BBQLeads - How to remove

BBQLeads is described as an application that would help you to find the best professional in your area. However, this description has nothing to do with the reality. It is listed as an adware and you should not keep it installed on your computer. If you have noticed advertisements with a label “Ads by BBQLeads” or “Brought to you by BBQLeads”, your computer is definitely infected and you should get rid of this malicious application right now.

If you have some previous experience in removing viruses, you can probably get rid of BBQLeads manually. We have developed a step-by-step BBQLeads removal guide – go and find it at the end of this article. It will assist you through this complicated process of the virus removal. If you don’t trust yourself enough, we recommend you to download a trustworthy anti-malware, such as Spyhunter, Malwarebytes or StopZilla. It will automatically detect and remove the threat for good and will also protect your computer from similar infections in the future. Even if you have already removed BBQLeads, it’s recommended to scan your computer again, because this malicious application can infiltrate other malware to your system as well.

In case you would like to learn more about BBQLeads, please continue reading this article. If you have any questions related to this topic, feel free to ask them in the comments section below.

About BBQLeads

It works as a browser add-on that can be added to all most popular web browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer. Even though it’s promoted as a useful tool, you should not believe that. You will gain no benefits from it and once installed it will display various advertisements on all of your web browsers. Those advertisements can be displayed as pop-up, pop-under, in-text, contextual or banner advertisements. A new window or tab can be opened on your browser as well. Those advertisements appear completely randomly which is really annoying.

Not only those advertisements are disturbing, but malicious as well. We don’t recommend to click on any of them, because if you do so, you will be immediately redirected to other websites and this puts you into danger of getting attacked by malware. Your computer can get infected this way, or you can even get scammed in case you attempt to purchase something there. It’s because BBQLeads is sponsored by cyber criminals for displaying their advertisements to users. Various hackers and scammers use this method to direct traffic to their websites and look for new victims this way.

BBQLeads works as an advertising network developed specifically for cyber criminals. Since they can’t access any valid advertising platforms, they use adware like this to promote their products. Basically, that means if you have BBQLeads installed on your computer, cyber criminals can reach you right on your web browser on a daily basis.

Another unwanted feature of BBQLeads is data collection. Once installed, it will gather various information about your browsing habits and interests, such as browsing history, search queries, Top visited sites, your IP and email addresses. The third parties use this information to adjust those advertisements and make them look more relevant specifically to you, so chances that you will click on one of those ads rise. And that’s the main goal of BBQLeads because its owners get paid for every click you make.

You can’t find any genuine contact information on the tool’s official website and that’s a very bad sign – if something unwanted happens due to this application, no one will hold responsibility for that.

Distribution Methods of BBQLeads

There are no possibilities to download this add-on from its website because it is travelling bundled with other free applications and gets installed on users’  computers without them even being aware of that. I.e. when you download and install some freebie from a website that looks unreliable, there is a chance that BBQLeads will be added as well, and you will not be warned about that.

To avoid installing malicious add-ons, toolbars and other malware, you should be very attentive during the installation of freebies. Don’t skip any steps and always opt out for a custom or advanced install mode. Look for various check boxes that can be already selected for you. Reading all terms and conditions would be considered wise as well. In case it is too late and your computer is already infected, follow our instructions and clean it right away.

Manual removal of BBQLeads

How to remove BBQLeads using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like BBQLeads install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.

• Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
• Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
• Go through the list of programs and select entries related to BBQLeads . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make BBQLeads easier to find.
• Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
• In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.

How to remove BBQLeads from macOS

Delete BBQLeads from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the BBQLeads app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

TopRemove malicious extensions from Internet Explorer

• Press on the Gear icon→Manage Add-ons.
  
• Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to BBQLeads and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
  
• Close the Options.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to BBQLeads, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Press on the Gear icon->Internet Options.
  
• Choose the Advanced tab and click on the Reset button.
  
• Select a “Delete personal settings” checkbox and click on the Reset button.
  
• Click on the Close button on the confirmation box, then close your browser.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving BBQLeads from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to BBQLeads. Click on the trash bin icon next to BBQLeads or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to BBQLeads, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
  
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on the Reset settings button.
  
• Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopRemoving BBQLeads from Firefox

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+A on your keyboard).
  
• Go through Extensions and Addons list, remove everything BBQLeads related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to BBQLeads, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
  
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

How to remove BBQLeads from Microsoft Edge:Top

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.

• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to BBQLeads. Click on the "Remove" icon next to BBQLeads or other add-ons you want to remove.

• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.

• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.

• Restart Microsoft Edge.

TopRemoving BBQLeads from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the BBQLeads. Remove all other unknown or suspicious entries too. If you are not sure whether you need the extension or not, you can simply uncheck the Enable check-box to disable the extension temporarily.
  
• Restart Safari.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to BBQLeads, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari.
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.