TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar - How to remove

The TotalRecipeSearch toolbar is a browser hijacker that can be installed in your browser without your consent. Many reviewers on the Chrome Web Store complain that they can’t remove this extension and that TotalRecipeSearch automatically downloaded and installed itself.

TotalRecipeSearch might not be strictly malware, but it is detected as adware and a browser hijacker by quite a few reputable antivirus programs. This is because security vendors recognize that the extension unnecessarily replaces the default search provider with its own and acts like adware.

There are tons of extensions almost identical to TotalRecipeSearch but for the main function: InternetSpeedUtility is for measuring internet speed, Propdfconverter is for converting files to and from different types. Yet, you might have difficulty telling them apart from each other. Almost these hijackers unnecessarily replace the home page with a MyWay search bar and they always try to install a couple of other extensions, too. Many of them use adware to advertise.

TotalRecipeSearch hijacks browsers without permission. It uses misleading ads, gets installed by infected freeware programs in the background, and does not care about getting consent from the owner of the computer:

Type of threat	Browser hijacker
Problems with TotalRecipeSearch	Changes made to the browser unnecessarily Installed without permission Main function is replacing the search provider, advertised functions are barebones Outdated extension design
TotalRecipeSearch distribution and installation	Bundled with freeware and installed in the background Installed by following deceptive ads Bundled with other browser extensions Installed by malware already infecting the computer
Remove TotalRecipeSearch toolbar	Stop malicious processes Remove malware (Combo Cleaner for Mac, SpyHunter  for PC) Uninstall Ask, TotalRecipeSearch

TotalRecipeSearch changes browser settings

If TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar is already added to your browser, the first thing you will notice is that your homepage and default search provider are changed. Your homepage will be set to home.tb.ask.com or http://hp.myway.com/TotalRecipeSearch and your search engine to search.tb.ask.com or http://int.search.myway.com. You might wonder why an extension like TotalRecipeSearch that promises to help you find recipes needs access to your home page or default search settings. After all, it could easily be a lot more out-of-the-way while still providing its features.

But you see, TotalRecipeSearch isn’t about recipes – it’s about forcing people to use MyWay and Ask, two search providers that belong to the Mindspark Interactive Network. TotalRecipeSearch needs to control how you search the web in order to convert you to a MyWay user. This way, Mindspark can make more money from ads in search results. Another part of TotalRecipeSearch taking so much control is that it can collect information about your browsing routines and use it for targeted advertising. Data about your search queries and the links and ads you clicked on are useful for MyWay.

Browser hijackers like TotalRecipeSearch are often considered adware – a type of unwanted software whose goal seems to be advertising to the user. Consider that you could easily ad a bunch of recipe-related sites to your browser bookmarks and access them immediately and get better functionality than what TotalRecipeSearch offers.

On the other hand, plenty of legitimate programs also make money by advertising to users, but they offer valuable features or unique content and do not team up with malware to infect computers. Those are the differences between legitimate ad-supported products and browser hijackers.

How to remove TotalRecipeSearch

Like I said, the TotalRecipeSearch reviews are pretty damning – full of complaints. I am talking about the extension that I installed, but there seems to be more than one copy of TotalRecipeSearch on the Web Store (not unusual for browser hijackers) and the publicly accessible one has much better reviews than the one that I got. That said, you should always take a look at the reviews before installing an application, they should be constructive and honest, addressing specific features.

Remove TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar from your browser as it will only bring problems for you. Go to Control Panel -> Add and Remove programs list and uninstall it from there. You should also check browser extensions for Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome and remove it from there.

Depending on how TotalRecipeSearch got installed, you might not be able to remove the extension easily. If you tied and it doesn’t work, it could help to remove malware from your computer first:

• End malicious and suspicious processes (or start the computer in Safe Mode).
• Find and remove malware, possibly with the help of an anti-malware tool (SpyHunter for PC, Combo Cleaner).
• Access browser settings and uninstall the extension.

And in the worst case, you can do a System Restore.

Please note, it is very important to scan your computer with a reliable antimalware program after TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar is removed as it might be your system got infected with viruses while having it.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar using Windows Control Panel

Many hijackers and adware like TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar 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 TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar 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 TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar from macOS

Delete TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar 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.

TopRemove malicious extensions from Internet Explorer

• Press on the Gear icon→Manage Add-ons.
  
• Go through Toolbars and extensions. Remove everything related to TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar and items you do not know that are made not by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Oracle or Adobe.
  
• Close the Options.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

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

• Press on the Gear icon->Internet Options.
  
• Choose the Advanced tab and click on the Reset button.
  
• Select a “Delete personal settings” checkbox and click on the Reset button.
  
• Click on the Close button on the confirmation box, then close your browser.
  

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

TopRemoving TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar from Chrome

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Google Chrome window. Select “Settings”.
  
• Click “Extensions” on the left menu bar.
• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar. Click on the trash bin icon next to TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar or other add-ons you want to remove.
  
• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.
  
• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.
  
• Restart Chrome.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

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

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

TopRemoving TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar from Firefox

• 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 TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar 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.
  

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

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

How to remove TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar from Microsoft Edge:Top

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

• Go through the extensions list and remove programs you do not need, especially similar to TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar. Click on the "Remove" icon next to TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar or other add-ons you want to remove.

• Press on the “Remove” button on the Confirmation window.

• If unsure, you can disable them temporarily.

• Restart Microsoft Edge.

TopRemoving TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar from Safari (Mac OS X)

• Click on the Safari menu.
• Choose Preferences.
  
• Click on the Extensions Tab.
• Click on the Uninstall button near the TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar. Remove all other unknown or suspicious entries too. If you are not sure whether you need the extension or not, you can simply uncheck the Enable check-box to disable the extension temporarily.
  
• Restart Safari.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings

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

• Click on the 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.

On behalf of developers of TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar we were asked to remove this article due to false information on it. However, we feel like this post is correct and helpful to our readers. TotalRecipeSearch Toolbar and other software developed by Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc. can be detected and recognised as viruses or potentially unwanted software by various anti-malware tools. Toolbars developed by Mindspark share same EULA (End User License Agreement) that is mislieding. It claims that this software is not an adware or malware, while there are statements that toolbars might display advertisements from 3rd parties or monetise toolbars in other ways. By definition such software is considered as an adware. All articles posted on www.2-viruses.com regarding products of Mindspark are correct.

Please notice that we are affiliated with several trustworthy anti-malware tools and information about our affiliates can be found in disclosure (see the link at the bottom of this page). Some of those tools are paid while other ones can be used for free. We provide free manual removal guides as well.

Manual removal