You’ve helped push Chrome hijacking to be the No. 1 user complaint on Google’s list if you were affected by browser hijacking and checked out how to reset your settings through the company’s product forums. But no need to break a sweat, we’ll tell you how. But do you know how to first find out if your browser is being controlled by a bug injected by online hackers?
How do I know if my browser has been hijacked?
Your browser may start behaving differently. It might keep taking you to web pages you didn’t open. You may see pop-ups or links to advertisements when you know you’re visiting a website that doesn’t features such promotions. Error messages may show up and sites you check out frequently may refuse to load. Try to open these links in IE or Firefox to be sure they’re not actually down.
Sometimes, Chrome may simply not open even after you’ve clicked on the icon on your desktop numerous times. It could keep crashing. It may not start up in your language of choice, but be in another tongue altogether. Buttons on the browser may not be visible at all. In other words, watch out for unusual behavior when you attempt to use it.
Chrome has been hijacked, how to reset it?
Google has a solution for you in such cases. A message (picture posted above) saying that your browser settings may been changed without your knowledge will present you with Reset or No Thanks options. Meaning Chrome has been fine-tuned to automatically detect if you browser has been hijacked. If you don’t get such a prompt but still think you need to restore your settings, then:
– Open Chrome and go to ‘Settings’ from the drop-down menu
– Click on the last option, ‘Show advanced settings’
– ‘Reset browser settings’ is at the bottom, click this
Easy, no? Any extensions added to Chrome will be deactivated after a reset. They can be reactivated by hitting More tools > Extensions. If the problem still persists, then here’s where you should be heading.
