Computer security experts called the Search.startbrowser.io a browser hijacker. What is a browser hijacker? The browser hijacker is a browser extension or program that engages in behavior that is unexpected, or that negatively affects the user’s Net surfing experience. Examples include programs that switches web browser’s startpage, search engine or other settings of a browser to ones you don’t want.
http://search.startbrowser.io/search#
While redirecting, your browser’s status bar may show the following messages: ‘Waiting for Search.startbrowser.io’, ‘Transferring data from Search.startbrowser.io’, ‘Looking up Search.startbrowser.io’, ‘Read Search.startbrowser.io’, ‘Connected to Search.startbrowser.io’.
When you are performing searches using the internet browser that has been affected with Search.startbrowser.io, the search results will be returned from Bing, Yahoo or Google Custom Search. The devs behind Search.startbrowser.io hijacker are most probably doing this to earn advertisement money from the advertisements opened in the search results.
We recommend you to get rid of Search.startbrowser.io homepage and free your computer of browser hijacker immediately, until the presence of the browser hijacker has not led to even worse consequences. Perform the few simple steps below that will allow you to completely get rid of Search.startbrowser.io redirect, using only the built-in Windows features and a few of specialized free utilities.
How to remove Search.startbrowser.io redirect
In order to get rid of Search.startbrowser.io from the IE, Mozilla Firefox, MS Edge and Chrome and set your preferred start page and search provider, you need to reset the web browser settings. Additionally, you should look up for other suspicious entries, such as files, programs, web browser extensions and shortcuts. However, if you want to remove Search.startbrowser.io easily, you should use reputable anti-malware utility and let it do the job for you.
To remove Search.startbrowser.io, follow the steps below:
- How to manually get rid of Search.startbrowser.io
- Scan your computer and delete Search.startbrowser.io with free tools
- Stop Search.startbrowser.io and other undesired pages
- How can you prevent your system from the attack of Search.startbrowser.io browser hijacker
- Finish words
How to manually get rid of Search.startbrowser.io
The useful removal guide for the Search.startbrowser.io . The detailed procedure can be followed by anyone as it really does take you step-by-step. If you follow this process to remove Search.startbrowser.io homepage let us know how you managed by sending us your comments please.
Uninstall potentially unwanted programs using Microsoft Windows Control Panel
Some programs are free only because their setup file contains a hijacker like the Search.startbrowser.io. This unwanted software generates revenue for the authors when it is installed. Many browser hijacker infections can be removed by simply uninstalling them from the ‘Uninstall a Program’ that is located in Microsoft Windows control panel.
Press Windows button 
, then press Search 
. Type “Control panel”and press Enter. If you using Windows XP or Windows 7, then press “Start” and select “Control Panel”. It will open the Windows Control Panel as displayed on the screen below.
Further, press “Uninstall a program” 
It will display a list of all programs installed on your computer. Scroll through the all list, and remove any dubious and unknown applications.
Remove Search.startbrowser.io from Firefox
The Firefox reset will delete unwanted search provider and startpage like Search.startbrowser.io, modified preferences, extensions and security settings. 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 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 press the “Troubleshooting Information”. In the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page click on “Refresh Firefox” button as displayed below.
Confirm your action, click the “Refresh Firefox”.
Remove Search.startbrowser.io startpage from Microsoft Internet Explorer
If you find that IE browser settings such as search engine by default, homepage and new tab page had been hijacked, then you may restore your settings, via the reset web browser process.
First, start the IE, press 
) button. Next, click “Internet Options” like below.
In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, click Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will display the Reset Internet Explorer settings prompt. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box and click Reset button.
You will now need to reboot your machine for the changes to take effect. It will delete browser hijacker that cause Search.startbrowser.io website to appear, disable malicious and ad-supported browser’s extensions and restore the Internet Explorer’s settings such as start page, search provider by default and new tab page to default state.
Delete Search.startbrowser.io redirect from Google Chrome
Reset Chrome settings is a simple way to remove the hijacker infection, malicious and adware extensions, as well as to restore the internet browser’s new tab page, home page and search provider that have been replaced by browser hijacker.
- First, start the Google Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three dots).
- It will open the Google Chrome main menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
- You’ll see the list of installed plugins. If the list has the plugin labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
- Now open the Google Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
- Next, click “Advanced” link, that located at the bottom of the Settings page.
- On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
- The Google Chrome will show the reset settings prompt as shown on the screen above.
- Confirm the browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
- To learn more, read the blog post How to reset Chrome settings to default.
Scan your computer and delete Search.startbrowser.io with free tools
Manual removal steps may not be for an unskilled computer user. Each Search.startbrowser.io removal step above, such as removing questionable applications, restoring hijacked shortcuts, removing the browser hijacker infection from system settings, must be performed very carefully. If you are in doubt during any of the steps listed in the manual removal above, then we advise that you follow the automatic Search.startbrowser.io removal steps listed below.
