Search.searchm3w1.com Redirect

What is search.searchm3w1.com?

search.searchm3w1.com (also known as search.searchm3w.com) is another fake search engine similar to many others and promoted via an app that is categorized as a browser hijacker. In this case, it is a potentially unwanted application (PUA) called Find Weather Now (updated variant of this browser hijacker promotes search.findweathernowtab.com fake search engine).

People often install apps of this type unintentionally. PUAs go on to collect information relating to browsing activity (and other data) and modify certain browser settings.

Find Weather Now is promoted as app that provides weather forecasts. It can be installed on browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer, however, once installed, it assigns search.searchm3w1.com as the homepage, default search engine, and new tab URL.

These might seem minor changes, however, users with the Find Weather Now app (browser hijacker) installed on their browsers are forced to continually visit search.searchm3w1.com when a browser or new tab is opened, or when a search query is entered into the URL bar. Furthermore, it is impossible to undo these changes until this app is uninstalled.

Find Weather Now prevents users from undoing any of these settings by reassigning them when attempts are made to modify them. Apps of this type (and associated fake search engines) also gather data such as IP addresses, search queries, geo-locations, URLs of visited websites, and so on.

There is a possibility that personal, sensitive data could also be collected. Note that developers of these unwanted apps share the gathered information with third parties (cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue.

Therefore, having unwanted apps such as Find Weather Now installed and using fake search engines such as search.searchm3w1.com might cause issues with online privacy, browsing safety, and so on. Some people might even have their identities stolen.

Threat Summary:

Name	search.searchm3w.com 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.

Criminals who develop apps such as Find Weather Now present them as legitimate, useful applications, however, their real intention is to trick innocent people into downloading, installing and using them so that they can generate revenue. These apps provide no real value and only cause problems.

Therefore, we recommend that you uninstall all PUAs immediately and avoid using fake search engines. Examples of other apps of this type (PUAs) include Watch TV Now, BaySearch Video, and StreamAll. 

How did Find Weather Now install on my computer?

Find Weather Now app can be downloaded from a website, however, most people install it inadvertently - rogue software developers often successfully trick users via a deceptive method called "bundling". They hide (bundle) unwanted apps into install/download set-ups of other, chosen software.

They conceal information regarding the inclusion of PUAs in options such as "Custom", "Advanced", and other parts of the download/installation set-ups. Note, however, that unwanted installations usually occur only if people leave all available options unchanged.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Avoid using third party software downloaders/installers and torrents. Download software using official and trustworthy sources only. Do not skip installation steps without checking "Custom"/"Advanced" settings first. Opt-out of all unwanted offers (potentially unwanted programs) and only then finish the installation.

Be cautious when browsing the web - avoid clicking untrustworthy ads, especially when visiting dubious websites. It is difficult to determine if an ad is legitimate, since developers invest time and money into their design.

If you click an ad and are redirected to an untrustworthy website (gambling, pornography, adult dating, etc.), close the window or tab immediately and check your browser extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons for suspicious entries. The same applies to programs on your computer.

Keep antivirus software enabled. If your computer is already infected with Find Weather Now, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Website promoting Find Weather Now 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:
▼ 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.searchm3w1.com?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Find Weather Now application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove search.searchm3w1.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Find Weather Now browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove search.searchm3w1.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove search.searchm3w1.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Find Weather 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, "Find Weather Now"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications that cause browser redirects to the search.searchm3w1.com website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Find Weather Now browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

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

Video showing how to remove Find Weather 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.searchm3w1.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 "Find Weather Now".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.searchm3w.com 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 "Find Weather 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, disable "Find Weather Now", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.search.searchm3w1.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 "search.searchm3w1.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 search.searchm3w.com 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 "Find Weather Now" (or simply "Weather"), 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 "Find Weather Now", remove hxxp://search.searchm3w1.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: "search.searchm3w1.com"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with search.searchm3w.com 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 search.searchm3w.com 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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