What is Search.movieapp.net?
The computer security researchers have determined that Search.movieapp.net is a web site that is promoted by browser hijackers. Browser hijackers are a part of software whose motive is to generate revenue for its author. It have various methods of earning by displaying ads forcibly to its victims. Browser hijackers can display unwanted advertisements, modify the victim’s web browser search provider and home page, or redirect the victim’s web browser to unwanted web pages. Below we are discussing methods which are very effective in uninstalling browser hijackers. The few simple steps will also help you to delete Search.movieapp.net from your browser.
Search.movieapp.net redirects user seaches to Yahoo
When you are performing searches using the browser that has been affected by Search.movieapp.net, the search results will be returned from Bing, Yahoo or Google Custom Search. The developers of Search.movieapp.net hijacker are most likely doing this to earn advertisement money from the ads displayed in the search results.
As well as unwanted internet browser redirects to Search.movieapp.net, the browser hijacker can collect your Internet browsing activity by saving Internet Service Provider (ISP), cookie information, IP addresses, web browser version and type, web sites visited and URLs visited. Such kind of behavior can lead to serious security problems or user info theft. This is another reason why the browser hijacker that redirects the browser to Search.movieapp.net should be removed ASAP.
In order to get rid of browser hijacker from your PC, clean the affected web browsers and revert back the Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, MS Edge and Microsoft Internet Explorer settings to its default state, please use the Search.movieapp.net removal guidance below.
How can a browser hijacker get on your PC system
Browser hijackers and potentially unwanted programs spreads bundled with some free software. So always read carefully the install screens, disclaimers, ‘Terms of Use’ and ‘Software license’ appearing during the install procedure. Additionally pay attention for additional apps which are being installed along with the main application. Ensure that you unchecked all of them! Also, run an ad blocker application that will help to block malicious, misleading, illegitimate or untrustworthy websites.
Threat Summary
| Name | Search.movieapp.net, “Search movie app” |
| Type | redirect virus, search engine hijacker, start page hijacker, PUP, browser hijacker |
| Affected Browser Settings | search engine, homepage, newtab URL |
| Distribution | free applications installers, dubious pop up ads, fake software updaters |
| Symptoms | You experience lots of of unexpected advertising popups. Every time you perform an Internet search, your web-browser is re-directed to another website. Your personal computer starts automatically installing unwanted apps. New web-browser toolbars suddenly installed on your internet browser. Unexpected changes in your browser like displaying new tabs you did not open. |
| Removal | Search.movieapp.net removal guide |
How to remove Search.movieapp.net from Google Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
According to experienced security experts, Search.movieapp.net removal can be finished manually and/or automatically. The free malware removal tools which are listed below will help you get rid of browser hijacker, harmful web browser plugins, adware software and potentially unwanted software . However, if you are not willing to install other applications to remove the browser hijacker, then use guidance below to restore web-browser search provider by default, newtab page and home page to their previous states.
To remove Search.movieapp.net, perform the steps below:
- How to manually remove Search.movieapp.net
- Automatic Removal of Search.movieapp.net
- How to stop Search.movieapp.net redirect
How to manually remove Search.movieapp.net
Steps to delete Search.movieapp.net hijacker without any software are presented below. Be sure to carry out the step-by-step guidance completely to fully delete this unwanted software
Delete unwanted or newly installed apps
First of all, check the list of installed applications on your device and remove all unknown and recently installed applications. If you see an unknown program with incorrect spelling or varying capital letters, it have most likely been installed by malicious software and you should clean it off first with malware removal tool like Zemana Anti-malware.
Make sure you have closed all internet browsers and other applications. Press CTRL, ALT, DEL keys together to open the Microsoft Windows Task Manager.
