Key-find.com virus - How to remove

The key-find.com virus is a browser hijacker that attacks Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox browsers. It’s a malicious program that hinders your browsing choices and makes you visit numerous unwanted websites. Once inside the browser, the application replaces your homepage and default search provider with key-find.com. Although visually the website doesn’t differ from regular search providers, it has some additional goals that are not revealed for the users. In fact, the key-find.com virus was developed to promote various commercial websites and boost their traffic.

Sites like key-find.com are known as fake search engines not because they can’t perform search – they can. Rather, sites like iStartSurf, Delta Search, or Email Search Tools are created to be installed and maintain certain search settings on the infected browser. As long as the extension is installed, you’re forced to use the key-find.com site as your default search.

The developers of this hijacker do this for ad money. Search engines make money from ads in the search results, so if key-find.com is the search engine you use, the owners of that site earn money from this through affiliate links and ads. This does mean that using key-find.com as your default search will expose you to more ads than just using Google, Yahoo (key-find.com seems to redirect to affiliate Yahoo results, no surprise there), or another more mainstream search engine.

Of course, custom search engines have a place on the web, and they deserve to get paid if they offer a unique and valuable service, like changing the way that the results are displayed. It’s just that key-find.com is incredibly bare and doesn’t even try to pretend to be valuable.

Removing key-find.com will only improve your browsing experience:

Problems with key-find.com	Takes over the browser settings Uses shady distribution methods and doesn’t always obtain explicit consent to get installed Does not provide useful services
Symptoms	Home page set to key-find.com Search results on the infected browser generally include more ads than using other browsers Can’t change the new tab page in browser settings
Distribution	Adware viruses Shady ads online Freeware with the key-find.com hijacker bundled in the installer
Uninstall key-find.com	Remove malware using antivirus tools (SpyHunter for PC, Combo Cleaner for Mac) Manually uninstall key-find.com Restore browser settings

Key-find.com doesn’t ask for permission

It is important to know how this browser hijacker enters computers, so you could avoid this kind of programs in the future. Usually, Key-find.com virus is installed together with other free programs that do not properly disclose about making changes in your browser. Therefore, it is crucial to be careful when installing any new program to your computer and always go for Custom or Advanced installation. If you notice any options offering to install unknown applications, there is a big chance that it will try to add a program by the third parties. Always deselect these options.

Adware viruses or bad ads online also promote fake search engines like key-find.com, so be skeptical of anything online. Also, you might want to scan your computer. Adware promotes stuff much worse than a fake search provider, like scams and real malware.

If you have already noticed Key-find.com virus on your browser, you may detect a lot of ads when you make searches. The program also tends to include many sponsored websites in your search results. The developers of the key-find.com virus are getting paid for every click on these pages. However, users might get redirected to malicious websites and also waste their time instead of visiting websites listed in reliable search results.

To remove Key-find.com virus, go to Control Panel, Add/Remove programs list and uninstall it from there. Some versions of this hijacker install software that blocks browser settings from changing. To identify them, scanning with Spyhunter or other reputable antispyware tool might be useful. If you use a Mac and not a Windows PC, you can try using Combo Cleaner to scan your computer for malware. Then you can uninstall the extensions and reset settings in your browsers.

Automatic Malware removal tools

TopRemove shortcut hijack (all browsers) (optional): If your browser opens Key-find.com virus page on startup only, try this:

• Right click on your browser icon. Choose Properties;
  
• Open Short cut tab;
  
• Delete Key-find.com virus part from target field.

Manual removal of Key-find.com

How to remove Key.find.com hijacker using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like Key-find.com virus 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 Key.find.com hijacker . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make Key-find.com virus 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 Key.find.com hijacker from macOS

Delete Key-find.com virus from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Key.find.com 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.

TopHow To remove Key-find.com virus 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 Key-find.com virus, 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 Key-find.com virus 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 Key-find.com virus 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 Key.find.com 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.
  
• 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.

How to remove Key-find.com virus 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 Key-find.com virus, 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 Key-find.com virus from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall Key.find.com hijacker and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to Key-find.com virus, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on 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.