How to remove the RecipeFox browser hijacker

What is RecipeFox?

There are many browser hijackers on the internet. Typically, they promote the addresses of fake search engines by changing browser settings and collecting browsing-related data. RecipeFox promotes recipefox.recipes in this manner.

Generally, users download and install apps such as RecipeFox (browser hijackers) inadvertently and, for this reason, they are categorized as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs).

After installation, RecipeFox assigns recipefox.recipes as the address of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab. It ensures that users are forced to visit this address/open fake search engine when they open a browser (or new window), new tab or enter search queries into the URL bar.

When used, recipefox.recipes redirects to stravtrk.com, then to my-search.com, and finally to google.com. Therefore, before displaying results generated by Google, this fake search engine redirects users to a number of other dubious addresses. As search engines such as recipefox.recipes do not generate unique results, they are fake.

Commonly, users cannot remove the addresses of fake search engines from the aforementioned browser settings as long as the browser hijacker is installed. In this case, users can only remove recipefox.recipes or change it to another address after uninstalling RecipeFox.

Furthermore, apps of this type often collect browsing data (e.g., IP addresses, geolocations, addresses of visited websites, entered search queries) and sometimes personal, sensitive details. The developers might sell collected information to third parties who then misuse it to generate revenue in other ways.

Note that the data might also be sent to cyber criminals. In any case, people who have apps such as RecipeFox installed on browsers and/or operating systems risk becoming victims of identity theft, and experiencing problems relating to browsing safety, online privacy, and other problems.

Threat Summary:

Name	RecipeFox
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Browser Extension(s)	RecipeFox
Supposed Functionality	This app supposedly provides recipes.
Promoted URL	recipefox.recipes (redirects to google.com via stravtrk.com and my-search.com).
Serving IP Address (recipefox.recipes)	216.172.184.230
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.

RecipeFox functions in a similar manner to Sealoid, Spinyon, SearchConverter and many other browser hijackers. Typically, apps of this type are useless. In most cases, they are designed only to help the developers to generate revenue by promoting fake search engines and gathering user-system information.

Furthermore, browser hijackers can lead to serious problems. Therefore, never download or install these rogue apps.

How did RecipeFox install on my computer?

Typically, users download and install potentially unwanted applications together with other, regular programs. I.e., when PUAs are included into set-ups of other software as 'additional offers'. Generally, offers to download and install PUAs are hidden in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of set-ups.

This distribution of unwanted apps is called "bundling" and is effective when people download and install their programs without checking and changing the settings. Additionally, PUAs are often downloaded and installed through ads that execute certain scripts (but only when the ads are clicked).

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to download apps and files from trustworthy, official websites and via direct links. Third party downloaders and installers, Peer-to-Peer networks such as torrent clients, eMule, unofficial pages, free file hosting pages and other similar channels are used to distribute unwanted or even malicious programs.

Check "Advanced", "Custom" and other settings of the download/installation setup and decline offers to download or install unwanted apps. Completing downloads/installations without changing the default settings often causes additional, unwanted programs to infiltrate.

Do not click advertisements that appear on web pages relating to gambling, adult dating, pornography, or others dubious sites, since these can open other untrusted pages or cause download/installation of PUAs. Remove any PUAs (extensions, plug-ins, add-ons) installed on browser immediately.

Programs of this kind that are installed on the operating system should also be uninstalled. If your computer is already infected with RecipeFox, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

RecipeFox opens google.com via stravtrk.com and my-search.com (GIF):

Website promoting RecipeFox browser hijacker:

Notification stating that RecipeFox can read and change various data:

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Quick menu:

• What is RecipeFox?
• STEP 1. Uninstall RecipeFox application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove recipefox.recipes redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove RecipeFox browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove recipefox.recipes homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove recipefox.recipes redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

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

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

RecipeFox 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://recipefox.recipes 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 "RecipeFox".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the recipefox.recipes 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 "RecipeFox" 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 "RecipeFox", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.recipefox.recipes) 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 "recipefox.recipes", 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 recipefox.recipes 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 "RecipeFox", 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 "RecipeFox", remove hxxp://recipefox.recipes 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 recipefox.recipes 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 recipefox.recipes 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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