Remove search.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.com from browsers

What is Watch Your TV Shows Now?

Watch Your TV Shows Now is a potentially unwanted application (PUA), a browser hijacker that changes settings and collects data relating to users' browsing activities. This app supposedly allows people to search for various TV shows and other content directly from a new browser tab. In fact, its main purpose is to promote search.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.com

Apps such as Watch Your TV Shows Now can be installed on browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer. When this app hijacks a browser, it assigns the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL to the fake search engine address (search.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.com).

Watch Your TV Shows Now users are thus forced to open this fake search engine when they open the hijacked browser, a new tab, or search via the URL bar. To undo these changes or modify settings, the app that hijacked the browser (in this case, Watch Your TV Shows Now) must be uninstalled.

There is no point in using the search.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.com search engine, since, when a search query is entered, it simply redirects to search.yahoo.com and provides results generated by Yahoo.

Furthermore, search.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.com and the app that promotes it record entered search queries, URLs of visited websites, users' IP addresses, geolocations, and so on. PUA developers share the data with other parties who misuse it to generate revenue.

Note, that some of these third parties might be cyber criminals. Therefore, do not use fake search engines or have PUAs such as Watch Your TV Shows Now installed.

Threat Summary:

Name	Watch Your TV Shows Now
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Detection Names	Avast (Win32:AdwareSig [Adw]), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/WinWrapper.V Potentially Unwanted), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.Win32.WebSearch.gen), McAfee (GenericR-PBK!B860CF8C4CB5), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Browser Extension(s)	Watch Your TV Shows (Chrome), TV (Firefox)
Supposed Functionality	This app supposedly provides users with access to various TV content from their browsers
Promoted URL	search.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.com
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 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.

There are hundreds of browser hijackers online. Some other examples include My Email Fast, Easy Speed Tracker, and Easy Weather Forecast. Generally, these apps are advertised as useful, legitimate, and so on, however, few deliver the features promised or any other value.

Most promote fake search engines and gather data. People who use them risk encountering problems with browsing safety, online privacy, or they might even become victims of identity theft.

How did Watch Your TV Shows Now install on my computer?

People generally download and install potentially unwanted applications inadvertently, without their knowledge through clicked intrusive ads (that execute certain scripts) or together with other (usually free) software. They are usually tricked into these downloads and installations.

Software developers also use the "bundling" method - they hide information about the inclusion of PUAs in "Advanced", "Custom" settings, or options of the download/installation set-ups, and hope that people will not check or change them.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Use official and trustworthy websites (or other reputable sources) to download software, especially if it is free. Avoid using third party downloaders and installers, various Peer-to-Peer networks, and any other, dubious sources. Install software with care and do not skip any download or installation setup steps without first checking "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar parts.

Opt-out of unwanted software and only then finish the download/installation process. Bear in mind that not all ads on the Internet are legitimate, especially if they are displayed on dubious web pages. Many intrusive ads redirect people to untrustworthy and potentially malicious websites.

If the browser opens dubious websites or unwanted redirects occur often, check for PUAs installed on the browser and remove all unwanted/suspicious plug-ins, extensions, and add-ons immediately. This also applies to programs of this kind installed on the operating system.

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

Watch Your TV Shows Now browser hijacker installer set-up:

Website promoting Watch Your TV Shows Now browser hijacker:

Another website used to promote Watch Your TV Shows 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 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 and select "Settings"
• Click on "Site permissions" in the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen and select "Notifications"
• Click three dots on the right hand side of each suspicious URL under "Allow" section and click "Block" or "Remove" (if you click "Remove" and visit the malicious site once more, it will ask to enable notifications again)

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

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

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

Watch Your TV Shows Now browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

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

Video showing how to remove Watch Your TV Shows 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.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.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 "Watch Your TV Shows Now".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.com 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 "Watch Your TV Shows 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 "Watch Your TV Shows Now", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.search.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.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.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.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.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.com 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 "Watch Your TV Shows Now" (or simply "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 Your TV Shows Now" (or simply "TV") remove hxxp://search.hwatchyourtvshowsnow.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: "moz-extension"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

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