How to Get Bing Off Your Computer
Use this method to get rid of Bing pop-ups., Open the Run window., Type .appwiz.cpl and press ↵ Enter., Look for programs and toolbars you don't recognize., Select a program you want to remove and click the "Uninstall" button., Click the Chrome menu...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use this method to get rid of Bing pop-ups.
If Bing keeps popping up and won't go away, there's a good chance that you've accidentally installed a toolbar that keeps enabling it.
Bing is used as the search engine for many different adware toolbars, and if you can't change your search engine or homepage, these are the likely culprit. , There are a couple of ways that you can do this, depending on your version of Windows:
Any version
- Press ⊞ Win+R.
Windows 10 and
8.1
- Right-click on the Windows button and select "Run." Windows 7 and earlier
- Open the Start menu and select "Run."
This will open the Programs and Features window, which will list all of your installed programs., Look for suspicious programs in the list, and sort the list by installation date to find recently-installed software (useful if the problem has just started).
Pay close attention for the following programs, as these are known to include Bing:
Search Module Search Protection SearchProtect Search Project Bing.Vc Bing Protect Conduit Bing Bar , Follow the prompts to remove the program.
Repeat this for each suspicious program that you want to remove. , The first step to getting rid of Bing is resetting your default search engine.
You can do this from the Settings menu.
If you don't use Chrome, skip down to the next section. , You'll see your current default browser and the "Manage search engines" button., Use the drop-down menu to select something other than Bing.
If Bing is not selected here, continue with this method., This will open a list of extensions installed in Chrome., Chrome doesn't need any extensions to run, so if you see anything you don't recognize in the list, it's safe to disable it.
Look for extensions like "Search with Bing" or "Conduit." Uncheck the "Enabled" box to disable an extension, or click the Trashcan button to completely uninstall it. , This utility will scan for and remove programs that may be changing your search engine or start page to Bing.
You can download the tool from Google at google.com/chrome/cleanup-tool.
When you run the utility after downloading, it will automatically begin scanning your computer for malicious programs.
Follow any prompts that appear to remove files that may be found. , This will open a new window.
If you don't see the Tools menu, press Alt to make it appear. , This will open a list of installed search engines., Note that if Bing is the only provider in the list, you'll need to add another provider first.
Click the "Find more search providers" link in the bottom-left corner and add another search engine like Google., This will remove Bing from your search list.
You won't be able to do this if Bing is the only search engine on the list. , If you don't remember adding a search engine that's on the list, remove it now so that it doesn't accidentally pop up., This will display all of the extensions installed in Internet Explorer., Select any extension that you don't remember installing or that is made by a publisher you don't recognize.
If you aren't sure what an extension is for, perform a web search for it.
Look for extensions published by Conduit.
These are the most likely culprits for a Bing toolbar that won't go away. , This will turn the extension off so that it is no longer active.
Repeat this for each extension you want to remove., Once you've disabled all of the extensions you want to remove and have changed your default search engine, restart Internet Explorer., This will open a new tab with the Firefox options.
If you don't use Firefox, skip down to the next section. , This will open your Firefox search settings., Click the "Default Search Engine" menu and select something other than Bing from the list., This will open a the Firefox add-on manager in a new tab., A list of your installed extensions will be displayed., Find extensions in the list that you don't recognize and click the "Remove" button to get rid of them.
Firefox doesn't need any extensions to run, so you can safely remove anything on the list., This will open a new window with your Safari options. , You'll have a few options, including Google and Yahoo!. , This will display a list of extensions that are currently installed., Repeat this for any extensions that you don't know.
If you don't know what an extension does, you can perform a web search for it., If you're using Windows 10, Cortana will automatically get Bing results when you search Windows.
You can disable this if you'd like.
If you're using Windows 8 or
8.1, see the next step.
Click the Cortana button or field in your taskbar.
If you don't see it, press ⊞ Win and start typing something to open the Search pop-up.
Click the Gear button on the left side of the Search window.
Toggle "Search online and include web results" off.
This will disable Bing search results in your Windows searches. , If you're using Windows 8 or
8.1, Bing results are automatically included in any Windows search.
If you'd rather not see Bing search results, you can disable this.
Open the Charms bar.
You can do this by placing your mouse cursor in the upper-right corner of the screen, pressing ⊞ Win+C, or by swiping in from the right side of the screen.
Click "Settings." This will expand the sidebar.
Click "Change PC settings." You'll find this at the bottom of the sidebar.
Select "Search & apps." Toggle "Get search suggestions and web results from Bing" off.
This will disable Bing in Windows Search. , This will display recent websites, and you'll see icons at the bottom of the list for the different search engines you have installed., If you have other search engine options available, you can click the icon to select it.
