How to Remove Unwanted or Malicious Browser Toolbars

Nowadays, many free applications come with unwanted add-ons and browser toolbars that get installed because users generally forget to untick the box for the toolbar installation. Also, some programs automatically install unwanted toolbars if the user selects to perform a standard, quick or typical installation (you should always perform an advanced or custom installation, if available). Technically, these toolbars are not considered a threat, but they tend to slow down your browsing sessions and change your browser settings (such as the default home page or search engine).

There are several ways to remove unwanted toolbars from your system and I will show you exactly how to do that in the guide below.

Uninstall toolbars from Control Panel

Since most toolbars are installed as programs on your computer, you can launch the Add/Remove Programs or Uninstall a program tool from the Control Panel to delete them.

Control Panel

Once you have accessed the Add/Remove Programs or Uninstall a program screen, scroll until you find the toolbar you want to remove, select it and click on the "Uninstall" button.

Uninstall a program Window

Eliminate toolbars from Internet Explorer

If you want to remove/disable toolbars from your Internet Explorer browser, then you have to access the "Manage Add-ons" window under the "Tools" menu (the gear icon).

Manage Add-ons

After you have done that, select the desired toolbar and click on the "Disable" button.

Disable toolbars from Firefox

In order to remove an unwated toolbar from Firefox, you will have to access the "Add-ons Manager" tab. In order to do that click on the "Tools" section in the browser menu (you might have to press the "Alt" key) and select "Add-ons".

Access Add-ons

A new tab will appear from where you can easily remove or disable the unwated toolbar with a single mouse click.

Add-on Manager

Rub out toolbars from Google Chrome

Google Chrome also provides you with a simple way to disable or completely remove unwanted toolbars. To do that you will have to click on the icon that looks like three horizontal bars (top right corner) and click on the "Extensions" options (or click on "Settings" and choose "Extensions" from there).

Open Extensions Window

Now, all you have to do is find the toolbar you want to remove and either disable it by clicking on the corresponding box or remove it by clicking on the trashcan icon.

Extension Manager

Remove toolbars from Opera

Removing toolbars from Opera browser is a very simple task. First, you have to access the extension manager by clicking on the Opera button (top left corner) and select "Extensions".

Extensions Menu

After the extensions manager opens, select the toolbar and either disable it by clicking on the "Disable" button, or remove it from Opera by clicking on the "X" button.

Browser Reset

Another way in which you can disable/remove unwanted toolbars is a browser reset. This will restore your web browser to the default settings and it will remove any extra add-ons, extensions and toolbars. However, a browser reset will also wipe your bookmarks and saved passwords, so you might want to make sure that you create a backup or store them in a safe place (most browsers allow you to export the bookmark list).

Here is how you can perform a browser reset for each of the popular browsers:

Google Chrome: Access the "Settings" menu, go to advanced settings and click on the "Reset Settings" button (it should be the last option).
Firefox: Click on the Firefox button, go to the "Help" menu, choose "Troubleshooting Information" and press the "Reset Firefox" button.
Internet Explorer: Access the "Internet Options" from the "Tools" menu, go to the "Advanced" tab and click on "Reset".
Opera: This browser doesn't come with a built-in reset tool. In order to do that, you will have to go to C:\Users\user_name\AppData\Roaming\Opera\Opera\ and delete the Operapref.ini file (you might have to select to view hidden files).

Remove toolbars using third-party applications

There are also several third-party applications that will help you remove unwanted browser toolbars. Programs like Avast Browser Cleanup, Toolbar Cleaner or Smart Toolbar Remover provide you with a simple and efficient way to remove unwanted toolbars from your system in no time.

If, by some chance, you can't uninstall your toolbars, you might want to perform a virus scan to get rid of any adware from your computer that might prevent the toolbars from being removed. A great anti-malware tool that suits for this task is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware FREE.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several ways to remove unwanted toolbars from your system. If you follow these steps, you will soon have your browser back without toolbars or other add-ons.