How to remove Refresh All Tabs virus

Easy tips to delete Refresh All Tabs

Refresh All Tabs is endorsed as a tool that refreshes all opened browser tabs with one click. However, it is known that this app has adware and browser hijacker quality – it displays intrusive ads and promotes a fake search engine by making changes to browsers’ settings.

Adware displays various intrusive ads in the form of pop-ups, banners, coupons, surveys, in-text ads and other similar ones. Pretty often, these ads are designed to open various questionable pages. The pages promoted by adware can aim to trick people into providing their personal information, downloading and installing malware and so on.

It is important to mention that the Refresh All Tabs adware might display ads that are designed to download or install unwanted apps by running certain malicious scripts. Another reason not to have this application installed is that it triggers unwanted changes to the browsers’ settings.

The Refresh All Tabs changes the default homepage, new tab page and search engine options of the installed web browsers and sets certain specific address to them. Due to this, users visit this address all the time when they open their browsing tab and enter any queries on the URL search bar.

As a rule, browser hijackers promote fake search engines that can’t generate their own search results and so they tend to redirect to some legit searching tools. It is important to note that the search results could include links to potentially unwanted sites and dubious ads.

It is known that Refresh All Tabs can read data about users’ browsing session. It is likely that the app collects the data includes IP addresses, Search queries, Viewed pages, URLs visited and etc. The individuals behind the PUA can share these data to potent crooks.

To sum up, the presence of the potentially unwanted app on system can cause severe privacy issues, identity theft, monetary loss and even more severe consequences. To prevent any such issues from happening in future, you should immediately remove Refresh All Tabs from system.

How did Refresh All Tabs enter my system?

Refresh All Tabs is promoted on a deceptive website, suggesting users that a computer is overloaded and encouraging them to install this app to free up their computer memory. It is important to known that deceptive sites can be designed to trick people into installing malware.

Another popular method to distribute PUAs is to bundle them together with free programs. In such cases, downloaders and installers for those programs have Custom/Advanced and other similar settings that can be used to prevent unwanted apps from being downloaded.

Users can download the PUAs with other programs when they do not change the aforementioned settings. In other cases, users download or install these apps by clicking on ads that are designed to run certain malicious scripts.

How to prevent PUAs installation?

It is recommended to use only official websites and direct links for any software download. It is not safe to use p2p networks, free file hosting sites and third party downloaders/ installers –as they often offer dubious and/or harmful content.

Furthermore, it is recommended to complete the download/ installation without checking downloaders/ installers for Custom/Advanced settings that could be used to decline unwanted offers with the chosen software for the download.

One more way to avoid unexpected download/ installation is not click on any ads displayed on any shady sites. Those ads can be designed to open potentially malicious sites. Sometimes, by clicking them, users cause unwanted download, installation.

Antimalware Details And User Guide

Click Here For Windows Click Here For Mac

Important Note: This malware asks you to enable the web browser notifications. So, before you go the manual removal process, execute these steps.

Google Chrome (PC)

• Go to right upper corner of the screen and click on three dots to open the Menu button
• Select “Settings”. Scroll the mouse downward to choose “Advanced” option
• Go to “Privacy and Security” section by scrolling downward and then select “Content settings” and then “Notification” option
• Find each suspicious URLs and click on three dots on the right side and choose “Block” or “Remove” option

Google Chrome (Android)

• Go to right upper corner of the screen and click on three dots to open the menu button and then click on “Settings”
• Scroll down further to click on “site settings” and then press on “notifications” option
• In the newly opened window, choose each suspicious URLs one by one
• In the permission section, select “notification” and “Off” the toggle button

Mozilla Firefox

• On the right corner of the screen, you will notice three dots which is the “Menu” button
• Select “Options” and choose “Privacy and Security” in the toolbar present in the left side of the screen
• Slowly scroll down and go to “Permission” section then choose “Settings” option next to “Notifications”
• In the newly opened window, select all the suspicious URLs. Click on the drop-down menu and select “Block”

Internet Explorer

• In the Internet Explorer window, select the Gear button present on the right corner
• Choose “Internet Options”
• Select “Privacy” tab and then “Settings” under the “Pop-up Blocker” section
• Select all the suspicious URLs one by one and click on the “Remove” option

Microsoft Edge

• Open the Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots on the right corner of the screen to open the menu
• Scroll down and select “Settings”
• Scroll down further to choose “view advanced settings”
• In the “Website Permission” option, click on “Manage” option
• Click on switch under every suspicious URL

Safari (Mac):

