrome menu once again. Further, click the option called “Settings”.
The internet browser will display the settings screen. Another way 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, as displayed on the screen below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Chrome will show the confirmation prompt as displayed in the following example.
You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The browser will start the process of cleaning. When it is complete, the web-browser’s settings including newtab page, start page and search engine by default back to the values that have been when the Google Chrome was first installed on your PC.
How to automatically remove Privacy-search.xyz browser hijacker
If you are unsure how to get rid of Privacy-search.xyz browser hijacker infection easily, consider using automatic hijacker removal apps that listed below. It will identify the hijacker that cause Privacy-search.xyz web-page to appear and delete it from your computer for free.
Automatically remove Privacy-search.xyz home page with Zemana
Zemana Free is a tool that can get rid of adware, potentially unwanted apps, browser hijacker infections and other malicious software from your personal computer easily and for free. Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) is compatible with most antivirus software. It works under Windows (10 – XP, 32 and 64 bit) and uses minimum of computer resources.
Installing the Zemana Free is simple. First you will need to download Zemana AntiMalware on your machine from the following link.
164979 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Once the downloading process is finished, start it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the Zemana AntiMalware will try to update itself and when this process is complete, click the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this tool for the Privacy-search.xyz hijacker infection and other web-browser’s malicious add-ons.
Depending on your PC system, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the Zemana tool is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as being affected by malicious software. Next, you need to press “Next” button.
The Zemana will remove hijacker responsible for modifying your internet browser settings to Privacy-search.xyz and add items to the Quarantine.
Use HitmanPro to remove Privacy-search.xyz from the computer
All-in-all, Hitman Pro is a fantastic utility to clean your PC system from any undesired applications like hijacker infection that cause a redirect to Privacy-search.xyz web-site. The HitmanPro is portable program that meaning, you do not need to install it to use it. HitmanPro is compatible with all versions of Windows operating system from Microsoft Windows XP to Windows 10. Both 64-bit and 32-bit systems are supported.
Installing the Hitman Pro is simple. First you will need to download Hitman Pro from the link below. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
After the download is finished, open the file location and double-click the HitmanPro icon. It will start the Hitman Pro tool. If the User Account Control prompt will ask you want to start the application, click Yes button to continue.
Next, click “Next” . HitmanPro program will scan through the whole machine for the hijacker responsible for redirects to Privacy-search.xyz. Depending on your personal computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. When a threat is detected, the count of the security threats will change accordingly.
When Hitman Pro has completed scanning your PC, a list of all threats detected is produced as displayed on the screen below.
Next, you need to click “Next” button. It will open a dialog box, click the “Activate free license” button. The HitmanPro will delete hijacker infection that developed to reroute your browser to the Privacy-search.xyz web-site and move items to the program’s quarantine. After finished, the utility may ask you to reboot your system.
Remove Privacy-search.xyz search with Malwarebytes
Manual Privacy-search.xyz search removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the hijacker can be not completely removed. We advise that use the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your personal computer of browser hijacker infection. Moreover, the free program will help you to delete malware, potentially unwanted programs, adware and toolbars that your personal computer may be infected too.
Installing the MalwareBytes is simple. First you’ll need to download MalwareBytes Free from the following link. Save it on your MS Windows desktop.
327223 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
When the downloading process is finished, close all apps and windows on your computer. Double-click the set up file named mb3-setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown in the following example, click the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” which will help you set up MalwareBytes on your machine. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once installation is done successfully, click Finish button. MalwareBytes Free will automatically start and you can see its main screen as shown in the figure below.
Now click the “Scan Now” button to begin checking your system for the browser hijacker that causes web-browsers to show annoying Privacy-search.xyz web page. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your system and the speed of your PC. During the scan MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) will find out threats exist on your computer.
After the scan get finished, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) will display a list of detected threats. Review the results once the utility has done the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click “Quarantine Selected” button. The MalwareBytes will delete hijacker that responsible for web browser redirect to the annoying Privacy-search.xyz site. After finished, you may be prompted to reboot the PC.
We suggest you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the MalwareBytes Free to remove ad-supported software, browser hijacker and other malicious software.
How to block Privacy-search.xyz redirect
To put it simply, you need to use an ad blocker utility (AdGuard, for example). It’ll block and protect you from all undesired pages like Privacy-search.xyz, ads and {pop-ups}. To be able to do that, the adblocker application uses a list of filters. Each filter is a rule that describes a malicious web-page, an advertising content, a banner and others. The adblocker application automatically uses these filters, depending on the webpages you’re visiting.
Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard from the link below.
26883 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After downloading it, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as shown on the image 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 guide as shown below.
Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick guidance that will assist you get to know AdGuard better.
Each time, when you start your PC, AdGuard will start automatically and stop pop-ups, Privacy-search.xyz redirect, as well as other harmful or misleading web sites. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, which can be found on your desktop.
How was Privacy-search.xyz hijacker installed on system
In many cases Privacy-search.xyz hijacker is bundled with various freeware, as a bonus. Therefore it’s very important at the stage of installing software 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 method, you can turn off all unwanted add-ons, including the Privacy-search.xyz browser hijacker, which will be installed along with the desired program. Of course, if you uninstall the free programs from your machine, your favorite web-browser’s settings will not be restored. So, to return the Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Edge and Google Chrome’s search provider by default, newtab page and startpage you need to follow the step-by-step guide above.
To sum up
Now your computer should be free of the Privacy-search.xyz browser hijacker infection and other internet browser’s harmful plugins. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted popup ads and undesired harmful web-pages) and Zemana Free (to periodically scan your machine for new malicious software, hijacker infections and adware). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for MS Windows operating system. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new browser hijackers, harmful programs and adware are released.
If you are still having problems while trying to remove Privacy-search.xyz start page from your web browser, then ask for help here.
