2 Remove Virus

Remove Search.hidesearch.bid

What is Search.hidesearch.bid

Search.hidesearch.bidb is a fake search engine promoted by a browser hijacker. If this site is suddenly set as your homepage, a browser hijacker has sneaked into your computer, likely via software bundling. It’s not a particularly serious infection but it will make unwanted changes to your browser’s settings. The changes include Search.hidesearch.bid set as your homepage and new tabs. In addition, your default search engine will also be changed. These changes are done in order to redirect you to sponsored websites, as that is the main purpose of browser hijackers.

While browser hijackers aren’t particularly dangerous, they do try to redirect to sponsored websites by inserting sponsored content into search engine results. While most redirects will be harmless, some may lead you to websites that have harmful content, such as malware and scams. Thus, the sooner you remove Search.hidesearch.bid from your computer, the better.

Browser hijacker installation methods

Browser hijackers, adware, and other similar infections usually install free software bundles, meaning users end up installing them accidentally. The way software bundling works is infections like adware come attached to programs, particularly freeware, as extra offers. The extra offers are permitted to install alongside without requiring additional permission from users. This, and the fact that the offers are initially hidden, is why the method is quite frowned upon. Most programs that use this method to install are classified as potential infections by anti-virus vendors. So if you have an anti-virus program installed, it should alert you about potentially unwanted programs. It should also be mentioned that the majority of free programs users download from non-official websites will have these added offers.

The offers are, fortunately, optional. You can prevent their installation by merely paying closer attention to how you install free programs. When installing free programs, opt for Advanced (Custom) settings instead of Default. Advanced settings will make all added offers visible, and you will have the option to deselect all of them. All you really need to do is uncheck the boxes of those offers. Keep in mind that while some of the offers may seem useful at first sight, installing any of them is not a good idea. They will only take up space on your computer while showing you intrusive advertisements and making unwanted changes.

Can browser hijackers harm the computer?

Compared to other computer infections, browser hijackers aren’t particularly dangerous. They don’t directly harm the computer but can still cause issues. Browser hijackers are also quite annoying to deal with because of the changes they make to browsers. This particular browser hijacker makes Search.hidesearch.bid your homepage and new tabs, and sets you a different search engine. This can affect all popular browsers, including Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. These changes are also irreversible while the hijacker remains installed on the system. The changes at least make browser hijackers very noticeable infections, allowing users to get rid of them quicker.

Search.hidesearch.bid looks like a regular fake search engine website. It has “search” written to resemble Google, has a search box, as well as links to sites like AliExpress, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. If you try to use the search bar, you would be redirected to Google, making Search.hidesearch.bid completely useless. There is no need to use a third-party website to access Google when you can go to it directly.

It should also be mentioned that browser hijackers track browsing. They collect information such as visited websites, search queries, content interacted with, IP address, etc. Hijackers don’t collect personal information but their data collection practices are still intrusive enough to warrant removal, particularly because you get nothing in return.

Search.hidesearch.bid removal

While browser hijackers are not serious infections, they can be rather persistent, making it difficult to remove them manually. Instructions will be provided at the very end of the report to help you if you want to remove Search.hidesearch.bid manually. Once the hijacker is no longer installed, you will be able to make browser setting changes as you want. However, for users who have very little experience with removing programs, it’s recommended to use anti-virus software to uninstall Search.hidesearch.bid. Many anti-virus programs not only remove the browser hijackers but also undo all setting changes.

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.

Quick Menu

Step 1. Uninstall Search.hidesearch.bid and related programs.

Remove Search.hidesearch.bid 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.

Uninstall Search.hidesearch.bid from Windows 7

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

Delete Search.hidesearch.bid from Windows XP

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

Remove Search.hidesearch.bid from Mac OS X

Click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications. Select applications folder and look for Search.hidesearch.bid 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.

Step 2. Delete Search.hidesearch.bid from your browsers

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