Gosearchsafely.com Redirect

What is gosearchsafely.com?

gosearchsafely.com is one of many fake search engines promoted through browser hijackers that change browser settings.

In this case, gosearchsafely.com is promoted via the Private Browsing by Safely potentially unwanted application (PUA). This PUA is used to promote another fake search engine, search.privatesearch.online. Most browser hijackers gather information relating to users.

Generally, browser hijackers target Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Mozilla Firefox. Once downloaded and installed on the browser, Private Browsing by Safely modifies settings by assigning the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL to gosearchsafely.com.

It forces users to visit this address when they open a browser, new tab, or enter a search query into the URL bar. It is impossible to revert changes made to these settings unless Private Browsing by Safely is uninstalled. Furthermore, the search engine that promotes this PUA is useless.

Rather than providing unique search results, gosearchsafely.com redirects users to search.yahoo.com. Therefore, it simply provides users with results generated by another, legitimate search engine (Yahoo). Additionally, most unwanted apps of this type record data such as IP addresses, geolocations, URLs of visited websites, entered search queries, and other similar details.

In some cases, they record sensitive (personal) information. Developers share the information with third parties, who might include cyber criminals. These people misuse private information to generate revenue. Users who have these apps installed often experience problems relating to browsing safety, online privacy, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Private Browsing by Safely
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Browser Extension(s)	Private Browsing by Safely
Supposed Functionality	Privacy protection while browsing the Internet.
Promoted URL	gosearchsafely.com
Serving IP Address (gosearchsafely.com)	104.28.29.172
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine
Symptoms	Manipulated Internet browser(s) 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.

Typically, fake search engines such as gosearchsafely.com are promoted as legitimate and useful, however, they provide none of the functionality promised (features, tools, unique search results, and so on). To avoid problems, uninstall all unwanted apps immediately and do not use dubious search engines in future.

Some examples of other search engines of this type include search.privatesearch.online, dailymailtab.com, and speedtestace.co

How did Private Browsing by Safely install on my computer?

In some cases, PUAs can be downloaded from websites that their developers use to promote them, however, most people end up having them installed since they have clicked intrusive ads or hurriedly downloaded/installed software.

Often, the main reason for unintentional downloads/installations is the "bundling" method, which developers use to trick people downloading and installing unwanted apps with other, regular software. They achieve this by hiding information regarding the inclusion of bundled apps in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar sections of the download/installation set-ups.

Furthermore, many people do not check the settings and thus unintentionally download and install unwanted apps. Alternatively, they dubious click ads, which then run scripts designed to download PUAs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Download software from official (trustworthy) websites, but not third party downloaders, torrent clients, eMule and other Peer-to-Peer networks, unofficial websites, etc. Furthermore, install all software carefully. Check all available "Advanced", "Custom" and other sections/settings of the download or installation setups.

Deselect offers to install unwanted apps and only then complete the setup. Do not click intrusive ads that are displayed on dubious websites relating to gambling, pornography, adult dating, and so on. Note, the occurrence of unwanted redirects and intrusive advertisements is usually a consequence of having  unwanted apps installed on your computer or browser.

If you experience frequent unwanted ads or redirects, check for new plug-ins, add-ons, and extensions installed on your browser and suspicious programs installed on the operating system.

Remove or uninstall suspicious entries immediately. If your computer is already infected with Private Browsing by Safely, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Website promoting Private Browsing by Safely 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 gosearchsafely.com?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Private Browsing by Safely application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove gosearchsafely.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Private Browsing by Safely browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove gosearchsafely.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove gosearchsafely.com redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Private Browsing by Safely 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, "Private Browsing by Safely"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

Private Browsing by Safely 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://gosearchsafely.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 "Private Browsing by Safely".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the private browsing by safely 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 "Private Browsing by Safely" 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 "Private Browsing by Safely", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.gosearchsafely.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 "gosearchsafely.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 private browsing by safely 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 "Private Browsing by Safely" 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 "Private Browsing by Safely"(if present), remove hxxp://gosearchsafely.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: "gosearchsafely.com"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with private browsing by safely 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 private browsing by safely 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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