How to remove FreeSportSearch (Virus removal guide)

What is FreeSportSearch?

According to cyber threat analysts, FreeSportSearch is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that falls under the category of Browser hijackers. A common tactic used by PUPs authors is to alter web-browser’s settings such as home page, search engine by default and newtab so that the affected web browser goes to a web-site under the author’s control. Perform the few simple steps below to remove FreeSportSearch and protect you from other browser hijackers and potentially unwanted applications.

The FreeSportSearch browser hijacker will change your browser’s search provider so that all searches are sent via feed.freesportsearch.com that redirects to Bing, Yahoo or Google Custom Search engine that displays the search results for your query. The devs behind this browser hijacker are utilizing legitimate search provider as they may generate profit from the ads that are shown in the search results.

In addition to the above, FreeSportSearch is able to gather user data about you which can be later transferred third party companies. You don’t know if your home address, account names and passwords are safe. And of course you completely don’t know what will happen when you click on any advertisements on the FreeSportSearch web page.

How can a browser hijacker get on your personal computer

Browser hijackers and PUPs gets on computers together with many freeware and commercial programs. This PUP can be installed in background without user consent, but usually it’s introduced to a user when a downloaded program are installed. So, read term of use and user agreement very carefully before installing any software or otherwise you can end up with another hijacker on your personal computer, such as this FreeSportSearch hijacker.

Threat Summary

Name	FreeSportSearch
Type	start page hijacker, redirect virus, PUP, search engine hijacker, browser hijacker
Associated domains	feed.freesportsearch.com, get.freesportsearch.com, install.freesportsearch.com, portal.freesportsearch.com
Affected Browser Settings	startpage, search provider, newtab URL
Distribution	dubious popup advertisements, free applications installers, fake software updaters
Symptoms	Advertising pop-ups won’t go away. Every time you perform an Internet search, your internet browser is redirected to another web-page. There is an unwanted application in the ‘Uninstall a program’ section of your Control Panel. Unwanted internet browser toolbar(s) Your web-browser settings are being changed without your request.
Removal	FreeSportSearch removal guide

How to remove FreeSportSearch from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

The answer is right here on this web page. We have put together simplicity and efficiency. It will help you easily delete the browser hijacker from your computer or web-browser. Moreover, you can select manual or automatic removal way. If you are familiar with the PC system then use manual removal, otherwise use free malware removal tools that are designed specifically to remove browser hijackers such as FreeSportSearch. Of course, you may combine both methods. Read this manual carefully, bookmark it or open this page on your smartphone, because you may need to exit your web-browser or restart your personal computer.

The below steps for devices using MS Windows, for Android phones, use How to remove virus from Android phone, and for Apple computers based on Mac OS use How to delete browser hijacker, pop-ups, ads from Mac

To remove FreeSportSearch, follow the steps below:

How to manually remove FreeSportSearch
Automatic Removal of FreeSportSearch
How to stop FreeSportSearch redirect

How to manually remove FreeSportSearch

The following instructions is a step-by-step guide, which will help you manually remove FreeSportSearch browser hijacker from the Edge, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

Remove potentially unwanted apps using MS Windows Control Panel

One of the first things to attempt for removal of hijacker is to check your device installed programs screen and look for unwanted and suspicious apps. If there are any programs you do not recognize or are no longer using, you should uninstall them. If that doesn’t work, then you may need to use malware removal tool like Zemana.

Windows 8, 8.1, 10

First, click Windows button

, then click Search

. Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as shown below.

After the ‘Control Panel’ opens, press the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category like the one below.

You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel such as the one below.

Very carefully look around the entire list of applications installed on your computer. Most probably, one of them is the FreeSportSearch browser hijacker. If you have many programs installed, you can help simplify the search of harmful software by sort the list by date of installation. Once you have found a dubious, unwanted or unused program, right click to it, after that click ‘Uninstall’.

Windows XP, Vista, 7

First, press ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as shown below.

After the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to press ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as shown below.

You will see a list of applications installed on your personal computer. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the programs that were installed last. Most likely, it is the FreeSportSearch hijacker. If you’re 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 uninstall is found, simply press on its name, and then press ‘Uninstall’ similar to the one below.

Remove FreeSportSearch from Chrome

Like other modern browsers, the Google Chrome has the ability to reset the settings to their default values and thereby restore the web browser new tab, start page and default search engine that have been changed by the FreeSportSearch hijacker.

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 instructions: Remove Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.

Open the 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 click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.

Confirm your action, click the “Reset” button.

Delete FreeSportSearch hijacker from Microsoft Internet Explorer

If you find that Internet Explorer web-browser settings such as new tab, search engine and homepage had been hijacked, then you may restore your settings, via the reset web-browser procedure.

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

In the “Internet Options” window click on the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button. The Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” window as 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.

Get rid of FreeSportSearch browser hijacker from Firefox

If the Mozilla Firefox web-browser program is hijacked, then resetting its settings can help. The Reset feature is available on all modern version of Firefox. A reset can fix many issues by restoring Mozilla Firefox settings such as search provider by default, startpage and new tab to their original state. It will save your personal information like saved passwords, bookmarks, auto-fill data and open tabs.

