{"id":37135,"date":"2026-07-24T15:40:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T10:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.systweak.com\/blogs\/?p=37135"},"modified":"2026-07-24T17:08:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T11:38:16","slug":"remove-web-explorer-browser-virus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.systweak.com\/blogs\/remove-web-explorer-browser-virus\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Remove a Web Explorer Browser Virus"},"content":{"rendered":"<p >When you open your browser, is the homepage changed? Do new tabs open with a different search page or do ads appear on your web pages, or you get unrelated search results? If so, you have a browser hijacker not a \u201cWeb Explorer virus,\u201d because there is no such thing.<\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A browser hijacker, takes over your browser and changes all the settings. It gets installed silently with some other program you install, usually a freeware. The easiest and quickest way to remove is to not reinstall OS but to follow the steps explained in the post, and everything will return to the way it was.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 >How Does a Browser Hijacker Get into Your System?<\/h3>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Usually, when free software like download managers, utility programs, antivirus, and other add-on software are installed from an unknown website, browser hijackers get installed. Cyberattackers intelligently bundle the hijacker programs with free downloads, and when the main application is installed, they also get into the system. In some cases, by default they are pre-checked and enabled for installation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once installed, they change the browser&#8217;s default search engine, homepage, or new tab page. This way the hijacker earns money from every search or ad click you make. It does not cause any harm, as most hijackers are designed to make money. But not all are built in the same manner. Some are designed to steal data, while others log browsing activity to create advertising profiles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most people run a full antivirus scan, to detect and remove them and when nothing is detected, they think everything is sorted. But with browser hijackers, this doesn\u2019t work as they generally classified as potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) rather than viruses. So when you see things changing in your browser, a virus scan alone will not help. You will need a tool like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/antivirus.systweak.com\/?utm_source=systweakblog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Systweak Antivirus<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that can scan your browsers and detect the infected extension sitting in plain sight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 >Signs Your Browser has been Hijacked<\/h2>\n<ul >\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The home page or new page keeps changing every time you open the browser or a new tab.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A random search engine has suddenly become the default<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You see new toolbars or extensions in your browser.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Search results are filled with ads, and some clicks just redirect you to some other page.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pages open more slowly in your browser than usual.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Settings like the search engine, home page, and other things keep changing on their own.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 >How to Remove Browser Hijacker from Chrome, Edge and Firefox<\/h2>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first step in removing a browser hijacker is to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.systweak.com\/blogs\/how-to-uninstall-programs-on-windows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">uninstall extensions<\/a> you did not install or have no idea about. Once that is done, and the browser is reset to default settings, things go back to normal. But uninstalling these extensions is just a part. If the hijacker was installed via a desktop program, removing the extension without deleting it will cause the hijacker to reinstall itself when you reopen the browser.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Therefore, alongside removing browser extensions, always check the latest installed apps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Go to Windows Settings &gt; Apps &gt; Installed apps and see if there is an app that was installed recently that you do not recognize. If so, uninstall it first, then clear the browser extensions because if you do the opposite or just change the home page, the fix will be temporary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The right way is to uninstall the suspicious program, followed by removing extensions, then reset the browser to default settings. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After that, open Command Prompt as an administrator copy and paste\u00a0 (<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ipconfig \/flushdns)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.systweak.com\/blogs\/chrome-net-internals-dns-clear\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">clear the DNS cache<\/a>.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To manually remove hijacker from browser follow these steps:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 >Google Chrome<\/h3>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1. Open Google Chrome.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2. Copy and paste <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">chrome:\/\/extensions<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the address bar.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3. Check all extensions and click Remove to delete the ones you don\u2019t recognize, including those you doubt. You can install them later if you need them.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-36257\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2023\/08\/list-of-browser-extensions.webp\" alt=\"list of all installed programs\" width=\"1125\" height=\"295\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1125px) 100vw, 1125px\" \/><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4. Next, go to Settings. Click the three dots &gt; Settings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-31933\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2025\/11\/three-dots-top-right-corner.webp\" alt=\"three dots top-right corner\" width=\"401\" height=\"701\" sizes=\"(max-width: 401px) 100vw, 401px\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n5. