How to uninstall the Search Tab browser hijacker

What is Search Tab?

Search Tab is a browser hijacker supposedly designed to improve the browsing experience, however, it changes certain browser settings to promote hsearchtab.org (the address of a fake search engine). These apps often collect data relating to users' browsing habits.

Generally, people download and install browser hijackers unintentionally and, for this reason, they are categorized as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs). Search Tab is distributed with another PUA called Hide My History.

Usually, browser hijackers promote fake search engines by setting their addresses as the address of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab. In this way, they ensure that users visit the rogue address when they open a hijacked browser, new tab, or enter search queries into the URL bar.

Search Tab assigns the addresses to hsearchtab.org, the address of a fake, useless search engine, which simply displays results generated by Yahoo. Therefore, when used, hsearchtab.org redirects to search.yahoo.com.

Since most browser hijackers prevent users from undoing or modifying the aforementioned settings, the only way to remove hsearchtab.org, is to uninstall Search Tab. There are more reasons to uninstall this and other PUAs (including Hide My Searches) immediately.

Commonly, apps of this type collect browsing data such as IP addresses, geolocations, addresses of visited pages, entered search queries, and other information relating to users' browsing activities. Some browser hijackers are capable accessing sensitive, personal details as well.

Furthermore, gathered data could be sold to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who then misuse it to generate revenue in other ways. This can lead to problems relating to online privacy, browsing safety and even identity theft. Therefore, browser hijackers should never be installed. If Search Tab or Hide My History is already installed, eliminate it immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	Search Tab
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), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:Downloader.Win32.WinWrapper.lnx), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal).
Browser Extension(s)	Search Tab
Supposed Functionality	This app supposedly improves the browsing experience.
Promoted URL	hsearchtab.org
Serving IP Address (hsearchtab.org)	52.73.16.194
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	Search Tab is distributed with another browser hijacker called Hide My History.
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.

There are hundreds of other browser hijackers online. Some other examples are DoctoPDF, Image Sherpa and Quick Forms.

Usually, apps of this type gather data and promote fake search engine addresses. Commonly, browser hijackers are advertised by the developers as useful, legitimate applications. In fact, they deliver no useful features or any other value - they simply cause problems.

How did Search Tab install on my computer?

Browser hijackers and other PUAs are commonly downloaded and/or installed through the download or installation set-ups of other programs. I.e., when they are included into the set-ups as 'additional offers'. This distribution method is called "bundling" and is often used to trick people into downloading/installing PUAs together with their required programs.

Offers to download/install these additional apps are generally mentioned in "Custom", "Advanced", or "Manual" settings, however, many users fail to check and change these, thereby allowing PUAs to infiltrate. PUAs are sometimes downloaded and installed when people click deceptive advertisements that execute certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

It is important to download programs from official, trustworthy websites and via direct links. Channels/tools such as third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks (e.g., torrent clients, eMule), unofficial pages, etc., are often used to distribute unwanted, malicious files and programs.

Check download/installation settings such as "Advanced" and "Custom" and decline offers to download or install unwanted software. Do not click intrusive ads that are displayed on dubious, unofficial web pages, since these can open untrusted sites or even run scripts designed to download or install unwanted applications.

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

Search Tab browser hijacker installation setup:

Notification stating that Search Tab can read and change various data:

Website promoting Search Tab browser hijacker (Firefox):

Website promoting Search Tab browser hijacker (Chrome):

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

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

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

Search Tab 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://hsearchtab.org 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 "Search Tab".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the hsearchtab.org 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 "Search Tab" and other recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons (e.g., "Hide My History"), 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 "Search Tab" and/or "Hide My History", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://hsearchtab.org or hxxps://hidemyhistory.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 "hxxp://hsearchtab.org" and "hxxp://hidemyhistory.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 hsearchtab.org 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 "Search Tab", as well as all other recently installed browser plug-ins (e.g., "Hide My History").

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 "Search Tab" and/or "Hide My History", remove hxxp://hsearchtab.org or hxxp://hidemyhistory.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 hsearchtab.org 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 hsearchtab.org 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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