How to uninstall the Quick Forms browser hijacker

What is Quick Forms?

Quick Forms is a rogue application categorized as a browser hijacker and endorsed as a tool for easy access to various forms websites. Quick Forms operates by altering browser settings to promote hquick-forms.com (a fake search engine). Additionally, this app has data tracking capabilities, which are employed to monitor users' browsing habits.

Due to the dubious proliferation methods used to promote Quick Forms, it is also classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA). Quick Forms is often distributed together another PUA called Hide My History.

Browser hijackers target Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and other popular browsers with large user bases. These dubious applications modify browsers by reassigning the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of bogus search engines.

Quick Forms promotes hquick-forms.com in this manner. Therefore, each new browser tab/window opened and each search made via the URL bar redirects to hquick-forms.com. Fake search engines have no genuine value to regular users, as they are usually unable to provide unique results.

Therefore, they tend to redirect to (or cause redirection chains ending with) legitimate sites. The web searcher of Quick Forms (hquick-forms.com) is no exception to this, and simply redirects to Yahoo (search.yahoo.com). Furthermore, browser hijackers can limit or deny access to the browser settings, and any permitted changes made are automatically undone.

This makes recovering an affected browser impossible, without removing the browser hijacker. Furthermore, Quick Forms can track and record data such as browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and personal information (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

The gathered data is typically shared with third parties seeking to misuse it for profit, potentially by putting it to criminal use.

To summarize, the presence of data-tracking software on browsers/systems can result in serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft. To ensure device integrity and user safety, you are strongly advised to remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	Quick Forms
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Detection Names	Avast (Win32:Adware-gen [Adw]), Fortinet (Riskware/WinWrapper), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/WinWrapper.V Poten), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:Downloader.Win32.WinWrapper.lnx), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal).
Browser Extension(s)	Quick Forms
Supposed Functionality	Easy access to various forms sites.
Promoted URL	hquick-forms.com
Serving IP Address (hquick-forms.com)	52.73.240.226
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.

Quick To Email, Manuals Finder, CapitaSearch and Find Local Classifieds are some examples of browser hijackers. These apps may seem legitimate and offer various "useful" functionalities, however, the features promised are rarely operational and, even if they do work, it is not as advertised.

In fact, this is typical of all PUAs. The only purpose of these unwanted applications is to generate revenue for the developers. PUAs hijack browsers, cause unwanted redirects, deliver intrusive advertisement campaigns and track private data.

How did Quick Forms install on my computer?

Some PUAs (including Quick Forms) have official promotional web pages. These apps are also distributed via the download/installation set-ups of other products. This deceptive marketing method of pre-packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

Rushing through download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, using pre-set options, etc.), increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled and dubious content onto the system. Intrusive ads proliferate PUAs as well. When clicked, they can execute scripts to make these stealthy downloads/installations.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

You are advised to research all software before download/installation or purchase. Use only official and verified download channels. Unofficial and free file-hosting sites, P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, eMule, Gnutella, etc.) and other third party downloaders are untrusted and commonly offer deceptive/bundled content.

When downloading/installing, it is important to read the terms, study all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, etc. Intrusive ads may seem normal and innocuous, however, they can redirect to various dubious websites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others).

If you experience these ads/redirects, inspect the system and immediately eliminate all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with Quick Forms, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Quick Forms browser hijacker installation setup:

Quick Forms browser hijacker asking for various permissions:

Website promoting Quick Forms 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
• Scroll down, find and click "Settings"
• Scroll down again and click "View advanced settings"
• Click "Manage" under "Website permissions"
• Click the switch under each suspicious website

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

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Quick menu:

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

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

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

Quick Forms 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://hquick-forms.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 "Quick Forms".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the hquick-forms.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 "Quick Forms" 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 "Quick Forms", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.hquick-forms.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 "hquick-forms.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 hquick-forms.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 "Quick Forms", 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 "Quick Forms", remove hxxp://hquick-forms.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 hquick-forms.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 hquick-forms.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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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the purpose of forcing users to visit hquick-forms.com website?

Cyber criminals' (browser hijacker/ fake search engine developers') revenue is directly dependent on the visit count of hquick-forms.com.

Is visiting hquick-forms.com a threat to my privacy?

To a certain extent, yes. Sites like hquick-forms.com usually collect (and sell) information about their visitors.

How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?

Browser hijackers are distributed via bundled software, deceptive promotional webpages, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, unofficial and free file-hosting websites, spam browser notifications, intrusive ads capable of stealthy downloads/installations, online scams, fake updates, and so forth.

Will Combo Cleaner help me remove Quick Forms browser hijacker?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan devices and eliminate existing browser-hijacking apps. On the other hand, manual removal might be ineffective when multiple browser hijackers are present. When this software infiltrates a system in a bundle, after one browser hijacker is removed - those remaining may be able to re-install it. Additionally, this software may deny access to relevant settings or undo user-made changes. Therefore, it is paramount to remove browser hijackers thoroughly and all at once.

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