What is Social2Search?

Social2Search is typical browser adware for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer. It installs as browser extension and generates ads inside Google search, shopping sites, social networks. Initially, developers promote it as extension that will show you results that were shared or liked by your friends in social networks. But in fact ads are related to the contents of the websites user visits. Advertisements are signed as “Social2Search Ads”, “Ads by Social2Search” and “Ads powered by Social2Search”. Adware monitors user online activity and harms user privacy. There are certain problems with removing, that is why we created this tutorial to show you how to remove Social2Search from Windows 10, 8, 7, XP completely.

How Social2Search gets on your PC?

Social2Search comes bundled with so-called “downloaders” or along with free programs. As a rule, developers offer to install Social2Search as additional feature during installation of some free utility, like media player, converter, zip-archiver, video downloader. As shown on the picture below, user have to option to accept or decline the offer and most users just click “Next” without reading the text. As a result they start seeing ads by Social2Search in browsers. Use Norton Anti-Malware to protect yur PC from bundled installations and remove Social2Search from your computer.

How to remove Social2Search from your computer?

To uninstall Social2Search remove it from Control Panel, then delete all files and regkeys.

In our view, there are 3 products that potentially have Social2Search in their database. You can try to use them for removing Social2Search.

Recommended Solution:

Norton is a powerful removal tool. It can remove all instances of newest viruses, similar to Social2Search – files, folders, registry keys.

 

Download Norton*Trial version of Norton provides detection of computer viruses for FREE. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Norton.

Alternative Solution:

Norton Antivirus – detects files, registry values and folders of viruses that show the same behavior as Social2Search.

 

Download Norton
 

You can try both of these products to remove Social2Search

Or uninstall Social2Search manually.

Step 1: Remove Social2Search from Control Panel

Windows XP:

1. Click Start.
2. Control Panel.
3. Then click Add or Remove Programs.
4. Find Social2Search.
5. Click Uninstall.

Learn more about uninstallation of programs in Windows XP.

Windows 7/Windows Vista:

1. Click Start.
2. Then Control Panel.
3. Click Uninstall a Program.
4. Find Social2Search and click Uninstall.

Learn more about uninstallation of programs in Windows 7.

Windows 8/Windows 8.1:

1. Open the Menu.
2. Click Search.
3. After that click Apps.
4. Then Control Panel.
5. Then as in Windows 7, click Uninstall a Program under Programs.
6. Find Social2Search, select it and click Uninstall.

Learn more about uninstallation of programs in Windows 8 (8.1).

Windows 10:

1. Click on the Start button (or press the Windows key) to open the Start menu, click on the Settings at the top.
2. Click on App & features on the left menu.
3. On the right side, locate Social2Search and click it, then click on the Uninstall button.
4. Click on Uninstall to confirm.

Learn more about uninstallation of programs in Windows 10

Note: If you can’t find required program, sort programs by date in Control panel and search for last installed programs.

After that remove Social2Search from your browser.

Step 2: Remove Social2Search from browsers

Google Chrome:

1. Open Google Chrome
2. Push Alt + F.
3. Click Tools.
4. Choose Extensions.
5. Find Social2Search.
6. Click the trash can icon to remove it.

Learn more about removing extensions from Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Firefox.
2. Push Shift + Ctrl + A.
3. Choose Social2Search.
4. Click Disable or Remove button.

Learn more about removing extensions from Firefox.

Internet Explorer:

1. Open IE.
2. Push Alt + T.
3. Click Manage Add-ons.
4. Select Toolbars and Extensions.
5. Click Disable Social2Search.
6. Click More information link in the left-bottom corner.
7. Click Remove button.
8. If this button is grayed out – perform alternative steps.

Learn more about removing extensions from IE.

Step 3: Remove following files and folders of Social2Search:

Remove following regitry entries:

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Remove following files:

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Remove following folders

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Information provided by: Alexey Abalmasov