Are you trying to manually uninstall Softonic Toolbar from Firefox?
Are you annoyed that you can't totally remove Softonic Toolbar through "Uninstall a Program" in Windows Control Panel when you installed it by accident?
Are you looking for the Softonic Toolbar removal guides so that you could delete it from your browsers such as Firefox, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer?
To avoid the annoying problem, you could learn how to fully get rid of Softonic Toolbar step by step in this article to protect and free up your PC.
What do you know about Softonic Toolbar?
Softonic Toolbar virus is a term used to identify a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) or potential malware that is categorized as adware, a browser hijacker, and spyware, and is primarily used to display pop-up advertisements on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer without user consent. Softonic Toolbar is essentially a cross-browser browser add-on, browser helper object (BHO), and extension that installs to a Windows PC and attaches to affected internet browsers.
Once Softonic Toolbar malware is installed, the adware program may create additional privacy related issues as it will being to collect user information and will use the collected information to display target advertisements, deals, and offers.
Information collected by adware often includes your complete browsing activity, such as your bookmarks, history, tabs, stored information, downloads, and manually submitted information.
Softonic Toolbar advertisements are displayed in a variety of forms. Some are pop-under ads that take up an entire browser window or computer screen, in-text ads that say something alike “Ads by Softonic Toolbar” on them, or pop-up advertisements that appear in images and say “brought by Softonic Toolbar” on them.
Is Softonic Toolbar a Threat?
Softonic Toolbar may be regarded as suspicious browser extension even browser hijacker. To think carefully, users can find that all its features are based on simple searching activity which assists you to find related information about history events. The free application is just like a search blank added on your browser toolbar. To think of Softonic Toolbar carefully, the games and trivia are supported by the search engine Ask Search, which has been considered as malicious search provider. And Softonic Toolbar explains that it offers convenient web homepage, which is associated with home.tb.ask.com in deed. Once users install this toolbar in browser, it may become browser hijacker tempering with the default settings without your permission. Users should know that Softonic Toolbar disguise as a friendly extension, but it actually a potential threat prompting you to using malicious search engine Ask Search. The offered games search results and other related information may be sponsored links and ad-supporting programs. Once hijacked by Ask.com, the infected browser may suffer from various pop-ups and banners. Ask.com is able to start with its spy though collect personal data like password, search query, phone number, banking account and more.
How Can You Uninstall History Toolbar Completely Step by Step?
Some users think it is easy to uninstall Softonic Toolbar. Is that really so? Softonic Toolbar may have hijacked your browser and search engine, which cannot be reset by automatic antispyware, and there must be some leftovers of Softonic Toolbar such as hidden files and registries. The invalid and redundant files will occupy available system space and cause poor performance. You could follow the Softonic Toolbar removal guide as below to totally get rid of the trouble.
There are two Softonic Toolbar removal ways for you to choose.
Tips 1: Manually remove Softonic Toolbar with a normal way
Tips 1: How to Manually Remove Softonic Toolbar from Windows?
You should reboot your PC and press F8 key on your keyboard. This will open up the Advanced Boot Options screen, in Windows 8 or Win 7, or the Windows Advanced Options Menu in Windows XP. Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, highlight the option labeled Safe Mode with Networking. Once it is highlighted, click on the Enter key on your keyboard. And then follow the instructions below:
Uninstall Program
1.Enter Search filed and type in “uninstall a program”.
2.In Programs and Features window, select Softonic Toolbar and click on Uninstall/Change.
(Windows XP/7: Enter Control Panel from Start menu, and then choose Add/Change programs or Uninstall a program. Select Softonic Toolbar and uninstall it.)
Remove Leftovers
1.Enter File Explorer from Start screen. And then choose “hidden items” and “file name extensions” in File tab. (Windows Xp/7: Enter Control Panel and choose Folder Options. Select “show hidden files and folders” in View tab.)
2. You should go back and click “Start menu” button and click “Run” option > Type “regedit” into the box and click “OK” to open Registry Editor or Press Windows+ R to open Registry Editor. Navigate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and delete keys and values related to Softonic Toolbar as following.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\[RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
%AppData%\.exe
%CommonAppData%\.exe
C:\Windows\Temp\.exe
%temp%\.exe
C:\Program Files\
Delete all the related registries as below:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\msconfig.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\msmpeng.exe
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\msseces.exe
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon "Shell" = "%AppData%\.exe"
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\AppID\.exe
What Can You Do to Get Rid of Softonic Toolbar from Your Browsers?
Step One: Remove Softonic Toolbar from Browser
Firefox:
Click on orange button of Firefox customized menu, and choose Add-ons. In showing window, click on Extension tab. Select Softonic Toolbar and click on Remove button.
Chrome:
Open Chrome menu and choose Extension. Select Softonic Toolbar and click on bin image then click “Remove”.
Internet Explorer:
Open Tools menu and choose Manage Add-ons. Choose Toolbars and Extension tad, and select Softonic Toolbar then click on Disable.
Step Two: Reset Homepage and Search Engine
If your browser has been changed by Softonic Toolbar, please follow the steps below.
Firefox:
1.Find of Firefox search blank on toolbar. There is a dropdown button, and click on it. Next, Choose Manage Search Engine to remove unwanted search engine and set new search engine.
2.Click on Firefox button and choose Options. Type new address for homepage.
Chrome:
Open Chrome menu and choose Settings. Click on Show Advanced Settings. In showing window, check New Tab page in Appearance section and then change homepage. Then, click on Manage Search Engine button. Remove unwanted search and set one as default.
IE:
1.Open Tools menu and choose Manage Add-ons. In Search Providers tab, remove unwanted Search and set one as default.
2.Open Tools menu again and choose Internet Options, and then click on General in showing window. Type in new address for homepage.
Tips 2: How to easily delete Softonic Toolbar with Perfect Uninstaller?
If you can not follow the removal guides above, it is advised you to get rid of Softonic Toolbar with Perfect Uninstaller as following.
2. Close all running processes including programs and browsers in the Task Manager before you run Perfect Uninstaller
3. Find and locate the program on the currently installed programs list
4. Click “Uninstall” button on the right side to remove Softonic Toolbar.
Alternatively, you could right-click the folder of the unwanted program (normally, in C:\Program Files) or C:\Program Files (x86) in Windows 7 system 64 bits and then select “Force Uninstall with PU” to apply the “Force Uninstall” utility.
5. Follow the prompt “Next” steps to delete Softonic Toolbar.
After you finish the prompt removal steps, Softonic Toolbar has been deleted completely from your computer.
Conclusion
As the increasingly browser application today, users need to be cautious about the cyber threats such as browser hijacker and spyware, most of which are commonly bundled with free applications. Hijackers like Softonic Toolbar seems to have no malicious traits but it is supported by unfriendly search engine showing related search results by pushing sponsored links and ads. The default homepage and favorite startup page will redirect to another domain. Keeping using the modified browser, infected computer is likely to be attacked by malware and monitored by spyware. Therefore, users should keep an eye to the suspicious applications, and never install without hesitation. Read the privacy and install options seriously, and you can avoid many trouble resulting from unconsciously clicking. If you are not clear about how to fully remove SoftonicToolbar from your PC, just carefully follow the program removal instructions step by step above.
