How to uninstall PotPlayer (Removal guide)

What is PotPlayer

PotPlayer is promoted as a multimedia player compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 operating systems, but according to security professionals, this program is an adware. Adware can make big problem to your personal computer. Adware sometimes called ‘ad-supported’ software is form of software designed to add ads into your World Wide Web browsing or even desktop experience. Adware can be created to modify your start page, search engine, search results, or even add toolbars to your web browser. Adware software run in the background when surf the Web, and adware can slow down your personal computer and affect its performance.

Does adware software steal your personal information? Adware software be able to gather and transmit privacy information without your permission. Adware be able to track information about web-pages visited, browser and system information, and your device IP address.

By following steps below it is easy to detect and delete any unwanted ads from Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer and your PC. Learn how to remove PotPlayer and adware programs, as well as how to run a full computer virus scan.

How does PotPlayer get on your PC system

The majority of adware is bundled within freeware or even paid applications which Net users can easily download online. The install packages of such apps, most often, clearly display that they will install optional software. The option is given to users to stop the setup of any third-party apps. So, in order to avoid the installation of any adware software: read all disclaimers and install screens very carefully, choose only Custom or Advanced installation mode and uncheck all additional apps in which you are unsure.

Threat Summary

Name	PotPlayer
Type	adware, PUP (potentially unwanted program), popup ads, pop up virus, popups
Detections	Adware.BundleInstaller, PUA.MSIL.DownloadAssistant.AB, Adware.TekhNetvork.Win32.28, Adware.Razy.7655888.A, TekhNet Ad Framework (PUA), Riskware.Win32.DownLoad4.hlvojh, Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.MSIL.KabanInst.gen
Symptoms	pop-up ads won’t go away every time you perform an Internet search, your web-browser is rerouted to another website unexpected program installed without your say-so new toolbars suddenly installed on your web browser unexpected changes in your web-browser such as displaying new tabs you did not open you cannot update your antivirus software slow Internet or slow browsing your PC crashes
Removal	PotPlayer removal guide

How to remove PotPlayer adware (removal tutorial)

According to security professionals, PotPlayer adware removal can be finished manually and/or automatically. These utilities which are listed below will allow you remove adware software, malicious web-browser addons, malicious software and PUPs . However, if you’re not willing to install other applications to delete adware software, then use tutorial listed below to revert back your device settings to their previous states.

To remove PotPlayer, perform the following steps:

1. Manual PotPlayer adware software removal
   • Uninstall adware through the Windows Control Panel
   • Reset Internet Explorer
   • Reset Chrome
   • Reset Mozilla Firefox settings
2. Automatic Removal of PotPlayer adware
3. How to stay safe online
4. Finish words

Manual PotPlayer adware software removal

Looking for a solution to remove PotPlayer 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 browser and MS Windows setup. If you doubt that you can follow them, it is better to use free utilities listed below that can allow you remove any adware.

Uninstall adware through the Microsoft Windows Control Panel

First, go to MS Windows Control Panel and remove questionable programs, all programs you don’t remember installing. It is important to pay the most attention to software you installed just before PotPlayer adware appeared on your computer. If you do not know what a program does, look for the answer on the Net.

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 show the Windows Control Panel as displayed in the following example.

Further, press “Uninstall a program”
It will display a list of all software installed on your PC. Scroll through the all list, and remove any questionable and unknown software.

Reeset Internet Explorer

The Internet Explorer reset is great if your web-browser is hijacked or you have unwanted add-ons or toolbars on your internet browser, which installed by an malicious software.

First, launch the Internet Explorer, press ) button. Next, click “Internet Options” as shown in the figure below.

In the “Internet Options” screen select the Advanced tab. Next, press Reset button. The IE 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 device for the changes to take effect. It will remove disable malicious and adware web-browser’s extensions and restore the Internet Explorer’s settings such as homepage, new tab and default search engine to default state.

Resetm Chrome

Reset Google Chrome settings to remove unwanted ads. If you’re still experiencing problems with unwanted ads and browser redirects, you need to reset Google Chrome browser to its original settings. This step needs to be performed only if adware has not been removed by the previous steps.

1. First start the Chrome and click Menu button (small button in the form of three dots).
2. It will display the Chrome main menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
3. You’ll see the list of installed add-ons. If the list has the addon 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 Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
5. You will see the Chrome’s settings page. Scroll down and press “Advanced” link.
6. Scroll down again and press the “Reset” button.
7. The Google Chrome will open the reset profile settings page as shown on the image above.
8. Next click the “Reset” button.
9. Once this task is complete, your browser’s default search engine, newtab page and start page will be restored to their original defaults.
10. To learn more, read the blog post How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.

Reset Mozilla Firefox settings

If your Firefox web browser is redirected to unwanted ads or an unknown search provider opens results for your search, then it may be time to perform the web browser reset. However, your saved passwords and bookmarks will not be changed, deleted or cleared.

