How to remove Speed Dial browser hijacker

What kind of application is Speed Dial?

We have tested the Speed Dial application and found that this app is a browser hijacker designed to promote addonsearch.net (a fake search engine) by changing the web browser's settings. We have discovered Speed Dial while inspecting shady websites (we have downloaded it from a questionable site).

Speed Dial browser hijacker in detail

Our team has learned that Speed Dial promotes addonsearch.net by making it the default search engine, homepage, and new tab page. While testing addonsearch.net, we noticed that it does not generate any results. Instead, addonsearch.net redirects to search.yahoo.com - it shows results generated by Yahoo.

We have analyzed many fake search engines and found that they can generate misleading results and show results generated by untrustworthy search engines. Thus, if a search engine is fake and promoted via a browser hijacker, it cannot be trusted. The same applies to addonsearch.net and Speed Dial.

Threat Summary:

Name	Speed Dial
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Browser Extension(s)	Speed Dial
Supposed Functionality	Bookmarks manager
Promoted URL	addonsearch.net
Detection Names (addonsearch.net)	N/A (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (addonsearch.net)	95.216.138.119
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.

More about browser hijackers

It is pretty common for browser-hijacking apps to be capable of collecting information about their users. In such cases, gathered data may be misused for marketing purposes or other ways. Also, most of them are promoted as useful apps. More examples of browser hijackers are Best-CouponSearch, Search-Power, Nuhtab.

How did Speed Dial install on my computer?

In most cases, browsers get hijacked after downloading and executing apps (or files) from shady websites or installing programs bundled with browser hijackers without changing certain settings. Installers used to distribute browser hijackers (or other unwanted apps) have "Custom", "Advanced", or other settings.

Those settings must be changed before downloading or installing programs to avoid unwanted downloads or installations. Sometimes, unexpected downloads/installations are caused by clicking on deceptive ads designed to run certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Do not download or install programs until unwanted apps included in their downloaders or installers are deselected. Also, do not click on advertisements that shady pages have on them. Always use official pages as sources for downloading files/programs. Questionable pages, third-party downloaders (and installers), P2P networks, and similar sources can be used to distribute shady or even malicious apps.

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

Addonsearch.net redirects to search.yahoo.com (GIF):

Deceptive website promoting Speed Dial browser hijacker:

Browser notification containing information about Speed Dial:

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 Speed Dial?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Speed Dial application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove Speed Dial browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 3. Remove addonsearch.net homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 4. Remove addonsearch.net redirect from Safari.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

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

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications (which cause browser redirects to the addonsearch.net website), scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Speed Dial browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove Speed Dial browser hijacker using Combo Cleaner:

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 "Speed Dial" 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 "Speed Dial", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.addonsearch.net) 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 "addonsearch.net", 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 addonsearch.net 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 plugins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "Speed Dial", 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 "Speed Dial", remove hxxp://addonsearch.net 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 addonsearch.net 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 addonsearch.net 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 visit addonsearch.net website?

The more users visit this page, the more revenue its creators generate.

Is visiting addonsearch.net a threat to my privacy?

To a certain extent, yes. Both fake search engines and browser hijackers can be used as tools to gather information about their users.

How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?

Browser hijackers are usually distributed using social engineering tactics, such as browser notifications, intrusive advertisements. In other cases, they are distributed using deceptive websites and downloaders/installers for other programs.

Will Combo Cleaner help me remove Speed Dial browser hijacker?

Yes, Combo Cleaner will scan the operating system and eliminate all detected browser hijackers. It can be difficult to remove browser-hijacking apps manually. Browser hijackers can reinstall one another (if multiple browser hijackers are present). In such cases, all of them must be removed once. Combo Cleaner can remove all browser hijackers automatically.

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