Removal instructions for the Your Search Bar browser hijacker

What kind of software is Your Search Bar?

Your Search Bar is a rogue browser extension that works as browser-hijacking software. Our analysis revealed that this extension makes alterations to browser settings in order to promote (through redirects) the yoursearchbar.me fake search engine.

Your Search Bar browser hijacker overview

Browser hijackers typically modify browsers by assigning endorsed website addresses as the default search engines, homepages, and new tab/window URLs.

Your Search Bar operates in this manner as well. Therefore, with this piece of software installed: Web searches performed via the URL bar and new browser tabs/windows opened – result in redirects to the yoursearchbar.me webpage.

Like most fake search engines, yoursearchbar.me cannot generate search results and redirects to a legitimate Internet search site. At the time of research, this page landed on Bing (bing.com). Note that yoursearchbar.me could lead elsewhere, as redirects might be impacted by factors like user geolocation.

It must be mentioned that browser-hijacking software often utilizes persistence-ensuring mechanisms, such as restricting access to removal-related settings or undoing user-made changes – to complicate its removal.

This software is also known for its data-tracking abilities, which might also be possessed by the Your Search Bar extension. Information of interest typically includes: visited URLs, viewed webpages, searched queries, Internet cookies, log-in credentials, personally identifiable details, finance-related data, etc. The collected information can then be monetized via sale to third-parties.

To summarize, the presence of browser-hijacking software like Your Search Bar on devices may result in system infections, serious privacy issues, financial losses, and even identity theft.

Threat Summary:

Name	Your Search Bar
Threat Type	Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab
Browser Extension(s)	Your Search Bar
Promoted URL	yoursearchbar.me
Detection Names (yoursearchbar.me)	ESET (Suspicious), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
Serving IP Address (yoursearchbar.me)	104.21.46.173
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).
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.

Browser hijacker examples

We have examined numerous browser hijackers; Extreme New Tab, Dragon Search, Dragon Honey, and Search Potato are merely some of our latest finds. In most cases, software within this classification appears ordinary and harmless. It can entice users by promising a wide variety of "handy" functionalities, which are usually fake and nonoperational.

Keep in mind that even if a browser extension or an application works exactly as indicated by its promotional material – that is not a guarantee of legitimacy or safety.

How did Your Search Bar install on my computer?

"Bundling" – the marketing technique that involves packing regular program installers with unwanted/malicious additions – is often used to distribute browser hijackers.

Downloading from dubious channels (e.g., freeware and free file-hosting sites, P2P sharing networks, etc.) increases the risk of unintentionally allowing bundled content into the device. Additionally, this threat is compounded by rushing through installation processes by ignoring terms, skipping steps/sections, using "Easy/Express" settings, and so on.

Furthermore, browser-hijacking software is promoted on legitimate-looking download pages and scam sites. Most visitors access them via redirects caused by webpages using rogue advertising networks, mistyped URLs, intrusive ads, spam browser notifications, or installed adware.

Browser hijackers are also proliferated by intrusive advertisements. Some of these adverts can be triggered (i.e., by being clicked) to execute scripts that perform stealthy downloads/installations.

How to avoid installation of browser hijackers?

We highly recommend researching software before downloading or purchasing it. All downloads must be performed from official and trustworthy sources. When installing, we advise reading terms, exploring available options, using the "Custom/Advanced" settings, and opting out of all supplementary apps, extensions, features, etc.

Another recommendation is to be careful while browsing since fraudulent and malicious online content typically appears legitimate and innocuous. For example, while intrusive adverts may look harmless – they redirect to unreliable and questionable sites (e.g., gambling, scam-promoting, pornography, adult dating, etc.).

Should you keep encountering such ads/redirects, check the device for suspicious applications or browser extensions/plug-ins and remove them. If your computer is already infected with Your Search Bar, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.

Appearance of yoursearchbar.me redirecting to the Bing search engine (GIF):

Permissions asked by Your Search Bar browser hijacker:

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 Your Search Bar?
• STEP 1. Uninstall unwanted applications using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove Your Search Bar browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
• STEP 3. Remove yoursearchbar.me homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 4. Remove yoursearchbar.me redirect from Safari.
• STEP 5. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Your Search Bar 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, select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted applications, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Your Search Bar browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove Your Search Bar 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 "Extensions" and click "Manage Extensions". Locate "Your Search Bar" and other recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".

Change your homepage:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, disable "Your Search Bar", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.yoursearchbar.me) 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 "yoursearchbar.me", when located click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Delete".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the yoursearchbar.me 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 extensions from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate "Your Search Bar", as well as all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".

Change your homepage:

To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Settings", in the opened window disable "Your Search Bar", remove hxxp://yoursearchbar.me 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 "Accept the Risk and Continue".

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 yoursearchbar.me 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 yoursearchbar.me 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 to visit yoursearchbar.me website?

Redirects to webpages like yoursearchbar.me are generated because cyber criminals (i.e., developers of fake search engines and browser hijackers) profit through them.

Is visiting yoursearchbar.me a threat to my privacy?

Most likely, yes. Websites categorized as fake search engines (e.g., yoursearchbar.me, etc.) typically collect information about their visitors to sell it to third-parties.

How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?

The primary distribution techniques include: deceptive promotional webpages, freeware and free file-hosting sites, P2P sharing networks, spam browser notifications, online scams, and intrusive advertisements.

Will Combo Cleaner help me remove Your Search Bar browser hijacker?

Yes, Combo Cleaner will scan your computer and eliminate all browser-hijacking apps installed. Note that manual removal (performed without security programs) might not be ideal, particularly when multiple browser hijackers are present. In these cases, after one is removed – the others may reinstall it. Additionally, browser-hijacking software might be capable of denying access to removal-related settings. Therefore, it is paramount to eliminate browser hijackers thoroughly and all at once.

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