First, launch the Mozilla 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 press on “Refresh Firefox” button as shown in the figure below.

Confirm your action, press the “Refresh Firefox”.

Automatic Removal of PotPlayer adware

Anti-Malware apps differ from each other by many features such as performance, scheduled scans, automatic updates, virus signature database, technical support, compatibility with other antivirus programs and so on. We suggest you use the following free software: Zemana Free, MalwareBytes and Hitman Pro. Each of these programs has all of needed features, but most importantly, they can be used to scan for the adware and get rid of PotPlayer adware from the system.

Run Zemana Free to remove PotPlayer adware software

Zemana AntiMalware is extremely fast and ultra light weight malicious software removal tool. It will assist you remove adware, potentially unwanted programs and other unwanted software. This program gives real-time protection that never slow down your computer. Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) is designed for experienced and beginner computer users. The interface of this utility is very easy to use, simple and minimalist.

Download Zemana AntiMalware on your Windows Desktop from the link below.

After the download is complete, close all applications and windows on your personal computer. Double-click the install file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as on the image below, click the “Yes” button.

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

Once install is done successfully, Zemana Free will automatically start and you can see its main screen like below.

Now click the “Scan” button . Zemana program will scan through the whole personal computer for the PotPlayer adware. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your personal computer. When a threat is found, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.

After that process is done, Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) will produce a list of unwanted software and adware. You may remove threats (move to Quarantine) by simply click “Next” button. The Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will remove PotPlayer adware. Once that process is finished, you may be prompted to reboot the computer.

Use Hitman Pro to remove PotPlayer

HitmanPro is one of the most useful utilities for deleting adware, potentially unwanted applications and other malicious software. It can detect hidden adware in your personal computer and remove all malicious folders and files linked to adware. HitmanPro will help you to get rid of PotPlayer adware from your device and Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Microsoft Internet Explorer. We strongly suggest you to download this tool as the developers are working hard to make it better.

Visit the page linked below to download the latest version of HitmanPro for Windows. Save it to your Desktop so that you can access the file easily.

Download and use Hitman Pro on your PC. Once started, click “Next” button . HitmanPro program will scan through the whole PC system for the PotPlayer adware. This procedure may take some time, so please be patient. .

When Hitman Pro has finished scanning your computer, HitmanPro will show a list of all threats found by the scan.

Once you have selected what you want to remove from your computer click Next button.

It will show a dialog box, press the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to delete all malware found.

Get rid of PotPlayer with MalwareBytes

Manual PotPlayer removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the adware software can be not completely removed. We recommend that run the MalwareBytes Anti Malware that are fully clean your personal computer of adware. Moreover, the free program will help you to remove malware, potentially unwanted software, browser hijackers and toolbars that your computer may be infected too.

First, please go to the link below, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of MalwareBytes AntiMalware.

After the download is complete, close all windows on your computer. Further, run the file named MBSetup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up as shown in the following example, click the “Yes” button.

It will display the Setup wizard which will help you install MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) on the device. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.

Once installation is done successfully, click “Get Started” button. Then MalwareBytes Free will automatically run and you can see its main window as shown in the following example.

Next, click the “Scan” button to perform a system scan for the PotPlayer adware. This task may take quite a while, so please be patient.

After MalwareBytes Free completes the scan, a list of all threats detected is produced. Review the scan results and then click “Quarantine” button.

The MalwareBytes will uninstall PotPlayer and move the selected threats to the program’s quarantine. Once that process is done, you can be prompted to reboot your PC system. We recommend you look at the following video, which completely explains the procedure of using the MalwareBytes Free to get rid of hijackers, adware and other malicious software.

How to stay safe online

It is also critical to protect your browsers from malicious web-pages and ads by using an adblocker program like AdGuard. Security experts says that it’ll greatly reduce the risk of malware, and potentially save lots of money. Additionally, the AdGuard can also protect your privacy by blocking almost all trackers.

1. Download AdGuard from the link below.
   
   

   Adguard download
   26883 downloads
   Version: 6.4
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: November 15, 2018
   
2. Once downloading is done, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
3. After the install is finished, press “Skip” to close the installation program and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial which will allow you get to know AdGuard better.
4. In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you start your PC system, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block malicious and 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 icon named AdGuard, that may be found on your desktop.

Finish words

After completing the step-by-step instructions shown above, your PC system should be clean from this adware and other malicious software. The Edge, Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Google Chrome will no longer display unwanted ads when you surf the Internet. Unfortunately, if the step-by-step instructions does not help you, then you have caught a new adware, and then the best way – ask for help.

Please create a new question by using the “Ask Question” button in the Questions and Answers. Try to give us some details about your problems, so we can try to help you more accurately. Wait for one of our trained “Security Team” or Site Administrator to provide you with knowledgeable assistance tailored to your problem with the PotPlayer adware removal.