If you notice that the internet browser newtab page, home page and default search provider have replaced to Zocosearch.com without your knowledge or permission then this might be a sign that your computer has become a victim of browser hijacker infection. Browser hijacker is small program that can alter your homepage and search provider, reroute you to web-sites you never intended to visit, collect search queries and personal information. In the blog post below you will find instructions about how to return internet browser settings to their original defaults and fully get rid of Zocosearch.com from Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, IE and Google Chrome.
Zocosearch.com browser hijacker takes over your web browser’s default search provider and controls what will be displayed to you whenever you do a searching. Other than the search results, it also provides a lot of undesired advertisements on the search page. Some of these ads created to trick you into buying certain questionable products and apps. Moreover, sometimes, those advertisements could redirect you to misleading or malicious web sites.
And finally, Zocosearch.com hijacker has the ability to gather your privacy information such as what web pages you’re opening, what you’re looking for the Internet and so on. This information, in the future, can be sold to third parties.
Threat Summary
| Name | Zocosearch.com |
| Type | browser hijacker, search engine hijacker, home page hijacker, toolbar, unwanted new tab, redirect virus |
| Symptoms |
|
| Removal | Zocosearch.com removal guide |
If your browser has been affected with the Zocosearch.com browser hijacker, you must have complete any of the steps above. Once you have cleaned your PC by following our suggestions below, make sure not to commit the same mistakes again in the future.
How to remove Zocosearch.com from machine
There are several steps to removing Zocosearch.com home page, because it installs itself so deeply into Windows. You need to delete all suspicious and unknown programs, then get rid of malicious extensions from the Internet Explorer, Firefox, Edge and Google Chrome and other web-browsers you have installed. Finally, you need to reset your internet browser settings to delete any changes Zocosearch.com browser hijacker has made, and then scan your PC with Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM), MalwareBytes or Hitman Pro to ensure the hijacker infection is fully removed. It will take a while.
To remove Zocosearch.com, execute the steps below:
- How to delete Zocosearch.com manually
- How to get rid of Zocosearch.com with free software
- How to stop Zocosearch.com redirect
- How to prevent Zocosearch.com hijacker from getting inside your system
- To sum up
How to delete Zocosearch.com manually
Most common hijacker infections may be removed without any antivirus applications. The manual browser hijacker removal is few simple steps that will teach you how to remove Zocosearch.com search. If you do not want to remove Zocosearch.com in the manually due to the fact that you are not skilled at computer, then you can use free removal utilities listed below.
Deleting the Zocosearch.com, check the list of installed software first
Some programs are free only because their install package contains a browser hijacker infection such as the Zocosearch.com. This unwanted programs generates profit for the makers when it is installed. Many browser hijacker infections can be removed by simply uninstalling them from the ‘Uninstall a Program’ that is located in Windows control panel.
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 display the Windows Control Panel as displayed on the screen below.
Further, click “Uninstall a program” 
It will display a list of all applications installed on your machine. Scroll through the all list, and uninstall any questionable and unknown applications.
Delete Zocosearch.com homepage from IE
First, start the Microsoft Internet Explorer, press 
) button. Next, press “Internet Options” as displayed in the following example.
In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, click Reset button. The Internet Explorer will display the Reset Internet Explorer settings dialog box. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box and press Reset button.
You will now need to restart your personal computer for the changes to take effect. It will get rid of hijacker that changes web browser settings to replace your home page, search provider by default and newtab page with Zocosearch.com webpage, disable malicious and ad-supported web-browser’s extensions and restore the Internet Explorer’s settings like new tab, search provider and home page to default state.
Remove Zocosearch.com from Firefox by resetting internet browser settings
The Mozilla Firefox reset will remove unwanted search engine and home page like Zocosearch.com, modified preferences, extensions and security settings. However, your saved bookmarks and passwords will not be lost. This will not affect your history, passwords, bookmarks, and other saved data.
Click the Menu button (looks like three horizontal lines), and click the blue Help icon located at the bottom of the drop down menu as shown in the following example.
A small menu will appear, press the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, press “Refresh Firefox” button as shown on the screen below.
Follow the onscreen procedure to restore your Mozilla Firefox internet browser settings to their original settings.
Remove Zocosearch.com from Chrome
Reset Google Chrome settings to delete Zocosearch.com. If you are still experiencing issues with Zocosearch.com, you need to reset Chrome browser to its original settings. This step needs to be performed only if browser hijacker infection has not been removed by the previous steps.
Open the Google Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (
). It will open the drop-down menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
Carefully browse through the list of installed addons. If the list has the addon labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following steps: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.
Open the Google Chrome main menu again, click to “Settings” option.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, as displayed in the figure below and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.
How to get rid of Zocosearch.com with free software
Cyber threat analysts have built efficient malicious software removal tools to help users in removing browser hijacker infections , adware software and potentially unwanted programs. Below we will share with you the best malware removal utilities with the ability to locate and delete Zocosearch.com and other potentially unwanted apps.
