Guide: How to Delete/Remove Adware in Windows 10
Are you bombarded with pop-up ads doesn’t matter which website you open? Or maybe your adblocker extension cannot block these ads? When you go through a situation like that, I feel your pain. I’ve dealt with adware before simply because I have casually installed everything I found interesting and paid no attention while installing a program. However, I have managed to get rid of even the toughest adware infections, and not even a single adware or malware has infected my PC since then. How did I do that? Well, I am going to tell you everything in this post.
Remove adware
First, we will remove the adware infecting your PC. You can do it automatically using a third-party tool, or manually if the program is stubborn enough trick an adware cleaning tool. Let’s try automatic cleaning first:
Remove adware automatically
There are many adware removal tools available that scan important locations on your PC for known adware and remove them. I recommend AdwCleaner for this purpose that is real easy to use and effective also. Download the tool and scan your PC, it will look for installed adware together with PUPs and adware browser extensions and then list them all. You can click on it Clean button to get rid of them all.
Remove adware manually
In most cases, AdwCleaner is all you need to remove the adware and repair the damage it may have done. If adware is new or may be well hidden, the adware removal tools may not work. If this happens to you, don’t worry, I’ll show you all the ways you can remove adware manually. Before following any of these steps, it is a good idea to disconnect from the Internet. Adware programs use the Internet to display advertisements and can even use it to prevent removal or to automatically reinstall themselves. A disconnected pc will keep adware from pulling one tricks or even annoy you with more ads in the process. You can turn off the internet modem completely or disconnect your PC from the network. Of course, if you need to download a recommended program, you can reconnect and then disconnect again. Adware usually works as a legitimate program and also comes with its own uninstaller. You can remove it easily like you uninstall any other program.
Just go to Programs and Features section in the Control panell and look for a program that you do not recognize during installation. Double click on the program will start the removal process.
The program can ask questions or offer something else buttons to trick you. Read everything carefully and always select it remove or remove option. Also, be aware of any check boxes that allow the program to reinstall itself. Even if the above step worked for you, chances are the adware has it your browser already infected and if you uninstall the program, the ads will not be removed. To clean the browser, all you have to do is reset the search engine (if it has changed) and look for extensions or add-ons that you don’t recognize. To reset the search engine,
Go to your browser settings and search for it Search column. It could be in the General section. Here, select the search engine you want to clean (such as Google) from the drop-down menu.
To search for an adware extension or add-on, I recommend running a third-party tool that lists all extensions and plugins from all your browsers in one window, including the hidden ones. There are many options available, but I like to use CCleaner’s built-in plugin manager. I have tried many special tools before, but they all seemed to be missing some extensions for certain browsers. CCleaner has never disappointed me so far.
Open CCleaner and go to Tools section of the left panel. Select Browser plugins and you will see all your installed browsers in the top bar and their plugins and extensions underneath. Go through each browser and look for plugins / extensions whose addition you don’t recognize. Select it and click on the blue Delete button on the right to remove it.
For normal adware infection, the steps above are enough. If you’re still seeing ads, it must be a hidden background process or services. You can check for shady background processes in Task ManagerPress Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open up the Task Manager and go to it Processes tab. Then look for a process that seems unclear to you. It will be difficult to find the right one (unless you know the name of adware) as Windows’s own processes are also listed here. So I recommend you search online for the name of the process you are doubting and see if it is a Windows process or not. If you are sure it is not a Windows or system process,
Right click on it and select Open File Location Delete any data you see. If you can’t remove it, go back to it Task management to end the process first and try to delete again.
This step worked for me many times to disable both adware and rogue programs, so it can solve your problem too.
Press Windows + R keys and type msconfig in the Run dialog box to open the system configuration window. Go to it Services tab here and check the box next to it Hide all Microsoft services Go through this list and turn off any services you don’t recognize or not necessary. Click on the Apply button below to confirm your changes.