• On the upper right side corner, click on “Safari” and then select “Preferences”
• Go to “website” tab and then choose “Notification” section on the left pane
• Search for the suspicious URLs and choose “Deny” option for each one of them

Manual Steps to Remove Refresh All Tabs:

Remove the related items of Refresh All Tabs using Control-Panel

Windows 7 Users

Click “Start” (the windows logo at the bottom left corner of the desktop screen), select “Control Panel”. Locate the “Programs” and then followed by clicking on “Uninstall Program”

Windows XP Users

Click “Start” and then choose “Settings” and then click “Control Panel”. Search and click on “Add or Remove Program’ option

Windows 10 and 8 Users:

Go to the lower left corner of the screen and right-click. In the “Quick Access” menu, choose “Control Panel”. In the newly opened window, choose “Program and Features”

Mac OSX Users

Click on “Finder” option. Choose “Application” in the newly opened screen. In the “Application” folder, drag the app to “Trash”. Right click on the Trash icon and then click on “Empty Trash”.

In the uninstall programs window, search for the PUAs. Choose all the unwanted and suspicious entries and click on “Uninstall” or “Remove”.

After you uninstall all the potentially unwanted program causing Refresh All Tabs issues, scan your computer with an anti-malware tool for any remaining PUPs and PUAs or possible malware infection. To scan the PC, use the recommended the anti-malware tool.

How to Remove Adware (Refresh All Tabs) from Internet Browsers

Delete malicious add-ons and extensions from IE

Click on the gear icon at the top right corner of Internet Explorer. Select “Manage Add-ons”. Search for any recently installed plug-ins or add-ons and click on “Remove”.

Additional Option

If you still face issues related to Refresh All Tabs removal, you can reset the Internet Explorer to its default setting.

Windows XP users: Press on “Start” and click “Run”. In the newly opened window, type “inetcpl.cpl” and click on the “Advanced” tab and then press on “Reset”.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 Users: Press the Windows logo, type inetcpl.cpl in the start search box and press enter.  In the newly opened window, click on the “Advanced Tab” followed by “Reset” button.

For Windows 8 Users: Open IE and click on the “gear” icon. Choose “Internet Options”

Select the “Advanced” tab in the newly opened window

Press on “Reset” option

You have to press on the “Reset” button again to confirm that you really want to reset the IE

Remove Doubtful and Harmful Extension from Google Chrome

Go to menu of Google Chrome by pressing on three vertical dots and select on “More tools” and then “Extensions”. You can search for all the recently installed add-ons and remove all of them.

Optional Method

If the problems related to Refresh All Tabs still persists or you face any issue in removing, then it is advised that your reset the Google Chrome browse settings. Go to three dotted points at the top right corner and choose “Settings”. Scroll down bottom and click on “Advanced”.

At the bottom, notice the “Reset” option and click on it.

In the next opened window, confirm that you want to reset the Google Chrome settings by click on the “Reset” button.

Remove Refresh All Tabs plugins (including all other doubtful plug-ins) from Firefox Mozilla

Open the Firefox menu and select “Add-ons”. Click “Extensions”.  Select all the recently installed browser plug-ins.

Optional Method

If you face problems in Refresh All Tabs removal then you have the option to rese the settings of Mozilla Firefox.

Open the browser (Mozilla Firefox) and click on the “menu” and then click on “Help”.

Choose “Troubleshooting Information”

In the newly opened pop-up window, click “Refresh Firefox” button

The next step is to confirm that really want to reset the Mozilla Firefox settings to its default by clicking on “Refresh Firefox” button.

Remove Malicious Extension from Safari

Open the Safari and go to its “Menu” and select “Preferences”.

Click on the “Extension” and select all the recently installed “Extensions” and then click on “Uninstall”.

Optional Method

Open the “Safari” and go menu. In the drop-down menu, choose “Clear History and Website Data”.

In the newly opened window, select “All History” and then press on “Clear History” option.

Delete Refresh All Tabs (malicious add-ons) from Microsoft Edge

Open Microsoft Edge and go to three horizontal dot icons at the top right corner of the browser. Select all the recently installed extensions and right click on the mouse to “uninstall”

Optional Method

Open the browser (Microsoft Edge) and select “Settings”

Next steps is to click on “Choose what to clear” button

Click on “show more” and then select everything and then press on “Clear” button.

Conclusion

In most cases, the PUPs and adware gets inside the marked PC through unsafe freeware downloads. It is advised that you should only choose developers website only while downloading any kind of free applications.  Choose custom or advanced installation process so that you can trace the additional PUPs listed for installation along with the main program.