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Click Reset settings from the left pane &gt; click Restore settings to their original defaults and click Reset settings button.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-36262\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Click-on-reset-option-reset-setting.webp\" alt=\"Click on reset option-reset setting\" width=\"659\" height=\"425\" sizes=\"(max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px\" \/> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6. Wait for the process to finish and settings to switch to defaults.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37160\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/default-search-engine.webp\" alt=\"default search engine\" width=\"836\" height=\"831\" sizes=\"(max-width: 836px) 100vw, 836px\" \/><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span data-sheets-root=\"1\"><div class=\"color-box\">\n<div class=\"shadow\">\n<div class=\"info-tab note-icon\" style=\"background:#47ADE0\"><i><\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"note-box\" style=\"background:#d5e9f6\">\n<p> <strong> Note : <\/strong>Resetting the setting does not delete bookmarks, history, and saved passwords <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7. Now again go to Settings and click Search engine to confirm it&#8217;s set to the one you setted.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 ><b>Microsoft Edge<\/b><\/h3>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1. Open Microsoft Edge.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2. Copy and paste <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">edge:\/\/extensions.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Now look for any unfamiliar extensions and click Remove &gt; confirm the action by again clicking Remove to get rid of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37183\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/paste-edge-extensions.webp\" alt=\"paste edge extensions\" width=\"916\" height=\"506\" sizes=\"(max-width: 916px) 100vw, 916px\" \/><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37185\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/remove-search-my-page.webp\" alt=\"remove search my page\" width=\"505\" height=\"243\" sizes=\"(max-width: 505px) 100vw, 505px\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3. Next, click the three dots and select Settings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37186\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edge-setting.webp\" alt=\"edge setting\" width=\"383\" height=\"856\" sizes=\"(max-width: 383px) 100vw, 383px\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4. Click Reset settings from the left pane &gt; click Restore settings to their default values &gt; click Reset to confirm the action and restart the browser.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37187\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/edge-reset-settings.webp\" alt=\"edge reset settings\" width=\"856\" height=\"517\" sizes=\"(max-width: 856px) 100vw, 856px\" \/> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5. Go to Start, home, and new tab page in Settings and check the settings. If you see that an extension is controlling the new page, turn it off and select Copilot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-37189\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/new-tab-page-in-edge-Settings.webp\" alt=\"new tab page in edge Settings\" width=\"1590\" height=\"920\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1590px) 100vw, 1590px\" \/> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6. Next, go to Privacy, search and services &gt; click Search and connected experienced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-37190\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Privacy-search-and-services.webp\" alt=\"Edge Privacy, search and services\" width=\"1550\" height=\"685\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1550px) 100vw, 1550px\" \/> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7. Click Address bar and search check the default search engine it should be the one you set.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37191\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/search-check-the-default-search-engine.webp\" alt=\"search check the default search engine\" width=\"952\" height=\"434\" sizes=\"(max-width: 952px) 100vw, 952px\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 >Mozilla Firefox<\/h3>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1. Open Mozilla Firefox.<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2. Copy and paste <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">about:addons<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, in the address bar and click Extensions, from the left bar. Check the extensions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-37192\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mozilla-extensions-list.webp\" alt=\"Mozilla extensions list\" width=\"1747\" height=\"1041\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1747px) 100vw, 1747px\" \/><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3. To remove the unwanted ones click the three dots next to the extension and select Remove &gt; confirm the action by clicking Remove.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-37194\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/click-three-dots-next-to-extension-and-select-Remove.webp\" alt=\"click three dots next to extension and select Remove\" width=\"797\" height=\"181\" sizes=\"(max-width: 797px) 100vw, 797px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37195\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/confirm-remove-action-mozilla.webp\" alt=\"confirm remove action mozilla\" width=\"450\" height=\"171\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4. Click the three horizontal select Settings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37196\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/three-horizontal-Settings-mozilla.webp\" alt=\"three horizontal Settings mozilla\" width=\"268\" height=\"882\" sizes=\"(max-width: 268px) 100vw, 268px\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5. Click Home and startup from the left pane, and click Restore Defaults to reset your homepage and new tab page.