Uninstall Directions and Maps Now browser hijacker
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Directions and Maps Now?
Directions and Maps Now is a potentially unwanted application (PUA), a browser hijacker designed to provide free maps and directions.
In fact, this app promotes a fake search engine (search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com) and gathers information relating to users' browsing habits. Directions and Maps Now is distributed and installed together with another PUA called Hide My Searches.
Typically, browser hijackers promote the addresses of fake search engines by changing certain browser settings. Like most apps of this type, Directions and Maps Now promotes search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com by assigning it as the address of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab.
Therefore, people who have Directions and Maps Now installed on their browsers and operating systems arrive at search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com when they open a browser, new tab and/or enter search queries into the URL bar.
To stop browsers from opening search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com, uninstall Directions and Maps Now from the browser and computer. Unless uninstalled, the hijacker will prevent users from removing search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com from the aforementioned settings or change it to another address.
Note that search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com is classed as a fake search engine, since it provides results generated by Yahoo (a legitimate search engine). Therefore, it does not generate any unique results and simply redirects users to search.yahoo.com.
Furthermore, most browser hijackers (including Directions and Maps Now) collect browsing data. Generally, they gather details such as IP addresses, geolocations, addresses of visited pages, entered search queries, and so on. These apps sometimes also collect sensitive, confidential information.
Furthermore, the developers tend to sell the data to third parties who might be cyber criminals and misuse it to generate revenue. Apps such as Directions and Maps Now (and Hide My Searches) can thus cause problems relating to browsing safety and privacy.
Users with browser hijackers on their systems might also become victims of identity theft. For these reasons, we recommend that you uninstall all browser hijackers (and other PUAs) immediately.
| Name | Directions and Maps Now |
| 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) | Directions and Maps Now. |
| Supposed Functionality | This app supposedly provides free maps and directions. |
| Promoted URL | search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com |
| Serving IP Address (search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com) | 54.209.225.0 |
| 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. |
| Additional Information | Directions and Maps Now is distributed with another browser hijacker called Hide My Searches. |
| 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. |
Other examples of browser hijackers are TV Fans Online Tab, Utilitool and Search By Live PDF Converter. These apps deliver no useful features and are designed only to help the developers to generate revenue by promoting fake search engines and collecting information. People often download and install applications of this type inadvertently.
How did Directions and Maps Now install on my computer?
In most cases, people download and install PUAs through intrusive advertisements that they click or when developers distribute the apps using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" - they attempt to trick people into downloading/installing PUAs together with some other (usually free) software.
They include PUAs into the set-ups of other software and hope that people will fail to decline offers to download and/or install them. In most cases, these offers can be found in "Advanced", "Custom and other similar settings of the download/installation set-ups.
When people download and install programs without checking and changing the settings, they also allow additional PUAs to be downloaded and/or installed.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications
Check "Advanced", "Custom" and other similar options/settings of the download/installation setup. Dismiss any offers to download or install unwanted software before finishing the process. Download all software from official websites. Avoid peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule, and so on), unofficial pages, third party downloaders, installers, etc.
Intrusive ads, especially those displayed on dubious web pages, often redirect people who click them to untrustworthy websites. Some might be designed to execute scripts that download/install unwanted, potentially malicious software. Therefore, do not click these advertisements.
Check for any suspicious, unwanted apps (plug-ins, add-ons, extensions) installed on the browser, or programs of this kind on the computer and uninstall them immediately. If your computer is already infected with Directions and Maps Now, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Website promoting Directions and Maps Now browser hijacker:
Installer of Directions and Maps Now browser hijacker:
Directions and Maps Now asking permission to read and change data:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is Directions and Maps Now?
- STEP 1. Uninstall Directions and Maps Now application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove Directions and Maps Now browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Directions and Maps 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, "Directions and Maps Now"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications that cause browser redirects to the search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Directions and Maps Now 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://search.directionsandmapsnowtab.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 "Directions and Maps Now".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.directionsandmapsnowtab.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 "Directions and Maps Now" and other recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons (e.g., "Hide My Searches"), 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 "Directions and Maps Now" or "Hide My Searches", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com or hxxps://hidemysearches.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 "hxxp://search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com" and "hxxp://hidemysearches.com", 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.directionsandmapsnowtab.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 "Directions and Maps Now", as well as all other recently installed browser plug-ins (e.g., "Hide My Searches").
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 "Directions and Maps Now" or "Hide My Searches", remove hxxp://search.directionsandmapsnowtab.com or hxxp://hidemysearches.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: "extensionControlled"
Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the 
button.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with search.directionsandmapsnowtab.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.directionsandmapsnowtab.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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