FreeStreamSearch Redirects - How to remove

FreeStreamSearch is a browser hijacker that logs search data, redirects searches to Yahoo, and displays little pop-up ads. It’s not very dangerous, but it fails to offer useful features. It might even get installed without permission. It’s recommended to remove FreeStreamSearch and, if needed, any other potentially unwanted programs, apps, and browser extensions. It’s also important to review your browser preferences and remove all traces of Freestreamsearch.com.

In short about FreeStreamSearch:

Classification	Browser hijacker, adware.
How FreeStreamSearch affects your browser	It changes the default search engine in your browser settings, it opens unexpected websites in your browser, it logs your browsing activities.
How to protect your browser from hijackers	Block malicious sites and ads, protect your computer with an anti-malware program, be careful when installing free programs.
How to remove FreeStreamSearch	Uninstall FreeStreamSearch and other malware manually or with the help of antivirus programs (Combo Cleaner for Mac, Spyhunter for PC, others), review your browser settings and block unwanted notifications.

What is FreeStreamSearch?

FreeStreamSearch is a browser extension and a website, Freestreamsearch.com. Together, they manipulate your web browsing and collect data on your activities:

• FreeStreamSearch changes your browser’s search settings. It replaces your default search engine (most people use Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, etc.) with Feed.freestreamsearch.com. This site then gets to control your web search.
• It also reads your browsing history and search queries. This is more than what random websites have access to. It’s not great for privacy. This data can be useful for advertisers and big data companies.
• In addition, the website might get access to your notification settings and use them to show ads on your screen. It can do that even when the extension is not installed.

FreeStreamSearch is not necessarily dangerous. It won’t steal your passwords or install ransomware on your device. It just causes unexpected websites to open, such as Yahoo search – even when you might not have ever used Yahoo search yourself. It does this to make money from advertising and data collection, but it fails to offer any useful features in exchange.

Because it doesn’t have useful features, FreeStreamSearch doesn’t get advertised based on them. Misleading ads and bundlers allow it to be installed on people’s computers, sometimes – without the permission or knowledge of their users.

FreeStreamSearch is similar to GetSearchConverter, Thecoolposts.com, Holanews.biz, and other advertising sites – these sites make money from redirects and ads, often by taking advantage of certain browser settings.

How to stop FreeStreamSearch redirects

Remove FreeStreamSearch and related settings

Remove the FreeStreamSearch extension and other malware. You can use an antivirus program, such as Combo Cleaner for macOS, Spyhunter for Windows, and others. Scan your computer and check your downloaded files and installed programs and apps.

Below are the instructions for manually removing browser add-ons and changing your browser settings. Things to pay attention are those settings that FreeStreamSearch and other hijackers take over:

• Your new tab page and your home page.
• The default search engine.
• Web push notification permissions.

Even once FreeStreamSearch is removed, these settings might still remain hijacked. Especially the notification permissions for Freestreamsearch.com. Here’s how you can manage them:

• Chrome – open Settings, scroll down to Site settings (under Privacy and security), click on Notifications.
• Edge (Chromium) – open Settings, click Site Permissions, Notifications.
• Firefox – open Settings, Privacy & Security, scroll down to Permissions, and click on Settings next to Notifications.
• Safari – in the Safari menu, choose Preferences, Websites, Notifications.

Find all sites that are “Allowed” to send notifications to your browser but that you don’t wish to send you any updates. Then, change their status from “Allow” to “Block” or “Deny”.

Avoid browser hijackers

Keep in mind that blocking notifications from Freestreamsearch.com and reverting the other changes made by FreeStreamSearch does not block the site. It also doesn’t make it less likely for other browser hijackers to infect your device.

Luckily, there are ways in which you can avoid malicious sites:

• Block them with an anti-malware program or a malicious site blocker.
• Block all ads on sites that are too aggressive with them.
• Review your browser settings regularly.
• Pay attention to your antivirus warnings.

Some browser hijackers are promoted by pop-up ads, such as fake download buttons and misleading redirects that cause people to think “oh, I have to install this strange extension in order to keep browsing this website”.

Others are embedded in the installers of free programs as “optional offers”. They are installed by default and in order to avoid that, you might need to access Custom/Advanced installation settings. This makes it possible to install hijackers by accident, just because you didn’t check for hidden items in the installer.

This is why it’s important to use an antivirus program that can recognize not just malware, but also PUPs – potentially unwanted programs, minor adware infections, and bundlers. As even though FreeStreamSearch doesn’t cause any really serious problems, it’s still unhelpful and annoying, and it’s good to have your antivirus warn you about this sort of thing before it infects your web browsers.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Restore browser settings

TopHow To remove FreeStreamSearch Redirects from Google Chrome:

• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
  
• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
  
• Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
  
• Select Manage Search engines
  
• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
  
• Go back to settings. On Startup choose Open blank page (you can remove undesired pages from the set pages link too).
• If your homepage was changed, click on Chrome menu on the top right corner, select Settings. Select Open a specific page or set of pages and click on Set pages.
  
• Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

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

• Click on a Chrome’s menu button (three horizontal lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll to the end of the page and click on theReset browser 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.

How to remove FreeStreamSearch Redirects from Microsoft Edge:Top

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

• Select all malicious extensions and delete them.

• Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings

• Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.

• Choose Manage search engines.

• Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.

• Go back to Settings. Open On start-up.
• Delete malicious search websites at Open specific page or pages by opening the three-dot menu and clicking Delete.

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

• Click on Edge's menu button and select Settings. Click on the Reset Settings button on the left.
• Press the Restore settings to their default values option.

• 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.

How To remove FreeStreamSearch Redirects from Firefox:Top

• 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 FreeStreamSearch Redirects 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.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Options → General. Enter a preferable URL to the homepage field and click Restore to Default.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to FreeStreamSearch Redirects, 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.
  
• ChooseTroubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
  
• Click on theReset Firefox button.
  
• Click on the Reset Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.
  

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.