How to uninstall the ConvertPDFToWord browser hijacker

What is ConvertPDFToWord?

ConvertPDFToWord is a browser hijacker which reassigns certain browser settings to convertpdftoword.co. In this way, it promotes this fake search engine. Furthermore, these apps often collect information relating to users' browsing habits, and other details.

Since people often download and install browser hijackers inadvertently, they are categorized as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs).

Like most browser hijackers, ConvertPDFToWord reassigns settings such as the address of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab. In this case, it sets them to convertpdftoword.co so that users are forced to visit this address when they open a browser (new window), new tab or enter search queries into the URL bar.

Commonly, fake search engines do not generate unique search results and provide those generated by other, often legitimate, search engines. When used, convertpdftoword.co displays results generated by Yahoo (it redirects users to search.yahoo.com). Therefore, it is useless.

To stop your browser from opening convertpdftoword.co, you must uninstall ConvertPDFToWord, otherwise this app will reassign the settings after each attempt is made to modify/undo them. Furthermore, most browser hijackers track and record information such as IP addresses, geolocations, addresses of visited websites, entered search queries.

The developers sell the details to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who would misuse them to generate revenue in other ways.

Browser hijackers can also record personal, sensitive information. In summary, using browser hijackers, people risk becoming victims of identity theft and experiencing problems relating to browsing safety, privacy, and other issues. Therefore, remove all browser hijackers (including ConvertPDFToWord) immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	ConvertPDFToWord
Browser Extension(s)	ConvertPDFToWord
Supposed Functionality	This app supposedly converts PDF files to Word documents.
Promoted URL	convertpdftoword.co
Serving IP Address (convertpdftoword.co)	104.28.7.52
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.

More examples of apps similar to ConvertPDFToWord include SearchSafe, StreamingSearch and Typing Test Guru.

Typically, they are useless and can be the reason behind serious problems: they promote fake search engines and gather information. PUAs are generally advertised as useful and legitimate, however, they are designed only to generate revenue for the developers.

How did ConvertPDFToWord install on my computer?

In most cases, people download and install apps such as ConvertPDFToWord by clicking deceptive advertisements (designed to execute certain scripts) or downloading and/or installing software without check and changing settings available in the setup.

In many cases, developers have successfully tricked people into downloading and/or installing PUAs using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling". I.e., when they include unwanted apps into the set-ups of other software that users download and/or install intentionally.

Typically, included apps are presented as 'additional offers'  and can be declined through settings such as "Custom" or "Advanced". When users download and/or install their software without changing these settings, they also grant PUAs permission to be downloaded and installed.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to check all "Custom", "Advanced", "Manual" and other similar settings of the download/installation setup and decline all offers to download or install unwanted software before completing the process.

It is not safe to download/install software from untrusted, unofficial websites, through torrent clients, eMule (or other Peer-to-Peer networks), third party downloaders, installers, or other such channels/tools, since they can be used to distribute unwanted or even malicious software.

The safest way to download software is using official websites and direct download links. Intrusive ads that appear on dubious pages should not be clicked, since they can open other dubious websites or cause unwanted downloads and installations.

Remove any unwanted, suspicious apps (extensions, add-ons and plug-ins) installed on the browser, or programs of this kind installed on the operating system immediately. If your computer is already infected with ConvertPDFToWord, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Website promoting ConvertPDFToWord browser hijacker:

Notification stating that ConvertPDFToWord can read and change certain data:

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

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

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

ConvertPDFToWord 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://convertpdftoword.co 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 "ConvertPDFToWord".

Optional method:

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