I’ve recently come across a lot of users across various forums reporting the same browser issue, where the browser’s search engine and new tab page get replaced by something called DSR Search. Apparently, this is a fake search engine, similar to boyu.com.tr and Potterfun.
It gets introduced to the browser either after the user gets tricked into agreeing to the change or after some kind of browser hijacker extension gets installed in the browser.
For some of the users affected by this, simply changing back the search engine and new tab page in the browser’s settings seems to have worked. However, others say that no matter what they do, the unwanted search engine stays in the browser and “refuses” to get removed.
If you are dealing with this same issue, you’ll find a working way to solve it on this page. Just make sure you adhere to the following instructions exactly as they are shown, and I am certain that you’ll be able to get rid of DSR Search (and anything else that may have come alongside it).
DSR Search Removal Guide
If you’ve already tried the conventional removal approach for an unwanted extension and it didn’t work, directly proceed to the advanced steps further down. However, if you haven’t tried anything yet, we recommend first giving a try to the following quick removal steps. If you are in luck, they could work, in which case you won’t need to perform the full removal guide:
- Open your browser, click the menu, open the Extensions section. This basic step might suffice.
- Look for DSR Search or anything linked to it. If you find the culprit, see if there’s an active Remove button beneath it and click on it.
- Next, go to Privacy and Security in the browser’s settings and examine the Site Settings section. Look specifically at Notifications and Pop-ups and Redirects.
- See any unfamiliar URLs there? Delete them and then restart your browser.
If there are no remaining traces of DSR Search, you’re probably good to go. That thing is that most of the time the hijacker won’t be gone. It’s even possible that you weren’t able to perform one or more of these quick steps. Doesn’t matter – the actual removal guide below will let you solve all of that, so go ahead and complete its steps if DSR Search is still being a nuisance.
SUMMARY:
| Name | DSR Search |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Detection Tool |
You probably downloaded something and that something got you DSR Search. The next steps will let you deal with the hijacker itself, but you’ll still need to get rid of the software it was initially bundled with. If you don’t do this, the hijacker could return.
We don’t know what you installed, so we can’t give you instructions on how to get rid of it. That is why we recommend relying on the help of a professional removal app. The tool we advise you to use for that is Spy Hunter 5 as we’ve successfully used it many times to get rid of similar hijackers.
How to Get Rid of DSR Search
The main obstacle that prevents users from deleting DSR Search is the rogue policy the hijacker has likely introduced to the browser.
A key warning sign is the message “Managed by your organization” in the browser settings page and its menu. This shows that DSR Search has established control and won’t let you make changes to the browser for as long as the policy remains active. Therefore, this is the first issue that you need to address.
The first step to do that is to go to the respective policies page for your browser. For Chrome, that page is chrome://policy – type it in the URL bar and press Enter.
The addresses for other Chromium browsers are similar – you just need to change the browser name in the URL.
The page that opens displays active browser policies. The rogue one should be there and it should have a value made of randomly-arranged characters. You must copy the value and save it in a text file because you’ll need it in a bit.
If accessing the Extensions Manager is blocked by DSR Search (the hijacker might redirect you when you try to visit it), an alternative exists:
Delete the extension folders directly from your computer’s file system. This corrupts the respective extension and makes it inactive.
Chrome users can find the extensions folder at:C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions
Here are the respective extension folder locations for other popular browsers:
Since you have no way of knowing which of the extension folders belongs to the hijacker extension, you must delete all of them. This will render inactive all your extensions, including the legitimate ones, but it’s necessary. Besides, it’s really easy to repair the legit ones later, after you’ve dealt with DSR Search.
Once you delete everything in the browser’s extension folder, try to go to the Extensions Manager again – this time you shouldn’t get redirected.
Once you get there, enable Developer Mode, which will reveal the IDs of all extensions.
If you don’t see them, click the extension you want to delete and its ID should be visible on the next page. Copy it and add it to your text file with rogue policy values.
Make sure to collect the IDs of all extensions that you think could be linked to DSR Search or are otherwise unwanted.
How to Delete DSR Search Virus Policies
DSR Search’s rogue policies are the core issue and now you’ve got the necessary information to hunt them down and delete them:
Access the Registry Editor to modify system settings. You can search for it in the Start Menu search bar.
Once you find it, right-click it and select “Run as Administrator“.
Then use the search function (Ctrl + F) and copy-paste in the search bar the first of the collected policy values.
Run a search, delete the key (folder in the left panel) that contains the relevant item, and search again.
After you make sure there are no more results for that search query, proceed to the next policy value or rogue extension ID.
Some keys may have restricted access in which case you won’t be able to delete them right away. THis is a persistence mechanism used by many hijackers, but it’s rather easy to overcome:
Start by right-clicking the parent key. You must go to Permissions > Advanced > Change, and type “everyone” in the text field.
Then you must click the Check Names button and Apply the changes. Next, click OK, enable the two newly-appeared “Replace…” options, and click Apply and OK again.
This should make the hijacker key deletable, so go ahead and remove it.
Get Rid of DSR Search Malware Policies: Alternative Methods
The Registry Cleanup should be enough to rid of any DSR Search policies locking the browser, but in case you are still seeing the “Managed bo your organization” message, there are two alternatives you can try:
Open the Start Menu. and search for “Edit Group Policy“. Click the first thing that shows up.
In the Group Policy Editor, find and right-click Administrative Templates on the left, and click on Add/Remove Templates.
Remove any unrecognized templates. We doubt you’ve willingly added any yourself, so it’s generally best to delete everything you see in that list.
The next thing you can do is to use the free Chrome Policy Remover tool, bu only if you are a Google Chrome user.
This automates the removal of rogue policies and is super easy to use – you just need to run it and will take care of the rest.
Download and run it with administrator privileges. Your system might warn you about the program, since it’s not from an official developer, but don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe so ignore the warning: Click “More Info” and “Run Anyway” and the tool will open and automatically eliminate policies applied by the hijacker.
How to Remove DSR Search From Chrome and Edge
We are at the final step of the removal guide. You need to once more go to your browser’s settings and this time successfully reverse the changes made to them by DSR Search:
Start with the Extensions page. Delete any suspicious extensions linked to DSR Search.
Next, visit the Privacy and Security settings to delete the browser cache, cookies, and other temporary data which may hold records linked to the hijacker.
Click the Delete browsing data button, go to the Advanced tab, and put ticks on everything. Leave only Passwords unchecked. Then choose a time frame long enough to include the entire period DSR Search was in the browser, and then delete the data.
Once again, review the Site Settings, but this time check every single permission time to remove unfamiliar URLs listed in the “Allow” section.
Also, don’t forget to reset your search engine to a trusted provider and to delete any rogue addresses show in the Manage Search Engines section.
Lastly, ensure there aren’t any suspicious URLs in the “On Startup” and “Appearance” tabs. If there are, delete them.
And there you have it – a clean and hijacker-free browser. We are pretty confident that, if you complete all steps shown on this page in the order they are provided, DSR Search will no longer be on your computer by the time you are finished.
That being said, it’s always possible for hijackers like it to slip through the cracks of manual removal methods and remain attached to the browser. In such cases, the obvious solution is to use a reliable security tool, such as Spy Hunter 5, which you’ll find linked on the current page.
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