Remove unwanted ads, pop-ups and malware

If you're seeing some of these problems with Chrome, you might have unwanted software or malware installed on your computer:

• Pop-up ads and new tabs that won't go away
• Your Chrome homepage or search engine keeps changing without your permission
• Unwanted Chrome extensions or toolbars keep coming back
• Your browsing is hijacked and redirects to unfamiliar pages or ads
• Alerts about a virus or an infected device

In the future, avoid unwanted software by only downloading files or visiting sites that you know are secure.

Learn how to block or allow pop-ups in Chrome.

Change your default ads permissions

To prevent sites from showing you intrusive or misleading ads by changing your settings.

1. Open Chrome .
2. At the top right, click More   Settings.
3. Click Privacy and security  Site settings.
4. Click Additional content settings  Ads.
5. Select the option that you want as your default setting.

Remove unwanted programs on your Mac

Before you reset your browser settings on your Mac, check your computer for unwanted programs.

Manually remove malicious programs on your Mac

You can remove malware and other programs on your computer that you don't remember installing.

1. Open Finder.
2. At the left, click Applications.
3. Look for any programs that you don't recognise.
4. Right-click the name of any unwanted programs.
5. Click Move to Bin.
6. When you've finished, at the bottom, right-click Bin.
7. Click Empty Bin.

To find out more about what data is collected and how it's used, check the Google Chrome privacy white paper.

Reset your browser settings

1. On your computer, open Chrome.
2. At the top right, select More Settings.
3. Select Reset settings Restore settings to their original defaults Reset settings.

If you reset your browser settings, you might need to turn some extensions back on. To turn extensions on, at the top right, click More More tools Extensions. Only turn on extensions that you trust.

If the steps above don't work, visit the Chrome Help forum.

More info about malware

How to spot malware (video, 1:42)

Three tips for spotting malware (1:42)

Learn what to look for when you have malware on your computer and how to stay safe online.

How to avoid malware in the future

• Watch out for things that look too good to be true. Winning a contest or getting expensive copyrighted content at no charge is sometimes a trick to get you to download malware.
• If you haven't recently run a virus scanner, be wary of warnings about viruses or infected devices. The site might be trying to scare you into downloading unwanted software.
• Only download files or visit sites that you know are secure. Learn more about healthy browsing.
• Use Safe Browsing in Chrome and set your protection level to Enhanced protection.

If a pop-up about updating or downloading a program looks suspicious, don't click on it. Instead, go to the program's official website to download it.

To identify unwanted software that's been installed and remove it, run a safety check:

1. In your address bar, enter chrome://settings/safetyCheck.
2. Select Check now.