Is Universal Browser a virus?
No, Universal Browser is not a virus. This is what’s known as a browser hijacker. In other words, it alters the settings of your web browser without your permission. It is not meant to harm your computer the way a virus could, but it will alter your browser settings to dictate what you see online and what web pages you can visit.
How can you get infected with the Universal Browser virus?
The Universal Browser virus can be found on your computer after you download and install some other software from the Internet. It is often bundled in the setup file of different free applications. Just like many other browser hijackers, Universal Browser typically gets installed along with the main software, when you choose the standard installation options instead of the custom ones.
What are the symptoms of Universal Browser?
The symptoms of having Universal Browser are pretty noticeable. Your browser’s homepage might change without your permission, or your searches could redirect to different websites you didn’t intend to visit. You might also see a lot of ads popping up, and new toolbars might appear in your browser out of nowhere.
Are the Universal Browser Pop-ups safe to click on?
Most security professionals would say that it is generally unsafe to click on the Universal Browser pop-ups. Even though it may look like they come from trusted sources, the different colorful ads, pop-ups and links can redirect you to untrustworthy sites. Such sites can potentially infect your machines with viruses, or even worse, download more unknown programs, including Ransomware and Trojans. Therefore, our recommendation is to be cautious not to click on any pop-up windows.
Can Universal Browser on Chrome be removed?
You can remove Universal Browser on Chrome. The first thing you will have to do is examine your list of installed extensions. To look at them, go to your Chrome settings, and open the extensions section. Any extensions on this list that you are not sure you installed should be removed. In this way, you would get rid of any unwanted software, and it would not show you ads or make any changes.
For a more comprehensive cleanup, undo all of the hijacker’s changes by resetting your Chrome browser to its default options. You can do that in the settings menu, in the “Reset and clean up” section. Also, you can prevent an extension from causing more unexpected activity by removing all of your browser cookies and cache. If this doesn’t work, try scanning your computer with the professional removal tool that we recommend, or use the detailed guide below.
Are the Universal Browser redirects stoppable?
You can stop redirects to Universal Browser, Artificius Browser or Chromstera but there is a process you should follow to make sure that you no longer face this issue while browsing the web. First, remove the unknown programs from the computer. You can easily achieve that with the help of the “Programs and Features” menu that can be found in your PC’s Control panel. Then, reset the browser settings to default – resets do not only help to eliminate the configurations implemented by the hijacker without your knowledge but also get rid of any other unauthorized modifications.
What is more, it is a good idea to run a full system scan using reputable security software. Such a tool can detect and delete file or modifies links which have been hindering your browsing satisfaction. If you do not trust the software you have been using, we recommend you install a new reliable security suite. Also, always pay attention to the installation process and customize the installation if the given option is available.
| Name | Universal Browser |
| Type | Browser Hijacker |
| Detection Tool | Some threats reinstall themselves if you don't delete their core files. We recommend downloading SpyHunter to remove harmful programs for you. This may save you hours and ensure you don't harm your system by deleting the wrong files. |
Remove Universal Browser Virus
To try and remove Universal Browser quickly you can try this:
- Go to your browser’s settings and select More Tools (or Add-ons, depending on your browser).
- Then click on the Extensions tab.
- Look for the Universal Browser extension (as well as any other unfamiliar ones).
- Remove Universal Browser by clicking on the Trash Bin icon next to its name.
- Confirm and get rid of Universal Browser and any other suspicious items.
If this does not work as described please follow our more detailed Universal Browser removal guide below.
If you have a Windows virus, continue with the guide below.
If you have a Mac virus, please use our How to remove Ads on Mac guide.
If you have an Android virus, please use our Android Malware Removal guide.
If you have an iPhone virus, please use our iPhone Virus Removal guide.
Some of the steps may require you to exit the page. Bookmark it for later reference.
Next, Reboot in Safe Mode (use this guide if you don’t know how to do it).
The first thing you must try to do is look for any sketchy installs on your computer and uninstall anything you think may come from Universal Browser. After that, you’ll also need to get rid of any processes that may be related to the unwanted app by searching for them in the Task Manager.
Note that sometimes an app, especially a rogue one, may ask you to install something else or keep some of its data (such as settings files) on your PC – never agree to that when trying to delete a potentially rogue software. You need to make sure that everything is removed from your PC to get rid of the malware. Also, if you aren’t allowed to go through with the uninstallation, proceed with the guide, and try again after you’ve completed everything else.
- Uninstalling the rogue app
- Killing any rogue processes
Type Apps & Features in the Start Menu, open the first result, sort the list of apps by date, and look for suspicious recently installed entries.
Click on anything you think could be linked to Universal Browser, then select uninstall, and follow the prompts to delete the app.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, click More Details (if it’s not already clicked), and look for suspicious entries that may be linked to Universal Browser.
If you come across a questionable process, right-click it, click Open File Location, scan the files with the free online malware scanner shown below, and then delete anything that gets flagged as a threat.
After that, if the rogue process is still visible in the Task Manager, right-click it again and select End Process.
It’s possible that Universal Browser has affected various parts of your system, making changes to their settings. This can enable the malware to stay on the computer or automatically reinstall itself after you’ve seemingly deleted it. Therefore, you need to check the following elements by going to the Start Menu, searching for specific system elements that may have been affected, and pressing Enter to open them and see if anything has been changed there without your approval. Then you must undo any unwanted changes made to these settings in the way shown below:
- DNS
- Hosts
- Startup
- Task
Scheduler - Services
- Registry
Type in Start Menu: View network connections
Right-click on your primary network, go to Properties, and do this:
Type in Start Menu: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
Type in the Start Menu: Startup apps
Type in the Start Menu: Task Scheduler
Type in the Start Menu: Services
Type in the Start Menu: Registry Editor
Press Ctrl + F to open the search window
- Delete Universal Browser from Chrome
- Delete Universal Browser from Firefox
- Delete Universal Browser from Edge
- Go to the Chrome menu > More tools > Extensions, and toggle off and Remove any unwanted extensions.
- Next, in the Chrome Menu, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data > Advanced. Tick everything except Passwords and click OK.
- Go to Privacy & Security > Site Settings > Notifications and delete any suspicious sites that are allowed to send you notifications. Do the same in Site Settings > Pop-ups and redirects.
- Go to Appearance and if there’s a suspicious URL in the Custom web address field, delete it.
- irefox menu, go to Add-ons and themes > Extensions, toggle off any questionable extensions, click their three-dots menu, and click Remove.
- Open Settings from the Firefox menu, go to Privacy & Security > Clear Data, and click Clear.
- Scroll down to Permissions, click Settings on each permission, and delete from it any questionable sites.
- Go to the Home tab, see if there’s a suspicious URL in the Homepage and new windows field, and delete it.
- Open the browser menu, go to Extensions, click Manage Extensions, and Disable and Remove any rogue items.
- From the browser menu, click Settings > Privacy, searches, and services > Choose what to clear, check all boxes except Passwords, and click Clear now.
- Go to the Cookies and site permissions tab, check each type of permission for permitted rogue sites, and delete them.
- Open the Start, home, and new tabs section, and if there’s a rogue URL under Home button, delete it.
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