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TranslationBuddy Toolbar

Also Known As: TranslationBuddy browser hijacker
Damage level: Medium

What is TranslationBuddy?

TranslationBuddy is a browser toolbar that supposedly provides users with text-translation functionality. Although this functionality may seem legitimate, be aware, TranslationBuddy is classed as a potentially unwanted browser-hijacking program (PUP).

One of the main reasons for this negative association is stealth infiltration - TranslationBuddy usually installs without users' permission. Following successful infiltration, TranslationBuddy modifies web browser settings and tracks users' web browsing activity.

TranslationBuddy browser hijacker

After successfully hijacking web browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox), TranslationBuddy assigns their settings (default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL) to home.tb.ask.com. Note that users are unable to revert these changes, since TranslationBuddy automatically reassigns them to home.tb.ask.com.

This significantly diminishes users' web browsing experience, as they are continually redirected to the aforementioned site without their consent. Another downside of TranslationBuddy is information tracking. This PUP records various information such as IP addresses, search queries, websites visited, and so on.

Some of this collected data might be personally identifiable and shared with third parties who misuse private data to generate revenue. This can lead to serious privacy issues and, therefore, you are strongly advised to uninstall TranslationBuddy PUP immediately.

TranslationBuddy is identical to EasyPDFCombine, DictionaryBoss, Internet Speed Tracker, and many other deceptive browser toolbars. Although these extensions offer different functionality, all have identical behavior. False claims to improve the web browsing experience are merely attempts to trick users to install.

TranslationBuddy, and these other add-ons, are designed only to generate revenue for the developers and simply cause unwanted browser redirects and track users' web browsing activity.

How did TranslationBuddy install on my computer?

Research shows that, although TranslationBuddy has an official download website, many users install this PUP inadvertently. This is because they do not pay enough attention during the download and installation processes and skip most/all steps. Aware of this, developers hide bogus programs within the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' settings.

Thus, users who rush these procedures, often install potentially unwanted programs such as TranslationBuddy inadvertently.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Installation of PUPs is usually hidden and, therefore, you should never rush the download or installation processes. Closely analyze each step and decline all bundled software listed for download/installation.

TranslationBuddy browser hijacker installer set-up:

Official TranslationBuddy browser hijacker installation setup

Website promoting TranslationBuddy browser hijacker:

TranslationBuddy browser hijacker promoting website

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Quick menu:

TranslationBuddy browser hijacker removal:

Windows 11 users:

Accessing Apps and Features in Windows 11

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:

Accessing Programs and Features (uninstall) in Windows 8

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:

Accessing Programs and Features (uninstall) in Windows 7

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:

Uninstall app in OSX (Mac)

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.

TranslationBuddy browser hijacker uninstall via Control Panel

In the uninstall programs window: look for “TranslationBuddy Internet Explorer Toolbar”, select this entry and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted programs that cause browser redirects to the TranslationBuddy website, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

TranslationBuddy browser hijacker removal from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove browser redirects:

Internet Explorer logoRemove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Removing TranslationBuddy related Internet Explorer extensions

Click the "gear" icon Internet Explorer options icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for "TranslationBuddy", and "Toolbar BHO" select these entries and click "Remove".

Change your homepage:

Removing TranslationBuddy from Internet Explorer homepage

Click the "gear" icon Internet Explorer options icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Internet Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://home.tb.ask.com 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:

Removing TranslationBuddy from Internet Explorer default search engine

Click the "gear" icon Internet Explorer options 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 "Ask Web Search".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the translationbuddy 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.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows XP

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.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 7

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

Reseting Internet Explorer settings to default in Windows 8 - accessing

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 8 - Internet options advanced tab

Click the Reset button.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 8 - click the Reset button in the Internet options advanced tab

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Resetting Internet Explorer settings to default on Windows 8 - confirm settings reset to default by clicking the reset button

Google Chrome logoRemove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Removing TranslationBuddy related Google Chrome extensions

Click the Chrome menu icon Google Chrome options icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate "TranslationBuddy", select this entry and click the trash can icon.

Change your homepage:

Removing TranslationBuddy from Google Chrome homepage

Click the Chrome menu icon Google Chrome options icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, click "set pages", hover your mouse over hxxp://home.tb.ask.com and click the x symbol. Now, you can add your preferred website as your homepage.

Change your default search engine:

Removing TranslationBuddy from Google Chrome default search engine

To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon Google Chrome options icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search" section, click "Manage Search Engines...", remove "Ask Search" and add or select your preferred domain.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the translationbuddy browser hijacker, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon Google 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.

Google Chrome settings reset step 1

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

Google Chrome settings reset step 2

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Google Chrome settings reset step 3

Mozilla Firefox logoRemove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Removing TranslationBuddy related Mozilla Firefox extensions

Click the Firefox menu firefox menu icon (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions" and remove "TranslationBuddy".

Change your homepage:

Removing TranslationBuddy from Mozilla Firefox homepage

To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu firefox menu icon (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Options", in the opened window, remove hxxp://home.tb.ask.com and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.

Change your default search engine:

Removing TranslationBuddy from Mozilla Firefox 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: "ask.com"
Right-click on the found preferences and select "Reset" to restore default values.

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with translationbuddy 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, firefox menu icon in the opened menu, click Help.

Accessing settings (Reset Firefox to default settings step 1)

Select Troubleshooting Information.

Accessing Troubleshooting Information (Reset Firefox to default settings step 2)

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

Clicking on Refresh Firefox button (Reset Firefox to default settings step 3)

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Confirm your want to reset Firefox settings to default (Reset Firefox to default settings step 4)

safari browser logoRemove malicious extensions from Safari:

Removing browser hijackers from safari step 1 - accessing preferences

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click Safari menu, then select Preferences...

removing browser hijacker from safari step 2 - removing extensions

In the preferences window select the Extensions tab. Look for any recently installed suspicious extensions and uninstall them.

Removing browser hijackers from safari step 3 - changing homepage

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.

removing browser hijackers from safari step 4 - changing the default Internet search engine

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...

resetting safari step 1

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

resetting safari step 2

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) logoRemove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Removing browser hijackers from Microsoft Edge step 1

Click the Edge menu icon Microsoft Edge (chromium) 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:

Removing browser hijackers from Microsoft Edge step 2

Click the Edge menu icon Microsoft Edge (chromium) 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:

Removing browser hijackers from Microsoft Edge step 3

To change your default search engine in Microsoft Edge: Click the Edge menu icon Microsoft Edge (chromium) 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 Microsoft Edge (Chromium) puzzle icon near it and select "Disable".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the translationbuddy browser hijacker, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon Microsoft Edge (chromium) menu icon (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) reset step 1

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) reset step 2

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.

Microsoft Edge (Chromium) reset step 3

  • If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

declining installation of browser hijackers while downloading free software sampleA 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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About the author:

Tomas Meskauskas

Tomas Meskauskas - expert security researcher, professional malware analyst.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of over 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an author and editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed about the latest online security threats. Contact Tomas Meskauskas.

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Software uninstall instructions
Malware activity

Global malware activity level today:

Medium threat activity

Increased attack rate of infections detected within the last 24 hours.

QR Code
TranslationBuddy browser hijacker QR code
Scan this QR code to have an easy access removal guide of TranslationBuddy browser hijacker on your mobile device.
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