Click on the “Processes” tab, look for something suspicious that is the hijacker responsible for redirects to Search.movieapp.net then right-click it and select “End Task” or “End Process” option. In many cases, malicious software masks itself to avoid detection by imitating legitimate Microsoft Windows processes. A process is particularly suspicious: it’s taking up a lot of memory (despite the fact that you closed all of your programs), its name is not familiar to you (if you’re in doubt, you can always check the program by doing a search for its name in Google, Yahoo or Bing).
Next, uninstall any unrequested and suspicious software from your Control panel.
Windows 10, 8.1, 8
Now, click the Windows button, type “Control panel” in search and press Enter. Select “Programs and Features”, then “Uninstall a program”.
Look around the entire list of applications installed on your computer. Most probably, one of them is the hijacker responsible for Search.movieapp.net redirects. Select the suspicious program or the program that name is not familiar to you and remove it.
Windows Vista, 7
From the “Start” menu in Microsoft Windows, select “Control Panel”. Under the “Programs” icon, choose “Uninstall a program”.
Choose the dubious or any unknown apps, then click “Uninstall/Change” button to uninstall this unwanted program from your computer.
Windows XP
Click the “Start” button, select “Control Panel” option. Click on “Add/Remove Programs”.
Choose an unwanted application, then click “Change/Remove” button. Follow the prompts.
Delete Search.movieapp.net from Mozilla Firefox by resetting web browser settings
If your Mozilla Firefox search engine has changed to Search.movieapp.net, then it may be time to perform the browser reset. However, your saved passwords and bookmarks will not be changed or cleared.
First, launch the Mozilla 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 in the following example.
In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the browser adress bar and press Enter. It will display the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown on the screen below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.
It will display the confirmation dialog box. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will begin a task to fix your problems that caused by the Search.movieapp.net hijacker. Once, it’s finished, click the “Finish” button.
Remove Search.movieapp.net from Google Chrome
The Search.movieapp.net as your search engine or startpage or other symptom of having hijacker in your web browser is a good reason to reset Google Chrome. This is an easy method to restore the Google Chrome settings and not lose any important information.
- First, start the Google Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three dots).
- It will open the Chrome main menu. Select More Tools, then press Extensions.
- You will 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, click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
- The Chrome will show the reset settings prompt as shown on the image above.
- Confirm the internet browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
- To learn more, read the article How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.
Remove Search.movieapp.net from Microsoft Internet Explorer
In order to restore all browser search engine by default, start page and new tab page you need to reset the Microsoft Internet Explorer to the state, which was when the Microsoft Windows was installed on your computer.
First, start the Internet Explorer. Next, click the button in the form of gear (
). It will display the Tools drop-down menu, click the “Internet Options” as displayed below.
In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then press the Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will display the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as shown in the figure below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click “Reset” button.
You will now need to restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
Automatic Removal of Search.movieapp.net
If your PC is still infected with the Search.movieapp.net browser hijacker, then the best method of detection and removal is to use an antimalware scan on the computer. Download free malware removal utilities below and start a full system scan. It will help you get rid of all components of the hijacker from hardisk and Windows registry.
Remove Search.movieapp.net with Zemana Free
Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) is a lightweight tool that created to use alongside your antivirus software, detecting and removing malware, adware software and potentially unwanted applications that other programs miss. Zemana Free is easy to use, fast, does not use many resources and have great detection and removal rates.
Zemana can be downloaded from the following link. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop.
164114 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019
After the download is complete, close all software and windows on your computer. Double-click the setup file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up as displayed below, click the “Yes” button.
It will open the “Setup wizard” that will help you set up Zemana AntiMalware on your computer. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once installation is done successfully, Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will automatically start and you can see its main screen as on the image below.
Now click the “Scan” button to search for hijacker responsible for redirects to Search.movieapp.net. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your personal computer and the speed of your PC. While the Zemana Anti-Malware utility is checking, you can see how many objects it has identified as being infected by malicious software.
When the scan is finished, Zemana Free will create a list of unwanted applications and browser hijacker. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and click “Next” button. The Zemana Free will begin to remove hijacker that responsible for internet browser redirect to the annoying Search.movieapp.net webpage. Once the procedure is done, you may be prompted to restart the computer.
