If your browser is suddenly loading laxsearch.com every time you open your browser, your computer is infected with a browser hijacker. It’s not a serious infection but it will make unwanted changes to the browser’s settings and try to redirect you to dubious websites.

 

 

Browser hijackers are very obvious infections because they immediately change the browser’s settings upon installation. It’s difficult to not notice the changes, and even if users don’t associate them with a browser hijacker, they will at least realize that something is not right.

The browser hijacker pushing laxsearch.com will set it as your homepage, new tabs, and default search engine. The hijacker will also enable the “Managed by your organization” feature on Google Chrome. “Managed by your organization” is a legitimate feature that some companies use to manage employees’ browsers. Administrators can block access to certain websites, implement setting changes more easily, etc. When used by a browser hijacker, the feature prevents users from making any changes to the browser.

Browser hijackers are not classified as dangerous infections in most cases. They do not cause direct harm to the computer and instead focus on exposing users to as much sponsored content as possible. This is done by forcing users to use dubious search engines that insert sponsored content into search results. The results are usually useless to users because they have little to do with what users search for. Users could also be redirected to websites that conceal malware or promote scams.

One important thing to mention about browser hijackers is their intrusive data collection practices. The hijacker can track browsing and collect a lot of data, including what sites you visit, what you search for, and your IP address. This information can also be shared with third parties.

Browser hijackers have no redeemable features so there is no reason to keep them installed. If you can find it among your installed extensions, remove laxsearch.com browser hijacker immediately. These kinds of infections can be tricky to get rid of manually so we recommend using an anti-virus program. When the hijacker has been removed, your browser will go back to normal.

How do browser hijackers install on a computer?

It’s no secret that users who pirate copyrighted content are very likely to encounter various infections, from adware and browser hijackers to ransomware. It’s particularly common to encounter infections when trying to obtain free movies, TV series, video games, etc. Pirating copyrighted content is not only theft, but it’s also dangerous for users’ computers and data.

Infections like browser hijackers and adware are promoted on free program download websites, commonly disguised as legitimate and useful programs. This is why it’s important to always research programs before installing them. A quick search with a search engine like Google should be enough to determine whether a program is safe to download/install. Users should also download programs from their official websites and avoid dubious download sites.

Browser hijackers are often installed via what’s called the free software bundling method. It’s a method that allows hijackers and similar infections to be added to free programs as extra offers. These offers are set to be installed alongside the programs they’re attached to automatically. The offers are technically optional but they need to be manually deselected by users to prevent their installations. However, users are not aware of these added offers most of the time because they are hidden in settings users rarely use. This is why software bundling is a rather controversial installation method.

All additional offers are optional, and as long as you pay attention when installing programs, you should be able to prevent unwanted installations fairly easily. When given the option, choose Advanced (Custom) settings instead of Default (Basic). The installation window always recommends using Default settings but if you use those settings, all added offers will be authorized to install alongside. However, Advanced settings, will make all added offers visible. You will also be given the option to deselect the offers you do not want. It’s always recommended to deselect all added offers. Legitimate programs do not use this method to install. And programs that do are classified as potential threats by anti-virus programs.

These additional offers will cause issues to your computer and take up space if you allow their installations. They can also be difficult to remove once fully installed. It’s considerably easier to deselect a couple of boxes when installing a program than it is to remove a fully installed hijacker and adware.

How to remove laxsearch.com redirect

Even if browser hijackers are not considered to be serious infections, we still recommend you use an anti-virus program to remove laxsearch.com browser hijacker from your computer. It’s a rather persistent infection, so manual laxsearch.com removal may take a while. It’s easiest to let an anti-virus program take care of it. Once the hijacker is gone, you will be able to change your browser’s settings like usual.

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Quick Menu

Step 1. Uninstall laxsearch.com and related programs.

Remove laxsearch.com from Windows 8

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel choose Programs and Features and select to Uninstall a software.

Delete laxsearch.com from Windows 8

Uninstall laxsearch.com from Windows 7

Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features → Uninstall a program.

Uninstall laxsearch.com from Windows 7

Delete laxsearch.com from Windows XP

Click Start → Settings → Control Panel. Locate and click → Add or Remove Programs.

