What Is iStart Search Bar
The iStart Search Bar software has been reported by security experts as being a potentially unwanted program. This software’s main activity revolves around the ads it may show on your browsers. The iStart Search Bar app may attack Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and even Safari browsers. Once on your computer, this risky application could begin to modify the preferences and system properties of your browsers. This will result in the iStart Search Bar appearing instead of your typical search site. Your new tab and home tab pages may also be changed.
Read this article to learn how to fully remove the iStart Search Bar from your browsers and also your computer.
iStart Search Bar Summary
Name | iStart Search Bar |
Type | Browser Hijacker |
Short Description | Aims to modify the settings on your web browser in order to get it to cause browser redirects and display different advertisements. |
Symptoms | Your web browser begins to display various types of online advertisements, which results in slowing down of your machine. |
Distribution Method | Bundled downloads. Web pages which may advertise it. |
Detection Tool |
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User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss iStart Search Bar. |
iStart Search Bar – More Information
The iStart Search Bar browser hijacker is very similar to other risky software we have recently detected, such as IncognitoSearchTech, SecuryBrowse and SearchConverterPro.
What is common between these apps is the methods they use to get inside your computer. The iStart Search Bar may be advertised as an “optional offer” or a “free extra” somewhere in the installation steps of another program you could have recently installed. Those steps are hidden in the “Custom” install mode and often users tend to miss them since they often click on the “Express” installation.
Once already added to your computer iStart Search Bar may begin to show a lot of ads. These ads may appear under different forms, for example:
- Browser Redirects.
- Pop-ups.
- Banners.
- Ad-supported search results.
- Highlighted text ads.
- Push notifications.
iStart Search Bar may not only slow your computer down via the ads it shows. These advertisements may have different types of trackers that are added in them. Such can be::
- Pixels.
- Tags.
- Cookies.
- Location trackers.
- LSOs
These objects can be added on your computer and they may remain for years of time if not cleaned up from your browser. They can be used to obtain different information concerning your online activities, like where you browse, what you search, where you click, what bookmarks you have and others. This information may be aggregated to you and along with other victims’ data, it may be sold or transferred to other parties without your knowledge or consent.
But tracking you is likely the least of your concern if you see iStart Search Bar appearing on your browser. The main reason for that is such risky software could lead you to very dangerous websites, since its creators do not care what type of ads they are showing to you. This means that iStart Search Bar could sometimes advertise risky websites, such as:
- Scam surveys.
- Fake Tech Support.
- Fraud retailer stores.
- Phishing pages.
- Virus websites.
This is the main reason, software, like iStart Search Bar is considered an indirect threat to your computer and its removal is recommended.
Remove iStart Search Bar from Your Browser and Computer
For the removal of this nasty software, we recommend that you follow the iStart Search Bar removal guides below. They are made to help you delete this program from both your web browsers and your computer. To achieve the best removal results, be advised that security experts strongly advise that you get rid of theiStart Search Bar from your computer preferably by downloading and scanning your machine using anti-malware software. Such a professional program will effectively remove all the files that are unwanted or viruses from your computer and eliminate any trackers from it.
- Guide 1: How to Remove iStart Search Bar from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of iStart Search Bar from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove iStart Search Bar from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase iStart Search Bar from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall iStart Search Bar from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove iStart Search Bar from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate iStart Search Bar from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove iStart Search Bar from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove iStart Search Bar





Step 2: Uninstall iStart Search Bar and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:



Step 3: Clean any registries, created by iStart Search Bar on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by iStart Search Bar there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:



Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of iStart Search Bar from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall iStart Search Bar and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove iStart Search Bar via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove iStart Search Bar files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as iStart Search Bar, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove iStart Search Bar from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase iStart Search Bar from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall iStart Search Bar from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove iStart Search Bar from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the iStart Search Bar will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate iStart Search Bar from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.