Use HitmanPro to remove Search.movieapp.net from the computer
Hitman Pro frees your device from adware software, potentially unwanted software, unwanted toolbars, web browser plugins and other undesired applications like browser hijacker responsible for Search.movieapp.net redirects. The free removal utility will help you enjoy your personal computer to its fullest. Hitman Pro uses advanced behavioral detection technologies to look for if there are undesired programs in your device. You can review the scan results, and choose the threats you want to erase.
Please go to the following link to download HitmanPro. Save it directly to your Windows Desktop.
After downloading is complete, open the file location and double-click the HitmanPro icon. It will launch the Hitman Pro utility. If the User Account Control prompt will ask you want to run the application, click Yes button to continue.
Next, press “Next” to perform a system scan for the browser hijacker which designed to redirect your web browser to the Search.movieapp.net webpage. A system scan may take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your computer. When a malicious software, adware or potentially unwanted software are detected, the count of the security threats will change accordingly.
As the scanning ends, HitmanPro will display a scan report as displayed on the image below.
Review the scan results and then click “Next” button. It will display a prompt, click the “Activate free license” button. The HitmanPro will remove hijacker that responsible for internet browser redirect to the annoying Search.movieapp.net web-page and move the selected threats to the program’s quarantine. When the procedure is complete, the tool may ask you to restart your computer.
Get rid of Search.movieapp.net home page with MalwareBytes Free
You can get rid of Search.movieapp.net automatically with a help of MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM). We recommend this free malicious software removal utility because it can easily get rid of hijacker, adware, potentially unwanted programs and toolbars with all their components such as files, folders and registry entries.
MalwareBytes can be downloaded from the following link. Save it on your Desktop.
326466 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020
When the download is complete, close all windows on your PC system. Further, run the file called MBSetup. If the “User Account Control” prompt pops up as displayed below, press the “Yes” button.
It will display the Setup wizard which will assist you set up MalwareBytes Free on the PC system. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
Once setup is done successfully, click “Get Started” button. Then MalwareBytes will automatically start and you may see its main window as shown in the following example.
Next, press the “Scan” button . MalwareBytes program will scan through the whole PC system for the hijacker that responsible for internet browser redirect to the annoying Search.movieapp.net web page. Depending on your device, the scan can take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly.
Once the checking is complete, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) will display a list of all threats detected by the scan. Make sure to check mark the threats that are unsafe and then click “Quarantine” button.
The MalwareBytes will get rid of browser hijacker which developed to redirect your web browser to the Search.movieapp.net web page and move the selected items to the program’s quarantine. Once disinfection is done, you can be prompted to restart your device. We suggest you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the MalwareBytes Anti Malware to delete browser hijackers, adware and other malware.
How to stop Search.movieapp.net redirect
In order to increase your security and protect your device against new intrusive ads and malicious web-pages, you need to use ad blocking application that blocks an access to malicious ads and web-pages. Moreover, the program may stop the open of intrusive advertising, that also leads to faster loading of websites and reduce the consumption of web traffic.
- Download AdGuard from the following link. Save it on your MS Windows desktop.
Adguard download
26660 downloads
Version: 6.4
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: November 15, 2018
- After downloading it, run the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
- When the setup is done, press “Skip” to close the installation program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial which will assist 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 launch your computer, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop unwanted ads, block Search.movieapp.net, as well as other harmful or misleading websites. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the icon called AdGuard, which can be found on your desktop.
Finish words
Now your computer should be clean of the browser hijacker which redirects your browser to the Search.movieapp.net web-site. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you block unwanted pop up advertisements and unwanted malicious webpages) and Zemana (to periodically scan your computer for new malicious software, hijackers and adware software). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Microsoft Windows operating system. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new browser hijackers, harmful programs and adware software are released.
If you are still having problems while trying to get rid of browser hijacker from your browser, then ask for help here.
