Remove “Installed by Enterprise Policy” Chrome hijack (Virus Removal Guide)

If you see the “Installed by Enterprise Policy” text when you are trying to remove a Chrome extension, then your browser is most likely infected with a browser hijacker or adware.

What is “Installed by Enterprise Policy”?

The “Installed by Enterprise Policy” policy is a legitimate tool that allows administrators to create policies that control how the Chrome browser operates on a computer. These policies are designed to make it easier for admins to manage the Chrome settings for all users in their organization.
the browser will now display this message whenever a group policy is configured for the browser.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Home users, malware programs are using this method to force extensions to be installed on Windows and Mac computers knowing that it will be difficult to remove. The reason why they are doing this is that because the malicious Chrome extension that is forcefully installed by group policies cannot be removed or disabled via Chrome’s Extensions page. When a user tries to right-click on the extension to remove it, the normal “Remove” option will not be available and instead, the Chrome user will see a dimmed out message that states “Installed by Enterprise Policy”.

Why am I seeing the “Installed by Enterprise Policy” text?

You are seeing the “Installed by Enterprise Policy” notice because your computer is either infected with a malicious program or you’re using a computer that is part of a business network.

This guide was written to help users remove malware from their devices, so if you’re using a computer that is part of a business network, you should talk with the administrator about the policies that are set on it.

When it comes to adware or browser hijackers, these malicious programs are bundled with other free software that you download off of the Internet. Unfortunately, some free downloads do not adequately disclose that other software will also be installed and you may find that you have installed adware without your knowledge.
Here are a few typical signs that you have adware or browser hijacker on your computer:

• You see the “Installed by Enterprise Policy” notice when you open your browser menu.
• Advertisements appear in places they shouldn’t be.
• Your web browser’s homepage has mysteriously changed without your permission.
• Your web browser’s search engine has mysteriously changed without your permission.
• Web pages that you typically visit are not displaying properly.
• Website links redirect to sites different from what you expected.
• Browser popups appear which recommend fake updates or other software.
• Other unwanted programs might get installed without your knowledge.

You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs. Be very careful what you agree to install.
Always opt for the custom installation and deselect anything that is not familiar, especially optional software that you never wanted to download and install in the first place. It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don’t trust.

To check your computer for adware and remove it for free, please use the guide below.

Remove “Installed by Enterprise Policy” Chrome hijack (Virus Removal Guide)

This malware removal guide may appear overwhelming due to the number of steps and numerous programs that are being used. We have only written it this way to provide clear, detailed, and easy to understand instructions that anyone can use to remove malware for free.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, stop and ask for our assistance.

• STEP 1: Use the Command Prompt to reset Chrome’s policies to default
• STEP 2: Uninstall the malicious programs from Windows
• STEP 3: Use Malwarebytes Free to remove “Installed by Enterprise Policy” adware
• STEP 4: Use HitmanPro to scan for malware and unwanted programs
• STEP 5: Double-check for malicious programs with AdwCleaner
• STEP 6: Reset the browser settings to remove “Installed by Enterprise Policy” policy

STEP 1 : Use the Command Prompt to reset Chrome’s policies to default

In this first step, we wil run use the command promopt to reset Chrome’s policies to default.

1. Open the Command Prompt by pressing “Windows Key + X”, and click on “Command Prompt (Admin)” to open it in Administrator mode.
   
   You can easily open the command prompt by typing “cmd” into the search box (Win + S), then right-click and choose Run as Administrator

   

2. In the Command prompt type (or copy/paste) the following commands:
   1. Type:rd /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers”, then press “Enter”.
   2. Type:rd /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy”, then press “Enter”.
   3. Type: gpupdate /force, then press “Enter”.

   

   You should see the following notifications after the commands been run:
   User Policy update has completed successfully.
   Computer Policy update has completed successfully
   
3. The “Installed by enterprise policy” extension will now be removed from Chrome, and you should be able to remove the “Installed by enterprise policy” extension.

STEP 2: Uninstall the malicious programs from Windows

In this step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious program that might be installed on your computer.

1. Go to “Programs and Features”.

   Windows 10

   1. On the Start menu, type Control Panel in the search box and select “Control Panel” from the results.
      
   2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under the “Programs” category.
      

   Windows 8

   Right-click on the Start button in the lower-left corner and select “Programs and Features”. This will take you directly to your list of installed programs.

   

   • If you can’t find the Programs and Features in the Start menu, type “programs and features” into the search bar at the bottom of the Start window, then click the “Programs and Features” result.
   • If you don’t have a Start button, you are likely running Windows 8 instead of Windows 8.1. Press the Windows key + X to open the menu instead and select “Programs and Features”.

   Windows 7

   1. Click on Start, then select “Control Panel”.Start by clicking on the Start button, then click on “Control Panel”.
      
      If you don’t see “Control Panel” here, type control panel into the search bar at the bottom of the Start window, then click the “Control Panel” result.
   2. When the “Control Panel” appears, click on “Uninstall a Program” from the Programs category.
      

