Search.softorama.com Removal Guide

Search.softorama.com is the companion of the Search by Softorama extension that is promoted at chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/search-by-softorama/egjpneeldkigoemadblidfdjmmbohacd?hl=en-US (Chrome web store). When installing this extension, every user has to grant a few permissions. First, you grant the permission to read and change all your data on the sites you visit. Additionally, you allow the extension to change your search settings. Due to this, some researchers do not agree that it is fair to identify this suspicious search tool as a browser hijacker. Nevertheless, we recommend deleting this search tool as a hijacker because it is capable of changing settings and because it is unreliable. Continue reading, and you will know why you need to delete Search.softorama.com from your browsers.

Although Search by Softorama is a Chrome extension, Search.softorama.com has been seen on other web browsers as well. This means that this hijacker is likely to be spread in other ways as well. In the worst case scenario, you will find this hijacker bundled with much more dangerous infections. Hopefully, that is not the case; however, you should use a malware scanner just in case. As you probably need no reminder, all threats detected by a malware scanner require immediate removal. Our research team warns that the suspicious extension and hijacker are likely to come bundled with tracking cookies that also require removal. Although these cookies might seem to belong to MusixLib, eSpeedCheck, Zooms, and other suspicious programs, it was found that they all belong to the Searchalgo group. These cookies are responsible for tracking you and collecting information about you, which is why we advise deleting them. Even though personally identifiable data is unlikely to be collected, most users choose to remove these cookies.

Search.softorama.com and Search.searchalgo.com are two identical search tools, and it is hard to say which one of them will hijack your browsers. All in all, neither of them is trustworthy. As you search the web using these tools, you will be redirected to Yahoo, and the results shown will be modified, which could be used to expose you to unreliable content/links. This is an extremely important reason to remove this hijacker from your operating system. Even if you do not care about the risks that you might encounter when you browse the web using this hijacker, would you not prefer to use a trustworthy tool that would show real information instead of ads? If you would, there is nothing else to do but to remove this annoying hijacker.

We cannot discuss the removal of Search.softorama.com without mentioning the removal of the Search by Softorama extension. The ID of this extension is egjpneeldkigoemadblidfdjmmbohacd, and you can find its files under C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\. We do not recommend removing these files because you might find leftovers. Instead, delete Search by Softorama directly from the Extensions menu at chrome://extensions/ (as shown in the removal guide below). Although it is highly unlikely that you will need to remove any leftovers, we recommend removing the cookies that could have been installed onto your Chrome browser. We have added instructions on how to do that as well. You can also use a malware scanner to identify malicious cookies that deserve removal, if there are any.

Since Search.softorama.com has been seen attached to malicious installers, we fear that your operating system and browsers could have been infected with other infections that might be even more dangerous. If you find them with the help of a malware scanner, you need to delete them as soon as possible. If you only need to remove the hijacker, the extension associated with it, as well as the leftover files, you can follow the manual removal instructions below. First delete Search by Softorama and get rid of the cookies enabled. If you need to change search provider settings or homepage, we have added instructions as well. If you find that our instructions do not work for you – and we are hopeful that this will not be the case – you can post a comment with your questions below. We will help you remove malware as best as we can. Also do not forget to use a trusted malware scanner. Even if your PC appears to be clean, clandestine leftovers could remain active, and you want to get rid of them as well.

Removal guide

Remove from Google Chrome:

1. Open the browser and tap Alt+F.
2. Select More tools for other options and click Extensions.
3. Click the recycle bin associated with the unwanted extension and select Remove.
4. In the menu on the left click Settings.
5. In the bottom click Show advanced settings.
6. Go to Privacy and click Content settings.
7. Under Cookies click All cookies and site data.
8. Click Remove all and click Done.
9. Go to On Startup (the top of the menu) and select Open a specific page or set of pages.
10. Click Set pages and change/delete the unwanted URL.
11. Go to Search and click Manage search engines.
12. Click X to remove the unwanted provider and click Done.
13. Tap Win+E to open the Explorer.
14. Enter C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default into the address bar.
15. Right-click and Delete the file called Web Data.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open the browser and tap Alt+T.
2. Select Options and open the General menu.
3. Modify/delete the Home Page URL.
4. Open the Search menu and Remove the undesirable provider.

Remove from Internet Explorer:

1. Open the browser and tap Alt+T.
2. Select Manage Add-ons and move to the Search Providers menu.
3. Choose the preferred provider, Remove the unwanted provider, and click Close.
4. Tap Alt+T and select Internet options.
5. Click the General tab, modify/delete the Home Page URL, and click OK.