Searchingonline.net Hijacker - How to remove

Searchingonline.net is a website that works with the Searching Online add-on to hijack people’s searches. Searchingonline.net takes in search queries, then opens Yahoo.com to deliver the results.

For the people whose browsers are infected with Searchingonline.net, it looks like Yahoo took over their searches. But if they check their browser settings, they find that Searchingonline.net is responsible for the hijacking.

In short about Searchingonline.net:

Type of threat Browser hijacker,

adware.

What is Searchingonline.net Search hijacker that works with the Searching Online add-on,

takes your search queries and sends them to Yahoo.

Problems with Searching Online It’s bad for your privacy,

it offers no useful features,

it locks down the browser setting for the default search engine.

How to remove Searchingonline.net Uninstall Searching Online and other potentially unwanted browser extensions,

fix your browser settings,

if needed, remove malware from your computer with antivirus scanners (Combo Cleaner for Mac, Spyhunter for PC, others).

Searchingonline.net search hijacker

Searchingonline.net is the website associated with the Searching Online browser extension. It redirects your searches to Yahoo. That seems to be the entirety of it.

When you go to Searchingonline.net, it offers to improve your internet search quality with Yahoo search. Why should you install Searching Online when you can just change your search engine settings instead? I don’t know. But somehow, Searching Online has over 2,000 users on the Chrome Web Store.

Redirecting to Yahoo is not all that Searchingonline.net does; it also helps S2N, Searchingonline.net’s developer, collect internet user data, such as hardware data, language settings, and people’s search queries.

Here’s how your browser changes if you install Searching Online:

  • The words “Search Online Yahoo!” show up in your address bar when you open a new tab page.
  • When you search for something, Query.searchingonline.net appears in your address bar before it opens Yahoo.com.
  • If you try changing your default search engine to another, you see that Searching Online is in control of that setting.

Searching Online is controlling the search engine setting.

Problems with Searching Online

Having Searchingonline.net take over your internet searches is like using Yahoo through a proxy. Searchingonline.net can read everything that you search for and it can combine your queries with your operating system (Mac, Windows), your web browser (Chrome, Edge, Opera, etc.), and other data.

S2N Media, the developers of Searchingonline.net, present themselves as designers of digital experiences and products. That is incredibly vague. But one thing is for sure – it’s always useful to know about your users so that you can analyze, experiment, and make business decisions.

But it’s unfair to the users because Searching Online provides no useful features – none at all.

If you have it in your browser, you’re basically giving charity to S2N Media: donating your time and attention to help them optimize their apps and make a little bit of money from Yahoo redirects. Your searches take longer as Searchingonline.net has to be opened first, you may see more ads than normal, and your data is exposed to more websites than necessary.

Searchingonline.net asks to change your search settings when you install it.

At least add-ons like WebSecurerr offer some features in exchange for hijacking your searches. Searchingonline.net is more like the Allradiosearch.com hijacker – quiet, nearly invisible, just redirecting your search queries.

How to remove Searchingonline.net

To stop Searchingonline.net redirects to Yahoo, you just need to do a couple of things:

  • Remove Searching Online from your browser.
  • Check your other extensions.
  • If needed, change your default search engine and new tab settings.

How to do all this is described at the bottom. You can also remove Searchingonline.net from the extension area in the upper right corner of your browser.

You can use anti-malware apps, like Combo Cleaner for macOS, Spyhunter for Windows, and others, to detect and remove suspicious programs and add-ons. You can also use ad blockers and anti-malware tools to block suspicious websites.

For example, the IP associated with the Searchingonline.net site is detected by one scanner (Virustotal.com), so some scanners might have been able to warn you about the site before you installed Searchingonline.net.

And if you didn’t install Searchingonline.net yourself, then it may have come in a bundler, embedded in another program, installed without even warning you properly. To avoid bundlers like that, stick only to reputable download sites and scan installers with your antivirus tools.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Download Spyhunter for Malware detection
(Win)

Note: Spyhunter trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions,

Download Combo Cleaner for Malware detection
(Mac)

Note: Combo Cleaner trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions, Refund Policy ,

Restore browser settings

TopHow To remove Searchingonline.net Hijacker from Google Chrome:

  • Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select More Tools→Extensions
    Extensions
  • Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
    Remove extensions
  • Click on the 3 horizontal lines icon on a browser toolbar and Select Settings
    Open settings
  • Select Manage Search engines
    Manage search engines
  • Remove unnecessary search engines from the list
    Delete search engines
  • 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.
    Set pages
  • Delete malicious search websites at a new Startup pages window by clicking “X” next to them.
    Delete start pages

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

If you are still experiencing any issues related to Searchingonline.net 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.
    Resset settings
  • Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
    Reset approve

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

How to remove Searchingonline.net Hijacker from Microsoft Edge:Top

  • Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Microsoft Edge window. Select “Extensions”.
Open the menu and choose Extensions.
  • Select all malicious extensions and delete them.
Press Remove for the extensions you want to remove
  • Click on the three-dot menu on the browser toolbar and Select Settings
Edge new open the three-dot menu and choose settings.
  • Select Privacy and Services and scroll down. Press on Address bar.
Edge new Open Address bar settings.
  • Choose Manage search engines.
Edge new choose manage search engines.
  • Remove unnecessary search engines from the list: open the three-dot menu and choose Remove.
Edge new choose remove for unwanted search engines.
  • 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.
Edge new remove startup pages. (Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Searchingonline.net 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.
Edge new restore settings.
  • Click on the Reset button on the confirmation box.
Edge new restore settings comfirmation. If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.
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