Search Genie Browser Hijacker - How to remove

Search Genie hijacker performs quite common modifications with each browser into which it injects itself. Thus, the home page and default search engine settings will be amended without the user’s approval. There is nothing of genius in this hijacker that speaks of itself as “Search Genie”. Obviously, its abilities to improve browsing are definitely overestimated by its developers.

Below please find the most common symptoms to expect when your browser is hijacked by Search Genie:
– unauthorized modification of default home page and search engine parameters;
– redirecting browsers to third-party websites;
– intrusive web push notifications forcing users to enable pop-ups by the websites related to Search Genie;
– injecting irrelevant advertisement banners into the browser and displaying sponsored links in various areas of the hijacked browser;
– tracking user’s browsing activity, collecting search data and transmitting gathered information to third parties for illegal purposes.

Search Genie and its impact on your search

Search Genie manipulates browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. It may modify your startpage or searchscopes, thus the affected browser begins visiting several websites associated with Search Genie, or other websites chosen by Search Genie developers. Search results delivered by it will not match your initial search queries, unfortunately. Instead, you may be forwarded to those websites that are not only irrelevant but additionally represent danger while interacting with them. For example, you could end up encountering landing pages of PUPs (potentially unwanted programs), adware and other search hijackers.

Search Genie additionally may hijack your browser through convincing you to enable web push notifications. You may encounter the integrated “Allow” button that keeps suggesting you click on it. Yet, we do not recommend you to do that, otherwise, push notifications will be enabled and you will be permanently struggling to close unwanted pop-up ads that will appear in this intrusive manner. Again, push notifications are not safe and may lead you to tons of irrelevant and even extremely dangerous resources.

When your browser is modified by Search Genie you will additionally notice that random ads suddenly appear in various areas of your browser from time to time. There is nothing wrong with advertisements when they are displayed legally, but the problem is that integrating adware into your browser by Search Genie was done without your consent or permission in the first place.

Finally, Search Genie performs the function of spyware in your computer. It keeps tracking your search queries and performs ongoing analysis of your interests in order to display ads, on which you will be then forced to click. The information gathered by Search Genie is additionally transferred to third parties and later on may be used as the ground to infect your computer with other adware samples.

We have analyzed a lot of browser hijackers similar to this one, such as Movie Goat, Search.searchrs1.com, or Ratenwilbet.info, so we definitely know how a virus like this one works and how to eliminate it for good.

Search Genie intrusion methods

Search Genie installation is very similar to the way other unwanted utilities are distributed. In the majority of the cases, Search Genie is implanted through freeware installers integrated with additional offers. This method is also referred to as “bundling”. The installers of free programs sometimes do not clearly reveal that they also contain other extra programs in the bundle. They do not even mention that this is the bundling in the first place. When users blindly click on “Next” or “I agree” buttons they literally allow Search Genie and possibly other PUPs to be installed.

How to remove Search Genie hijacker

It is definitely much easier to prevent Search Genie installation than to look for ways to delete it after the successful drive-by installation attempt. So, first of all, let us talk about ways to avoid Search Genie injection. We already know how Search Genie is installed, so our role is to be very careful when installing free applications. You must always take time to read the information provided by the freeware installer. If you read about some additional software suggested, do not allow its installation, proceed to the “Advanced” or “Custom” installation where you may uncheck Search Genie from drive-by bundle installation.

Search Genie makes its dwelling in browsers through special extension (add-on). The rest of the article gives you a clear view of how to access browser settings in order to disable unwanted extensions. Scanning your computer with reputable security software is yet another important step. Sometimes simply disabling the extension will not fully delete the hijacker, which may still leave some of its roots in your computer. Our recommendation is that you refer to automatic analysis and cleanup of your system to make sure that Search Genie and other adware traces are fully deleted.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Removal of Search Genie

How to remove Search Genie Browser Hijacker using Windows Control Panel

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

Delete Search Genie Browser Hijacker from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Search Genie Browser 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 Search Genie Browser Hijacker 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 Search Genie Browser Hijacker, 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 Search Genie Browser Hijacker 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 Search Genie Browser 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.
  
• 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 Search Genie 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.
  
• 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 Search Genie Browser Hijacker 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 Search Genie Browser Hijacker, 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 Search Genie Browser Hijacker from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall Search Genie Browser 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 Search Genie Browser Hijacker, 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.