Newtab.co Redirect
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is newtab.co?
The newtab.co browser hijacker allows users to revive their homepages with photos that are changed daily. This is rather like desktop wallpaper, but for use with the browser homepage. It provides the ability to customize the new-tab page (essentially, the homepage) and the screen you see when opening your web browser.
Most browser hijackers, including newtab.co, are filled with various links to other websites. The site contains only a customised background (a photo) and a search bar. The hijacker is installed on browsers as an extension, since it targets Google Chrome users only. When the search query is entered, it redirects to search.yahoo.com (the Yahoo search engine).
So, the only feature they are offering is a customized background, however, there are also background activities performed when using a browser hijacker and associated search engine. Most browser hijackers collect browsing-related data, such as visited websites, search queries/terms, and IP addresses.
They also provide misleading or unwanted redirects to generate revenue for their developers. Furthermore, you could be tricked into downloaded unwanted or malicious software.
It is also likely that your overall browsing experience will be diminished and you could encounter problems such as privacy issues or even identity theft. In most cases, browser hijackers cause problems rather than delivering any real benefit for users.
Name | newTab.co browser hijacker |
Threat Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, Search Hijacker, Toolbar, Unwanted New Tab |
Symptoms | Manipulated Internet browser(s) settings (homepage, default Internet search engine, new tab settings). User's are forced to visit hijacker's website and search the Internet using their search engines. |
Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers. |
Damage | Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites. |
Malware Removal (Windows) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Examples of other similar browser hijackers are MomentumLite, MediaNetNow, and Pajosh. They offer various tools or other additional features, but are designed only to generate revenue and collect information about your online behaviour.
Using a browser hijacker such as newtab.co risks computer infection by malicious software, or you might encounter continual pop-up ads or unwanted redirects.
How did newTab.co install on my computer?
newtab.co is available on Chrome Web Store, however, it is possible that it was installed in some other way. Common ways to have your browser hijacked are through intrusive ads or bundled software. Bundling installs browser hijackers together with other software that you downloaded.
These browser hijackers are usually hidden and can be found in settings/options such as "Advanced, "Custom" or other sections. They can also be installed through torrents or email attachments sent from unknown users. It is also possible that you clicked on a "Download" button or pop-up ad, which resulted in your browser being hijacked.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
To keep your browser safe, install any free software with care. Check all available settings (such as "Advanced" and "Custom") and checkboxes, especially those that are ticked by default. Do not jump installation steps when installing software. Avoid downloading software using third party downloaders - use direct links only.
Avoid clicking ads that seem suspicious or buttons such as "Download" when you are on unofficial websites. Finally, keep your antivirus software enabled and ensure that you are using the latest web browser version. If your computer is already infected with newTab.co, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker.
Website promoting newTab.co browser hijacker:
Instant automatic malware removal:
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Quick menu:
- What is newtab.co?
- STEP 1. Uninstall newTab.co application using Control Panel.
- STEP 2. Remove newtab.co redirect from Internet Explorer.
- STEP 3. Remove newTab.co browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove newtab.co homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
- STEP 5. Remove newtab.co redirect from Safari.
- STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.
newTab.co browser hijacker removal:
Windows 11 users:
Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.
Windows 10 users:
Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.
Windows 7 users:
Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.
macOS (OSX) users:
Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.
In the uninstall programs window: look for any recently installed suspicious applications (for example, "newTab.co"), select these entries and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".
After uninstalling the potentially unwanted programs that cause browser redirects to the newtab.co website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.
newTab.co browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:
Video showing how to remove browser redirects:
Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".
Change your homepage:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Internet Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://newtab.co and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you launch Internet Explorer. You can also enter about: blank to open a blank page when you start Internet Explorer.
Change your default search engine:
Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". In the opened window, select "Search Providers", set "Google", "Bing", or any other preferred search engine as your default and then remove "Search".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the newtab.co browser hijacker, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.
Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.
Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.
In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.
Click the Reset button.
Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More tools" and click "Extensions". Locate "newTab.co" and other recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.
Change your homepage:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, disable "newTab.co", look for a browser hijacker URL (hxxp://www.newtab.co) below the “Open a specific or set of pages” option. If present, click the three vertical dots icon and select “Remove”.
Change your default search engine:
To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list, look for "newtab.co", and when located, click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Remove from list".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the newtab.co browser hijacker, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.
After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click on "Extensions" and remove "newTab.co", as well as all other recently installed browser plug-ins.
Change your homepage:
To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://newtab.co and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.
Change your default search engine:
In the URL address bar, type about:config and press Enter.
Click "I'll be careful, I promise!".
In the search filter at the top, type: "newtab.co"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.
Optional method:
Computer users who have problems with newtab.co browser hijacker removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.
Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.
Select Troubleshooting Information.
In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.
In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click Safari menu, then select Preferences...
In the preferences window select the Extensions tab. Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions and uninstall them.
In the preferences window select General tab and make sure that your homepage is set to a preferred URL, if its altered by a browser hijacker - change it.
In the preferences window select Search tab and make sure that your preferred Internet search engine is selected.
Optional method:
Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...
In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.
Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:
Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate any recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons, and remove them.
Change your homepage and new tab settings:
Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section look for the name of the browser hijacker and click "Disable".
Change your default Internet search engine:
To change your default search engine in Microsoft Edge: Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Privacy and services", scroll to bottom of the page and select "Address bar". In the "Search engines used in address bar" section look for the name of the unwanted Internet search engine, when located click the "Disable" button near it. Alternatively you can click on "Manage search engines", in the opened menu look for unwanted Internet search engine. Click on the puzzle icon
near it and select "Disable".
Optional method:
If you continue to have problems with removal of the newtab.co browser hijacker, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.
In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.
Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.
- If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.
Summary:
A browser hijacker is a type of adware infection that modifies Internet browser settings by assigning the homepage and default Internet search engine settings to some other (unwanted) website URL. Commonly, this type of adware infiltrates operating systems through free software downloads. If your download is managed by a download client, ensure that you decline offers to install advertised toolbars or applications that seek to change your homepage and default Internet search engine settings.
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