Ads by Tools Plus

What is Tools Plus?

Tools Plus is a deceptive application that supposedly saves time and money by providing coupons and notifications of special deals/discounts available on various e-shops.

On initial inspection, Tools Plus may seem legitimate, however, this application is categorized as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and adware. There are three main reasons for these negative associations: 1) installation without permission; 2) display of intrusive advertisements, and; 3) tracking of web browsing activity.

Following successful infiltration, Tools Plus employs a "virtual layer" to generate pop-up, coupon, banner, and other similar advertisements. "The virtual layer" enables placement of third party graphical content on any site. Therefore, displayed ads often conceal underlying content of visited websites, significantly diminishing the web browsing experience.

These ads might redirect to malicious websites and even accidental clicks can result in high-risk adware or malware infections. Tools Plus records Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, queries entered into search engines, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and other information relating to web browsing activity.

This information might contain personal details that developers share with third parties (who misuse private details to generate revenue). Therefore, the presence of an information-tracking app can result in serious privacy issues or even identity theft. We strongly advise you to uninstall Tools Plus adware immediately.

There are dozens of adware-type applications that also claim to provide 'useful features' including, for example, Net Wiz, Beautiful Desktop, WebDiscover, and Enhance Pro. Note that all of these apps claim to improve the web browsing experience in some way, however, adware is useless for regular users.

Research shows that apps such as Tools Plus are designed only to generate revenue for the developers - they collect user-system information (which is later sold to third parties) and deliver intrusive online ads (via the "Pay Per Click" advertising model). Claims to enable 'useful functionality' are merely attempts to give the impression of legitimacy.

How did Tools Plus install on my computer?

Tools Plus is free for anyone to download on its official website, however, developers also proliferate this adware by employing a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". Users often install Tools Plus inadvertently, without their consent. Bundling is stealth installation of third party applications with regular software/apps.

Developers know that users often rush the download/installation processes and skip steps. Therefore, bundled apps are hidden within the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings. Skipping this section often leads to inadvertent installation of rogue applications such as Tools Plus.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Installation of potentially unwanted programs can be prevented by taking two simple steps. Firstly, never rush when downloading and installing software. Select the "Custom/Advanced" settings and closely analyze each step. Secondly, decline offers to download/install additional applications and cancel those already included. The key to computer safety is caution.

Instant automatic malware removal: Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is Tools Plus?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Tools Plus application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove Tools Plus adware from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Tools Plus ads from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove 'Ads by Tools Plus' from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove Tools Plus extension from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Tools Plus adware 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 "Tools Plus", select this entry and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted program that causes Tools Plus ads, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Remove Tools Plus adware from Internet browsers:

At time of research, Tools Plus did not install its browser plug-ins on Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox, however, it was bundled with other adware. Therefore, you are advised to remove all potentially unwanted browser add-ons from your Internet browsers.

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

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 browser extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the tools plus 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 browser add-ons, select these entries and click the trash can icon.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the tools plus 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", in the opened window, remove all recently-installed suspicious browser plug-ins.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with tools plus 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, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....

In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.

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 upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the tools plus 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:

Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.

Post a comment:
If you have additional information on tools plus adware or it's removal please share your knowledge in the comments section below.

▼ Show Discussion