How to uninstall the How To Watch browser hijacker from your system

What is How To Watch?

How To Watch is a rogue application advertised as a tool for easy access to movie and TV streaming services. It is classified as a browser hijacker, due to the modifications it makes to browsers to promote hhowtowatch.live (a bogus search engine). This app also tracks and collects information relating to browsing activity.

Due to the dubious methods used to proliferate How To Watch, it is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA). Additionally, How To Watch is often distributed with Hide My History, another PUA.

Browser hijackers mainly target Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and other popular browsers with large user bases. After successful infiltration, these rogue applications assign the addresses of fake search engines as the default search engine, homepage, and new tab/window URLs.

Therefore, new browser tabs/windows opened and search queries typed into the URL bar redirect to the promoted address. How To Watch promotes hhowtowatch.live in this manner, with redirects made accordingly. Rogue search tools have no real value to regular users, as they are unable to provide unique results.

They typically redirect to (or cause redirection chains ending with) genuine search engines. The search engine associated with How To Watch (hhowtowatch.live) is identical in this regard, and simply redirects to Yahoo (search.yahoo.com).

The only way to recover the browser is by removing the hijacker, since any changes users attempt to make to their browsers are automatically reset (if access to settings is permitted at all).

Furthermore, How To Watch has data tracking capabilities. It can monitor users' browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc.) and gather personal information derived from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details). The collected data is often shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) seeking to misuse it for profit.

The presence of data-tracking software on browsers/systems can therefore result in serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft. To protect device integrity and user safety, remove all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins without delay.

Threat Summary:

Name	How To Watch
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Detection Names	Avast (Win32:Adware-gen [Adw]), DrWeb (Adware.Spigot.157), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of Win32/WinWrapper.V Potential), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:Downloader.Win32.WinWrapper), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal).
Browser Extension(s)	How To Watch
Supposed Functionality	Easy access to movie/TV streaming services.
Promoted URL	hhowtowatch.live
Serving IP Address (hhowtowatch.live)	54.164.61.41
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.

Print My Recipes, Template Finders and Converter Suite are some examples of other browser hijackers. They may seem normal and offer "useful" features, however, these functionalities rarely work. In fact, this applies to most PUAs. The only purpose of these unwanted apps is to generate revenue for the developers.

Rather than delivering any real value, PUAs hijack browsers, cause redirects, deliver intrusive advertisement campaigns and gather private information.

How did How To Watch install on my computer?

Some PUAs have "official" promotional web pages from which they can be downloaded, however, these applications can also be downloaded/installed with other products. This deceptive marketing technique of pre-packing normal software with unwanted or malicious additions is termed "bundling".

Rushing downloads/installations (e.g. skimming or ignoring terms, skipping steps, using pre-set options, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing dubious or bundled content onto the device. Intrusive ads proliferate PUAs as well. Once clicked, they can execute scripts to stealthily download/install rogue software.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

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

Download and installation processes must be treated with caution. Read the terms, explore all available options, use the "Custom/Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features and other additions.

Intrusive advertisements may seem legitimate and harmless, however, they can redirect to highly dubious sites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating and others). If you encounter ads/redirects of this kind, check the system and remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins immediately.

If your computer is already infected with How To Watch, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

How To Watch browser hijacker installation setup:

How To Watch browser hijacker asking for various permissions:

Website promoting How To Watch 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 How To Watch?
• STEP 1. Uninstall How To Watch application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove hhowtowatch.live redirect from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove How To Watch browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove hhowtowatch.live homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove hhowtowatch.live redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

How To Watch 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, "How To Watch"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

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

How To Watch 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://hhowtowatch.live 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 "How To Watch".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the hhowtowatch.live 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 "How To Watch" 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 "How To Watch", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.hhowtowatch.live) 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 "hhowtowatch.live", 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 hhowtowatch.live 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 "How To Watch", 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 "How To Watch", remove hxxp://hhowtowatch.live 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 hhowtowatch.live 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 hhowtowatch.live 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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