Home.searchjourney.net Redirect

What is home.searchjourney.net?

Identical to ClearWebSearch, Serene Find, and a number of other bogus programs, Search Journey is a deceptive application that claims to enhance the Internet browsing experience by allowing users to change the background of their search engine.

On initial inspection, this functionality may appear legitimate and useful, however, Search Journey often infiltrates systems without direct permission.

Furthermore, this app continually delivers intrusive online advertisements, records various user/system information, and stealthily modifies Internet browser settings (leading to continual unwanted browser redirects). For these reasons, Search Journey is categorized as a browser hijacker.

Following successful infiltration, Search Journey assigns the Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox new tab URL/homepage settings to homepage.searchjourney.net and default search engine to search.searchjourney.net. Furthermore, this app reassigns these settings when user-attempts are made to change them.

Thus, users are unable to return browsers to their previous states and continually encounter unwanted browser redirects to home.searchjourney.net and search.searchjourney.net, significantly diminishing the browsing experience. Furthermore, Search Journey generates interstitial, transitional, full-page, search, coupon, banner, and other similar intrusive ads.

These do not originate from users' visited websites and conceal underlying content (also diminishing the Internet browsing experience). They might also lead to malicious websites - clicking them risks further computer infections.

Search Journey monitors browsing activity by recording unique identifier numbers, IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and other similar information. This data may seem insignificant, however, it will contain personal details that SuperWeb LLC (developers of Search Journey) share with cooperating third party companies.

There is a high probability that your private information will be misused. Thus, the presence of an information-tracking browser hijacker on your system can lead to serious privacy issues. You should uninstall Search Journey PUP immediately.

Browser-hijacking applications are designed only to generate revenue for the developers. Therefore, claims to enable functions that will improve the browsing experience are merely attempts to give the impression of legitimate software.

Apps such as Search Journey simply cause unwanted browser redirects (to generate traffic for various websites), display intrusive online advertisements (using the 'Pay Per Click' [PPC] advertising model), and collect personally identifiable information (which is later sold to third parties). Users receive no real value.

How did home.searchjourney.net install on my computer?

Search Journey is free for anyone to download on its official website, however, it is also distributed using a dubious software marketing method called 'bundling'.

Developers conceal PUPs within the 'Custom/Advanced' settings of the download/installation processes as they are aware that many users do not pay enough attention during this phase. Rushing and skipping this section often leads to inadvertent installation of bogus programs, high-risk computer infections, and/or identity theft.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

There are two simple steps you should take to prevent stealth system infiltration by bogus programs. Firstly, select the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' settings and carefully observe each step of the download/installation processes.

Secondly, decline all offers to download/install additional applications and cancel those already included. In addition, never allow set-ups to modify settings that are irrelevant to the installation.

Website promoting Search Journey browser hijacker:

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Quick menu:

• What is home.searchjourney.net?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Search Journey application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove home.searchjourney.net redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Search Journey browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove home.searchjourney.net homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove home.searchjourney.net redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Search Journey browser hijacker removal:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window: look for any recently-installed suspicious applications, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted programs that cause browser redirects to the home.searchjourney.net website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Search Journey browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove browser redirects:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Change your homepage:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Internet Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://home.searchjourney.net and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you launch Internet Explorer. You can also enter about: blank to open a blank page when you start Internet Explorer.

Change your default search engine:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". In the opened window, select "Search Providers", set "Google", "Bing", or any other preferred search engine as your default and then remove "searchjourney".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search journey adware, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious add-ons (for example, "Search Journey"), select these entries and click the trash can icon.

Change your homepage:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, click "set pages", hover your mouse over hxxp://home.searchjourney.net and click the x symbol. Now, you can add your preferred website as your homepage.

Change your default search engine:

To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search" section, click "Manage Search Engines...", remove "Search Journey" and add or select your preferred domain.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search journey adware, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions" and remove all recently-installed browser plug-ins.

Change your homepage:

To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://home.searchjourney.net and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.

Change your default search engine:

In the URL address bar, type about:config and press Enter.
Click "I'll be careful, I promise!".
In the search filter at the top, type: "searchjourney"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with search journey adware removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click Safari menu, then select Preferences...

In the preferences window select the Extensions tab. Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions and uninstall them.

In the preferences window select General tab and make sure that your homepage is set to a preferred URL, if its altered by a browser hijacker - change it.

In the preferences window select Search tab and make sure that your preferred Internet search engine is selected.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate any recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.

Change your homepage and new tab settings:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section look for the name of the browser hijacker and click "Disable".

Change your default Internet search engine:

To change your default search engine in Microsoft Edge: Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Privacy and services", scroll to bottom of the page and select "Address bar". In the "Search engines used in address bar" section look for the name of the unwanted Internet search engine, when located click the "Disable" button near it. Alternatively you can click on "Manage search engines", in the opened menu look for unwanted Internet search engine. Click on the puzzle icon near it and select "Disable".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search journey adware, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

A browser hijacker is a type of adware infection that modifies Internet browser settings by assigning the homepage and default Internet search engine settings to some other (unwanted) website URL. Commonly, this type of adware infiltrates operating systems through free software downloads. If your download is managed by a download client, ensure that you decline offers to install advertised toolbars or applications that seek to change your homepage and default Internet search engine settings.

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