How to remove PDFGenie Search [Virus removal guide]

According to IT security experts, PDFGenie is classified as browser hijacker. PDFGenie introduces changes to your browser’s settings, including new tab page, search provider by default and startpage, and installs unwanted plugins deep inside your web-browser. This is the main reason why you need to get rid of it from your personal computer and revert back your web browser search engine and startpage back to the default.

PDFGenie takes over your web browser’s default search provider and controls what will be shown to you whenever you do a searching. Other than the search results, it also provides a large number of intrusive advertisements on the search page. Some of these advertisements designed to force you into buying certain questionable products and programs. Moreover, sometimes, those advertisements could reroute you to various unwanted webpages.

Another reason why you need to remove PDFGenie is its online data-tracking activity. It can collect user information, including:

• IP addresses;
• URLs visited;
• search queries/terms;
• clicks on links and ads;
• web-browser version information.

Threat Summary

Name	PDFGenie
Type	browser hijacker, search provider hijacker, home page hijacker, toolbar, unwanted new tab, redirect virus
Symptoms	you experience a large amount of of unwanted advertisements every time you perform an Internet search, your browser is redirected to another web page your machine starts automatically installing unwanted applications intrusive browser toolbars unexpected changes in your internet browser such as displaying new tabs you did not open
Removal	PDFGenie removal guide

Thus, it’s clear that the presence of browser hijacker on your personal computer is not desirable, and you need to clean up your PC system immediately. Follow the few simple steps below in order to remove PDFGenie from Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, IE and Chrome.

How to remove PDFGenie from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

The answer is right here on this web-page. We have put together simplicity and efficiency. It will help you easily to clean your machine of hijacker. Moreover, you can select manual or automatic removal method. If you are familiar with the system then use manual removal, otherwise use the free antimalware utility designed specifically to get rid of hijacker infection like PDFGenie. Of course, you can combine both methods. Some of the steps below will require you to exit this web-site. So, please read the steps carefully, after that bookmark or print it for later reference.

To remove PDFGenie, complete the following steps:

1. How to remove PDFGenie without any software
   • Delete PDFGenie related software through the Control Panel of your system
   • Delete PDFGenie from Mozilla Firefox
   • Remove PDFGenie from Chrome
   • Remove PDFGenie start page from IE
2. How to remove PDFGenie with free applications
   • How to automatically get rid of PDFGenie with Zemana
   • Delete PDFGenie hijacker and unwanted extensions with Hitman Pro
   • Use MalwareBytes Free to get rid of PDFGenie
3. How to stay safe online
4. Method of PDFGenie hijacker intrusion into your computer
5. To sum up

How to remove PDFGenie without any software

Steps to remove PDFGenie browser hijacker infection without any apps are presented below. Be sure to carry out the step-by-step tutorial completely to fully get rid of this annoying PDFGenie redirect.

Delete PDFGenie related software through the Control Panel of your system

Some of potentially unwanted programs, adware and browser hijacker infection can be removed using the Add/Remove programs utility that may be found in the MS Windows Control Panel. So, if you’re running any version of Windows and you have noticed an unwanted program, then first try to get rid of it through Add/Remove programs.

Press Windows button , then click Search . Type “Control panel”and press Enter. If you using Windows XP or Windows 7, then click “Start” and select “Control Panel”. It will open the Windows Control Panel as shown in the figure below.

Further, press “Uninstall a program”
It will show a list of all programs installed on your computer. Scroll through the all list, and delete any suspicious and unknown applications.

Delete PDFGenie from Mozilla Firefox

Resetting your Mozilla Firefox is first troubleshooting step for any issues with your browser application. However, your themes, bookmarks, history, passwords, and web form auto-fill information will not be deleted.

First, run the Firefox. Next, press the button in the form of three horizontal stripes (). It will show the drop-down menu. Next, press the Help button ().

In the Help menu click the “Troubleshooting Information”. In the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page click on “Refresh Firefox” button as shown below.

Confirm your action, press the “Refresh Firefox”.

Remove PDFGenie from Chrome

In order to be sure that there is nothing left behind, we advise you to reset Chrome web-browser. It’ll revert back Chrome settings including search engine by default, new tab and startpage to defaults.

1. First, start the Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three dots).
2. It will open the Google Chrome main menu. Select More Tools, then click Extensions.
3. You’ll see 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 tutorial: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
4. Now open the Google Chrome menu once again, press the “Settings” menu.
5. Next, press “Advanced” link, that located at the bottom of the Settings page.
6. On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
7. The Google Chrome will open the reset settings dialog box as shown on the image above.
8. Confirm the browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
9. To learn more, read the blog post How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.

Remove PDFGenie start page from IE

In order to restore all browser startpage, search engine by default and newtab page you need to reset the IE to the state, which was when the Microsoft Windows was installed on your PC system.

First, start the Internet Explorer, then click ‘gear’ icon . It will display the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the browser, then click the “Internet Options” as shown on the screen below.

