How to uninstall Route Finder?

What is Route Finder?

Identical to mysupertab.com, vmos.xyz, select-search.com, and many others, hroutefinder.net is a fake search engine that supposedly enhances the browsing experience by generating improved results and providing quick access to various popular websites.

Judging on appearance alone, hroutefinder.net may seem legitimate and useful, however, developers promote this fake search engine using a potentially unwanted application (PUA), a browser hijacked called Route Finder. This PUA is known to infiltrate computers without permission.

Research shows that hroutefinder.net and Route Finder record information relating to browsing activity.

As with most browser hijackers, Route Finder targets popular browsers such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. After successful infiltration, Route Finder assigns the new tab URL, default search engine, and homepage options to hroutefinder.net. These changes may seem insignificant, however, users are unable to revert them.

Route Finder prevents users reassigning browser settings when attempts are made to change them. Therefore, unless Route Finder is uninstalled, returning browsers to their previous states becomes impossible and users are encouraged to visit hroutefinder.net when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar.

This significantly diminishes the browsing experience. Another significant downside are redirects caused by hroutefinder.net. This site redirects users to search.yahoo.com each time a search query is entered. Users simply end up searching via the Yahoo search engine, and thus using hroutefinder.net is pointless.

As mentioned above, hroutefinder.net and Route Finder continually monitor browsing activity by gathering information such as IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, and other similar data. This information is shared with third parties who misuse it to generate revenue.

Therefore, data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. You are strongly advised to eliminate Route Finder and never return to hroutefinder.net.

Threat Summary:

Name	Route Finder
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Detection Names	Avast (Win32:Adware-gen [Adw]), AVG (Win32:Adware-gen [Adw]), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/WinWrapper.V Potentially Unwanted), Microsoft (PUA:Win32/OpenDownloadManager), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Browser Extension(s)	Route Finder
Supposed Functionality	This app supposed to deliver route and maps
Promoted URL	hroutefinder.net
Serving IP Address (hroutefinder.net)	34.206.238.123
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine
Symptoms	Manipulated Internet browser settings (homepage, default Internet search engine, new tab settings). Users are forced to visit the 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 browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious 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.

As mentioned, hroutefinder.net shares many similarities with other fake search engines. In fact, all websites of this type are virtually identical.

By offering "useful features" (improved search results, weather forecasts, quick access, etc.), websites such as hroutefinder.net attempt to give the impression of legitimacy, however, their only purpose is to generate revenue for the developers, whilst regular users receive no value. Fake search engines merely cause unwanted redirects and gather information.

How did Route Finder install on my computer?

Although Route Finder has an official website, it often infiltrates systems without users’ permission, since it is often proliferated using intrusive advertisements (which redirect to dubious sites and run scripts that download/install unwanted applications) and a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" (stealth installation of third party applications with regular software).

Developers are not honest enough to adequately disclose installation of third party apps, and thus "bundled" software is hidden within "Custom/Advanced" settings (or other sections) of the download/installation processes.

Furthermore, many users are likely to click various advertisements and skip download/installation steps - behavior that often leads to inadvertent installation of third party programs. In this way, users expose their systems to risk of various infections and compromise their privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge and careless behavior. The key to safety is caution. Therefore, pay attention when browsing the internet and downloading/installing software. Carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs and opt-out of all additionally-included programs.

Download apps from official sources only, via direct download links and avoid using third party downloaders/installers, since virtually all are monetized using the "bundling" method. Intrusive advertisements usually seem legitimate, however, once clicked, redirect to dubious websites (gambling, adult dating, pornography, etc.).

If you experience these ads/redirects, eliminate all suspicious applications and browser plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with Route Finder, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Route Finder browser hijacker installer set-up:

Website promoting Route Finder browser hijacker (on Chrome):

Website promoting Route Finder browser hijacker (on Edge):

IMPORTANT NOTE! Route Finder's download page 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 set the toggle button to "OFF"

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 "Website permissions"
• Click the switch under each suspicious website

Safari (Mac):

• Click "Safari" button on the left upper corner 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 Route Finder?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Route Finder application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove hroutefinder.net redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Route Finder browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove hroutefinder.net homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove hroutefinder.net redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Route Finder 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, "Route Finder"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications (which cause browser redirects to the hroutefinder.net website), scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Route Finder 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://hroutefinder.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 "Route Finder".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the hroutefinder.net 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 "Route Finder" 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 "Route Finder", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.hroutefinder.net) 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 "hroutefinder.net", 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 hroutefinder.net 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 plugins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "Route Finder", 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 "Route Finder", remove hxxp://hroutefinder.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: "extensionControlled"
Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the button.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with hroutefinder.net 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 hroutefinder.net 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.

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

▼ Show Discussion