Remove adware and pop-up ads from Windows (Virus Removal Guide)

If your Windows computer is constantly being redirected to unwanted sites or advertisements are popping up while you browse the Internet, then it is possible that you have adware installed on your device.

Is my Windows computer infected with adware?

Adware is unwanted software designed to throw advertisements up on your screen, most often within a web browser. These ads will overlay the content on the page and when you click on a link, it will just open a pop-up to another advertisement.

When a malicious program displays advertisements it will either display them in pop-up windows, directly on a web page you are visiting, or will appear as videos, banners, moving ads, or like folded down the page in the top right corner of the web site. Also, you might experience new tabs opening, a change in your homepage, findings from a search engine you never heard of, or even a redirect to an NSFW website.

The below images are examples of unwanted advertisements that are usually caused by adware installed on your computer.

Why am I seeing pop-up ads and redirects in Windows?

You are seeing pop-up ads or your browser is being redirected to unwanted sites because your computer is infected with a malicious program or a site that you have visited has redirected you to this page.

Less than reputable sites can display malicious ads that redirect your browser to unwanted sites to generate advertising revenue. If this happens, you can close the page and install a free browser extension like Adblock to block the malicious ads. However, if you continuously see pop-ups or your browser is being redirected to suspicious sites, then your computer might be infected with a malicious program, and you need to scan your device for adware and remove it.

Here are a few typical signs that you have a malicious program installed on your computer:

• Advertisements appear in places they shouldn’t be.
• Your web browser’s homepage 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.

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

Remove adware and pop-up ads from Windows (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.

To remove adware, pop-ups and other malware from Windows, follow these steps:

• STEP 1: Uninstall the malicious programs from Windows
• STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes Free to remove adware and browser hijackers
• STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan for Trojans and other malware
• STEP 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies
• STEP 5: Double-check for malicious programs with Emsisoft Emergency Kit
• STEP 6: Remove malicious browser extensions from Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Internet Explorer

STEP 1: Uninstall the malicious programs from Windows

In this first step, we will check if there are any malicious programs installed on your computer. Sometimes browser hijackers or adware programs can have usable Uninstall entries that can be used to remove these programs.

STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes Free to remove adware and browser hijackers

In this second step, we will install and run a scan with Malwarebytes to remove adware, browser hijackers, and potentially unwanted programs from your computer.

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.

1. Download Malwarebytes Free.

   You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

   MALWAREBYTES DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)

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 3: Use HitmanPro to scan for Trojans and other malware

In this third step, we will install HitmanPro to scan the computer for malware and browser hijackers.

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.

   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)

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 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies

In this fourth step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove malicious browser policies and adware from your computer.

AdwCleaner is a free popular on-demand scanner that can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find. This on-demand scanner includes a lot of tools that can be used to fix side-effects of adware or browser hijacker.

1. Download AdwCleaner.

   You can download AdwCleaner by clicking the link below.

   ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download AdwCleaner)

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. Enable “Reset Chrome policies”.

   When AdwCleaner starts, on the left side of the window, click on “Settings” and then then enable “Reset Chrome policies“.
   

4. Click on “Scan Now”.

   On the left side of the window, click on “Dashboard” and then click “Scan Now” to perform a system scan.
   

5. Wait for the AdwCleaner scan to complete.

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

6. 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.
   

7. 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 5: Double-check for malicious programs with Emsisoft Emergency Kit

While the previous scans are more than enough, we’re recommending Emsisoft Emergency Kit to users who still have malware related issues or just want to make sure their computer is 100% clean.

Emsisoft Emergency Kit is a free and powerful on-demand scanner that can be used to remove viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, worms, and other malicious programs.

1. Download Emsisoft Emergency Kit.

   You can download Emsisoft Emergency Kit by clicking the link below.

   EMSISOFT EMERGENCY KIT DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download Emsisoft Emergency Kit)

2. Install Emsisoft Emergency Kit.

   Double-click on the EmsisoftEmergencyKit setup file to start the installation process, then click on the “Install” button.
   

3. Start Emsisoft Emergency Kit.

   On your desktop the “EEK” folder (C:\EEK) should now be open. To start Emsisoft, click on the “Start Emsisoft Emergency Kit” file to open this program.
   

   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.
   

4. Click on “Malware Scan”.

   Emsisoft Emergency Kit will start and it will ask you for permission to update itself. Once the update process is complete, click on the “Scan” tab, and perform a “Malware Scan“.

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

5. Click on “Quarantine selected”.

   When the Emsisoft scan has finished, you will be presented with a screen reporting which malicious files were detected on your computer. To remove the malicious programs, click on the “Quarantine selected“.
   

   When the malware removal process is complete, the Emsisoft Emergency Kit may need to restart your computer. Click on the “Reebot” button to restart your PC. After you restart your computer, you can close Emsisoft Anti-Malware and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 6: Remove malicious browser extensions from Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Internet Explorer

Your computer should now be free of adware and other malicious programs.

If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove adware, pop-ups, or other malware from your computer, you can ask for help in our Malware Removal Assistance for Windows forum where trained professionals are ready to help (for free).