What is Gotsearch.co.uk?
Gotsearch.co.uk is a typical browser hijacker that may infect any computer anywhere. If your default homepage was changed to Gotsearch.co.uk, then you seriously need to scan your PC with a licensed antispyware tool because you may have more malicious infections on-board. Browser hijackers seldom travel individually. If you wish to protect your system from harm, you have to remove Gotsearch.co.uk right now and then invest in a powerful antispyware tool that would help you avoid similar infections in the future. Continue reading this article if you want to find out more about browser hijackers and what they do.
Where does Gotsearch.co.uk come from?
Browser hijackers are computer infections developed to redirect users to affiliated third-party websites. This redirection employs the pay-per-click system that helps the creators of such programs make money with every click you make. Therefore, Gotsearch.co.uk enters your computer with exactly the same purpose in mind.
Do not feel threatened; this browser hijacker did not target your computer exactly. You most probably downloaded it accidentally with a number of other freeware and adware applications from file hosting websites. Needless to say, you were not aware of the fact you installed this browser hijacker on your PC yourself, but Gotsearch.co.uk employs the same distribution tactics as Fetchsearch.com, Asiasearch.co, and similar browser hijackers, so it is only natural it slithers into computers surreptitiously.
What does Gotsearch.co.uk do?
Browser hijackers take over your main browser settings when they enter your computer. The browsers affected by this infection include Internet Explorer, Chrome, and Firefox. This hijacker does not infect the Edge browser.
Some people may think that Gotsearch.co.uk is a reliable search engine intended for the computer users in Britain. Nevertheless, there is nothing good about it, even if it uses its own search engine. That is to say, Gotsearch.co.uk does not outsource to Google or Yahoo! to provide users with modified search results. The infection does it itself.
The search results that you see via Gotsearch.co.uk will be modified according to your web browsing habits. This means that the program tracks your online history to find out what content would be to your liking. Then, the modified links would lead you to unreliable websites that could be used by cyber criminals to distribute malicious files and programs.
That is one of the main reasons browser hijackers should not be allowed to remain on the affected systems. Although they do not cause much harm themselves, they could be easily exploited for malware distribution, and that is something we need to avoid.
How do I remove Gotsearch.co.uk?
This browser hijacker does not have an entry in the list of installed programs. Thus, the only way to remove the domain from your browser is to change the settings manually or simply reset your browser to default. On the other hand, there might be a few browser hijacker files that require your attention too.
If you do not trust your skills to remove such files manually, you should rely on a professional antispyware tool. We have mentioned already that Gotsearch.co.uk often comes bundled with other unwanted and potentially harmful programs, so the best way to locate them all at once is to invest in an automated spyware removal tool.
Manual Gotsearch.co.uk Removal
Internet Explorer
- Press Alt+T and click Internet options.
- Change your homepage under the General tab and click OK.
- Press Alt+T again and go to Manage add-ons.
- Click Search providers on the left.
- Set a new default search engine and remove Gotsearch.
Mozilla Firefox
- Press Alt+T and click Options.
- Change your Home Page in the General section.
- Click Search on the left.
- Choose your default search engine and remove Gotsearch from the list.
Google Chrome
- Press Alt+F and click Settings.
- Select Open a specific page or set of pages under Search.
- Click Set pages and change your homepage address. Click OK.
- Select Manage search engines under Search.
- Set a new default search engine and delete Gotsearch. Press Done.
tested removal of Gotsearch.co.uk*
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