How to remove Hit Search [Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge]

The Hit Search is a PUP (potentially unwanted program) from the category of browser hijackers. It’s a type of malware that imposes changes to your machine’s web browser settings like search provider, startpage and newtab page. Once started, this hijacker will modify current settings of installed internet browsers to Hit Search. Please ignore this web page and refrain from clicking to any links on it and going to any pages mentioned on it. We suggest you to clean your personal computer of hijacker and thus revert back your home page immediately . Perform the tutorial below. The detailed removal guidance will allow you remove Hit Search and protect your computer from more dangerous malware and trojans.

When the Hit Search browser hijacker infection is installed on a web browser, it might:

• set Hit Search as default search engine, new tab page, and startpage;
• prevent users from changing search engine or home page address;
• reroute your queries to sponsored sites;
• provide altered search results;
• record your search queries;
• randomly redirects to questionable sites;
• show annoying ads;
• collect Internet surfing habits and sell it to third parties.

While the Hit Search hijacker is active, you won’t be able to restore the Google Chrome, IE, Mozilla Firefox and Edge’ settings such as startpage, search engine by default and newtab. If you try to set your startpage to be Google, Bing or Yahoo, those settings will be automatically modified to Hit Search with the next personal computer reboot. But this does not mean that you should just ignore it or get along with this fact. Because this is not the best option, due to the Hit Search startpage you can have problems with the Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge, annoying ads and even privacy info theft.

We advise you to delete Hit Search and free your computer of hijacker infection as quickly as possible, until the presence of the browser hijacker has not led to even worse consequences. You need to perform the steps below that will help you to completely get rid of Hit Search redirect, using only the built-in Windows features and a few of specialized free tools.

Remove Hit Search redirect

The following guidance will allow you to remove Hit Search startpage from the Chrome, MS Edge, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Moreover, the step-by-step guide below will help you to get rid of malicious software such as PUPs, ad supported software and toolbars that your PC system may be infected. Please do the instructions step by step. If you need help or have any questions, then ask for our assistance or type a comment below. Certain of the steps will require you to reboot your PC system or shut down this website. So, read this guidance carefully, then bookmark or print it for later reference.

To remove Hit Search, execute the following steps:

1. Get rid of Hit Search without any tools
   • Delete Hit Search related programs through the Control Panel of your PC system
   • Get rid of Hit Search home page from Internet Explorer
   • Remove Hit Search from Google Chrome
   • Delete Hit Search from Mozilla Firefox
2. How to automatically delete Hit Search browser hijacker
   • How to automatically delete Hit Search with Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM)
   • Remove Hit Search from internet browsers with Hitman Pro
   • Scan and free your machine of browser hijacker infection with Malwarebytes
3. How to block Hit Search redirect
4. Why has my start page and search provider changed to Hit Search?
5. Finish words

Get rid of Hit Search without any tools

Most common hijacker infections may be uninstalled without any antivirus software. The manual hijacker removal is few simple steps that will teach you how to remove the Hit Search .

Delete Hit Search related programs through the Control Panel of your PC system

It is of primary importance to first identify and remove all PUPs, ‘ad supported’ software programs and hijacker infections through ‘Add/Remove Programs’ (Windows XP) or ‘Uninstall a program’ (Windows 10, 8, 7) section of your Windows Control Panel.

Carefully browse through the list of installed programs and remove all suspicious and unknown applications. We suggest to click ‘Installed programs’ and even sorts all installed apps by date. Once you’ve found anything suspicious that may be the browser hijacker responsible for Hit Search redirect or other PUP (potentially unwanted program), then select this application and click ‘Uninstall’ in the upper part of the window. If the questionable program blocked from removal, then run Revo Uninstaller Freeware to fully remove it from your PC.

Get rid of Hit Search home page from Internet Explorer

First, start the IE. Next, press the button in the form of gear (). It will display the Tools drop-down menu, press the “Internet Options” as displayed on the image below.

In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The IE will display the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as shown on the screen below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click “Reset” button.

You will now need to restart your personal computer for the changes to take effect.

Remove Hit Search from Google Chrome

If Google Chrome new tab, search provider by default and start page were hijacked by Hit Search then ‘Reset Chrome’ is a way {which} helps to revert back the web-browser to its factory state. To reset Chrome to the original defaults, follow the steps below.

First run the Chrome. Next, click the button in the form of three horizontal dots ().

It will open the Chrome menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions. Carefully browse through the list of installed extensions. If the list has the extension signed with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following steps: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.

Open the Google Chrome menu once again. Further, press the option named “Settings”.

The internet browser will open the settings screen. Another method to open the Chrome’s settings – type chrome://settings in the 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 in the figure below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.

The Chrome will display the confirmation prompt as displayed in the figure below.

You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The browser will start the process of cleaning. When it’s done, the web browser’s settings including start page, new tab and default search provider back to the values which have been when the Google Chrome was first installed on your computer.

Delete Hit Search from Mozilla Firefox

If the Firefox web-browser program is hijacked, then resetting its settings can help. The Reset feature is available on all modern version of Mozilla Firefox. A reset can fix many issues by restoring Mozilla Firefox settings such as startpage, search provider by default and newtab page to their default values. However, your saved passwords and bookmarks will not be changed, deleted or cleared.

