I wrote this article to help you remove Search.pristineapp.com. This Search.pristineapp.com removal guide works for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

This article is about one particular member of the browser hijacker family – the Search.pristineapp.com pest. If you see this page every time you go online, you are infected. The parasite has managed to slither in your system and it is currently making a mess of it. Take the site`s appearance as a warning sign because that’s what it is. As soon as you spot it, accept that fact that there is a cyber infection on your computer and start looking for its hiding place. Do not ignore this threat. The more time the hijacker spends on board, the more problems it will cause.

Problems which escalate in both numbers and security as time passes. The biggest one of them is, without a doubt, the security risk this infection puts you at. That’s right. Above anything else, the hijacker threatens your privacy by spying on you and monitoring every online move of yours. It uses your infected browsers as spying devices to collect valuable information about you.

For example, it has access to your IPs, email addresses, usernames, passwords, accounts, browser history, etc. It can even get its hands on your personally identifiable and financial data, especially if you use your machine to make online payments. What do you think will happen next? The crooks behind the infection will use your personal information for nothing but their malicious purposes. Do not let that scenario unfold. Find and remove the nasty intruder ASAP.

Aside from the major security hazard, the hijacker also ruins your online activities and makes you a sponsor of crooks. How? For starters, the pest makes different changes in your browsers` settings without your permission. It doesn’t need it. It is able to act as it sees fit. It also changes your homepage and search engine with the Search.pristineapp.com site which becomes your constant online companion.

Also, Search.pristineapp.com injects all of your browsers with tons of sponsored ads and when you click on them, hackers gain money via the pay-per-click mechanism. All kinds of commercials are covering your entire screen on daily basis and each click on yours fills hackers` pockets. But this is not all. By clicking you are not only sponsoring their “business”. You are also risking to download more malware on your already infected machine.

Yes, the cybercriminals are using the hijacker to spread viruses online. Avoid clicking on anything. As long as the pest remains on board, surfing the web is not safe. So, remove it and everything will get back to normal. Use our detailed instructions at the end of this article and get rid of the intruder immediately. Do it now. Delays lead to regrets.

How did the hijacker enter? The Search.pristineapp.com site showed up because of the hijacker`s presence but how did the infection itself get in? We assume you did not download it on purpose and yet, here it is. Because it tricked you. The infection is still a program and needs your approval to get installed. However, if it asks straightforwardly, you would deny it. That’s why it does it in the sneakiest ways possible. It hides behind spam emails, corrupted links, and fake ads. It hitches a ride with bundled software or poses as a program/system update.

The methods are many and the purpose of each one is to get your “Okay”. If you are careless and don’t pay attention, you would give it. Like in your case. But if you are vigilant and careful, you have a chance to notice the intruder and prevent it from entering. Do not give into carelessness as that’s what crooks pray for the most. Without it, they cannot succeed so do not help them out.

Search.pristineapp.com Uninstall

Before starting the real removal process, you must reboot in Safe Mode. If you know how to do this, skip the instructions below and proceed to Step 2. If you do not know how to do it, here is how to reboot in Safe mode:

For Windows 98, XP, Millenium and 7:
Reboot your computer. When the first screen of information appears, start repeatedly pressing F8 key. Then choose Safe Mode With Networking from the options.

For Windows 8/8.1
Click the Start button, next click Control Panel —> System and Security —> Administrative Tools —> System Configuration.‌

Check the Safe Boot option and click OK. Click Restart when asked.
For Windows 10
Open the Start menu and click or tap on the Power button.

While keeping the Shift key pressed, click or tap on Restart.

Please, follow the steps precisely to remove Search.pristineapp.com from the browser:

Remove From Mozilla Firefox:

Open Firefox, click on top-right corner , click Add-ons, hit Extensions next.

Look for suspicious or unknown extensions, remove them all.

Remove From Chrome:

Open Chrome, click chrome menu icon at the top-right corner —>More Tools —> Extensions. There, identify the malware and select chrome-trash-icon(Remove).

Remove From Internet Explorer:
Open IE, then click IE gear icon on the top-right corner —> Manage Add-ons.

Find the malicious add-on. Remove it by pressing Disable.

Right click on the browser’s shortcut, then click Properties. Remove everything after the .exe” in the Target box.

Open Control Panel by holding the Win Key and R together. Write appwiz.cpl in the field, then click OK.

Here, find any program you had no intention to install and uninstall it.

Run the Task Manager by right clicking on the Taskbar and choosing Start Task Manager.

Look carefully at the file names and descriptions of the running processes. If you find any suspicious one, search on Google for its name, or contact me directly to identify it. If you find a malware process, right-click on it and choose End task.

Open MS Config by holding the Win Key and R together. Type msconfig and hit Enter.

Go in the Startup tab and Uncheck entries that have “Unknown” as Manufacturer.

Still can not remove Search.pristineapp.com from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.