It happens to all of us! We add some software and some obnoxious installer changes our browser settings or worse – we get hit with some malware or adware the “optimizes” our browser settings to its needs. We should have looked more closely before installing, but hindsight is 20/20.
The good news is that changing your browser settings back to where you want them isn’t too difficult. Unfortunately, you will have to do it manually, but we’re here to help walk you through the process for the most popular browsers – Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.
When you’re finished, you’ll have the homepage, search engine, tool bar and extensions you prefer.
Resetting Your Search Engine
Often, the first thing these foreign programs go after is your default search engine and it is likely what alerted you to the problem to begin with. However, if you’re not sure, you just need to go to the search bar or right-click search to find out. If it isn’t your desired search engine, then go through the following steps to easily change it back.
Mozilla Firefox – In the top right portion of your browser, click the search engine icon and then select the search engine you want from the drop down list.
Google Chrome – At the top of the Chrome browswer, right-click inside the address bar and select “Edit Search Engines”. Then move your cursor to the desired search engine and select “Make Default”.
Resetting Your Homepage
One of the most common alterations that malware, adware, and others like to do is to change your homepage to something loaded with ads in order to generate revenue every time you open your browser.
Sometimes, there are no ads but rather some other click bait type function they are hoping you will fall for. In either case, here is how you can get your homepage back to where you had it or even something new.
