How to remove Theactualstories.com pop-ups (Virus removal guide)

What is Theactualstories.com?

Theactualstories.com is a site that uses the browser notification feature to lure computer users into accepting push notifications via the web browser. Scammers use push notifications to bypass popup blocker and therefore show a ton of unwanted adverts. These ads are used to promote questionable internet browser add-ons, prize & lottery scams, adware software bundles, and adult web-pages.

The Theactualstories.com website says that you must subscribe to notifications in order to access the content of the web-page, watch a video, download a file, connect to the Internet, enable Flash Player, and so on. If you click on ALLOW, this website starts sending notifications on the browser screen. You will see the pop up adverts even when the browser is closed.

Threat Summary

Name	Theactualstories.com pop up
Type	spam push notifications, browser notification spam, pop-up virus
Distribution	adware, PUPs, malicious pop up advertisements, social engineering attack
Symptoms	ads in the lower right corner of Window your web browser settings are being altered without your request unclosable window appear and recommend fake Jave updates fast Internet but slow browsing speeds
Removal	Theactualstories.com removal guide

How did you get infected with Theactualstories.com popups

Cyber threat analysts have determined that users are redirected to Theactualstories.com by adware or from dubious advertisements. In most cases, adware software installs on the computer in a bundle with free applications that you downloaded and installed from the Internet. Once it gets inside your computer, it will configure itself to start automatically when the computer start. Adware software can modify browser settings, redirect your web browser to undesired websites, show intrusive pop-up ads from various third-party ad networks and these intrusive advertisements is troublesome to close.

Adware software can be spread with the help of trojan horses and other forms of malicious software, but most commonly, adware software is bundled with some free applications. Many authors of free programs include bundled programs in their installation package. Sometimes it’s possible to avoid the installation of any adware software: carefully read the Terms of Use and the Software license, choose only Manual, Custom or Advanced install option, uncheck all checkboxes before clicking Install or Next button while installing new free programs.

Remove Theactualstories.com notifications from browsers

If you have clicked the “Allow” button in the Theactualstories.com pop up and gave a notification permission, you should delete this notification permission first from your web-browser settings. To delete the Theactualstories.com permission to send push notifications to your PC, execute the following steps. These steps are for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Android.

Google Chrome	Android
Just copy and paste the following text into the address bar of Chrome. chrome://settings/content/notifications Press Enter. Remove the Theactualstories.com site and other rogue notifications by clicking three vertical dots button next to each and selecting ‘Remove’.	Open Google Chrome. Tap on the Menu button (three dots) on the top-right corner of the browser. In the menu tap ‘Settings’, scroll down to ‘Advanced’. In the ‘Site Settings’, tap on ‘Notifications’, find the Theactualstories.com URL and tap on it. Tap the ‘Clean & Reset’ button and confirm.
Mozilla Firefox	Edge
In the right upper corner of the browser window, click on the three horizontal stripes to expand the Main menu. Go to ‘Options’, and Select ‘Privacy & Security’ on the left side of the window. Scroll down to the ‘Permissions’ section and click the ‘Settings’ button next to ‘Notifications’. Find Theactualstories.com URL, other rogue notifications, click the drop-down menu and choose ‘Block’. Click ‘Save Changes’ button.	In the right upper corner, click on the three dots to expand the Edge menu. Scroll down, locate and click ‘Settings’. In the left side select ‘Advanced’. Click ‘Manage permissions’ button under ‘Website permissions’. Click the switch under the Theactualstories.com so that it turns off.
Internet Explorer	Safari
Click ‘Tools’ button in the right upper corner of the screen. In the drop-down menu select ‘Internet Options’. Click on the ‘Privacy’ tab and select ‘Settings’ in the pop-up blockers section. Select the Theactualstories.com and other dubious URLs below and delete them one by one by clicking the ‘Remove’ button.	On the top menu select ‘Safari’, then ‘Preferences’. Select the ‘Websites’ tab and then select ‘Notifications’ section on the left panel. Check for Theactualstories.com domain, other suspicious sites and apply the ‘Deny’ option for each.