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37197\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Home-and-startup.webp\" alt=\"Home and startup\" width=\"875\" height=\"686\" sizes=\"(max-width: 875px) 100vw, 875px\" \/><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6. Next, click the Search tab from the left pane and under Search, check your default search engine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-37198\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.systweak.com\/content\/wp\/bg_systweak_com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/check-default-search-engine.webp\" alt=\"check default search engine\" width=\"743\" height=\"730\" sizes=\"(max-width: 743px) 100vw, 743px\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Using these steps you can remove the so-called Web Explorer browser virus a.k.a., Browser Hijacker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><a href=\"https:\/\/www.systweak.com\/blogs\/is-firefox-better-than-chrome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Chrome Vs Mozilla Firefox: Which Browser is Better<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 >Manual Removal vs. Antivirus Tools<\/h3>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To remove the browser hijacker manually you don\u2019t need a tool but you need time and caution as making any change you are not sure of can mess things up. Whereas, using an antivirus tool with real time protection that can flag PUP before install like Systweak Antivirus will help catch hijacker processes, and its Web Protection can flag malicious links. The only drawback is that the tool is only available for Windows. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, if you do not want to pay for a security tool, you can try using the built-in Windows Defender. But remember it does not detect adware, PUPs and can miss browser-level changes that aren&#8217;t technically malware. Some people even use third-party PUP\/adware scanners which might seem the right choice at first but sometimes they themselves are bundled with unwanted extras.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Manual steps usually do the work. However, if the hijacker reinstalls itself, or you can&#8217;t find the program causing it, using a dedicated antivirus like Systweak Antivirus seems to be a smart choice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p ><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"accordion_sec faq-section\">\n<div id=\"accordion-menu\">\n<p >\n<h3 class=\"accordion-header plus\">Is Web Explorer a real virus?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"accordion-panel\">\n<p class=\"accordion-content aio-answer-block\">No. There is no browser or malware family that is being officially named as Web Explorer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p >\n<h3 class=\"accordion-header plus\">Can a browser hijacker steal my passwords?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"accordion-panel\">\n<p class=\"accordion-content aio-answer-block\">Usually browser hijackers don\u2019t do this as they are designed to make money through ads you see in the  browser. However, some of them do log browsing behavior for advertising profiles, and only a few bundle spyware alongside. To be safe always change passwords or card details once you have identified there was a browser hijacker and you have removed it now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p >\n<h3 class=\"accordion-header plus\">Why does my homepage keep changing back after I fix it?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"accordion-panel\">\n<p class=\"accordion-content aio-answer-block\">This happens when a background process or a scheduled task linked to the hijacker is still running. To fix it, reset the browser settings without uninstalling the program, remove any related task from Task Manager and then uninstall the program, this should fix.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p >\n<h3 class=\"accordion-header plus\">Will reinstalling my browser fix it?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"accordion-panel\">\n<p class=\"accordion-content aio-answer-block\">In some cases reinstalling does work. However, if the hijacker installed as a separate program or has modified system-level settings like DNS or the hosts file, a fresh browser install won't change anything and the redirects return once the browser is reinstalled they reconnect to the same infected settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p >\n<h3 class=\"accordion-header plus\">Do I need paid antivirus software to remove a browser hijacker?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"accordion-panel\">\n<p class=\"accordion-content aio-answer-block\">Generally manual steps do the fixing. However, if the hijacker comes back it is best to check the background process or startup entry using software that can\u2019t be fixed through a browser-level fix.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p ><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p ><strong>The Takeaway<\/strong><\/p>\n<p ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A browser with a changed homepage, search engine is not uncommon. Everyone has witnessed it some time or the other. Luckily, this problem can be fixed by removing unwanted extensions, uninstalling unwanted free programs, resetting browser settings and by checking startup items and background processes. In case the problem resurfaces, checking the task scheduler, removing scheduled tasks that you don\u2019t recognize and using an antivirus that comes with Web Protection as a feature to scan startup items is the best way to keep the problem away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you open your browser, is the homepage changed? Do new tabs open with a different search page or do ads appear on your web pages, or you get unrelated search results? If so, you have a browser hijacker not a \u201cWeb Explorer virus,\u201d because there is no such thing. A browser hijacker, takes over&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.systweak.com\/blogs\/remove-web-explorer-browser-virus\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How To Remove a Web Explorer Browser Virus<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-windows-security","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1-RC3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How To Remove a Web Explorer Browser Virus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Browser stuck on a homepage or on a search page you don\u2019t recognize? 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