Q. I keep getting unwanted pop-ups in my web-browser and sent to the Link.tl (link.tl/api/mobile-ad/skip-2?uid=459028&ref=…) website I have never heard of. What is this, my computer is hijacked with adware? Any and all help is appreciated.
A. Constant advertising pop-ups that show up without user-interaction is a symptom of adware infection on your machine. Adware is software responsible for unwanted advertising. Some adware will bring up adverts when you is surfing the World Wide Web, while other will build up a profile of your browsing habits in order to target advertising. In general, adware have to be installed on your computer, so it’ll tend to be bundled with other apps in much the same method as PUPs.
Unwanted ads
Another reason why you need to delete adware is its online data-tracking activity. Adware can gather and transmit privacy info without your permission. Adware can track information about web pages visited, browser and system information, and your PC IP address.
Threat Summary
| Name | Link.tl |
| Type | adware, PUP (potentially unwanted program), pop-up virus, popups, pop up ads |
| Symptoms |
|
| Removal | Link.tl removal guide |
These days some free applications makers bundle potentially unwanted programs or adware with a view to making some money. These are not free software as install an unwanted applications on to your Windows personal computer. So whenever you install a new free applications that downloaded from the Internet, be very careful during setup. Carefully read the EULA (a text with I ACCEPT/I DECLINE button), select custom or manual setup option, reject all additional applications.
Do not panic because we have got the solution. Here’s a guide on how to remove adware and unwanted Link.tl popup ads from the Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer and other browsers.
How to remove Link.tl pop ups from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
Even if you have the up-to-date classic antivirus installed, and you have checked your PC system for malware and removed anything found, you need to do the tutorial below. The Link.tl redirect removal is not simple as installing another antivirus. Classic antivirus applications are not created to run together and will conflict with each other, or possibly crash Windows. Instead we recommend complete the manual steps below after that run Zemana Free, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) or HitmanPro, which are free applications dedicated to locate and remove adware software which causes popups. Run these utilities to ensure the adware is removed.
To remove Link.tl, execute the following steps:
- How to manually delete Link.tl
- How to fully remove Link.tl ads using free tools
- Run AdBlocker to stop Link.tl pop-up advertisements and stay safe online
- Finish words
How to manually delete Link.tl
Looking for a solution to delete Link.tl ads manually without downloading any tools? Then this section of the article is just for you. Below are some simple steps you can take. Performing these steps requires basic knowledge of web-browser and MS Windows setup. If you are not sure that you can follow them, it is better to use free software listed below that can help you remove Link.tl redirect.
Uninstall unwanted or recently added applications
First method for manual adware software removal is to go into the MS Windows “Control Panel”, then “Uninstall a program” console. Take a look at the list of software on your PC and see if there are any suspicious and unknown software. If you see any, you need to delete them. Of course, before doing so, you can do an World Wide Web search to find details on the program. If it is a potentially unwanted program, adware or malware, you will likely find information that says so.
Windows 8, 8.1, 10
First, click Windows button
, then click Search 
. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter like below.
When the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category like below.
You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel as on the image below.
Very carefully look around the entire list of applications installed on your PC system. Most probably, one of them is the adware which causes unwanted Link.tl ads. If you have many software installed, you can help simplify the search of malicious software by sort the list by date of installation. Once you’ve found a suspicious, unwanted or unused program, right click to it, after that click ‘Uninstall’.
Windows XP, Vista, 7
First, click ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as on the image below.
When the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as shown in the following example.
You will see a list of apps installed on your system. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the programs that were installed last. Most probably, it is the adware that causes multiple annoying pop ups. If you are in doubt, you can always check the application by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. After the application which you need to remove is found, simply press on its name, and then click ‘Uninstall’ such as the one below.
Remove Link.tl pop-up ads from Chrome
Another solution to remove Link.tl popups from Google Chrome is Reset Google Chrome settings. This will disable malicious extensions and reset Chrome settings to default state. Essential information like bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, cookies, auto-fill data and personal dictionaries will not be removed.
First open the Chrome. Next, click 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 addons. If the list has the addon signed with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
Open the Google Chrome menu once again. Further, click the option named “Settings”.
The web-browser will show the settings screen. Another way to show 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 press the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the “Reset” section is visible, as shown on the screen below and click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
The Chrome will show the confirmation dialog box as shown below.
You need to confirm your action, click the “Reset” button. The browser will run the procedure of cleaning. When it is complete, the browser’s settings including new tab, home page and search provider by default back to the values which have been when the Google Chrome was first installed on your computer.
Get rid of Link.tl redirect from IE
The Internet Explorer reset is great if your internet browser is hijacked or you have unwanted add-ons or toolbars on your web-browser, that installed by an malware.
First, run the Internet Explorer, then click ‘gear’ icon 
. It will open the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the web browser, then click the “Internet Options” as shown in the figure below.
In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The IE will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” dialog box. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button as displayed on the screen below.
