Remove ClickStreamSearch

by Milena Dimitrova | August 9, 2021 | 0 Comments adware, browser redirect

ClickStreamSearch Adware and PUA ClickStreamSearch Summary Why Do I Have ClickStreamSearch in My Browser?How to Remove Click Stream Search

ClickStreamSearch is a potentially unwanted application (PUA) with adware components and browser hijacking capabilities. In other words, once installed, the app would change your browser’s settings in order to display various types of ads. ClickStreamSearch may also collect details related to your operating system and/or browsing, like most of the PUAs currently in the wild.

ClickStreamSearch is available on the following domain – portal.clickstreamsearch.com. However, it may also appear as a result of a bundled download. You can read more about bundling further in the article.

ClickStreamSearch Adware and PUA

ClickStreamSearch may seem like a useful search engine with added functionalities but in fact it is classified as a potentially unwanted app. Instead of providing any of the promised functionalities, this app may hijack your browser’s settings to flood you with ads and suspicious search results. It may cause unwanted redirects to multiple suspicious, potentially dangerous pages. Thus, removing it from the affected browser may be challenging, as it may re-appear multiple times. Persistence is often an issue with such unwanted programs. We will try to help you remove ClickStreamSearch by providing easy-to-follow steps in the last paragraph of this article.

Note. The adware is associated with the developers of the well-known bogus search engine SearchLee. It comes from the developers behind a number of similar browser hijackers, such as StreamSearchWeb and GetStreamSearch.

ClickStreamSearch Summary

Name	ClickStreamSearch
Type	Browser Hijacker, PUP
Short Description	A questionable search engine that hijacks the browser’s settings. It may redirect the searches to searchlee.com.
Symptoms	When you open an affected browser, you see ClickStreamSearch set as your default page.
Distribution Method	Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages, Corrupted Websites
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool

Why Do I Have ClickStreamSearch in My Browser?

This is how the homepage of the adware looks like (click on the image to enlarge it):

Let’s see the main reasons for having this page set as your default.

Bundled installers
The most common method used by third-party developers to promote their shady products is bundling. Thanks to bundling, they can promote potentially unwanted applications as additional downloads in freeware installers.

Bundling is not illegal but it often causes unwanted, additional downloads, even of legitimate products. To avoid it from happening, you should be more careful during the installation steps of freeware applications.

Unsafe browsing and push notifications
Another scenario that may have caused StreamSearchWeb is unsafe browsing. Have you landed on a suspicious page lately, trying to convince you to subscribe to its push notifications? Such an example is the Pushingz.com domain. Such pages display ads, pop-ups, and messages wanting you to allow permissions for a page on the Web.

In addition, keep in mind that if you interact with any of the content of Click Stream Search, you may end up being flooded with even more unwanted apps. That is why we encourage you to make sure your OS is safe against any potential online threats.

How to Remove Click Stream Search

To get rid of the Click Stream Search browser hijacker along with all its associated files, you should complete several removal steps. If you want to make sure that no undesired and potentially harmful files are running on your system, we recommend that you follow the guide to the end. Keep in mind that some of the installed files may be named in a way not related to the PUPs’a name, so that they can be hard to find, and therefore, hard to remove.

Milena Dimitrova

An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum since the project started. A professional with 10+ years of experience in creating engaging content. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles! Follow Milena @Milenyim

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Guide 1: How to Remove ClickStreamSearch from Windows.
Guide 2: Get rid of ClickStreamSearch on Mac OS X.
Guide 3: Remove ClickStreamSearch in Google Chrome.

Guide 4: Erase ClickStreamSearch from Mozilla Firefox.
Guide 5: Uninstall ClickStreamSearch from Microsoft Edge.
Guide 6: Remove ClickStreamSearch from Safari.
Guide 7: Eliminate ClickStreamSearch from Internet Explorer.
Guide 8: Disable ClickStreamSearch Push Notifications in Your Browsers.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

How to Remove ClickStreamSearch from Windows.

Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove ClickStreamSearch

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter's malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

1. Hold Windows key() + R

2. The "Run" Window will appear. In it, type "msconfig" and click OK.

3. Go to the "Boot" tab. There select "Safe Boot" and then click "Apply" and "OK".

Tip: Make sure to reverse those changes by unticking Safe Boot after that, because your system will always boot in Safe Boot from now on.

4. When prompted, click on "Restart" to go into Safe Mode.

5. You can recognise Safe Mode by the words written on the corners of your screen.

Step 2: Uninstall ClickStreamSearch 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:

1. Hold the Windows Logo Button and "R" on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear.

2. In the field type in "appwiz.cpl" and press ENTER.

3. This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC. Select the program that you want to remove, and press "Uninstall"

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

Step 3: Clean any registries, created by ClickStreamSearch 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 ClickStreamSearch there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:

1. Open the Run Window again, type "regedit" and click OK.

2. When you open it, you can freely navigate to the Run and RunOnce keys, whose locations are shown above.

3. You can remove the value of the virus by right-clicking on it and removing it.

Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.

IMPORTANT!
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.

Step 4: Scan for ClickStreamSearch with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

1. Click on the "Download" button to proceed to SpyHunter's download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter's EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

2. After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

3. After the update process has finished, click on the 'Malware/PC Scan' tab. A new window will appear. Click on 'Start Scan'.

4. After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the 'Next' button.

If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Get rid of ClickStreamSearch from Mac OS X.

Step 1: Uninstall ClickStreamSearch and remove related files and objects

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your Mac with SpyHunter for Mac

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter for Mac needs to purchased to remove the malware threats. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA and Privacy Policy

1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:

2. Find Activity Monitor and double-click it:

3. In the Activity Monitor look for any suspicious processes, belonging or related to ClickStreamSearch:

Tip: To quit a process completely, choose the “Force Quit” option.

4. Click on the "Go" button again, but this time select Applications. Another way is with the ⇧+⌘+A buttons.

5. In the Applications menu, look for any suspicious app or an app with a name, similar or identical to ClickStreamSearch. If you find it, right-click on the app and select “Move to Trash”.

6: Select Accounts, after which click on the Login Items preference. Your Mac will then show you a list of items that start automatically when you log in. Look for any suspicious apps identical or similar to ClickStreamSearch. Check the app you want to stop from running automatically and then select on the Minus (“-“) icon to hide it.

7: Remove any left-over files that might be related to this threat manually by following the sub-steps below:

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 ClickStreamSearch 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:

Disclaimer! If you are about to tamper with Library files on Mac, be sure to know the name of the virus file, because if you delete the wrong file, it may cause irreversible damage to your MacOS. Continue on your own responsibility!

1: Click on "Go" and Then "Go to Folder" as shown underneath:

2: Type in "/Library/LauchAgents/" and click Ok:

3: Delete all of the virus files that have similar or the same name as ClickStreamSearch. If you believe there is no such file, do not delete anything.

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 ClickStreamSearch files from your Mac

When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as ClickStreamSearch, 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.

Click the button below below to download SpyHunter for Mac and scan for ClickStreamSearch:

Download

SpyHunter for Mac

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove ClickStreamSearch 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 Stop Push Pop-ups

Erase ClickStreamSearch 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 Stop Push Pop-ups

Uninstall ClickStreamSearch 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 Stop Push Pop-ups

Remove ClickStreamSearch 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 ClickStreamSearch will be removed.

How to Reset Safari
IMPORTANT: Before resetting Safari make sure you back up all your saved passwords within the browser in case you forget them.

Start Safari and then click on the gear leaver icon.

Click the Reset Safari button and you will reset the browser.

Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer Stop Push Pop-ups

Eliminate ClickStreamSearch 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.