In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will show the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” prompt. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button like below.

Once the procedure is complete, press “Close” button. Close the IE and restart your system for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web browser’s startpage, search engine by default and new tab to default state.

How to remove PDFGenie with free applications

If you are unsure how to get rid of PDFGenie browser hijacker easily, consider using automatic browser hijacker removal apps that listed below. It will identify the browser hijacker infection which redirects your web-browser to unwanted web page and get rid of it from your PC for free.

How to automatically get rid of PDFGenie with Zemana

Zemana Anti Malware is free full featured malware removal tool. It can scan your files and MS Windows registry in real-time. Zemana Anti-Malware can help to delete PDFGenie hijacker, other potentially unwanted programs and adware. It uses 1% of your system resources. This tool has got simple and beautiful interface and at the same time effective protection for your computer.

Visit the page linked below to download Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM). Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.

Once downloading is done, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the Zemana Free will try to update itself and when this task is complete, click the “Scan” button to search for PDFGenie.

A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your PC system. While the tool is checking, you may see how many objects and files has already scanned. Next, you need to click “Next” button.

The Zemana Anti Malware will begin to delete PDFGenie and other unwanted software.

Delete PDFGenie hijacker and unwanted extensions with Hitman Pro

Hitman Pro will help remove PDFGenie browser hijacker. The browser hijacker, adware and other potentially unwanted software slow your web browser down and try to force you into clicking on unwanted ads and links. HitmanPro removes the browser hijacker and lets you enjoy your PC system without PDFGenie software.

Installing the Hitman Pro is simple. First you will need to download HitmanPro on your Microsoft Windows Desktop by clicking on the link below.

When downloading is complete, open the file location and double-click the HitmanPro icon. It will run the Hitman Pro utility. If the User Account Control prompt will ask you want to open the application, press Yes button to continue.

Next, click “Next” to scan for browser hijacker infection. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your computer. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.

After the scan is finished, you will be displayed the list of all detected threats on your personal computer as displayed on the screen below.

You may remove items (move to Quarantine) by simply press “Next” button. It will display a prompt, click the “Activate free license” button. The Hitman Pro will remove PDFGenie and other unwanted software. Once disinfection is finished, the utility may ask you to reboot your machine.

Use MalwareBytes Free to get rid of PDFGenie

We suggest using the MalwareBytes AntiMalware. You can download and install MalwareBytes Anti-Malware to scan for and remove PDFGenie from your PC system. When installed and updated, this free malicious software remover automatically scans for and removes all threats present on the system.

Please go to the link below to download MalwareBytes Anti Malware. Save it on your Windows desktop.

After the download is done, close all programs and windows on your personal computer. Double-click the install file named mb3-setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up like below, click the “Yes” button.

It will open the “Setup wizard” that will help you install MalwareBytes Free on your computer. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.

Once installation is finished successfully, click Finish button. MalwareBytes Anti Malware will automatically start and you can see its main screen as on the image below.

Now press the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan for PDFGenie. While the MalwareBytes Free utility is checking, you can see number of objects it has identified as being affected by malicious software.

After MalwareBytes Free has finished scanning your PC system, MalwareBytes Free will display a list of detected threats. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and click “Quarantine Selected” button. The MalwareBytes will remove PDFGenie browser hijacker and other unwanted browser’s add-ons. After the procedure is complete, you may be prompted to restart the PC system.

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

How to stay safe online

To put it simply, you need to use an adblocker utility (AdGuard, for example). It will block and protect you from all intrusive web-pages, advertisements and pop ups. To be able to do that, the ad-blocking program uses a list of filters. Each filter is a rule that describes a malicious web page, an advertising content, a banner and others. The ad blocking program automatically uses these filters, depending on the webpages you are visiting.

Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard from the following link. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop.

After downloading it, double-click the downloaded file to start 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 instructions as shown on the screen below.

Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will assist you get to know AdGuard better.

Each time, when you launch your system, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop unwanted ads, block harmful or misleading web-sites. 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.

Method of PDFGenie hijacker intrusion into your computer

The PDFGenie hijacker usually spreads as a part of various free software. Most commonly, it can be bundled within the installation packages from Softonic, Cnet, Soft32, Brothersoft or other similar web pages. So, you should run any files downloaded from the World Wide Web with great caution, read the User agreement, Software license and Terms of use. In the process of installing a new program, you should choose a Manual, Advanced or Custom setup mode to control what components and third-party software to be installed, otherwise you run the risk of infecting your machine with an browser hijacker like PDFGenie.

To sum up

Now your PC should be clean of browser hijacker infection. We suggest that you keep Zemana Anti Malware (to periodically scan your PC for new hijackers and other malicious software) and AdGuard (to help you block annoying pop ups and malicious web sites). Moreover, to prevent any hijacker, please stay clear of unknown and third party applications, make sure that your antivirus application, turn on the option to detect PUPs.

If you need more help with PDFGenie related issues, go to here.