Go to it Boot up tab and you will see all startup programs. Windows 8 and 10 users should open Task Manager and go to Startup items tab to view the startup programs. Just Uncheck the box next to the unrecognized startup programs and apply the changes.
You will have to restart your pc for the changes to take effect, and see if adware has stopped or not. If it has stopped, I will recommend that you run AdwCleaner again to see if it can now find the adware. Once the service has stopped, it may no longer be able to hide from the cleaner. While it is very rare for an adware to be stubborn enough not to be removed by the above methods, it can happen. If so, chances are will not be able to do anything in Windows Safe ModeSince only essential drivers and system files are loaded during safe mode, it is very rare for a rogue program to operate in safe mode. There is a different process for accessing Safe Mode in each version of Windows. Here’s a good one guide by Lenovo to access Safe Mode in Windows 7, 8 and 10 In the Safe mode, follow all the steps above in the same orderI believe that running AdwCleaner from Safe Mode is enough to get rid of the adware.
Prevent adware in the future
After removing the adware, learn how to avoid adware in the future. You can follow simple, good download and installation habits for programs. There they are:
When in doubt, Google it
A very simple yet effective rule for staying safe on the Internet. If you have doubts about an application or file, it is better to Google it than to download and check it yourself. A simple search such as “X program is legitimate?” or “X program malware or adware”, should produce enough results to get an idea.
Bad things happen when you do bad things
If you enjoy browsing torrent sites to access (steal) copies of legitimate paid apps, dealing with adware and malware is normal. These for free Cracked versions of paid programs are usually infected with malware and adware that can seriously damage your PC. So only download programs from the official website and never steal.
Never download anything from an offer
The internet is full of offers that are too good to be true, asking you to download a great program to take advantage of great benefits. Like “Download this program to make money to become a millionaire” or “This free X auto bot makes X work automatically (especially in the forex world) If you get such an offer, just turn away. I’ve tried everything, nothing is worth the time spent cleaning or resetting your PC.
Install programs carefully
Many times adware sneaks in together with a legitimate program as a bundled program. While installing the legitimate program, the trick u to confirm the installation and install itself. The solution is simple while installing any program check each step carefully and look for checkboxes that may prompt you to install another program in addition. The installer may also ask directly to install a specific program and only give you the option to click The next or RejectChoose Reject here. In addition, as an installer a Custom installer or a comparable option, always choose this option. The program is not allowed to to advise this, but it is one trick to ensure that you do not disable the hidden bundled program. Checking all of this manually is important and you should do this with every installation. However, I also installed Unchecky app on my pc that automatically rejects offers for bundled programs and disables themYou should get it too, it’s always good to have double protection.
Conclusion
Removing adware as soon as possible is very important. Not because it is annoying, but it can trick you in downloading more adware and even malware that can damage your PC or steal your data. While all of the above should be enough to get rid of any type of adware, I have to mention that you can always do that restore or reset your PC to an earlier time to remove any type of adware / malware.
How to Delete/Remove Adware in Windows 10: benefits
Faq
Final note
I hope you like the guide How to Delete/Remove Adware in Windows 10. In case if you have any query regards this article you may ask us. Also, please share your love by sharing this article with your friends. For our visitors: If you have any queries regards the How to Delete/Remove Adware in Windows 10, then please ask us through the comment section below or directly contact us. Education: This guide or tutorial is just for educational purposes. Misinformation: If you want to correct any misinformation about the guide “How to Delete/Remove Adware in Windows 10”, then kindly contact us. Want to add an alternate method: If anyone wants to add more methods to the guide How to Delete/Remove Adware in Windows 10, then kindly contact us. Our Contact: Kindly use our contact page regards any help. You may also use our social and accounts by following us on Whatsapp, Facebook, and Twitter for your questions. We always love to help you. We answer your questions within 24-48 hours (Weekend off). Channel: If you want the latest software updates and discussion about any software in your pocket, then here is our Telegram channel.
