Do you know what SearchHD is?
If you care about security when browsing the web, SearchHD is not the tool you should install. This extension might seem pretty great and trustworthy at first sight, but our researchers have found that it does not qualify as a trustworthy extension. Why? To put it simply, this extension is used to present sponsored content along with search results, which means that it works more like an advertising tool and less like a reliable search tool. On top of that, it does not even present original search results. Instead, it redirects to Yahoo Search. The extension modifies the results on search.yahoo.com to show sponsored content. This is the main reason to delete SearchHD, and if that is enough to convince you, check out the last section to learn about different removal options available to you. If you want to understand this potentially unwanted program (PUP) better, continue reading.
Did you download SearchHD from an app download website? Perhaps bundled with other applications? Was it introduced via unfamiliar websites, redirects, or pop-ups? Did you use the Chrome Web Store installer (chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/searchhd/bbaofmpcfocnapmlckmafpmkihggifgb)? In any case, we strongly recommend installing a legitimate malware scanner to help you examine your entire operating system. Hopefully, nothing else that should concern you exists, but if threats are identified, you cannot ignore them. Instead, you must remove them as soon as possible. SearchHD itself should be deleted from Google Chrome quickly because although the portal.search-hd.com page offers links to free file/currency conversion tools, it also facilitates the unreliable search tool. If you choose to surf the web using the PUP – and that might be hard to avoid since both New Tab and default search provider are replaced – all of you searches are redirected via feed.search-hd.com.
Just like SearchWizard, Searchaize, SearchStreams, and all other extensions backed by webcoapps, the suspicious SearchHD redirects searches to search.yahoo.com. If this is the search tool you use normally, you might not even notice that your browser was modified or that the results you see are potentially unreliable. Without a doubt, the users who are used to using Yahoo Search are most likely to interact with the sponsored results injected by SearchHD carelessly. The injected results could match your search queries and even offer something attractive, and that is all thanks to the PUP’s ability to track browsing history and analyze users’ preferences. This is done so that the sponsored links would be clicked on, as that is how the creator of the PUP is likely to earn money via advertising.
SearchHD screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
Different users might find different reasons to remove SearchHD from their browsers. You might be uncomfortable with the fact that information about you can be collected and shared with parties you know nothing about. On the other hand, you might be mostly annoyed by how the search presented by this PUP works. Ultimately, this tool is truly not beneficial, and if you are choosing to stick with it just because of the file/currency converters, we want to remind you that you can find free converters online. As for the removal of SearchHD, you should be able to get rid of this PUP manually, using the guide below, but if you know that other threats exist, our recommendation is to install trusted anti-malware software.
Delete SearchHD from Google Chrome
- Launch the browser and enter chrome://extensions in the address bar at the top.
- Find the undesirable extension and then click the Remove button placed next to it.
- Enter chrome://settings/clearBrowserData into the address bar at the top.
- Go to the Advanced menu, select the time range and boxes, and finally click Clear data.
In non-techie terms:
If you want to search the web efficiently and safely, we suggest replacing SearchHD immediately. When you employ this tool, it does not offer original search results. Instead, it redirects to Yahoo Search, which makes it inefficient. Furthermore, the results you see are modified to present sponsored links, and because the advertisers behind these ads are unknown, the extension is also untrustworthy. Due to these reasons, we recommend deleting SearchHD. One option is to follow the steps in the guide above. If you do that successfully, you will have the potentially unwanted program deleted manually. Another option is to install anti-malware software that is built to remove PUPs automatically. We recommend choosing the second option simply because this software also can help you protect your system in the future.