How to remove Theactualstories.com pop-ups from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

We can help you remove Theactualstories.com from your web-browsers, without the need to take your PC to a professional. Simply follow the removal instructions below if you currently have the unwanted adware software on your device and want to get rid of it. If you’ve any difficulty while trying to remove the adware which causes popups, feel free to ask for our help in the comment section below. Read it once, after doing so, please bookmark this page (or open it on your smartphone) as you may need to close your web browser or reboot your computer.

To remove Theactualstories.com pop ups, execute the steps below:

1. Remove Theactualstories.com notifications from browsers
2. How to manually remove Theactualstories.com
   • Remove PUPs through the MS Windows Control Panel
   • Remove Theactualstories.com advertisements from Chrome
   • Remove Theactualstories.com from Mozilla Firefox by resetting browser settings
   • Remove Theactualstories.com advertisements from IE
3. Automatic Removal of Theactualstories.com popups
4. Stop Theactualstories.com advertisements

How to manually remove Theactualstories.com

In this section of the post, we have posted the steps that will help to remove Theactualstories.com pop-ups manually. Although compared to removal tools, this solution loses in time, but you don’t need to install anything on your personal computer. It will be enough for you to follow the detailed instructions with images. We tried to describe each step in detail, but if you realized that you might not be able to figure it out, or simply do not want to change the Microsoft Windows and browser settings, then it’s better for you to use tools from trusted developers, which are listed below.

Remove PUPs through the MS Windows Control Panel

First, go to Windows Control Panel and remove questionable applications, all programs you don’t remember installing. It’s important to pay the most attention to software you installed just before Theactualstories.com ads appeared on your internet browser. If you don’t know what a program does, look for the answer on the Web.

Carefully browse through the list of installed software and get rid of all suspicious and unknown applications. We suggest to click ‘Installed programs’ and even sorts all installed software by date. After you’ve found anything dubious that may be the adware responsible for Theactualstories.com advertisements or other PUP (potentially unwanted program), then select this program and click ‘Uninstall’ in the upper part of the window. If the dubious program blocked from removal, then run Revo Uninstaller Freeware to fully delete it from your computer.

Remove Theactualstories.com advertisements from Chrome

The adware can modify your Chrome settings without your knowledge. You may see an unrequested web-site as your search engine or start page, additional plugins and toolbars. Reset Chrome browser will help you to remove Theactualstories.com pop-ups and reset the unwanted changes caused by adware. When using the reset feature, your personal information such as passwords, bookmarks, browsing history and web form auto-fill data will be saved.

1. First, start the Google Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon 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 addons. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following guide: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
4. Now open the Google Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
5. Next, click “Advanced” link, which 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 Chrome will display the reset settings dialog box as shown on the image above.
8. Confirm the web-browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
9. To learn more, read the article How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.

Remove Theactualstories.com from Mozilla Firefox by resetting browser settings

This step will help you remove Theactualstories.com advertisements, third-party toolbars, disable harmful add-ons and restore your default start page, newtab page and search provider settings.

Click the Menu button (looks like three horizontal lines), and click the blue Help icon located at the bottom of the drop down menu such as the one below.

A small menu will appear, press the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, click “Refresh Firefox” button similar to the one below.

Follow the onscreen procedure to restore your Mozilla Firefox web browser settings to their default state.

Remove Theactualstories.com advertisements from IE

In order to recover all internet browser startpage, newtab page and search provider by default you need to reset the IE to the state, which was when the MS Windows was installed on your computer.

First, open the IE. Next, click the button in the form of gear (). It will display the Tools drop-down menu, press the “Internet Options” as shown below.

In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The Microsoft Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as shown on the image below. Select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click “Reset” button.

You will now need to restart your PC system for the changes to take effect.

Automatic Removal of Theactualstories.com popups

The simplest method to remove Theactualstories.com popup advertisements is to use an anti-malware program capable of detecting adware software. We recommend try Zemana or another free malicious software remover which listed below. It has excellent detection rate when it comes to adware software, hijackers and other PUPs.

How to get rid of Theactualstories.com popups with Zemana

You can download and use the Zemana AntiMalware for free. This antimalware utility will scan all the registry entries and files in your computer along with the system settings and web browser addons. If it finds any malicious software, adware or malicious extension that is responsible for web browser redirect to the unwanted Theactualstories.com web site then the Zemana AntiMalware will delete them from your device completely.

