Remove Toolbars

Many programs will install toolbars that are loaded into your web browser, sometimes without your knowledge. Removing these toolbars can be a nuisance, especially if you have several installed. Follow this guide to learn how to remove toolbars from Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Steps

Internet Explorer

  1. Disable the toolbar in Internet Explorer. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the window. Select Manage Add-ons from the menu. In the Add-on Types menu on the left, select “Toolbars and Extensions”. In the main section of the window, select the toolbar you want to disable. Click the Disable button in the bottom-right corner.
  2. Uninstall the toolbar. Open the Control Panel, either through the Start menu, or by pressing the Windows key + X (Windows 8 only). Under programs choose "Uninstall a Program". In Windows XP, this is called "Add/Remove Program".
    • Find the toolbar in the list of programs. Select it and click the Uninstall/Remove button.
  3. Reset your Internet Explorer browser back to the default state. This step is for if you cannot remove the toolbar from the Windows Control Panel. Open your Internet Explorer browser and click on the gear icon and select “Internet Options” from the menu.[1]
    • Click the "Advanced" tab and click "Reset".
    • A confirmation window will appear asking you if you really want to reset your Internet Explorer settings. Click "Reset".
    • Restart Internet Explorer.

Google Chrome

  1. Try uninstalling the toolbar through the Control Panel. In the Windows Control Panel, open the Programs and Features option.
    • You can access the Control Panel by using the Search feature in Windows. Simply type "control panel" in the search field and select it from the list of results.
    • Scroll through the list of installed programs until you find the toolbar that you want to remove. Highlight it and select Uninstall.
  2. Open the Chrome Customize and Control menu. If you can't remove the toolbar using the Control Panel, you'll have to remove it from Chrome itself. You can access this by clicking the icon with three horizontal bars in the upper-right corner of the Chrome window.
    • Select Settings from the menu that appears, and then select Extensions from the left menu of the Settings window.
  3. Remove the toolbar from Chrome. Scroll down until you find the toolbar that you wish to remove. Click the trashcan icon to the right of the entry. Chrome will ask you to confirm that you really want to delete it. Click Yes.
    • There should be no need to restart Chrome after removing the toolbar from the Extensions menu, you should see the results immediately.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Uninstall the toolbar. Open the Control Panel, either through the Start menu, or by pressing the Windows key + X (Windows 8 only). Under programs choose "Uninstall a Program". In Windows XP, this is called "Add/Remove Program".
    • Find the toolbar in the list of programs. Select it and click the Uninstall/Remove button.
  2. Remove the toolbar from Firefox's Add-ons manager. If you were unable to remove it from Windows Control Panel, you can disable it from within Firefox. Open your Firefox browser and click the Firefox button. Select Add-ons from the menu.[2]
    • Click on Extensions. Select the toolbar you want to remove and then click the Remove button.
    • Restart your Mozilla Firefox browser to ensure that your changes take effect.[3]

Safari

  1. Remove the toolbar from the Safari Extensions manager. Click Safari and then select Preferences. Click on the Extensions tab.
    • Highlight the toolbar that you want to remove and click Uninstall.
    • Restart Safari to make the settings take effect.
  2. Uninstall the toolbar from your system. Open a Finder window and open your Applications folder. Scroll down until you see Toolbars. Open the Toolbars folder.
    • Select the toolbar you want to remove and click Uninstall. The toolbar program will be uninstalled from your system.
  3. Remove any lingering files. If you’ve removed the toolbar but it is still loading when you start Safari, check your computer for any files that remained after uninstallation. Check the following locations for related files. Remove any file that are named the same as the toolbar you are trying to remove:
    • /Library/LaunchAgents/
    • /Library/LaunchDaemons/
    • /Library/StartupItems/
    • /Library/InputManagers/
    • HD/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/
    • HD/Library/Input Methods/
    • HD/Library/InputManagers/
    • HD/Library/ScriptingAdditions



Tips

  • You can temporarily disable toolbars in either Internet Explorer of Mozilla Firefox. If you are using Internet Explorer, click the "Start" button, hover over "All Programs" and then hover over "Accessories." Click "System Tools" and then choose "Internet Explorer (No Add-ons)." Then Start your browser and note the message near the top of the window stating that you are running Internet Explorer in No Add-ons mode. In Mozilla Firefox, open your browser and go to the "Tools" menu. Click on "Accessories" and then click on "Add-ons." Highlight the toolbar you want to disable and choose "Disable."

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd364987.aspx
  2. ↑ http://www.instant-registry-fixes.org/uninstall-toolbar-internet-explorer-and-firefox/
  3. ↑ http://kb.mozillazine.org/Uninstalling_toolbars
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