Search.hideyoursearch.win Removal Guide

Your default search tool on Google Chrome will be changed to Search.hideyoursearch.win if you install the browser extension named hideyoursearch­_DS from the Chrome Web Store (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hideyoursearchds/kofapcpifepghmlnmapibhhimlanmfap), its official website (http://hideyoursearch.win/), or it is successfully installed on your computer without your direct permission. It is quite a new extension, so it cannot be very popular yet. As a consequence, we are sure there are not many people who have installed this piece of software on their computers voluntarily. Of course, a number of users who install this extension themselves on their PCs might soon increase because it is promoted as a very beneficial application. If you check its description at the Chrome Web Store, you will notice that it promises to enable users to “easily search the web for FREE unlimited music, movies, and articles.” Additionally, users are told that it can help them to protect their privacy, prevent the tracking of searches they perform, and keep their searches private. If you are still considering whether or not you should install it on your computer, we suggest that you do not do this because this browser extension is considered a potentially unwanted program. These programs cannot be compared to harmful malware, but they might still perform activities users find undesirable.

The extension called hideyoursearch_DS is the one responsible for the appearance of Search.hideyoursearch.win on Google Chrome, so if you see it when you launch your web browser, it means that this piece of software is active on your computer. You need to erase it to remove the search tool set. It is a bad idea to use it as a default search tool because it has been observed that it redirects all users’ searches to http://www.trovi.com/, and only then shows Bing search results. This suggests that some search results that reach users might be modified. The so-called modified search results only promote certain websites by taking users to them automatically. Therefore, it is not very likely that you will find information you are searching for on any of these websites opened to you after clicking on modified search results. It is more likely that you will find undesirable software there. These websites might also try to convince you to provide certain personal details. We do not say that all these promoted pages are bad, but you cannot know when you will end up on a dubious website.

It should be noted that certain details about you will be automatically collected if you keep hideyoursearch_DS active on your computer. It is clearly written in its Privacy Policy that it is going to “collect certain information pertaining to a user, which may be made available or gathered via the user’s use of the Service.” Luckily, these are non-personally identifiable details, e.g. information about your device, the type of browser and operating system, language preferences, access time, and more. It should not access any details that can identify you personally if you do not provide them voluntarily.

If you see Search.hideyoursearch.win when you launch your browser, it means that you have installed the browser extension hideyoursearch_DS. It is available at the Chrome Web Store. Also, it can be downloaded from its official website. Additionally, researchers working at 411-spyware.com have noticed that it might be spread via pop-up ads. These ads are usually displayed to users when they open certain websites promoting the extension. Like some other potentially unwanted programs, it might also travel bundled with other applications, specialists say. That is, you could have installed it on your computer next to other programs downloaded from the web. There are many other more harmful threats that can enter your system unnoticed in the future, so you should not leave your computer unprotected. Our security specialists say that all users should have a security application enabled on their PCs if they surf the Internet.

There is only one way to eliminate Search.hideyoursearch.win from browsers – delete the extension (hideyoursearch_DS) promoting it. To do this, you need to access the add-ons manager first. Then, find the undesirable extension on the list, select it, and click the Remove button. Our instructions (see below this article) will help you to get rid of Search.hideyoursearch.win manually, but you can delete it automatically instead if you want to take care of it quicker.

Delete Search.hideyoursearch.win

Google Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Press Alt+F.
3. Click More tools.
4. Click Extensions.
5. Select the hideyoursearch.DS extension.
6. Click the button with the recycle bin symbol.