How to remove the PDFSearches browser hijacker

What is PDFSearches?

PDFSearches is rogue software classified as a browser hijacker. Following successful installation, it modifies browser settings to promote a fake search engine (pdf-searches.com). This browser hijacker also has data tracking capabilities, which are employed to monitor users' browsing activity.

Due to the dubious methods, used to proliferate PDFSearches, it is also classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).

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

Therefore, each search made via the URL bar and each new browser tab/window opened redirects to the promoted address. PDFSearches promotes pdf-searches.com in this manner.

Rogue search engines are useless, as they are typically unable to provide unique results - they simply redirect to (or cause redirection chains ending with) Google, Yahoo, Bing and other legitimate sites. Even if the promoted web search engines can generate results, they tend to be inaccurate and/or promote untrusted/malicious web pages.

In the case of pdf-searches.com, it cannot provide any results, and so redirects to the Yahoo (search.yahoo.com) search engine. Furthermore, browser hijackers can restrict/deny access to browser settings and/or reset any user changes made. Therefore, recovering a hijacked browser without removing the software affecting it is impossible.

Furthermore, PDFSearches can track data. It can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and collect personal information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).

The gathered data can be particularly sensitive and is often monetized by sharing with and/or selling to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) seeking to misuse it for profit. In summary, the presence of data-tracking content on systems can lead to serious privacy issues, financial loss and even identity theft.

To ensure device and user safety, you are strongly advised to eliminate all suspicious applications immediately upon detection.

Threat Summary:

Name	PDFSearches
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab.
Browser Extension(s)	PDFSearches
Promoted URL	pdf-searches.com
Serving IP Address (pdf-searches.com)	104.31.77.249
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.

ListenToRadio, ConverterSearch, StreamAllSearch and SearchSeries are some examples of other browser hijackers. They may seem legitimate and harmless, and users are tempted into download/installation with offers of "useful" features, however, the functions promised are rarely operational.

In fact, this information is true of most PUAs. The sole purpose of these unwanted apps is to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than delivering any real value, PUAs hijack browsers, cause redirects, run intrusive advertisement campaigns and collect vulnerable data.

How did PDFSearches install on my computer?

Some PUAs (including PDFSearches) have "official" promotional web pages from which they can be downloaded, however, these applications are often downloaded/installed with other software. "Bundling" is the term used to define this deceptive marketing technique of packing regular products with unwanted or malicious additions.

By rushing through download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, etc.), many users risk inadvertent installation of dubious and/or bundled content. Intrusive ads can infiltrate PUAs into systems as well. Once clicked, they can execute scripts to make stealthy downloads/installations.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

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

When downloading/installing, read the terms, explore all possible options, use the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings and opt-out of additional apps, tools, features, and so on. Intrusive advertisements may seem legitimate, however, they can redirect to dubious websites (e.g. gambling, pornography, adult-dating, etc.).

If you encounter these ads/redirects, inspect the system and remove all suspect applications and browser extensions without delay. If your computer is already infected with PDFSearches, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

PDFSearches browser hijacker asking for permissions:

Appearance of PDFSearches browser hijacker (GIF):

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

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

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

PDFSearches 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://pdf-searches.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 "PDFSearches".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the pdf-searches.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 "PDFSearches" 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 "PDFSearches", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.pdf-searches.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 "pdf-searches.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 pdf-searches.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 "PDFSearches", 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 "PDFSearches", remove hxxp://pdf-searches.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 pdf-searches.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 pdf-searches.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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