How to uninstall Download Party from your browser and operating system
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Download Party?
The Download Party application is advertised as allowing access to online games directly from a new browser tab. In fact, it promotes a fake search engine (search.downloadpartytab.com) by changing browser settings. Apps that change settings to promote fake search engines in this way are categorized as browser hijackers and potentially unwanted applications (PUAs).
Furthermore, most browser hijackers record details relating to users' browsing habits. People tend to download and/or install PUAs inadvertently. Note that this particular app is installed together with another PUA called Hide My Searches.
After installation, Download Party assigns search.downloadpartytab.com as the address of the default search engine, new tab and homepage. In this way, it forces users to visit this address when they open a browser/new window, new tab or enter search queries into the URL bar.
If used, search.downloadpartytab.com provides search results generated by Yahoo - it simply redirects users to search.yahoo.com. I.e., the search engine does not generate unique results and is thus fake. People can only remove the address of the fake search engine from the settings by uninstalling the browser hijacker.
Note that browser hijackers (including Download Party) prevent users from changing or undo settings as long as they are installed. Furthermore, these apps usually collect browsing data and sometimes personal, sensitive details. These include IP addresses, geolocations, addresses of visited websites, entered search queries, and so on.
Developers tend sell the information to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue.
People who have apps such as Download Party installed on their browsers and/or operating systems risk becoming victims of identity theft, experiencing problems relating to browsing safety, privacy, and other problems. Therefore, remove any installed browser hijackers immediately.
| Name | Download Party |
| Threat Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab. |
| Detection Names | AVG (Win32:Adware-gen [Adw]), Bkav (W32.AIDetectVM.malware), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/WinWrapper.V Potentially Unwanted), Microsoft (PUA:Win32/OpenDownloadManager), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal) |
| Browser Extension(s) | Download Party |
| Supposed Functionality | This app supposedly provides access to various online games. |
| Promoted URL | search.downloadpartytab.com |
| Serving IP Address (search.downloadpartytab.com) | 3.89.51.155 |
| 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 | Download Party 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. |
The internet is full of browser hijackers and other PUAs. Some examples of other apps of this type are Maps & Driving Directions, Easy Package Tracking and Privacy Searching.
Typically, developers promote them as useful tools, which supposedly deliver various features or other value, however, most PUAs cause problems and are designed only to generate revenue for the developers.
How did Download Party install on my computer?
People often cause unwanted downloads/installations by clicking untrustworthy, deceptive advertisements or by downloading/installing various programs without checking settings included in the set-ups. In many cases, developers successfully trick people into downloading and installing PUAs by including them into download/installation set-ups.
This distribution method of rogue software (in this case PUAs) is called "bundling". Typically, offers to download and/or install unwanted software are placed in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar setting of the set-ups.
When people download and/or install programs without checking or changing these settings, they often agree by default with offers to download and install additional, unwanted software.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications
To avoid unwanted downloads and installations, download your software only from official and trustworthy websites. Third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks (e.g., torrent clients, eMule, etc) and other tools, channels of this kind are often used to proliferate potentially unwanted apps.
Therefore, these tools should not be used to download or install software/files. Check "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of the setup and decline offers to download or install unwanted applications. Dubious web pages often display deceptive ads, which can redirect people who click them to other untrustworthy websites or cause download/installation of PUAs.
Check for suspicious extensions, add-ons and plug-ins already installed on the browser and remove them immediately. The same should be applied to programs of this kind installed on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with Download Party, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Website promoting Download Party browser hijacker:
Download Party installer:
Download Party asks permission to read and change data on Chrome:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is Download Party?
- STEP 1. Uninstall Download Party application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove search.downloadpartytab.com redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove Download Party browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove search.downloadpartytab.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove search.downloadpartytab.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
Download Party 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, "Download Party"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications that cause browser redirects to the search.downloadpartytab.com website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
Download Party 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.downloadpartytab.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 "Download Party".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the search.downloadpartytab.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 "Download Party" 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 "Download Party" or "Hide My Searches", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://search.downloadpartytab.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.downloadpartytab.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.downloadpartytab.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 "Download Party", 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 "Download Party" or "Hide My Searches", remove hxxp://search.downloadpartytab.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.downloadpartytab.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.downloadpartytab.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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