About this infection

Polaris Search is a browser hijacker which will change your browser’s settings, more specifically your homepage. Hijackers are very irritating but minor infections that usually infect a computer via freeware bundles. When users are not careful during program installation, added offers (hijackers, adware, etc.) can slip past and install without the user even noticing.

Polaris Search

They are not informed properly about the offers, and don’t expect something to install alongside the program, so they carelessly press ‘Next’ until the installation process is finished. You should stop doing that because you could end up with all kinds of infections, albeit not serious ones. One good thing about hijackers is that it’s fairly easy to notice them once they are installed. Since your browser’s settings will be changed to display the hijacker’s site as your homepage, you should understand that something is not right. When you search the site’s URL using a search engine, you will get results about which hijacker exactly you are dealing with. These kinds of infections aim to redirect users to sponsored content so that site owners can make money but they fail to make sure all the sites are safe. You could easily be redirected to a malicious site, where you could pick up a malware infection. This, among other reasons, is why you should delete Polaris Search as soon as you notice it.

How does it spread?

You usually obtain browser hijackers via freeware bundles. They are attached to programs as extra offers and if you want to prevent them from installing, you need to deselect them. A lot of users don’t do this because they don’t notice anything amiss as those items are hidden.

In order to be able to deselect anything added, pay attention to how you install programs. Ensure that you pick Advanced or Custom settings, which will make added offers visible. If you see something attached to the program, uncheck it/them. After you have done this, you can proceed to install the program. The reason you likely did not see the item was because you used Default settings. They do not make the items visible, and essentially give them permission to install.

Why uninstall Polaris Search?

When the hijacker installs, you will have a different homepage/new tabs. These changes may be irreversible unless you first get rid of the infection, and may affect all popular browsers you have installed, including Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Every time you open your browser, you will see search.polarisearch.com loading, and will then get redirected to https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/?hspart=adk&hsimp=yhs-adk_sbnt. At least this make hijackers easy infections to notice, which means you will be able to get rid of them quicker. The search engine provided on the site will lead to Saferbrowser Yahoo Search, where you might encounter sponsored content inserted into the results. You would be led to websites whose owners employ the hijacker to generate traffic for them. Some of those sites could even be malicious. Therefore, even if hijackers aren’t harmful by themselves, they can still lead to malicious programs. Hijackers also collect information about users, such as sites visited, search queries, IP addresses, etc. That information could then be shared with questionable third-parties.

Polaris Search removal

If you have decided to remove Polaris Search, you may do so in two ways. For those who have little experience when it comes to computers, we would recommend obtaining anti-spyware software and allowing it to take care of everything. If you would prefer to do it yourself, you are welcome to use the below provided instructions to help you. After the process is complete, you can go change back your browser’s settings.

Offers

More information about SpyWarrior and Uninstall Instructions. Please review SpyWarrior EULA and Privacy Policy. SpyWarrior scanner is free. If it detects a malware, purchase its full version to remove it.

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Quick Menu

Step 1. Uninstall Polaris Search and related programs.

Remove Polaris Search from Windows 8

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel choose Programs and Features and select to Uninstall a software.

Delete Polaris Search from Windows 8

Uninstall Polaris Search from Windows 7

Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features → Uninstall a program.

Uninstall Polaris Search from Windows 7

Delete Polaris Search from Windows XP

Click Start → Settings → Control Panel. Locate and click → Add or Remove Programs.

Remove Polaris Search from Windows XP

Remove Polaris Search from Mac OS X

Click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications. Select applications folder and look for Polaris Search or any other suspicious software. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash, then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