Once the process is complete, click “Close” button. Close the IE and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your web browser’s search provider by default, newtab page and start page to default state.
Delete Link.tl from Firefox by resetting browser settings
This step will allow you remove Link.tl popup advertisements, third-party toolbars, disable harmful add-ons and return your default homepage, newtab page and search provider settings.
First, start the Firefox and click 
button. It will show the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web-browser. Further, click the Help button (
) as displayed on the screen 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 open 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 display the confirmation prompt. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Firefox will begin a process to fix your problems that caused by the Link.tl adware. When, it’s finished, press the “Finish” button.
How to fully remove Link.tl ads using free tools
The adware can hide its components which are difficult for you to find out and remove fully. This can lead to the fact that after some time, the adware that causes multiple unwanted popups again infect your PC system. Moreover, We want to note that it’s not always safe to delete adware manually, if you don’t have much experience in setting up and configuring the MS Windows operating system. The best method to scan for and remove adware is to run free malware removal software.
How to remove Link.tl pop-up ads with Zemana Free
Does Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) uninstall adware software related to the Link.tl popups? The adware is often downloaded with malware that can force you to install an program such as PUPs you don’t want. Therefore, suggest using the Zemana. It is a tool created to scan and get rid of adware and other malicious software from your computer for free.
Now you can install and use Zemana Free to remove Link.tl redirect from your web browser by following the steps below:
Click the link below to download Zemana AntiMalware installation package named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup on your machine. Save it directly to your Windows Desktop.
164988 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
Start the installer after it has been downloaded successfully and then follow the prompts to install this utility on your computer.
During setup you can change some settings, but we recommend you don’t make any changes to default settings.
When installation is finished, this malware removal utility will automatically run and update itself. You will see its main window like below.
Now click the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this tool for the adware that causes undesired Link.tl popup ads. This task may take some time, so please be patient.
After Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) has completed scanning, you can check all items detected on your machine. In order to remove all threats, simply click “Next” button.
The Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will delete adware related to the Link.tl redirect and add threats to the Quarantine. After the task is finished, you can be prompted to restart your personal computer to make the change take effect.
Scan your PC system and get rid of Link.tl popup advertisements with Hitman Pro
Hitman Pro is a free tool which can locate adware related to the Link.tl popups. It’s not always easy to locate all the junk applications that your machine might have picked up on the Net. HitmanPro will locate the adware, browser hijackers and other malicious software you need to erase.
- Please go to the link below to download HitmanPro. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.
- After the downloading process is complete, double click the HitmanPro icon. Once this tool is opened, click “Next” button to start checking your PC for the adware related to the Link.tl redirect. Depending on your personal computer, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the HitmanPro tool is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified as being affected by malware.
- When HitmanPro is complete scanning your PC system, you will be shown the list of all found items on your machine. Make sure to check mark the items that are unsafe and then click “Next” button. Now click the “Activate free license” button to start the free 30 days trial to get rid of all malware found.
Remove Link.tl advertisements with MalwareBytes
Remove Link.tl pop-up advertisements manually is difficult and often the adware is not fully removed. Therefore, we recommend you to use the MalwareBytes Free that are completely clean your system. Moreover, this free program will allow you to delete malware, potentially unwanted applications, toolbars and hijackers that your computer can be infected too.
Please go to the link below to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Anti-Malware for MS Windows. Save it directly to your Microsoft Windows Desktop.
327226 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
After the download is complete, run it and follow the prompts. Once installed, the MalwareBytes Free will try to update itself and when this process is complete, click the “Scan Now” button to locate adware which causes unwanted Link.tl redirect. Depending on your system, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. During the scan MalwareBytes will search for threats exist on your PC. You may delete threats (move to Quarantine) by simply click “Quarantine Selected” button.
The MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM) is a free application that you can use to delete all detected folders, files, services, registry entries and so on. To learn more about this malware removal utility, we suggest you to read and follow the steps or the video guide below.
Run AdBlocker to stop Link.tl pop-up advertisements and stay safe online
Running an ad-blocking application like AdGuard is an effective way to alleviate the risks. Additionally, ad blocker applications will also protect you from malicious ads and web-pages, and, of course, stop redirection chain to Link.tl and similar webpages.
- AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link. Save it to your Desktop.
Adguard download
26883 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
- After the downloading process is done, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
- Once the installation is done, click “Skip” to close the installation program and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
- In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you run your machine, AdGuard will run automatically and stop undesired advertisements, block Link.tl, 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 icon named AdGuard, that may be found on your desktop.
Finish words
After completing the few simple steps outlined above, your machine should be clean from adware responsible for Link.tl redirect and other malicious software. The Internet Explorer, Chrome, MS Edge and Mozilla Firefox will no longer redirect you to various unwanted webpages such as Link.tl. Unfortunately, if the step-by-step guidance does not help you, then you have caught a new adware software, and then the best way – ask for help here.
