Maxask is a browser hijacker website that started bothering users about two months ago and then seemed to die out. It’s similar to other hijackers like boyu.com.tr, Funny Tool, and the ISEEK Extension and it often enters the browser together with another rogue extension called NanoQuasarel.
Due to a recent resurgence in the cases of users getting redirected to it, we decided to update this post with the latest information about this rogue site and provide a more detailed and effective guide to remove it from Chrome, Edge, and other browsers.
Maxask Removal Guide
If your Chrome, Edge, or another browser is getting redirected to maxask.com every time you try to search for something on the Internet, you are likely to notice two unusual things in the browser: One or more rogue extensions that you are likely not allowed to remove and a message in the browser that reads “Managed by your organization“.
Both of these changes need to be revoked before you can make the necessary adjustments in the browser’s settings and Maxask redirects. The next guide provides exact instructions on how to do that manually, without the need for specialized software.
Important!: The next steps will help you remove Maxask from the browser. However, if the changes were enforced by a malicious app on your PC, they might return. In such a case, we recommend running a full system scan with the anti-malware tool from this page, which can hunt down and flush out all malware data from your PC.
SUMMARY:
OFFER*Source of claim SH can remove it.
How to Get Rid of the Maxask.com “Managed by Your Organization” Policy
Before you are able to delete the rogue extension that’s probably in your browser right now, you must first remove the rogue policy that blocks your access to the browser settings. This process can be a bit lengthy but bear with us, and you’ll be able to do everything on your own:
Step 1:
In Chrome, visit this URL: Chrome://Policy and check for any suspicious policies there with values made of random letters. Copy and such values onto a text file – you’ll need them in a bit.
If you are using a different browser, for instance, Edge, just change the browser name in the URL (e.g. Edge://Policy).
Step 2:
Also, go to the browser’s menu > Extensions > Extensions Manager. Turn on Developer Mode and then copy and save the ID of the rogue extension that you aren’t allowed to delete (if there are multiple extensions, save all their IDs). Some rogue extensions will block your access to that page. If this happens, ignore this step.
Step 3:
Now open your C: drive, go to Users > *YOUR USER FOLDER* > AppData > Local > Google > Chrome > User Data > Default > Extensions. There, delete the extension folders that have the same name as the policy values and extension IDs that you saved earlier.
If you weren’t allowed to open the Extensions page, then you’ll have to delete all extension folders. This will delete all browser extensions, but you can always reinstall the legitimate ones after you’ve taken care of Maxask.
Step 4:
Next, you must press Winkey + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Then press Ctrl + F and paste the policy value you copied earlier. Click Find Next to search for related keys (registry folders) and when one is found, delete it. Repeat the search and delete the keys that get found until all related items are deleted.
Perform this step with each saved policy value and extension ID.
Also go to each of the following registry paths and delete the final key (the one in bold):
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Chrome
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Google\Chrome
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Google\Update
IMPORTANT!: This hijacker might block you from deleting registry keys. The next steps provide a workaround for such cases:
- Right-click the folder above the one that you want to delete, and go to Permissions > Advanced > Change (at the top).
- Then type “everyone” in the Enter the object name field, click Check Names, and then click OK.
- Check both the “Replace owner on subcontainers…” and “Replace all child object…” options that should appear in the previous window.
- Then click Apply and OK on everything. After you do this, you should be allowed to delete the rogue registry key.
You should now be allowed to delete the rogue registry keys.
Performing these steps should rid your browser of rogue third-party policies but there are two other things we recommend for just in case:
- Search in the Start Menu for “Edit Group Policy”, open it, and expand Local Group Policy > Computer Configuration. Right-click Administrative Templates> Add/Remove Templates > delete everything there.
- Download and start as administrator the Chrome Policy Remover tool. It will automatically run a script that should get rid of all currently enabled Chrome policies.
Now that the rogue policies are cleaned, you just need to restore the normal settings of your browser and get rid of any remaining unwanted extensions.
*Source of claim SH can remove it.
Delete Maxask.com From Chrome and Edge
If you did everything up to this point according to our instructions, cleaning your browser from the hijacker should be relatively easy. You just need to open your browser, go to Settings, and clean the following sections:
- Extensions – Go to Extensions first and delete any rogue apps shown there. If you deleted their folders and successfully removed the hijacker policy from the browser, they should be inactive now, so you just need to click Remove to fully get rid of them.
- Privacy and Security – Click Delete Browser Data > Advanced, set time period that predates the hijacker’s appearance in the browser, check all boxes except Passwords, and click Delete. Then also go to Site Settings, check the app permission types for Maxask.com and other rogue URLs in the Allow section, and delete them from there.
- Appearance and On Startup – Check both of these sections for Maxask.com or other rogue URLs and delete them.
- Search Engines – Ensure the default search engine tool is set to something reliable like Google or Bing, then open Manage Search Engines, and remove any suspicious URLs, including Maxask.com.
Completing these steps should ensure that the hijacker no longer bothers you when you are browsing the web. However, as we said, if there’s a rogue program installed in the system, the hijacker could return to your browser and start its maxask.com redirects once again. In this case, it’s best to use the anti-malware program we’ve posted on this page to perform a full system cleanup.
What is Max Ask?
If we are being technical here, Maxask isn’t a virus, it’s just an annoying extension that changes your search engine and redirects you to a site of the same name. At the time of writing, it’s even on the Chrome Web Store where you can visit its Privacy Policy and Terms of Use pages (although they don’t seem to load).
There’s no doubt this extension is unwanted and annoying to have in the browser, but it will probably not cause any damage. The issue is that it can expose you to ads and scam pages, and even get you to install more unwanted stuff (such as the NanoQuasarel extension) in your browser and system.
But the biggest issue we see with this extension is what may have brought it to your machine. Hijackers are often distributed by being bundled with low-quality or outright dangerous software. So if you remember recently downloading something from a questionable site, you should probably find and uninstall that software. And if you are unable to do that, we recommend SpyHunter – the anti-malware tool from this page.
Ultimately, you have zero reason to keep this hijacker in your browser, so you should definitely use the instructions above to remove it. And in the meantime, try not to interact with anything it might redirect you to, because there’s a high chance that the sites and content its trying to promote aren’t the most reliable.
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