Holding your cursor over the icon will tell you which search engine it is for.
If Bing is the only available search engine, keep reading., This will open a new tab in Internet Explorer, where you'll be able to find and install new search engines.
You'll need at least one alternate search engine in order to switch from Bing to something else., There are only a few options available for Internet Explorer, including Google, Yahoo!, and YouTube.
If you want to add a different search engine than the ones listed here, you'll need to find a link to do so.
For example, to add DuckDuckGo, you'll need to visit duck.co/help/desktop/internet-explorer# and click the link at the top of the instructions to add it. , This will confirm that you want to add the search engine., You can find this by clicking the Gear button or the Tools menu.
IF you don't see either, press Alt and then click "Tools." Select "Manage add-ons" from the menu., This will display all of your installed search providers., This will remove Bing from the list., This will make the new search engine your default search engine.
Any searches you make will be made through this search engine unless you select a different one from the address bar., You'll need to have visited the search engine in Edge before you can set it as a default.
For example, to switch to Google as your default search engine, you'll need to visit google.com in Edge first., This will open the Microsoft Edge menu in the sidebar., You may need to scroll down to find it., This will allow you to change your default search engine., If you don't see your search engine listed, you may not have visited it in Edge yet., This will make the selected search engine your new default search engine for Microsoft Edge.
Note:
You cannot remove Bing from this list, even if you select a different search engine.
Bing is integrated into Edge.
If you don't want to use it, just select a different default search engine and you won't see Bing results anymore. , If Bing will not go away, even after removing all of your browser extensions and resetting your default search engine, you likely have some adware installed that is making it stick.
With the help of programs like AdwCleaner, you can find and remove these intrusive programs.You can download AdwCleaner for free from toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/. , When you run AdwCleaner, it will download a few additional files.
It will not actually install itself on your computer.
You may be prompted by Windows to run the file.
You can safely allow AdwCleaner to open. , This will begin scanning your computer for adware.
The scan will likely take about 15-20 minutes to complete., This will remove all of the malicious files found by AdwCleaner.
You may find that some of your browser settings are reset after performing this scan. , This is another free program that can find things that AdwCleaner missed.
You can download the free version from malwarebytes.org.
After downloading the installer, run it to install Anti-Malware on your computer.
You don't need a product key to install the free version for home use. , You'll likely be prompted to download the latest updates, which is highly recommended.
This should only take a few moments., Anti-Malware will begin looking for adware files on your computer.
This scan usually takes a little longer than the AdwCleaner scan., This will quarantine any files that Anti-Malware finds during the scan., Sometimes adware will change your browser shortcuts so that they always open a specific website.
You can use a free shortcut cleaner tool to scrub your browser shortcuts all at once.
Download the tool from bleepingcomputer.com/download/shortcut-cleaner/.
Run sc-cleaner.exe after downloading it.
The program will automatically repair any infected shortcuts, which will only take a moment.
Check the sc-cleaner.txt file on your desktop to see which shortcuts were repaired. -
Step 2: Open the Run window.
-
Step 3: Type .appwiz.cpl and press ↵ Enter.
-
Step 4: Look for programs and toolbars you don't recognize.
-
Step 5: Select a program you want to remove and click the "Uninstall" button.
-
Step 6: Click the Chrome menu button (☰) and select Settings.
-
Step 7: Find the "Search" section of the Settings menu.
-
Step 8: Select a different search engine from the menu.
-
Step 9: Click the "Extensions" tab on the left side of the Settings page.
-
Step 10: Disable any extension that says "Bing" or that you don't recognize.
-
Step 11: Download and run the Chrome Cleanup Tool.
-
Step 12: Click the Tools menu or Gear button and select "Manage add-ons."
-
Step 13: Select "Search Providers" in the left menu.
-
Step 14: Select "Bing" in the list of search providers.
-
Step 15: Click the "Remove" button.
-
Step 16: Remove any other search engines you don't recognize.
-
Step 17: Select the "Toolbars and Extensions" option in the left menu.
-
Step 18: Select extensions that say "Bing" or that you don't recognize.
-
Step 19: Click the "Disable" button after selecting an extension.
-
Step 20: Restart Internet Explorer after disabling extensions.
-
Step 21: Click the Firefox menu button (☰) and select "Options."
-
Step 22: Click the "Search" tab in the left menu.
-
Step 23: Select a different search engine as your default.
-
Step 24: Click the Firefox menu button (☰) and select "Add-ons."
-
Step 25: Click the "Extensions" option in the left menu.
-
Step 26: Click "Remove" next to each suspicious extension.