First, open the Firefox and click button. It will open the drop-down menu on the right-part of the internet browser. Further, click the Help button () as 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 show the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown on the image 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 start a task to fix your problems that caused by the hijacker infection responsible for changing your web browser settings to Hit Search. Once, it’s finished, press the “Finish” button.

How to automatically delete Hit Search browser hijacker

In order to completely remove Hit Search, you not only need to remove it from the web browsers, but also get rid of all its components in your computer including Windows registry entries. We suggest to download and use free removal tools to automatically free your personal computer of Hit Search browser hijacker.

How to automatically delete Hit Search with Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM)

You can delete Hit Search automatically with a help of Zemana AntiMalware. We suggest this malicious software removal tool because it can easily get rid of browser hijackers, PUPs, ad-supported software and toolbars with all their components such as folders, files and registry entries.

Installing the Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) is simple. First you will need to download Zemana Anti Malware on your MS Windows Desktop from the link below.

Once the download is complete, close all applications and windows on your system. Double-click the install file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as shown in the figure below, click the “Yes” button.

It will open the “Setup wizard” which will help you setup Zemana on your machine. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.

Once installation is complete successfully, Zemana AntiMalware will automatically start and you can see its main screen as shown on the image below.

Now press the “Scan” button to detect Hit Search browser hijacker and other web browser’s harmful extensions. A system scan may take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your machine. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is complete.

When the system scan is done, you will be opened the list of all found items on your personal computer. All found threats will be marked. You can delete them all by simply click “Next” button. The Zemana Free will start to remove browser hijacker infection responsible for redirecting your web browser to Hit Search webpage. After disinfection is done, you may be prompted to restart the computer.

Remove Hit Search from internet browsers with Hitman Pro

The Hitman Pro utility is free and easy to use. It can scan and remove hijacker responsible for modifying your internet browser settings to Hit Search, malware, PUPs and ad-supported software from system (Windows 10, 8, 7, XP) and thereby restore browsers default settings (newtab page, start page and search provider). HitmanPro is powerful enough to scan for and delete malicious registry entries and files that are hidden on the personal computer.

1. Download Hitman Pro by clicking on the following link. Save it on your Windows desktop.
   
   

   HitmanPro
   12076 downloads
   Author: Sophos
   Category: Security tools
   Update: June 28, 2018
   
2. After downloading is complete, double click the HitmanPro icon. Once this utility is started, click “Next” button . Hitman Pro program will scan through the whole computer for the browser hijacker responsible for modifying your web-browser settings to Hit Search. While the Hitman Pro utility is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as being affected by malicious software.
3. After the scan is finished, HitmanPro will open a scan report. 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 remove all malicious software found.

Scan and free your machine of browser hijacker infection with Malwarebytes

Manual Hit Search startpage removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the hijacker infection can be not completely removed. We recommend that run the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your PC system of browser hijacker infection. Moreover, the free application will help you to remove malware, potentially unwanted programs, adware and toolbars that your personal computer can be infected too.

Visit the following page to download MalwareBytes Anti-Malware. Save it on your MS Windows desktop.

Once the download is finished, close all applications and windows on your personal computer. Double-click the install file called mb3-setup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up as displayed in the following example, click the “Yes” button.

It will open the “Setup wizard” that will help you setup MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) on your system. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.

Once installation is finished successfully, press Finish button. MalwareBytes will automatically start and you can see its main screen as shown in the figure below.

Now click the “Scan Now” button for scanning your system for the hijacker infection that causes web browsers to show annoying Hit Search web-page. 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 PC system. When a malicious software, ad supported software or potentially unwanted software are detected, the count of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the scanning is complete.

After that process is done, MalwareBytes AntiMalware will show a scan report. Review the report and then click “Quarantine Selected” button. The MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) will start to get rid of browser hijacker responsible for redirecting your web browser to Hit Search webpage. Once finished, you may be prompted to restart the computer.

We suggest you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the MalwareBytes Anti Malware to get rid of adware, browser hijacker and other malware.

How to block Hit Search redirect

It is important to run adblocker applications such as AdGuard to protect your system from malicious web-pages. Most security experts says that it is okay to block advertisements. You should do so just to stay safe! And, of course, the AdGuard can to block Hit Search and other undesired web sites.

AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link. Save it on your Desktop.

When downloading is finished, double-click the downloaded file to launch it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as 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 guidance as on the image below.

Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick guidance which will allow you get to know AdGuard better.

Each time, when you start your computer, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted pop-up ads, Hit Search redirect, as well as other malicious 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 may be found on your desktop.

Why has my start page and search provider changed to Hit Search?

The Hit Search hijacker infection spreads along with various freeware. This means that you need to be very careful when installing applications downloaded from the Internet, even from a large proven hosting. Be sure to read the Terms of Use and the Software license, choose only the Manual, Advanced or Custom install type, switch off all additional modules and programs are offered to install.

Finish words

After completing the few simple steps above, your PC should be free from hijacker infection related to Hit Search and other malware. The Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge will no longer display intrusive Hit Search site on startup. Unfortunately, if the step-by-step guide does not help you, then you have caught a new hijacker infection, and then the best way – ask for help here.