I wrote this article to help you remove SearchLock. This SearchLock removal guide is working for Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer.

SearchLock is another untrusted search engine which is capable of changing the major web browsers. Thus, the intrusive application has been categorized as a browser hijacker and potentially unwanted program.

Once SearchLock infiltrates your machine, it start causing you lots of problems, thus the program should not be kept on the system. The most obvious change made by the hijacker is the modification of your default homepage and search engine which you will certainly notice. In fact, that is just the way the hijackers work – once they infiltrate your PC, they need no approval to implement any changes on it, which definitely might cause harm to your machine. However, what is more interesting, is the fact that you cannot remember installing the program on the system and this will certainly bother you.

Actually, SearchLock does not need any approval to enter your computer. This hijacker is so smart that it could make you install it yourself without even realizing it. Usually, SearchLock enters your PC bundled with other freeware, because it provides possibly the easiest entry point for it. For that reason, every time when you install new software on your virtual machine, you should read all the terms and conditions provided by the setup wizard. In other case, your will experience security-related issues.

SearchLock can also infiltrate your computer by posing as a bogus system or program update. For instance, while you’re thinking that you’re updating a particular program on your PC, you’re actually letting a dangerous infection in the system. Besides, the hijacker can also use spam email attachments, corrupted links, or websites as other means of invasion. Thus, having a program like SearchLock on your PC most often depends on your attention.

Once infected your computer, SearchLock starts flooding your monitor with numerous commercial advertisements, asking you to install one or another new program. However, the main problem here is that it is not easy to recognize whether these links are reliable or not, so you might get instantly transferred to some corrupted websites with malicious content.

Still, the provided advertisements are not the thing you should worry about most. In fact, the greatest issue related to SearchLock is the ability of the program to access your personal data. As soon as the hijacker infects your PC, it starts monitoring your virtual activities and records your browsing history. Once the program has collected enough information about your preferences, SearchLock shares the data with the third parties hidden behind it and they could use it for malicious purposes. This is the reason why you should remove SearchLock right away and make sure that your PC is well-protected against malware.

You can delete SearchLock from your computer either manually, or automatically. The manual removal instructions are provided bellow this article. Though, even if you have completed the manual removal process, you still have to run a full scan of your PC in order to identify any registry leftovers or temporary files. You can do this by installing a reputable antimalware tool which will erase all the existing threats at once and will protect your system against malware 24/7 a day.

SearchLock Removal

Before starting the real removal process, you must reboot in Safe Mode. If you are familiar with this task, 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.

Here are the steps you must follow to permanently remove 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 SearchLock from your browser? Please, leave a comment below, describing what steps you performed. I will answer promptly.