FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker - How to remove

FormFetcherPro is advertised as a browser add-on that helps people find government forms, but it also has other various functions, such as a calculator or a to-do list. It empowers you to modify your home page in a lot of ways and to quickly find, download all the government forms that you need, and conveniently access MyWay search.

FormFetcherPro is also considered to be suspicious by multiple antivirus tools. This is because, ultimately, FormFetcherPro is just a dishonest trick to make more people use the MyWay search engine. The add-on is not a virus, but neither is it very safe or harmless. It’s a browser hijacker, regardless of its other functions.

FormFetcherPro has a few clear problems, such as needlessly modifying the default search engine on some browsers with the ultimate purpose of advertising to the users — the definition of a browser hijacker. Indeed, using MyWay will expose you to a lot more ads than before.

FormFetcherPro is also problematic because it uses adware and deceptive ads to advertise to people. The type of software products that use adware for promotion are almost always malicious, and FormFetcherPro is in that company.

Finally, the excessive permissions requested by FormFetcherPro make it more powerful than it needs to be. Extensions with a lot of permissions have the power to abuse them and modify the browser. In fact, more permissions than necessary is one of the signs of a malicious extension.

FormFetcherPro memo:

Symptoms	Search replaced with MyWay or Ask New tab page replaced with FormFetcherPro
Problems	Excessive permissions Unwanted settings changes Developer with a bad reputation Another add-on bundled Malware used for promotion
Removal	Uninstall FormFetcherPro manually
Prevention	Install new updates Review installed software and add-ons Avoid sites that show deceptive ads Scan for PUPs (Malwarebytes)

 

What is FormFetcherPro?

The FormFetcherPro is a browser extension. It actually has some functions and various additional features. The features it offers are generic and come with each add-on by the same developer. FormFetcherPro is not unique, in fact, there are a few other extensions that Mindspark has developed that are almost completely like it: SearchFormsOnline, GetFormsOnline, ShoppingDealsLive. They share the same look to the point that they’re difficult to tell apart. Their functionality is also very similar, amounting to a few links relevant to the extension’s topic being saved in the new tab page. The goal of these extensions is also the same: to promote MyWay.

The FormFetcherPro extension is currently being actively advertised, including promotion by redirect viruses. If you get your browser infected with one of those, you’ll come across a hijacker in no time. The developers hope that they can get a larger userbase for their search engines and they seem to be willing to use dishonest and malicious websites and ads to get more installations.

I mentioned before that FormFetcherPro requests more permissions than it should need to. Here is what FormFetcherPro can do on the Chrome browser:

• Read and change your data on a number of websites
• Replace the page you see when opening a new tab
• Read your browsing history
• Display notifications
• Manage your downloads
• Manage your apps, extensions, and themes

A simple new tab replacer that links to a website shouldn’t need this much power that can be abused.

A suspicious thing about FormFetcherPro is that, unlike normal extensions, there is almost no communication between FormFetcherPro’s developers and the users. In fact, there are almost no reviews of these add-ons despite hundreds of thousands of people having installed them. This should make people pause and consider if the extension is safe. Candid, detailed, honest reviews that comment on updates and features could give you an idea of the problems and features that an add-on has before you install it.

FormFetcherPro’s lack of detailed reviews makes me wonder. How many people who installed FormFetcherPro even know that they have it? How many didn’t even install it purposely? If you install a few hijackers one on top of another, the earlier ones remain installed despite their features being overwritten by newer extensions. If FormFetcherPro is included in freeware bundles, there could be a lot of people who installed it completely unintentionally. Bundles are made up of a wanted program and additional offers. Sometimes the optional offers are hidden in advanced options, easily skippable. The resulting unexpected installation of FormFetcherPro and the changes to your browser can be difficult to recognize and troubleshoot.

How to be safe against hijackers

Install a good antivirus, or at least scan your machine periodically with an aggressive antivirus program (Spyhunter). Antivirus tools can find not just serious viruses but potentially unwanted, suspicious, and pow-reputation applications, too. And because some PUPs increase your risk of being exposed to actual malware, it’s best to nip that in the bud. Unlike search hijackers, real viruses can cause real harm.

Browser add-ons should be a way to improve your browser and some functions do not need to be attached to it. FormFetcherPro’s main function is supposed to be a forms database, but that’s the sort of thing that a website does, not an extension. So, even if its functions are useful, installing the FormFetcherPro add-on is completely unnecessary.

One time tasks should also not require a whole new extension. Some add-ons trick people to install them by presenting some sort of “install the extension to see the result” messages. Don’t fall in the trap of installing an add-on for a one-time task and leaving it installed when you don’t need it.

How to remove FormFetcherPro

The extension can be removed without too much difficulty and removing it and the other hijackers will restore your old new tab page and your old search. Remember that you can set your own preferred new tab page and search engine without any add-ons.

If you like FormFetcherPro a lot and don’t want to remove it, you can continue using it, but remember that it does put your data and your security in unnecessary risk.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove FormFetcherPro Hijacker using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker 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 FormFetcherPro Hijacker . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker 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 FormFetcherPro Hijacker from macOS

Delete FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the FormFetcherPro Hijacker 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 FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker 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 FormFetcherPro Hijacker, 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 FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker 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 FormFetcherPro Hijacker. Click on the trash bin icon next to FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker 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 FormFetcherPro Hijacker, 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 FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker 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 FormFetcherPro Hijacker 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 FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker, 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 FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker 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 FormFetcherPro Hijacker. Click on the "Remove" icon next to FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker 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 FormFetcherPro Hijacker from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the FormFetcherPro Browser Hijacker. 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 FormFetcherPro Hijacker, 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.