Polaris Search removal from MAC OS X

Step 2. Delete Polaris Search from your browsers

Terminate the unwanted extensions from Internet Explorer
  1. Tap the Gear icon and go to Manage Add-ons. Polaris Search IE gear
  2. Pick Toolbars and Extensions and eliminate all suspicious entries (other than Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Oracle or Adobe) Polaris Search IE toolbars and extensions
  3. Leave the window.
Change Internet Explorer homepage if it was changed by virus:
  1. Tap the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of your browser and click Internet Options. Polaris Search IE gear
  2. In General Tab remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Press Apply to save changes. Polaris Search IE toolbars and extensions
Reset your browser
  1. Click the Gear icon and move to Internet Options. Polaris Search IE options
  2. Open the Advanced tab and press Reset. Polaris Search IE reset browser
  3. Choose Delete personal settings and pick Reset one more time. Polaris Search IE reset
  4. Tap Close and leave your browser. Polaris Search IE close
  5. If you were unable to reset your browsers, employ a reputable anti-malware and scan your entire computer with it.
Erase Polaris Search from Google Chrome
  1. Access menu (top right corner of the window) and pick Settings. Polaris Search Chrome menu
  2. Choose Extensions. Polaris Search Chrome settings
  3. Eliminate the suspicious extensions from the list by clicking the Trash bin next to them. Polaris Search Chrome extensions remove
  4. If you are unsure which extensions to remove, you can disable them temporarily. Polaris Search Chrome extensions disable
Reset Google Chrome homepage and default search engine if it was hijacker by virus
  1. Press on menu icon and click Settings. Polaris Search Chrome menu
  2. Look for the “Open a specific page” or “Set Pages” under “On start up” option and click on Set pages. Polaris Search Chrome settings
  3. In another window remove malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage. Polaris Search Chrome extensions remove
  4. Under the Search section choose Manage Search engines. When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search websites. You should leave only Google or your preferred search name. Polaris Search Chrome extensions disable
    Polaris Search Chrome extensions disable
Reset your browser
  1. If the browser still does not work the way you prefer, you can reset its settings.
  2. Open menu and navigate to Settings. Polaris Search Chrome settings more
  3. Press Reset button at the end of the page. Polaris Search Chrome advanced menu
  4. Tap Reset button one more time in the confirmation box. Polaris Search Chrome reset
  5. If you cannot reset the settings, purchase a legitimate anti-malware and scan your PC.
Remove Polaris Search from Mozilla Firefox
  1. In the top right corner of the screen, press menu and choose Add-ons (or tap Ctrl+Shift+A simultaneously). Polaris Search Firefox add ons
  2. Move to Extensions and Add-ons list and uninstall all suspicious and unknown entries. Polaris Search Firefox extensions
Change Mozilla Firefox homepage if it was changed by virus:
  1. Tap on the menu (top right corner), choose Options. Polaris Search Firefox reset confirm
  2. On General tab delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default. Polaris Search Firefox reset confirm
  3. Press OK to save these changes.
Reset your browser
  1. Open the menu and tap Help button. Polaris Search Firefox help
  2. Select Troubleshooting Information. Polaris Search Firefox troubleshooting
  3. Press Refresh Firefox. Polaris Search Firefox reset
  4. In the confirmation box, click Refresh Firefox once more. Polaris Search Firefox reset confirm
  5. If you are unable to reset Mozilla Firefox, scan your entire computer with a trustworthy anti-malware.
Uninstall Polaris Search from Safari (Mac OS X)
  1. Access the menu.
  2. Pick Preferences. Polaris Search Safari menu
  3. Go to the Extensions Tab. Polaris Search Safari extensions
  4. Tap the Uninstall button next to the undesirable Polaris Search and get rid of all the other unknown entries as well. If you are unsure whether the extension is reliable or not, simply uncheck the Enable box in order to disable it temporarily.
  5. Restart Safari.
Reset your browser
  1. Tap the menu icon and choose Reset Safari. Polaris Search Safari reset menu
  2. Pick the options which you want to reset (often all of them are preselected) and press Reset. Polaris Search Safari reset
  3. If you cannot reset the browser, scan your whole PC with an authentic malware removal software.

Site Disclaimer

2-remove-virus.com is not sponsored, owned, affiliated, or linked to malware developers or distributors that are referenced in this article. The article does not promote or endorse any type of malware. We aim at providing useful information that will help computer users to detect and eliminate the unwanted malicious programs from their computers. This can be done manually by following the instructions presented in the article or automatically by implementing the suggested anti-malware tools.

The article is only meant to be used for educational purposes. If you follow the instructions given in the article, you agree to be contracted by the disclaimer. We do not guarantee that the artcile will present you with a solution that removes the malign threats completely. Malware changes constantly, which is why, in some cases, it may be difficult to clean the computer fully by using only the manual removal instructions.

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