How to delete Search.startbrowser.io with Zemana
We recommend using the Zemana Free which are completely clean your computer of the hijacker. The tool is an advanced malware removal program made by (c) Zemana lab. It’s able to help you get rid of PUPs, hijackers, ‘ad supported’ software, malicious software, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your computer for free.
Download Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) on your machine by clicking on the link below.
164113 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Once the download is complete, close all programs and windows on your PC system. Double-click the set up file called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up as on the image below, click the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Zemana Anti-Malware on your system. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
Once installation is done successfully, Zemana AntiMalware will automatically start and you can see its main screen as displayed below.
Now click the “Scan” button to perform a system scan for the browser hijacker responsible for redirects to Search.startbrowser.io. 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. While the Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) program is scanning, you may see count of objects it has identified as threat.
When Zemana Anti-Malware has finished scanning, Zemana Free will open you the results. 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 press “Next” button. The Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will get rid of hijacker that causes browsers to open annoying Search.startbrowser.io web page. When the cleaning process is done, you may be prompted to restart the system.
Scan your computer and get rid of Search.startbrowser.io with HitmanPro
Hitman Pro is a portable utility which identifies and removes unwanted software like browser hijackers, adware, toolbars, other browser plugins and other malware. It scans your computer for browser hijacker responsible for redirects to Search.startbrowser.io and creates a list of items marked for removal. Hitman Pro will only erase those unwanted apps that you wish to be removed.
- Visit the following page to download the latest version of Hitman Pro for Windows. Save it to your Desktop.
- Once downloading is finished, double click the Hitman Pro icon. Once this tool is launched, click “Next” button for checking your PC system for the browser hijacker responsible for redirects to Search.startbrowser.io. While the Hitman Pro tool is checking, you can see number of objects it has identified as being affected by malware.
- Once Hitman Pro has finished scanning your machine, Hitman Pro will display you the results. Next, you need to click “Next” button. Now click the “Activate free license” button to start the free 30 days trial to get rid of all malicious software found.
Automatically remove Search.startbrowser.io redirect with Malwarebytes
We recommend using the Malwarebytes Free that are completely clean your PC system of the browser hijacker infection. The free tool is an advanced malicious software removal program created by (c) Malwarebytes lab. This program uses the world’s most popular anti malware technology. It’s able to help you remove hijackers, PUPs, malware, adware, toolbars, ransomware and other security threats from your computer for free.
Visit the following page to download the latest version of MalwareBytes for MS Windows. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
326464 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
After the download is finished, close all windows on your PC system. Further, start the file named mb3-setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as displayed on the screen below, press the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” that will assist you install MalwareBytes Anti Malware on the computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once installation is done successfully, click Finish button. Then MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) will automatically start and you can see its main window as displayed on the image below.
Next, click the “Scan Now” button to start checking your computer for the browser hijacker infection responsible for Search.startbrowser.io start page. This procedure can take quite a while, so please be patient. While the MalwareBytes Anti Malware tool is checking, you can see how many objects it has identified as being infected by malicious software.
As the scanning ends, MalwareBytes Free will show you the results. In order to remove all threats, simply click “Quarantine Selected” button.
The MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) will remove browser hijacker responsible for redirects to Search.startbrowser.io and move items to the program’s quarantine. When finished, you can be prompted to reboot your machine. We suggest you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the MalwareBytes to remove browser hijackers, adware and other malicious software.
Stop Search.startbrowser.io and other undesired pages
One of the worst things is the fact that you cannot block all those undesired web sites such as Search.startbrowser.io using only built-in MS Windows capabilities. However, there is a program out that you can use to block annoying web browser redirects, ads and pop-ups in any modern web browsers including Mozilla Firefox, Edge, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer. It is called Adguard and it works very well.
Visit the page linked below to download AdGuard. Save it to your Desktop.
26659 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
After downloading it, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen as shown in the following example.
Follow the prompts. After the installation is complete, you will see a window like below.
You can click “Skip” to close the installation program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial which will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you start your personal computer, AdGuard will run automatically and stop advertisements, Search.startbrowser.io redirect, as well as other harmful or misleading webpages. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, which is located on your desktop.
How can you prevent your system from the attack of Search.startbrowser.io browser hijacker
The Search.startbrowser.io browser hijacker infection usually come along with some free software that you download off of the World Wide Web. Once started, it will infect your computer and alter web browser’s settings such as search engine by default, newtab page and start page without your permission. To avoid infection, in the Setup wizard, you should be be proactive and carefully read the ‘Terms of use’, the ‘license agreement’ and other installation screens, as well as to always select the ‘Manual’ or ‘Advanced’ installation option, when installing anything downloaded from the Internet.
Finish words
Now your PC should be free of the hijacker infection responsible for redirects to Search.startbrowser.io. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted pop-ups and intrusive malicious web-pages) and Zemana Free (to periodically scan your computer for new browser hijackers and other malicious software). Probably you are running an older version of Java or Adobe Flash Player. This can be a security risk, so download and install the latest version right now.
If you are still having problems while trying to remove Search.startbrowser.io redirect from the Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Chrome and IE, then ask for help here here.