1. Zemana can be downloaded from the following link. Save it directly to your MS Windows Desktop.
   
   

   Zemana AntiMalware
   160347 downloads
   Author: Zemana Ltd
   Category: Security tools
   Update: July 16, 2019
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your web browser will display the “Save as” prompt. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. Once the download is done, please close all applications and open windows on your personal computer. Next, start a file called Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
4. This will open the “Setup wizard” of Zemana onto your PC. Follow the prompts and do not make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) will launch and show the main window.
6. Further, click the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the adware responsible for Theactualstories.com pop up ads. Depending on your PC system, 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.
7. After Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) has finished scanning, Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will open a list of detected threats.
8. When you are ready, click the “Next” button. The tool will remove adware software related to the Theactualstories.com pop-ups and move the selected items to the Quarantine. When that process is finished, you may be prompted to reboot the device.
9. Close the Zemana and continue with the next step.

Use HitmanPro to get rid of Theactualstories.com popups

Hitman Pro is a malware removal tool that is designed to scan for and remove browser hijackers, potentially unwanted applications, adware and questionable processes from the PC system that has been infected with malicious software. It’s a portable program which can be run instantly from USB stick. HitmanPro have an advanced system monitoring utility which uses a whitelist database to isolate questionable tasks and programs.

1. First, visit the following page, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of Hitman Pro.
   
   

   HitmanPro
   11398 downloads
   Author: Sophos
   Category: Security tools
   Update: June 28, 2018
   
2. Once downloading is complete, double click the Hitman Pro icon. Once this utility is started, click “Next” button to perform a system scan for the adware responsible for Theactualstories.com ads. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your device. While the utility is checking, you can see how many objects and files has already scanned.
3. When finished, Hitman Pro will produce a list of unwanted apps and adware. Once you have selected what you want to delete from your PC click “Next” button. Now click the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial to remove all malware found.

How to delete Theactualstories.com with MalwareBytes

If you are having problems with Theactualstories.com pop ups removal, then check out MalwareBytes Free. This is a utility that can help clean up your PC and improve your speeds for free. Find out more below.

1. Installing the MalwareBytes is simple. First you will need to download MalwareBytes Anti-Malware on your PC system by clicking on the following link.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware
   319581 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: April 15, 2020
   
2. Once downloading is finished, close all apps and windows on your computer. Open a file location. Double-click on the icon that’s named MBsetup.
3. Select “Personal computer” option and click Install button. Follow the prompts.
4. Once install is complete, press the “Scan” button . MalwareBytes application will scan through the whole personal computer for the adware that causes the intrusive Theactualstories.com pop-up ads. A scan may take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the number of files on your computer and the speed of your computer. While the utility is checking, you may see count of objects and files has already scanned.
5. Once MalwareBytes Anti-Malware completes the scan, you can check all items detected on your PC system. Once you have selected what you wish to remove from your device click “Quarantine”. After disinfection is done, you can be prompted to reboot your computer.

The following video offers a step-by-step guidance on how to remove browser hijackers, adware and other malicious software with MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM).

Stop Theactualstories.com advertisements

We suggest to install an ad blocking program which may stop Theactualstories.com and other annoying websites. The ad-blocking utility like AdGuard is a program which basically removes advertising from the Internet and stops access to malicious web sites. Moreover, security experts says that using ad-blocker programs is necessary to stay safe when surfing the World Wide Web.

First, click the link below, then click the ‘Download’ button in order to download the latest version of AdGuard.

After downloading it, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen like below.

Follow the prompts. After the installation is finished, you will see a window as shown on the image below.

You can click “Skip” to close the installation program and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” button to see an quick tutorial which will help 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 start automatically and stop unwanted ads, block Theactualstories.com, as well as other malicious or misleading web-pages. For an overview of all the features of the application, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the AdGuard icon, which is located on your desktop.

Finish words

Now your device should be free of the adware that causes Theactualstories.com pop ups in your browser. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted pop-up ads and intrusive malicious web-sites) and Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) (to periodically scan your computer for new malicious software, hijackers and adware). 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 hijackers, harmful apps and adware software are released.

If you are still having problems while trying to delete Theactualstories.com ads from your web browser, then ask for help here.