Search.hwatchtvnow.co Redirect

What is search.hwatchtvnow.co?

search.hwatchtvnow.co is classified as a fake search engine that is promoted through a browser-hijacking potentially unwanted application (PUA) called Watch TV Now. Developers claim that Watch TV Now saves time finding TV shows by providing quick access to popular TV-related websites.

Generally, users install these apps unintentionally. Once installed, browser hijackers modify settings and record information relating to browsing habits.

Typically, browser hijackers target the most common browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer. After installation of Watch TV Now, the homepage, default search engine, and new tab URL settings are assigned to search.hwatchtvnow.co. Changing these settings is common behaviour for PUAs.

Therefore, when Watch TV Now is installed, users are forced to visit search.hwatchtvnow.co when they open the affected browser (or a new tab) and enter a search query into the URL bar. It is impossible to revert this situation, since this browser hijacker reassigns settings when attempts are made to change them.

The only solution is to uninstall the Watch TV Now app. The search.hwatchtvnow.co search engine is useless and does not provide unique results - it simply redirects to search.yahoo.com (a legitimate Yahoo search engine) and displays results generated by this search engine.

Like most browser hijackers, Watch TV Now tracks users' browsing activity and records browsing-related data such as IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, search queries, geo-locations, URLs of visited websites, and so on. It might also collect personal details that developers continually share with third parties (potentially, also cyber criminals).

Generally, the data is misused to generate revenue. Thus, having data tracking apps installed (and using fake search engines) can lead to problems such as privacy/browsing safety issues or even identity theft. We recommend that you uninstall all browser hijackers and avoid using these fake search engines.

Threat Summary:

Name	Watch TV Now browser hijacker
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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner 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.

Some examples of other browser hijackers similar to Watch TV Now are BaySearch Video, StreamAll, and mixSportTV Search Plus. There are many other apps of this type, most of which are promoted as 'useful and legitimate'. In fact, these are merely attempts to trick people into downloading, installing, and running rogue PUAs.

Unfortunately, most browser-hijacking apps provide none of the features promised and are designed only to generate revenue for the developers.

How did Watch TV Now install on my computer?

The Watch TV Now browser hijacker is promoted through its official website, however, users often install these apps inadvertently, when they click various untrustworthy (deceptive) ads or when software developers use the "bundling" method.

"Bundling" is a deceptive marketing method used to trick people into downloading/installing unwanted apps together with other software. Developers achieve this by hiding unwanted apps in "Advanced", "Custom" or other similar parts of the download/installation set-ups.

Note, however, that these installations are not achieved unless users skip download/installation steps and leave settings unchanged. Lack of knowledge of these threats and careless behavior are the main reasons for these unwanted installations.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Use official/trustworthy sources when downloading software and avoid using third party downloaders/installers, torrent clients, freeware download, websites, and so on. Do not skip software download/installation steps, and check "Custom", "Advanced", and other sections of these processes.

Deselect offers to download/install additional (unwanted) apps or to make changes to browser settings. Only then finish the download or installation process. Be careful with intrusive ads, especially those displayed on dubious websites.

If you often experience ads that redirect to untrustworthy websites (gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on), check for suspicious extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons installed on your browser, or programs on your computer. Remove unwanted entries immediately.

If your computer is already infected with Watch TV Now, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Website promoting Watch TV Now browser hijacker:

IMPORTANT NOTE! This deceptive site asks to enable web browser notifications.

Therefore, before commencing, perform these steps:

Google Chrome (PC):

• Click the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen
• Select "Settings", scroll down to the bottom and click "Advanced"
• Scroll down to the "Privacy and security" section, select "Content settings" and then "Notifications"
• Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)

Google Chrome (Android):

• Click on the Menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the screen and click "Settings"
• Scroll down, click on "Site settings" and then "Notifications"
• In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs and click on them one-by-one
• Select "Notifications" in the "Permissions" section and click "Block"

Mozilla Firefox:

• Click the Menu button (three bars) on the right upper corner of the screen
• Select "Options" and click on "Privacy & Security" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen
• Scroll down to the "Permissions" section and click the "Settings" button next to "Notifications"
• In the opened window, locate all suspicious URLs, click the drop-down menu and select "Block"

Internet Explorer:

• Click the Gear button on the right upper corner of the IE window
• Select "Internet options"
• Select the "Privacy" tab and click "Settings" under "Pop-up Blocker" section
• Select suspicious URLs under and remove them one by one by clicking the "Remove" button

Microsoft Edge:

• Click the menu button (three dots) on the right upper corner of the Edge window
• Scroll down, find and click "Settings"
• Scroll down again and click "View advanced settings"
• Click "Manage" under "Notifications"
• Click the switch under each suspicious website

Safari:

• Click "Safari" button on the bottom of the screen and select "Preferences..."
• Select the "Websites" tab and then select "Notifications" section on the left pane
• Check for suspicious URLs and apply the "Deny" option for each

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 search.hwatchtvnow.co?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Watch TV Now application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove search.hwatchtvnow.co redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Watch TV Now browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove search.hwatchtvnow.co homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove search.hwatchtvnow.co redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Watch TV Now 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, "Watch TV Now"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications that cause browser redirects to the search.hwatchtvnow.co website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Watch TV Now browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove browser redirects (Windows OS):

Video showing how to remove Watch TV Now browser hijacker using Combo Cleaner (MacOS):

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://search.hwatchtvnow.co 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 "Watch TV Now".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the watch tv now browser hijacker, 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 "Watch TV Now" 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 a "Watch TV Now" browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.search.hwatchtvnow.co) 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 "search.hwatchtvnow.co", 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 watch tv now browser hijacker, 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 "Watch TV Now" (or "TV"), 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, disable "Watch TV Now" (or "TV"),  remove hxxp://search.hwatchtvnow.co 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: "moz-extension"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with watch tv now browser hijacker 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 watch tv now browser hijacker, 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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