First, start the Firefox and press button. It will open the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web browser. Further, click the Help button () as displayed on the image below.

In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the internet browser adress bar and press Enter. It will open the “Troubleshooting Information” page as displayed below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.

It will open the confirmation prompt. Further, click the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will start a procedure to fix your problems that caused by the FreeSportSearch browser hijacker. Once, it’s done, click the “Finish” button.

Automatic Removal of FreeSportSearch

If you are unsure how to get rid of FreeSportSearch browser hijacker easily, consider using automatic browser hijacker removal programs that listed below. It will identify the FreeSportSearch browser hijacker and remove it from your PC for free.

Get rid of FreeSportSearch browser hijacker with Zemana Free

Zemana Free is a free utility that performs a scan of your PC and displays if there are existing adware, browser hijackers, viruses, worms, spyware, trojans and other malicious software residing on your computer. If malicious software is detected, Zemana can automatically remove it. Zemana does not conflict with other anti-malware and antivirus software installed on your PC.

Click the following link to download Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM). Save it to your Desktop.

Zemana AntiMalware
146150 downloads
Author: Zemana Ltd
Category: Security tools
Update: July 16, 2019

After the downloading process is done, close all apps and windows on your PC. 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” that will help you set up Zemana on your device. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.

Once installation is finished successfully, Zemana Free will automatically start and you can see its main screen as displayed on the screen below.

Now click the “Scan” button to detect FreeSportSearch hijacker. Depending on your PC system, the scan may take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the Zemana Anti-Malware (ZAM) is scanning, you can see number of objects it has identified either as being malware.

After finished, Zemana AntiMalware (ZAM) will open a list of found threats. Next, you need to press “Next” button. The Zemana will start to delete FreeSportSearch hijacker. When the procedure is complete, you may be prompted to restart the device.

Remove FreeSportSearch browser hijacker from internet browsers with Hitman Pro

The Hitman Pro utility is free and easy to use. It can scan and delete FreeSportSearch hijacker, malicious software, potentially unwanted programs and adware from personal computer (MS Windows 10, 8, 7, XP) and thereby restore internet browsers default settings (homepage, new tab and default search engine). Hitman Pro is powerful enough to scan for and get rid of malicious registry entries and files that are hidden on the computer.

Please go to the following link to download the latest version of Hitman Pro for Microsoft Windows. Save it on your Desktop.

HitmanPro
9850 downloads
Author: Sophos
Category: Security tools
Update: June 28, 2018
Once the download is complete, double click the HitmanPro icon. Once this tool is launched, click “Next” button for checking your device for the FreeSportSearch hijacker. This procedure can take quite a while, so please be patient. When a malware, adware software or potentially unwanted programs are found, the count of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the scanning is finished.
When the scanning is finished, you may check all items detected on your personal computer. Review the results once the tool has done the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click “Next” button. Now press the “Activate free license” button to start the free 30 days trial to get rid of all malware found.

Use MalwareBytes Free to remove FreeSportSearch browser hijacker

Manual FreeSportSearch browser hijacker removal requires some computer skills. Some files and registry entries that created by the browser hijacker can be not completely removed. We recommend that run the MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM) that are fully free your computer of hijacker. Moreover, this free program will help you to get rid of malicious software, PUPs, adware software and toolbars that your device can be infected too.

Visit the page linked below to download MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM). Save it on your Desktop.

Malwarebytes Anti-malware
306856 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: April 15, 2020

Once downloading is done, close all windows on your PC system. Further, start the file named MBSetup. If the “User Account Control” dialog box pops up like below, click the “Yes” button.

It will display the Setup wizard that will assist you install MalwareBytes on the PC system. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.

Once install is finished successfully, press “Get Started” button. Then MalwareBytes Free will automatically run and you can see its main window similar to the one below.

Next, press the “Scan” button for scanning your computer for the FreeSportSearch browser hijacker. This task can take quite a while, so please be patient. When a threat is detected, the number of the security threats will change accordingly. Wait until the the checking is done.

As the scanning ends, you’ll be shown the list of all found items on your PC system. Make sure all threats have ‘checkmark’ and click “Quarantine” button.

The MalwareBytes Free will get rid of FreeSportSearch hijacker. When the process is done, you may be prompted to restart your computer. We suggest you look at the following video, which completely explains the process of using the MalwareBytes to remove hijackers, adware and other malware.

How to stop FreeSportSearch redirect

Run an ad-blocking tool such as AdGuard will protect you from harmful ads and content. Moreover, you may find that the AdGuard have an option to protect your privacy and block phishing and spam web-sites. Additionally, ad-blocking apps will help you to avoid intrusive pop-up advertisements and unverified links that also a good way to stay safe online.

Download AdGuard on your computer from the following link.

After downloading it, double-click the downloaded file to start it. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen as shown in the figure 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 like 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 run your computer, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted advertisements, block FreeSportSearch, as well as other malicious or misleading websites. 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 is located on your desktop.

To sum up

After completing the step-by-step tutorial above, your personal computer should be clean from this browser hijacker and other malware. The Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge will no longer show the FreeSportSearch web-site on startup. Unfortunately, if the steps does not help you, then you have caught a new hijacker, 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 FreeSportSearch hijacker.