Remove Quick Search Hijacker from Chrome/Firefox/IE

Suddenly Quick Search took over your homepage and you cannot remove it.

Quick Search (quicksearch.com) is widely advertised as a fast and accurate search engine. The problem is, this program is actually a browser hijacker. It has to be tackled as soon as possible which is why we’ve provided this article. You’ll also find comprehensive removal instructions down below. Now, why is it so important to remove Quick Search on the spot? Because since the moment it gets installed till the moment you finally get rid of it, Quick Search exposes you to malware. Apart from hijacking your browsers and taking over your Internet experience, the virus also manages to put you in constant danger. This pest serves as a back door to more infections, slows the PC speed to a crawl, spies on your personal data and modifies your browser settings completely behind your back. Were you searching for a reason to uninstall the virus? It gives you plenty. Immediately after installation, Quick Search goes after your browsers. By replacing both your default homepage and default search engine with its own domain, the hijacker practically forces you to use quicksearch.com. Now you stumble across this program’s questionable search engine every single time you surf the Web. Or, should we say, attempt to surf the Web. The parasite also brings along commercials, various pop-ups, product deals, software updates and other equally annoying random web links. It’s key for your further security to avoid clicking ANYTHING brought to you by the hijacker. Keep in mind that the many search results it generates are unreliable as well. Quick Search comes for free which means its developers need another monetizing technique to gain profit online. Remember, stay away from all the sponsored web links this virus bombards you with. Apart from the obvious fact you can no longer find what you search for online, Quick Search also displays corrupted web links leading directly to malware. The question is, why would you allow this pesky infection to harass you? Quick Search was developed to generate web traffic, not to be beneficial for you. This thing pretends to be safe when in reality it could easily cause you serious harm. As you could imagine, the PC speed will be deeply affected by Quick Search’s unwanted presence as well. Your browsers might start crashing/freezing  and even your Internet connection could be having problems. This parasite is on board to redirect you and to help hackers gain revenue; you have absolutely no reason whatsoever to keep the hijacker on board. If anything, PC infections only become more harmful as time passes.

How did I get infected with?

One of the many plausible scenarios is that the virus came bundled with freeware/shareware. There could be a whole bunch of infections alongside the safe software you install; make sure you check out the programs you’re about to download one by one. If you fail to do so simply because you rushed the installation, you have no one to blame but yourself. To protect your computer, opt for the Advanced/Custom option in the Setup Wizard. Remember, you have to pay attention to the programs you give green light to, especially if they come bundled. And especially if they come for free. Never underestimate any potential threat you might come across online. You could end up infecting your own machine and hijackers aren’t even the worst thing your PC could catch. It’s definitely worth it to check out the bundled programs thoroughly before you click “Install”. Also, reading the EULA (End User License Agreement) or Terms and Conditions is yet another piece of good advice. You have to be aware what you accept so don’t rush. Take your time in the installation; you won’t regret it.

Why is this dangerous?

Quick Search’s shenanigans begin very quickly. This pest starts wreaking havoc the minute it successfully invades your device. For example, it adds a browser extension which is just as malicious as it’s unwanted. By modifying your browser settings, the virus effectively takes control over your entire browsing experience. Also, did we mention Quick Search is compatible with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer? It is. No matter how attractive or accurate the search results generated by this program may seem to be, there’s a sneaky virus standing behind them. And clicking any of these web links is an incredibly unwarranted risk. To prevent virus infiltration, stay away from anything Quick Search forces on you. Also, keep in mind this nuisance monitors your browsing-related activities. That means hackers get free access to your browsing history, search queries, email addresses, passwords, usernames, IP address, etc. However, if you’re particularly unlucky, crooks might also steal some personally identifiable information as well. In addition, you never know where exactly and for what purpose your private data may get sent but one thing is for sure – your private life online isn’t private anymore. To get rid of this troublesome parasite manually, please follow the detailed removal guide that you’ll find down below.

How to Remove Quick Search virus

If you perform exactly the steps below you should be able to remove the Quick Search infection. Please, follow the procedures in the exact order. Please, consider to print this guide or have another computer at your disposal. You will NOT need any USB sticks or CDs.

The Quick Search adware is specifically designed to make money. It generates web traffic, collects sales leads for other dubious sites, and will display advertisements and sponsored links within your web browser.

STEP 1: Uninstall Quick Search from Add\Remove Programs

STEP 2: Clean Quick Search from Chrome Firefox or Internet Explorer

STEP 3: Permanently Remove Quick Search leftovers from the System

STEP 1 : Uninstall Quick Search from your computer

Simultaneously press the Windows Logo Button and then “R” to open the Run Command Window

 

Type “regedit”

 

navigate to HKCU\software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

Modify the string with a value data and set it to google.com for example.

STEP 2 : Remove Quick Search homepage from Chrome, Firefox and IE

• Open Google Chrome

• In the Main Menu, select Tools then Extensions
• Remove the Quick Search by clicking on the little recycle bin
• Reset Google Chrome by Deleting the current user to make sure nothing is left behind

• Open Mozilla Firefox

• Press simultaneously Ctrl+Shift+A
• Disable the unwanted Extension
• Go to Help
• Then Troubleshoot information
• Click on Reset Firefox

• Open Internet Explorer

• On the Upper Right Corner Click on the Gear Icon
• Click on Internet options
• go to Toolbars and Extensions and disable the unknown extensions
• Select the Advanced tab and click on Reset

• Restart Internet Explorer

How to Permanently Remove Quick Search Virus (automatic) Removal Guide

To make sure manual removal is successful, we recommend to use a free scanner of any professional antimalware program to identify possible registry leftovers or temporary files.