ThePDFConverterSearch Hijacker - How to remove

ThePDFConverterSearch is a browser add-on that hijacks your internet searches. It forwards them to unwanted sites like Searchlee.com and Nearbyme.io, sites that show ads, sponsored links, and irrelevant results. ThePDFConverterSearch and those iffy sites that it promotes also track the online activities of their victims.

If you find that ThePDFConverterSearch is installed on your browser, it’s best to remove it quickly and get back control over your browser.

ThePDFConverterSearch in short:

Type of threat	Browser hijacker, adware.
How ThePDFConverterSearch changes the browser	It hijacks the default search engine setting, it sends search queries to unwanted sites, it logs user data.
Problems and issues	ThePDFConverterSearch restricts browser settings, it logs private user data to use in advertising, it can be installed without permission.
How to delete ThePDFConverterSearch	Uninstall the extension manually, use antivirus apps to remove malware (Spyhunter for Mac, Combo Cleaner for Mac, Spyhunter for PC, others).

What does ThePDFConverterSearch do?

ThePDFConverterSearch hijacks the search engine settings

ThePDFConverterSearch is a browser add-on. It’s likely made by the same people who made Safe Finder, Chill Tab, as well as PDFConverterSearchPro, GlobalPDFConverterSearch, PDFConverterSearch, and many other hijackers.

It’s not quite obvious when ThePDFConverterSearch is added to your browser. It doesn’t announce itself, it might even want to stay unnoticed.

But as soon as you start searching for something, it’s impossible to ignore. ThePDFConverterSearch forces internet searches to go to Nearbyme.io, Searchlee.com, and other shady sites.

You might also notice the text “Search ThePDFConverterSearch or type a URL” in your address bar at the top.

And if you go into the settings, the search engine section, you should see that ThePDFConverterSearch is in control of it.

Tracks user data

According to the privacy policy on Thepdfconvertersearch.com, the site logs the search queries that go through it. That includes the search queries that are redirected through Feed.thepdfconvertersearch.com.

According to ThePDFConverterSearch’s privacy policy, this is the data that is collected from users:

• search logs,
• which ads were clicked,
• IP address.

Searchlee.com (by Linkury) and Nearbyme.io (by Airfind) also log user activities and show targeted ads.

Gets installed without permission

ThePDFConverterSearch has no useful features to offer, so how come it’s installed by some 40,000 users on the Chrome web Store?

We’ve seen similar hijackers using pop-up ads with fake download links, as well as pages that say that you must install the extension to use the website.

Such ads try to appear as if they’re not ads, but video players and download pages – part of the sites that you were browsing. This helps trick people to install extensions like ThePDFConverterSearch.

Another way that malicious extensions get installed is by being bundled with other programs. Tools like InstallCore are used to advertise various programs inside the installers for free software.

Some developers use deceptive layouts and workflows to get people to allow (often unintentionally) the advertised software to be installed. This way, unknown apps might seemingly appear out of the blue.

How to stop ThePDFConverterSearch redirects

Uninstall the ThePDFConverterSearch extension. Below are instructions for how to do that.

If you run into difficulties, like if the “Remove” button doesn’t work, if your browser says that it’s managed by your organization, then the removal process becomes a little more complicated.

It’s important to know how ThePDFConverterSearch was installed on your device so that you can stop it from happening again in the future.

If you installed ThePDFConverterSearch after seeing a deceptive advertisement for the extension, then be careful of similar ads. If you haven’t got an ad blocker, you might want to install one. They can improve your safety online (though they don’t guarantee it!).

If you suspect that ThePDFConverterSearch was installed on your device without your permission, if you do not remember installing it at all, then it might have been brought to your computer by a bundler or a malicious program. To see if there are any suspicious files and programs on your device, scan it with an antivirus tool, such as Spyhunter for Mac, Combo Cleaner for Mac, Spyhunter for PC, and others.

Automatic Malware removal tools

Manual removal

TopHow To remove ThePDFConverterSearch 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 ThePDFConverterSearch 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 ThePDFConverterSearch 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 ThePDFConverterSearch 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 ThePDFConverterSearch 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 ThePDFConverterSearch 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 ThePDFConverterSearch 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.

How To remove ThePDFConverterSearch 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 ThePDFConverterSearch 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 ThePDFConverterSearch 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.