How to remove the Yahoo toolbar

What is Yahoo toolbar?

The Yahoo toolbar is a browser add-on claiming to enhance users' Internet browsing experience by allowing quick searches and displaying quick links to Facebook, weather reports, email, etc. Whilst this is a legitimate browser plugin, many Internet users install it inadvertently without their consent when downloading and installing free software.

Today, most freeware download websites and many freeware developers employ 'download clients' and various 'installers' in order to monetize their free services.

Internet users should be aware that download clients offer installation of advertised browser plug-ins (including the Yahoo toolbar) and some hide the 'decline' button, which can otherwise be used to opt-out of such installations.

Free software installers can also lead to unwilling installation of potentially unwanted applications, since they tend to hide 'bundled' installation of adware behind 'Typical' or 'Quick' installation options.

After successful installation, the Yahoo toolbar modifies users' Internet browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox) settings by assigning the homepage and default search engine fields to search.yahoo.com.

Note that users are able to opt-out of these changes, however, many computer users do not pay close enough attention to the downloading and installation steps of free software, and thus, inadvertently invite unwanted browser redirects.

The Yahoo toolbar is similar to other potentially unwanted applications, which install on browsers using the deceptive software marketing method, bundling. Examples include Ask toolbar, Movies toolbar, and Mindspark.

To avoid installation of such browser settings-changing programs, users should express caution  when downloading free software - inspect each download step and decline installation of advertised browser plug-ins. When installing the downloaded free programs, choose the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' installation options - this will reveal installation of any bundled adware.

Note that, while the Yahoo toolbar can be uninstalled from the Control Panel, users must revert their homepage and default search engine settings manually, since uninstalling this toolbar does not roll back to the previous values. Computer users who have unwillingly installed the Yahoo toolbar can use this removal guide to eliminate it from their Internet browser/s.

Deceptive free software installers used in Yahoo toolbar distribution:

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Quick menu:

• What is Yahoo toolbar?
• STEP 1. Uninstall Yahoo toolbar using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove Yahoo toolbar from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove Yahoo toolbar from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove Yahoo homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove Yahoo redirect from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

Yahoo toolbar 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 "Yahoo Toolbar", select this entry and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted program (which causes browser redirects to the search.yahoo.com website), scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Yahoo toolbar removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove browser redirects:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click on the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer) select "Manage Add-ons". Look for the "Yahoo Toolbar" and "Yahoo Toolbar Helper", select these entries and click "Remove".

Change your homepage:

Click on the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer) select "Internet Options", in the opened window remove yahoo.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 on 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 "Yahoo Search".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the yahoo 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 "Tools" and click on "Extensions". Locate "Yahoo! Toolbar for Chrome", select this entry and click the trash can icon.

Change your homepage:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) select "Settings". In "On startup" section click "set pages", hover your mouse over yahoo.com and click the x symbol. Now, you can add your preferred website as your homepage.

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" section click "Manage Search Engines...", remove "Yahoo!" and add or select your preferred domain.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the yahoo 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 on the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "Yahoo! Toolbar".

Change your homepage:

To reset your homepage, click on the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) then select "Options", in the opened window remove yahoo.com and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.

Change 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: "yahoo.com"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with yahoo 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 yahoo 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 search.yahoo.com website?

Developers of browser hijackers and fake search engines generate revenue through rogue redirects.

Is visiting search.yahoo.com a threat to my privacy?

Search.yahoo.com is the legitimate Yahoo search engine. Hence, privacy issues caused by visiting/using it are not the immediate concern. The browser-hijacking software that generates rogue redirects can have other harmful functionalities, such as tracking and collecting sensitive data.

How did a browser hijacker infiltrate my computer?

Browser hijackers are primarily distributed through software bundling, misleading promotional webpages, online scams, fake updates, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks, freeware and free file-hosting sites, spam browser notifications, and intrusive ads.

Will Combo Cleaner help me remove the Yahoo toolbar browser hijacker?

Yes, Combo Cleaner can scan devices and eliminate all the browser-hijacking applications present. Note that manual removal (unaided by security software) might be ineffective, especially when multiple browser hijackers have infiltrated the system. Since when one browser hijacker is removed - the others might simply re-install it. Browser-hijacking software can also restrict access to removal-related settings and/or undo user-made changes. Hence, it is paramount to eliminate browser hijackers thoroughly and all at once.

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