Remove SearchEngineExt Redirect — How to Fix Guide

About SearchEngineExt hijacker origins

SearchEngineExt search hijacker is a potentially unwanted application (PUA)¹, that is promoted as a plugin for your web browser. It is usually advertised as an add-on for Chrome or Firefox, that aids to search some special info, for example, about sporting activity events, make your browser far more safe, enable downloading of any video clip, and so on.

Nevertheless, the SearchEngineExt plugin is pretty useless because all such features are already built-in to your browser and/or Windows. Such advertising and marketing slogans are targeted on low-skilled computer users, like pensioners or schoolchildren. But frequently even expert users are getting caught on such a lure. In specific situations, this hijacker is distributed along with free tools.

How harmful is SearchEngineExt hijacker?

Besides its impracticality, SearchEngineExt hijacker is likewise quite hazardous for browser use. It alters your search engine to its particular – search-engine-ext.com, and likewise alters your background, adding its watermark on your background image (or, in some cases, altering it to default with the mentioned symptom).

In addition to aesthetic transformations done by SearchEngineExt hijacker, you may observe that a couple of your search questions are redirecting to the suspicious websites, full of web links and ads – so-called doorway websites. Such websites can contain the links for malware downloading. The possibility of redirecting boosts if you attempt to open Google search page by force.

However all these actions are far more irritating than really damaging. The major danger, particularly for people who have a great deal of secret information in their browsers, is embedded in information gathering functions. Cookie files, conversations, often-visited web pages as well as various other activities are easily gathered by SearchEngineExt hijacker.

How to remove SearchEngineExt search hijacker?

• Download and install GridinSoft Anti-Malware.
• Open GridinSoft Anti-Malware and perform a “Standard scan“.
• “Move to quarantine” all items.
• Open “Tools” tab – Press “Reset Browser Settings“.
• Select proper browser and options – Click “Reset”.
• Restart your computer.

Browser hijackers are typically pretty very easy to deal with. In most cases, they have a separate app that can be seen in the list of installed apps. Due to the certain marketing method of SearchEngineExt hijacker, it can be easily tracked and removed by hand. Nonetheless, if you got SearchEngineExt in the bundle with a free application( s), your personal computer might be contaminated with much more harmful malware – trojans, spyware or even ransomware. That’s why I ‘d suggest you to use anti-malware programs to delete the SearchEngineExt PUA and all various other malware.

You can utilize Microsoft Defender² – it is capable of discovering and clearing away different malware, including named hijacker. Nevertheless, serious malware, that can be present on your computer in the specified case, can disable the Windows antimalware tool by editing the Group Policies. To stay clear of such situations, it is far better to utilize GridinSoft Anti-Malware.

To detect and remove all malicious applications on your computer with GridinSoft Anti-Malware, it’s better to use Standard or Full scan. Quick Scan is not able to find all the malicious programs, because it checks only the most popular registry entries and directories.

You can observe the detected malware sorted by their possible hazard during the scan process. But to choose any actions against malicious programs, you need to hold on until the scan is over, or to stop the scan.

To choose the action for every spotted virus or unwanted program, click the arrow in front of the name of detected malicious program. By default, all malware will be removed to quarantine.

Reset browser settings to original ones

To revert your browser settings, you are required to use the Reset Browser Settings option. This action is not able to be counteracted by any malware, hence, you will surely see the result. This action can be located in the Tools tab.

After pressing the Reset Browser Settings button, the menu will be shown, where you can choose, which settings will be reverted to original.

Deleteing SearchEngineExt hijacker manually

Besides using anti-malware software for browser restoration, you may choose the “Reset browser settings” function, which is usually embedded in all popular browsers.

1. Open “Settings and more” tab in upper right corner, then find here “Settings” button. In the appeared menu, choose “Reset settings” option :
2. After picking the Reset Settings option, you will see the following menu, stating about the settings which will be reverted to original :

1. Open Menu tab (three strips in upper right corner) and click the “Help” button. In the appeared menu choose “troubleshooting information” :
2. In the next screen, find the “Refresh Firefox” option :

After choosing this option, you will see the next message :

1. Open Settings tab, find the “Advanced” button. In the extended tab choose the “Reset and clean up” button :
2. In the appeared list, click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” :
3. Finally, you will see the window, where you can see all the settings which will be reset to default :
   

1. Open Settings menu by pressing the gear icon in the toolbar (left side of the browser window), then click “Advanced” option, and choose “Browser” button in the drop-down list. Scroll down, to the bottom of the settings menu. Find there “Restore settings to their original defaults” option :
2. After clicking the “Restore settings…” button, you will see the window, where all settings, which will be reset, are shown :

As an afterword, I want to say that the time plays against you and your PC. The activity of browser hijacker must be stopped as soon as possible, because of possibility of other malware injection. This malware can be downloaded autonomously, or offered for you to download in one of the windows with advertisements, which are shown to you by the hijacker. You need to act as fast as you can.

References

1. More information about PUAs
2. Detailed review of Microsoft Defender