iGames Search Browser Hijacker
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is games.searchalgo.com?
games.searchalgo.com is a fake search engine that, according to its developers, allows users to search for an unlimited number of free games. This search engine may seem legitimate and useful, but developers promote it via a potentially unwanted application (PUA), a browser hijacker called iGames Search.
Most users install browser-hijacking apps unintentionally. When installed, iGames Search modifies browser settings and collects browsing-related data (as does games.searchalgo.com).
iGames Search targets popular browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer. Once installed, it changes the homepage, new tab URL, and search engine options to games.searchalgo.com. It is impossible to undo these modifications in the usual way, since when any attempts are made to change the settings, iGames reverts them.
Therefore, affected users are forced to visit games.searchalgo.com when they open a browser or new tab. Furthermore, when a search query is entered into the iGames Search fake search engine (games.searchalgo.com), it redirects users to search.yahoo.com (a legitimate Yahoo search engine), thus making this fake search engine useless.
iGames Search is installed with the iGames Start extension. These potentially unwanted applications tend to collect browsing-related data (IP addresses, keystrokes, search queries, geo-locations, URLs of visited websites, etc.) and also personal/sensitive information.
PUA developers usually share these details with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse private information to generate revenue. Therefore, having PUAs installed can lead to privacy/browsing safety issues or even more serious problems such as identity theft. You are advised to uninstall iGames Search and iGames Start.
| Name | iGames Search redirect |
| Threat Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab |
| Symptoms | Manipulated Internet browser(s) settings (homepage, default Internet search engine, new tab settings). User's are forced to visit hijacker's website and search the Internet using their search engines. |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers. |
| Damage | Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites. |
| Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
There are many browser hijackers online. Some examples of other similar apps include MovieCharm, Your Easy Emails, and SearchMood. All are promoted as 'useful' tools, but these apps are used only to generate revenue for developers and rarely provide any real value.
How did iGames Search install on my computer?
iGames Search is promoted on its official website, however, users often install potentially unwanted applications unintentionally. Software developers trick them into installing rogue apps using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". Generally, information about bundled apps is not properly disclosed.
They are hidden in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings/options of the installation processes. Furthermore, many users do not check these settings and skip installation steps. PUAs developers are aware of this behavior and use it to their advantage. PUAs are sometimes also installed via intrusive ads.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Do not use third party software downloaders/installers or other similar sources. Download software using official and trustworthy websites/sources only. Do not skip installation steps, and check "Custom", "Advanced" and other settings when installing software. Avoid clicking intrusive ads, especially when visiting suspicious websites.
Some redirect users to potentially malicious/untrustworthy websites (gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on). If you encounter these redirects continually, check installed extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons on your browser and programs on your computer.
Remove all unknown/unwanted entries immediately. If your computer is already infected with iGames Search, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Screenshot of iGames Search browser hijacker app:
Website promoting iGames Search browser hijacker:
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:
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Quick menu:
- What is games.searchalgo.com?
- STEP 1. Uninstall iGames Search application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove games.searchalgo.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove iGames Search browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove games.searchalgo.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove games.searchalgo.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
iGames Search 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 (for example, "iGames Search" or "iGames Start"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications that cause browser redirects to the games.searchalgo.com website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
iGames Search 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://games.searchalgo.com 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 "Search".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the igames search redirect, 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 "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate "iGames Search", "iGames Start" and other recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.
Change your homepage:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, look for "iGames Start" and "iGames Search" browser hijackers URL (hxxp://www.games.searchalgo.com) below the “Open a specific or set of pages” option. If present, click on the three vertical dots icon and select “Remove”.
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 engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list, look for "games.searchalgo.com", and when located, click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Remove from list".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the igames search redirect, 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 on "Extensions" and remove both "iGames Search" and "iGames Start", as well as all other 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://games.searchalgo.com 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: "games.searchalgo.com"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with igames search redirect 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 igames search redirect, 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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