2. Find the malicious program and uninstall it.

   The “Programs and Features” screen will be displayed with a list of all the programs installed on your PC. Scroll through the list until you find the malicious program, then click to highlight it, then click the “Uninstall” button that appears on the top toolbar.

   Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program.

   Here are some known malicious programs: PDFPoof, BatBitRst, MessengerNow, SearchAd, MyPrintableCoupons, Reading Cursors, ProMediaConverter, PDFOnline-express, See Scenic Elf, Clickware, Easy Speedtest, or WebDiscover.

   The malicious program may have a different name on your computer. If you cannot find any malicious programs on your computer, you can continue with STEP 3.
   

   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to uninstall the program.

   In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Yes, then follow the prompts to uninstall the program.

   Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read closely.

STEP 3: Use Malwarebytes Free to remove “Installed by Enterprise Policy” adware

Malwarebytes Free is one of the most popular and most used anti-malware software for Windows, and for good reasons. It is able to destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss, without costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Free will run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

1. Download Malwarebytes Free.

   You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

   

   Malwarebytes Free for WindowsScans and removes malware at no cost

   Download MalwarebytesOfficial installer for Windows 11 and 10. Your download starts right away.Want real-time protection? See Malwarebytes Premium

2. Double-click on the Malwarebytes setup file.

   When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the MBSetup file to install Malwarebytes on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   
   You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the Malwarebytes installation.
   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.

   When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes setup wizard which will guide you through the installation process. The Malwarebytes installer will first ask you on what type of computer are you installing this program, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.
   

   On the next screen, click “Install” to install Malwarebytes on your computer.
   

   When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen. Click the “Get started” button.

4. Select “Use Malwarebytes Free”.

   After installing Malwarebytes, you’ll be prompted to select between the Free and the Premium version. The Malwarebytes Premium edition includes preventative tools like real-time scanning and ransomware protection, however, we will use the Free version to clean up the computer.
   Click on “Use Malwarebytes Free“.
   

5. Click on “Scan”.

   To scan your computer with Malwarebytes, click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for malware.
   

6. Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

   Malwarebytes will scan your computer for adware and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
   

7. Click on “Quarantine”.

   When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.
   

8. Restart computer.

   Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
   
   When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 4: Use HitmanPro to scan for malware and unwanted programs

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner that takes a unique cloud-based approach to malware scanning. HitmanPro scans the behavior of active files and also files in locations where malware normally resides for suspicious activity. If it finds a suspicious file that’s not already known, HitmanPro sends it to their clouds to be scanned by two of the best antivirus engines today, which are Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Although HitmanPro is shareware and costs $24.95 for 1 year on 1 PC, there is actually no limit in scanning. The limitation only kicks in when there is a need to remove or quarantine detected malware by HitmanPro on your system and by then, you can activate the one time 30-days trial to enable the cleanup.

1. Download HitmanPro.

   You can download HitmanPro by clicking the link below.

   

   HitmanProSecond-opinion malware scanner from Sophos

   Download HitmanProFree scan. Removing threats needs the free 30-day trial. Your download starts right away.

2. Install HitmanPro.

   When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on “hitmanpro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows) to install this program on your PC. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   
   You may be presented with an User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts.

   When HitmanPro starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Click on the “Next” button to perform a system scan.

   

   

4. Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.

   HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malicious programs. This process will take a few minutes.
   

5. Click on “Next”.

   When HitmanPro has finished the scan, it will display a list of all the malware that the program has found. Click on the “Next” button to remove the malicious programs.
   

6. Click on “Activate free license”.

   Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your PC.
   
   When the process is complete, you can close HitmanPro and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 5: Double-check for malicious programs with AdwCleaner

AdwCleaner is a free popular on-demand scanner which can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find.
While the Malwarebytes and HitmanPro scans are more than enough, we’re recommending AdwCleaner to users who still have malware related issues or just want to make sure their computer is 100% clean.

1. Download AdwCleaner.

   You can download AdwCleaner by clicking the link below.

   

   Malwarebytes AdwCleanerRemoves adware and unwanted programs at no cost

   Download AdwCleanerOfficial download. Your download starts right away.

2. Double-click on the setup file.

   Double-click on the file named “adwcleaner_x.x.x.exe” to start AdwCleaner. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   
   You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
   

3. Click on “Scan Now”.

   When AdwCleaner will start, click on the “Scan Now” button to perform a system scan.
   

4. Wait for the AdwCleaner scan to complete.

   AdwCleaner will now scan your PC for malicious files. This process can take a few minutes.
   

5. Click on “Clean & Repair”.

   When AdwCleaner has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found. Click on the “Clean & Repair” button to remove the malicious files from your computer.
   

6. Click on “Clean & Restart Now”

   When the malware removal process is complete, AdwCleaner may need to restart your device. Click on the “Clean & Restart Now” button to finish the removal process.
   
   When the process is complete, you can close Adwcleaner and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 6: Reset the browser settings to remove “Installed by Enterprise Policy”

Your computer should now be free of the “Installed by Enterprise Policy” malicious program. If your current antivirus allowed this malicious program on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing the full-featured version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future.
If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:

• Run a computer scan with ESET Online Scanner
• Ask for help in our Windows Malware Removal Help & Support forum.