-
Step 27: Click the Safari or Edit menu and select "Preferences."
-
Step 28: Click the "Default search engine" menu and select something other than Bing.
-
Step 29: Click the "Extensions" tab at the top of the window.
-
Step 30: Select extensions you don't recognize and click "Uninstall."
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Step 31: Remove Bing from Windows Search in Windows 10.
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Step 32: Remove Bing from Windows Search in Windows 8 and 8.1.
-
Step 33: Click the Magnifying Glass button in the address bar.
-
Step 34: Select a different search engine at the bottom (if available).
-
Step 35: Click the "Add" button to find new search engines.
-
Step 36: Click the "Add" button next to the search engine you want to add.
-
Step 37: Click "Add" in the window that appears.
-
Step 38: Open the "Manage add-ons" window from the Tools menu.
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Step 39: Click the "Search Providers" tab in the left menu.
-
Step 40: Select "Bing" and click Remove."
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Step 41: Select the search provider you want to use as the default and click "Set as default."
-
Step 42: Visit the search engine that you want to add.
-
Step 43: Click the "..." button and select "Settings."
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Step 44: Click "View advanced settings."
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Step 45: Click the "Change" button underneath "Search in the address bar with."
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Step 46: Select the search engine you want to set as the default.
-
Step 47: Click "Set as default."
-
Step 48: Download AdwCleaner.
-
Step 49: Run AdwCleaner and download the additional files.
-
Step 50: Click "Scan" once AdwCleaner loads.
-
Step 51: Click "Clean" once the scan is complete.
-
Step 52: Download and install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
-
Step 53: Launch Anti-Malware after installing.
-
Step 54: Click "Scan Now" to begin scanning your system.
-
Step 55: Click "Remove Selected" after the scan is complete.
-
Step 56: Download and run a shortcut cleaner utility.
Detailed Guide
If Bing keeps popping up and won't go away, there's a good chance that you've accidentally installed a toolbar that keeps enabling it.
Bing is used as the search engine for many different adware toolbars, and if you can't change your search engine or homepage, these are the likely culprit. , There are a couple of ways that you can do this, depending on your version of Windows:
Any version
- Press ⊞ Win+R.
Windows 10 and
8.1
- Right-click on the Windows button and select "Run." Windows 7 and earlier
- Open the Start menu and select "Run."
This will open the Programs and Features window, which will list all of your installed programs., Look for suspicious programs in the list, and sort the list by installation date to find recently-installed software (useful if the problem has just started).
Pay close attention for the following programs, as these are known to include Bing:
Search Module Search Protection SearchProtect Search Project Bing.Vc Bing Protect Conduit Bing Bar , Follow the prompts to remove the program.
Repeat this for each suspicious program that you want to remove. , The first step to getting rid of Bing is resetting your default search engine.
You can do this from the Settings menu.
If you don't use Chrome, skip down to the next section. , You'll see your current default browser and the "Manage search engines" button., Use the drop-down menu to select something other than Bing.
If Bing is not selected here, continue with this method., This will open a list of extensions installed in Chrome., Chrome doesn't need any extensions to run, so if you see anything you don't recognize in the list, it's safe to disable it.
Look for extensions like "Search with Bing" or "Conduit." Uncheck the "Enabled" box to disable an extension, or click the Trashcan button to completely uninstall it. , This utility will scan for and remove programs that may be changing your search engine or start page to Bing.
You can download the tool from Google at google.com/chrome/cleanup-tool.
When you run the utility after downloading, it will automatically begin scanning your computer for malicious programs.
Follow any prompts that appear to remove files that may be found. , This will open a new window.
If you don't see the Tools menu, press Alt to make it appear. , This will open a list of installed search engines., Note that if Bing is the only provider in the list, you'll need to add another provider first.
Click the "Find more search providers" link in the bottom-left corner and add another search engine like Google., This will remove Bing from your search list.
You won't be able to do this if Bing is the only search engine on the list. , If you don't remember adding a search engine that's on the list, remove it now so that it doesn't accidentally pop up., This will display all of the extensions installed in Internet Explorer., Select any extension that you don't remember installing or that is made by a publisher you don't recognize.
If you aren't sure what an extension is for, perform a web search for it.
Look for extensions published by Conduit.
These are the most likely culprits for a Bing toolbar that won't go away. , This will turn the extension off so that it is no longer active.
Repeat this for each extension you want to remove., Once you've disabled all of the extensions you want to remove and have changed your default search engine, restart Internet Explorer., This will open a new tab with the Firefox options.