Remove laxsearch.com from Windows XP

Remove laxsearch.com from Mac OS X

Click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications. Select applications folder and look for laxsearch.com or any other suspicious software. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash, then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

laxsearch.com removal from MAC OS X

Step 2. Delete laxsearch.com from your browsers

Terminate the unwanted extensions from Internet Explorer
  1. Tap the Gear icon and go to Manage Add-ons. laxsearch.com IE gear
  2. Pick Toolbars and Extensions and eliminate all suspicious entries (other than Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Oracle or Adobe) laxsearch.com IE toolbars and extensions
  3. Leave the window.
Change Internet Explorer homepage if it was changed by virus:
  1. Tap the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of your browser and click Internet Options. laxsearch.com IE gear
  2. In General Tab remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Press Apply to save changes. laxsearch.com IE toolbars and extensions
Reset your browser
  1. Click the Gear icon and move to Internet Options. laxsearch.com IE options
  2. Open the Advanced tab and press Reset. laxsearch.com IE reset browser
  3. Choose Delete personal settings and pick Reset one more time. laxsearch.com IE reset
  4. Tap Close and leave your browser. laxsearch.com IE close
  5. If you were unable to reset your browsers, employ a reputable anti-malware and scan your entire computer with it.
Erase laxsearch.com from Google Chrome
  1. Access menu (top right corner of the window) and pick Settings. laxsearch.com Chrome menu
  2. Choose Extensions. laxsearch.com Chrome settings
  3. Eliminate the suspicious extensions from the list by clicking the Trash bin next to them. laxsearch.com Chrome extensions remove
  4. If you are unsure which extensions to remove, you can disable them temporarily. laxsearch.com Chrome extensions disable
Reset Google Chrome homepage and default search engine if it was hijacker by virus
  1. Press on menu icon and click Settings. laxsearch.com Chrome menu
  2. Look for the “Open a specific page” or “Set Pages” under “On start up” option and click on Set pages. laxsearch.com Chrome settings
  3. In another window remove malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage. laxsearch.com Chrome extensions remove
  4. Under the Search section choose Manage Search engines. When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search websites. You should leave only Google or your preferred search name. laxsearch.com Chrome extensions disable
    laxsearch.com Chrome extensions disable
Reset your browser
  1. If the browser still does not work the way you prefer, you can reset its settings.
  2. Open menu and navigate to Settings. laxsearch.com Chrome settings more
  3. Press Reset button at the end of the page. laxsearch.com Chrome advanced menu
  4. Tap Reset button one more time in the confirmation box. laxsearch.com Chrome reset
  5. If you cannot reset the settings, purchase a legitimate anti-malware and scan your PC.
Remove laxsearch.com from Mozilla Firefox
  1. In the top right corner of the screen, press menu and choose Add-ons (or tap Ctrl+Shift+A simultaneously). laxsearch.com Firefox add ons
  2. Move to Extensions and Add-ons list and uninstall all suspicious and unknown entries. laxsearch.com Firefox extensions
Change Mozilla Firefox homepage if it was changed by virus:
  1. Tap on the menu (top right corner), choose Options. laxsearch.com Firefox reset confirm
  2. On General tab delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default. laxsearch.com Firefox reset confirm
  3. Press OK to save these changes.
Reset your browser
  1. Open the menu and tap Help button. laxsearch.com Firefox help
  2. Select Troubleshooting Information. laxsearch.com Firefox troubleshooting
  3. Press Refresh Firefox. laxsearch.com Firefox reset
  4. In the confirmation box, click Refresh Firefox once more. laxsearch.com Firefox reset confirm
  5. If you are unable to reset Mozilla Firefox, scan your entire computer with a trustworthy anti-malware.
Uninstall laxsearch.com from Safari (Mac OS X)
  1. Access the menu.
  2. Pick Preferences. laxsearch.com Safari menu
  3. Go to the Extensions Tab. laxsearch.com Safari extensions
  4. Tap the Uninstall button next to the undesirable laxsearch.com and get rid of all the other unknown entries as well. If you are unsure whether the extension is reliable or not, simply uncheck the Enable box in order to disable it temporarily.
  5. Restart Safari.
Reset your browser
  1. Tap the menu icon and choose Reset Safari. laxsearch.com Safari reset menu
  2. Pick the options which you want to reset (often all of them are preselected) and press Reset. laxsearch.com Safari reset
  3. If you cannot reset the browser, scan your whole PC with an authentic malware removal software.

Site Disclaimer

2-remove-virus.com is not sponsored, owned, affiliated, or linked to malware developers or distributors that are referenced in this article. The article does not promote or endorse any type of malware. We aim at providing useful information that will help computer users to detect and eliminate the unwanted malicious programs from their computers. This can be done manually by following the instructions presented in the article or automatically by implementing the suggested anti-malware tools.

The article is only meant to be used for educational purposes. If you follow the instructions given in the article, you agree to be contracted by the disclaimer. We do not guarantee that the artcile will present you with a solution that removes the malign threats completely. Malware changes constantly, which is why, in some cases, it may be difficult to clean the computer fully by using only the manual removal instructions.

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