Do you know what websearch.searchtotal.info is?
Some computer users install websearch.searchtotal.info as their home page and default search engine willingly, but most find it installed without their acknowledgment. This is why we categorize this search provider as a malicious browser hijacker. Even if you have installed this search tool yourself and you have no reason to call it a hijacker, you need to delete websearch.searchtotal.info right away. This search tool is malicious, and it can put your virtual security on the line. Luckily, it is easy to avoid all security issues associated with this infection, as all you need to do is remove it. Whether you want information that could help you get rid of websearch.searchtotal.info or that could help you understand how this hijacker works, we recommend reading this report.
websearch.searchtotal.info screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
Since websearch.searchtotal.info cannot be downloaded from an official website, it is likely that this infection was introduced to you via third-party software installers. Trusting these installers is never a good idea because they can hide many other infections. According to our investigations, this hijacker can travel bundled with potentially unwanted programs, adware, and silently running infections. It is no secret that Websearch.seekplaza.info, Websearch.freesearches.info, and other infamous Websearch Hijackers – identified by names – are distributed with other infections as well. Users are most likely to encounter these malware bundles after interacting with downloads promoting fake Java or Flash updates. If you trust these, there is no doubt that you will need to remove websearch.searchtotal.info along with other infections. Keep in mind that some of these threats might be concealed, which means that you might have trouble identifying and removing them. If you want to know which threats you need to delete from your PC, we recommend installing a reliable malware scanner.
Websearch.searchtotal.info redirects to google.com, but we do not recommend interacting with the search results provided because they might be affected by the hijacker itself. Unfortunately, this is not the most important reason to remove websearch.searchtotal.info from your operating system. It is more important to delete this threat to stop the personal data-collecting tracking cookies and the ads flooding your browsers. If you do not delete websearch.searchtotal.info web cookies, your personal data could be leaked, and if you do not get rid of the potentially misleading ads, even more malware could enter your operating system. The manual removal instructions down below should help you replace websearch.searchtotal.info with the preferred search tools, but we advise trusting automated malware removal software to delete any remaining leftovers or other infections.
Delete websearch.searchtotal.info
Delete from Google Chrome:
- Launch Chrome, simultaneously tap Alt+F, and choose Settings.
- Move to On Startup, select Open a specific page or set of pages, and click Set pages.
- Overwrite/remove the URL representing the undesirable search provider and click OK.
- Move to Appearance, select Show Home button, and click Change.
- Overwrite/remove the URL representing the undesirable search provider and click OK.
- Move to Search, click Manage search engines, and set a new default search provider.
- Click X on the URL of the search provider you wish to remove, click Done, and restart Chrome.
Delete from Mozilla Firefox:
- Launch Firefox, simultaneously tap Alt+T, and select Options.
- In the General menu overwrite/remove the undesirable Home Page.
- Move to the Search menu and set a new default search engine.
- Remove the undesirable search provider and restart your browser.
Delete from Internet Explorer:
- Open IE, simultaneously tap Alt+T, and choose Manage Add-ons.
- Select Search Providers and set a new default search provider.
- Remove the undesirable search provider and click Close.
- Simultaneously tap Alt+T again and click Internet Options.
- Click the General tab, change/remove the Home Page URL, and click OK.
- Restart the browser.
In non-techie terms:
Even though websearch.searchtotal.info seems to represent Google, we do not identify it as a reliable search provider. In fact, this search provider can slither in without permission, set up intrusive HTTP cookies, inject ads, and influence the search results presented to you. The good news is that it is not difficult to remove websearch.searchtotal.info from the browsers, and you can perform this task successfully by following the guide above. The bad news is that the removal of leftover files and malware might be extremely complicated, which is why we suggest installing automated malware removal software. You can use the instructions below if you are struggling with the installation of reliable removal software.