If you don't use Firefox, skip down to the next section. , This will open your Firefox search settings., Click the "Default Search Engine" menu and select something other than Bing from the list., This will open a the Firefox add-on manager in a new tab., A list of your installed extensions will be displayed., Find extensions in the list that you don't recognize and click the "Remove" button to get rid of them.
Firefox doesn't need any extensions to run, so you can safely remove anything on the list., This will open a new window with your Safari options. , You'll have a few options, including Google and Yahoo!. , This will display a list of extensions that are currently installed., Repeat this for any extensions that you don't know.
If you don't know what an extension does, you can perform a web search for it., If you're using Windows 10, Cortana will automatically get Bing results when you search Windows.
You can disable this if you'd like.
If you're using Windows 8 or
8.1, see the next step.
Click the Cortana button or field in your taskbar.
If you don't see it, press ⊞ Win and start typing something to open the Search pop-up.
Click the Gear button on the left side of the Search window.
Toggle "Search online and include web results" off.
This will disable Bing search results in your Windows searches. , If you're using Windows 8 or
8.1, Bing results are automatically included in any Windows search.
If you'd rather not see Bing search results, you can disable this.
Open the Charms bar.
You can do this by placing your mouse cursor in the upper-right corner of the screen, pressing ⊞ Win+C, or by swiping in from the right side of the screen.
Click "Settings." This will expand the sidebar.
Click "Change PC settings." You'll find this at the bottom of the sidebar.
Select "Search & apps." Toggle "Get search suggestions and web results from Bing" off.
This will disable Bing in Windows Search. , This will display recent websites, and you'll see icons at the bottom of the list for the different search engines you have installed., If you have other search engine options available, you can click the icon to select it.
Holding your cursor over the icon will tell you which search engine it is for.
If Bing is the only available search engine, keep reading., This will open a new tab in Internet Explorer, where you'll be able to find and install new search engines.
You'll need at least one alternate search engine in order to switch from Bing to something else., There are only a few options available for Internet Explorer, including Google, Yahoo!, and YouTube.
If you want to add a different search engine than the ones listed here, you'll need to find a link to do so.
For example, to add DuckDuckGo, you'll need to visit duck.co/help/desktop/internet-explorer# and click the link at the top of the instructions to add it. , This will confirm that you want to add the search engine., You can find this by clicking the Gear button or the Tools menu.
IF you don't see either, press Alt and then click "Tools." Select "Manage add-ons" from the menu., This will display all of your installed search providers., This will remove Bing from the list., This will make the new search engine your default search engine.
Any searches you make will be made through this search engine unless you select a different one from the address bar., You'll need to have visited the search engine in Edge before you can set it as a default.
For example, to switch to Google as your default search engine, you'll need to visit google.com in Edge first., This will open the Microsoft Edge menu in the sidebar., You may need to scroll down to find it., This will allow you to change your default search engine., If you don't see your search engine listed, you may not have visited it in Edge yet., This will make the selected search engine your new default search engine for Microsoft Edge.
Note:
You cannot remove Bing from this list, even if you select a different search engine.
Bing is integrated into Edge.
If you don't want to use it, just select a different default search engine and you won't see Bing results anymore. , If Bing will not go away, even after removing all of your browser extensions and resetting your default search engine, you likely have some adware installed that is making it stick.
With the help of programs like AdwCleaner, you can find and remove these intrusive programs.You can download AdwCleaner for free from toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/. , When you run AdwCleaner, it will download a few additional files.
It will not actually install itself on your computer.
You may be prompted by Windows to run the file.
You can safely allow AdwCleaner to open. , This will begin scanning your computer for adware.
The scan will likely take about 15-20 minutes to complete., This will remove all of the malicious files found by AdwCleaner.
You may find that some of your browser settings are reset after performing this scan. , This is another free program that can find things that AdwCleaner missed.
You can download the free version from malwarebytes.org.
After downloading the installer, run it to install Anti-Malware on your computer.
You don't need a product key to install the free version for home use. , You'll likely be prompted to download the latest updates, which is highly recommended.
This should only take a few moments., Anti-Malware will begin looking for adware files on your computer.
This scan usually takes a little longer than the AdwCleaner scan., This will quarantine any files that Anti-Malware finds during the scan., Sometimes adware will change your browser shortcuts so that they always open a specific website.
You can use a free shortcut cleaner tool to scrub your browser shortcuts all at once.
Download the tool from bleepingcomputer.com/download/shortcut-cleaner/.
Run sc-cleaner.exe after downloading it.
The program will automatically repair any infected shortcuts, which will only take a moment.
Check the sc-cleaner.txt file on your desktop to see which shortcuts were repaired.
About the Author
Carol Patel
Creates helpful guides on hobbies to inspire and educate readers.
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