How to remove redirects to and from pdfsearchos.com

What is pdfsearchos.com?

pdfsearchos.com is the address of a bogus search engine. These fake search tools are typically unable to provide unique results, and they also track users' browsing activity. Fake search engines are generally promoted by rogue software called browser hijackers.

Since most users download/install browser hijackers unintentionally, they are also classified as Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs).

Popular browsers such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox are common targets of browser hijackers. They operate by reassigning the homepage, default search engine and new tab/window URLs to the addresses of fake search engines.

For example, with a browser hijacker promoting pdfsearchos.com installed, each new browser tab/window opened and each search made via the URL bar redirects to this address. These unwanted redirects diminish the browsing experience. Furthermore, fake search engines have no real value to regular users.

They are rarely capable of providing unique results, and so they tend to redirect to (or cause redirection chains leading to) legitimate search engines - pdfsearchos.com is no exception to this and simply redirects to Yahoo (search.yahoo.com). 

Recovering an affected browser is impossible without removing the browser hijacker, since any changes users attempt to make to their browsers are automatically reset, if access to the settings is permitted at all. Most browser hijackers have data tracking capabilities, similar to those possessed by the bogus search engines that they promote.

Browser hijackers monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and collect personal information derived from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). The gathered data is often shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) intent on misusing it for profit.

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

Threat Summary:

Name	pdfsearchos.com browser hijacker
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Affected Browser Settings	Homepage, new tab URL, default search engine.
Serving IP Address	104.27.179.24
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.

go-movix.com, cosappzsearch.online, and pdfsearchhouse.com are some examples of other fake search engines. They may seem legitimate with little to no outward difference from genuine sites, and this applies to the software promoting them as well.

Browser hijackers such as Plenty O' Apps, Smart Searching Tab, Easy Forms and countless others, often seem normal and offer various "useful" features, but these are rarely operational. The only purpose of browser hijackers and other PUAs is to generate revenue for the developers.

How did pdfsearchos.com install on my computer?

PUAs (including browser hijackers) are distributed though the download/installation set-ups of other software. This deceptive marketing method of packing regular products with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".

Rushing downloads/installations (ignoring terms, using presets, skipping steps and sections, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled and dubious content into the device. Some PUAs have "official" download web pages. Intrusive advertisements also proliferate these applications - once clicked, they can execute scripts to stealthily download/install PUAs.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

All products should be researched before download/installation or purchase. Use official and verified download channels. Untrusted sources such as unofficial and free file-hosting websites, P2P sharing networks (BitTorrent, Gnutella, eMule, etc.) and other third party downloaders can offer deceptive and bundled content for downloading.

Treat download and installation processes with caution. When downloading/installing, it is important to read the terms, explore all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, etc.

Do not click intrusive advertisements, even if they seem legitimate and harmless - many redirect to dubious sites (e.g. gambling, adult-dating, pornography, etc.). If you encounter ads/redirects of this kind, immediately inspect the system and remove all suspect applications and/or browser extensions/plug-ins.

If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate it.

Appearance of pdfsearchos.com redirecting to Yahoo (GIF):

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

pdfsearchos.com redirect 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, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

pdfsearchos.com redirect 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://pdfsearchos.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 "pdfsearchos.com".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the pdfsearchos.com browser hijacker, 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 all 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, look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.pdfsearchos.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 "pdfsearchos.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 pdfsearchos.com browser hijacker, 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 all 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 remove hxxp://pdfsearchos.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 pdfsearchos.com browser hijacker 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 pdfsearchos.com browser hijacker, 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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