Spellso Removal Guide

Do you know what Spellso is?

Spellso is a browser hijacker that exposes you to potential computer security threats. It changes your default homepage and search engine address to istsearch.com, and makes the impression that it is a useful and reliable search engine. However, the truth is quite the opposite – Spellso could be used by cybercriminals to promote their corrupted content, and if you do not remove Spellso on time, you might end up getting infected with dangerous malware applications. Even worse – you could experience a severe personal information leak, so you need to take care of this problem ASAP.

The worst is that Spellso does not even provide you with original search engine services. Were you to perform a web search via this hijacker, you would be redirected to search.atajitos.com. This website caters for computer users in Mexico and our research teams says that it is closely related to previously detected browser hijacker called Searchult.com. This allows us to assume that Spellso is part of a bigger hijacker family, and it gets distributed systematically around the web.Spellso Removal GuideSpellso screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions

Needless to say, there is no direct download link for Spellso. As far as such hijackers are concerned, usually they travel around bundled with freeware, tricking users into downloading unnecessary software that merely slows down their computers and exposes them to questionable content. The same applies to Spellso as well. This browser hijacker usually gets bundled with fake Flash or media player updates that users encounter on the web. Usually links to fake player updates are very flashy, or they appear in pop-ups when you access adware-related website. Clicking such a link automatically initiates unwanted software download onto your computer.

What is more, if Spellso comes bundled with adware, it is very likely that it will not notify you about the fact that it modifies your default search engine and homepage. Technically, the website alone cannot cause much harm, but you have to remember that Spellso and similar browser hijackers always support ads, and some of their search results may not be reliable.

To take everything into account, Spellso is an intrusive application that changes your browser settings without your permission and that alone should be enough to convince you that you have to get rid of it. On top of that, keeping Spellso on your computer may eventually result in a dangerous computer infection, thus the sooner you terminate Spellso the better.

After manual removal via Control Panel you will have to restore your browser settings manually. It is not complicated, but even so you should also consider acquiring a powerful antispyware tool that would help you scan your computer. This way you could make sure that your PC is safe and clean, and all the unwanted files are gone.

Manual Spellso Removal

Windows 8

  1. Slide mouse cursor to the bottom right of your screen.
  2. When Charm bar appears click Settings and go to Control Panel.
  3. Select Uninstall a program and remove ISTsearch.

Windows Vista & Windows 7

  1. Open Start menu and select Control panel.
  2. Go to Uninstall a program and remove ISTsearch.

Windows XP

  1. Click Start menu button and navigate to Control panel.
  2. Select Add or remove programs and uninstall ISTsearch.

How to change browser settings

Internet Explorer

  1. Press Alt+T and go to Manage add-ons.
  2. Click Search providers on the left pane.
  3. Set a new default search engine and remove ISTsearch from the list.
  4. Press Alt+T and go to Internet options.
  5. Change your homepage address under General tab and click OK.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Click the search engine icon on the left of Firefox search box.
  2. Select Manage search engines on drop-down menu.
  3. Remove ISTsearch from the list and click OK.
  4. Press Alt+T and go to Options.
  5. Change your homepage address under General tab and click OK.

Google Chrome

  1. Press Alt+F and go to Settings.
  2. Select Open a specific page or set of pages under On Startup.
  3. Click Set pages and change your homepage address. Press OK.
  4. Click Manage search engines button under Search.
  5. Set a new default search engine, delete ISTsearch and press Done.

In non-techie terms:

The presence of Spellso on your computer indicates the fact that you might have more unwanted applications onboard. Remove Spellso at once and scan your PC with SpyHunter free scanner in search for other unwanted programs. For an alternative software removal method, please refer to the instructions below this article.