How to automatically delete Zocosearch.com with Zemana Anti Malware
Zemana Anti Malware is a lightweight tool which developed to run alongside your antivirus software, detecting and removing malware, adware software and PUPs that other programs miss. Zemana Anti-Malware is easy to use, fast, does not use many resources and have great detection and removal rates.
Installing the Zemana is simple. First you will need to download Zemana Anti-Malware by clicking on the following link. Save it on your Desktop.
164105 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
When downloading is finished, close all applications and windows on your personal computer. Double-click the setup file called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up like below, click the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” which will help you install Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) on your system. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
Once setup is finished successfully, Zemana Free will automatically start and you can see its main screen as on the image below.
Now click the “Scan” button to detect hijacker which modifies web-browser settings to replace your search engine by default, start page and newtab page with Zocosearch.com web site. Depending on your computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the tool is scanning, you can see how many objects and files has already scanned.
After finished, you’ll be displayed the list of all found items on your computer. In order to remove all threats, simply click “Next” button. The Zemana Free will begin to remove browser hijacker responsible for Zocosearch.com home page. After the clean-up is finished, you may be prompted to restart the PC system.
Run Hitman Pro to remove Zocosearch.com from the computer
Hitman Pro is a free program that made to remove malware, PUPs, adware and hijackers from your computer running MS Windows 10, 8, 7, XP (32-bit and 64-bit). It will help to identify and remove hijacker related to Zocosearch.com redirect, including its files, folders and registry keys.
- First, click the link below, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of Hitman Pro.
- When downloading is done, double click the HitmanPro icon. Once this utility is started, press “Next” button to find browser hijacker which designed to redirect your browser to the Zocosearch.com website. This process can take some time, so please be patient. While the HitmanPro utility is checking, you can see number of objects it has identified as being affected by malware.
- After the system scan is finished, Hitman Pro will display a list of all threats detected by the scan. You may remove threats (move to Quarantine) by simply click “Next” button. Now click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to get rid of all malicious software found.
Automatically remove Zocosearch.com with MalwareBytes Anti Malware
If you’re still having problems with the Zocosearch.com search — or just wish to check your machine occasionally for browser hijacker and other malicious software — download MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM). It’s free for home use, and identifies and removes various undesired apps that attacks your computer or degrades computer performance. MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) can get rid of adware, PUPs as well as malware, including ransomware and trojans.
Download MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) on your computer from the link below.
326460 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
After the downloading process is complete, close all software and windows on your computer. Open a directory in which you saved it. Double-click on the icon that’s named mb3-setup like the one below.
When the installation starts, you will see the “Setup wizard” which will help you set up Malwarebytes on your computer.
Once setup is complete, you’ll see window as shown in the following example.
Now click the “Scan Now” button for scanning your machine for the hijacker infection responsible for Zocosearch.com startpage. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your machine. While the tool is scanning, you can see count of objects and files has already scanned.
Once MalwareBytes has finished scanning your computer, it will display the Scan Results. Review the report and then click “Quarantine Selected” button.
The Malwarebytes will now begin to remove hijacker that responsible for web browser redirect to the unwanted Zocosearch.com web site. Once finished, you may be prompted to reboot your system.
The following video explains steps on how to delete hijacker, adware software and other malicious software with MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM).
How to stop Zocosearch.com redirect
Running an ad-blocker application such as AdGuard is an effective way to alleviate the risks. Additionally, ad-blocker programs will also protect you from harmful ads and webpages, and, of course, stop redirection chain to Zocosearch.com and similar web pages.
Click the following link to download the latest version of AdGuard for Windows. Save it on your MS Windows desktop or in any other place.
26655 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 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 tutorial such as the one below.
Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick guidance that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
Each time, when you launch your PC system, AdGuard will run automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block Zocosearch.com, as well as other malicious or misleading web pages. 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 may be found on your desktop.
How to prevent Zocosearch.com hijacker from getting inside your system
In most cases, the Zocosearch.com hijacker spreads along with the installers from a free hosting and file sharing web sites. So, install a free software is a a good chance that you will find a bundled browser hijacker infection. If you don’t know how to avoid it, then use a simple trick. During the installation, select the Custom or Advanced install mode. Next, click ‘Decline’ button and clear all checkboxes on offers that ask you to install additional programs. Moreover, please carefully read Term of use and User agreement before installing any software or otherwise you can end up with another unwanted program on your personal computer like this browser hijacker.
To sum up
Now your computer should be clean of the hijacker that changes web-browser settings to replace your search engine, newtab and homepage with Zocosearch.com web site. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted pop-ups and annoying malicious web pages) and Zemana Free (to periodically scan your computer for new malicious software, browser hijackers and adware software). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Windows operating system. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new browser hijackers, malicious software and adware are released.
If you are still having problems while trying to remove Zocosearch.com from your internet browser, then ask for help here.
