Do you know what ClearScreen Player is?
We want to make it clear that ClearScreen Player is not a legitimate video player. Our researchers called it a potentially unwanted program because it can show annoying commercial advertisements and it track your online activity to customize the them. We find this unacceptable and suggest that you remove it if it somehow found a way to get onto your computer. Were are not claiming that this player is malicious per se, but its advertisements are undesirable, and since this program comes from a shady background, we think that it might be used to make money by promoting all kinds of malicious content.
Allegedly, the software company responsible for releasing this application is located in Seattle, Washington, USA. However, the indicated address might be fake because many shady companies have been linked to it. Regardless, this program’s files have been signed by ClearScreen. Nothing is known about this company, so we think that it is just a cover name for the real developers, a pseudonym if you will. As a result, we conclude that ClearScreen Player comes from an unknown source. You may find this hard to believe because it has a dedicated distribution website with all the correct legal documents that give it that panache it needs to pass on as entirely legitimate.
Even though you can get this player from its main website at Clearscreenplayer.com, most users get it from software bundles that it is known to come with. We do not know all the details regarding the program’s it comes bundled with, but we have found that it can come with the photo managing program called Picasa. Therefore, it is clear that if it comes with Picasa, then it can only be featured on freeware websites that bundle legitimate applications with the likes of ClearScreen Player. So we recommend that you always download software from their dedicated websites. Do not trust third-party websites as they tend to pack them with additional shady software.
ClearScreen Player screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
Now let us take a look at what this application does. For starters, it must be said that some of the features work, but not all which is a huge let down, but wait, there is more. Testing has shown that currently this application is not compatible with YouTube.com even though it has a tab for it, although it can play videos from DailyMotion.com, and Vimeo.com. However, the program is just broken; it is laggy, and the screen often plays the sound of the video without the image. Navigating this program is also hard, and it seems that someone has not thought the design through. Also, the whole window seems to be glued to the bottom-right part of the screen, and you cannot manipulate the window at all.
However, these are not the issues that make it potentially unwanted. Research has revealed that this application can show third-party commercial advertisements. As indicated in the EULA, by installing ClearScreen Player you automatically grant it the right to show you advertisements. Furthermore, according to the EULA, “These ads will be displayed in a branded ClearScreen Player browser window.” So it will inject the ads into the websites that you visit. Now, given that this program comes from a shady background, we think that it is reasonable to question the legitimacy of the promoted content. Moreover, this application will obtain information that includes but is not limited to your IP address, geographical location, browser, and search history, and software and hardware information. This information is not personally identifiable, but it is used to tailor the ads to make more money for the developers and their advertising partners.
All things considered, there is nothing good about ClearScreen Player. Its interface is broken, and the user experience is far from satisfactory, and the fact that it is ad-supported makes it that much unreliable. So we suggest that you uninstall it. However, we have received reports that uninstalling it via Control Panel is pointless as the uninstaller does nothing. So you have to delete its files first and run the uninstaller from the Control Panel last. Please consult the removal guide below.
Delete the files manually
- Simultaneously press Windows+E keys on your keyboard.
- Enter the following file paths and delete the ClearScreen Player folder
- %PROGRAMFILES% (Windows 32-bit)
- %PROGRAMFILES(x86)% (Windows64-bit)
- %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Application Data
- %LOCALAPPDATA%
- %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
- %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
- %USERPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
- %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
- %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs
Delete the registry keys
- Press Windows+R keys.
- Type regedit in the dialog box and click OK.
- Go to one of the following registry keys and delete them.
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\ClearScreenPlayer
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\ClearScreenPlayer
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage\clearscreenplayer.com
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage\ui.clearscreenplayer.com
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run | ClearScreen Player REG_SZ "C:\Program Files (x86)\ClearScreenPlayer\ClearScreenPlayer.exe" /autostart=1
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{344E6832-0DAE-43F5-841C-7EDBFB7EF235}
Run the uninstaller from Control Panel
Windows XP
- Open the Start menu and click Control Panel.
- Select Add or Remove Programs.
- Find the player and click Remove.
Windows 7/Windows Vista
- Click Start.
- Select Control Panel.
- Click Uninstall a program.
- Find the undesirable application and click Uninstall.
- Right-click on it and click Uninstall.
Windows 10 and 8.1/8
- Right-click on Start/Start Screen.
- Click Programs and Features.
- Find the adware and click Uninstall.
In non-techie terms:
ClearScreen Player is an unreliable video player that claims to play videos from web-based platforms, such as YouTube.com, DailyMotion.com, and Vimeo.com. However, its performance leaves much to be desired and the fact that it shows advertisements makes this video player unreliable as the origins of the promotions are unknown. Therefore, we suggest that you remove it using the instructions above. However, if you experience difficulties, then we suggest using SpyHunter, a reliable anti-malware that is more than capable of eradicating all traces of this PUP.