About AdwCleaner
AdwCleaner is a free Malwarebytes tool aimed at adware, potentially unwanted programs and browser hijackers. You turn to it when a start page changes with no explanation, when pop-ups appear, or when software slipped in during another installation proves hard to remove. That focus sets it within the category of cleaning utilities for Windows. Its strength is to gather the items it spots into a result you can look over before you opt for cleaning.
The program lends itself to a one-off job on a personal computer as much as to a first check while troubleshooting. It does not deliver the ongoing protection of an antivirus, and an empty result is no basis for concluding that the whole system is in good shape. A browser may also show notifications the user accepted themselves, while sluggishness can just as easily come from the disk or the memory. So begin by pinning down the symptom, safeguard your open documents and look through the results. Cleaning may call for closing applications or for a restart. The official file inspected carries version 8.8.1; its exact size is 9,630,992 bytes.
Pin down the problem to tackle
An imposed search engine, a bar grafted onto the browser or ads that come back after you close them all call for a targeted search. AdwCleaner aims precisely at the program families able to cause such behavior. Even so, an installed program has to be told apart from a mere permission granted to a site. Review the browser's extensions and notification permissions as well. Note when the problem shows up and the applications added just before. This context helps make sense of the list of detections and then confirm whether the cleanup really corrected the observed behavior, instead of relying on the count of items alone.
Go over the results before cleaning
The scan draws up a list of items that need your attention. Take the time to read their names and locations, above all on a shared machine or one managed by an organization. A potentially unwanted application is not necessarily a file you recognize at once as malicious. If an entry points to a tool you installed on purpose, confirm its role before you approve the proposed action. You can keep the report to set the results against a later scan or hand it to the person in charge of troubleshooting. The context of a detection tells you far more than a total shown at the end of the analysis.
Set up a brief intervention
Save your documents and wind up tasks that must not be cut short before you launch the cleanup. A change to the browser or to components shared by several programs may require them to be closed. Keep within reach, too, whatever you need to find your accounts again if a sign-in has to be checked after the restart. Preferably work on one clear symptom: an imposed page, an unknown extension or identified adware. Once the intervention is over, repeat the same actions in the browser. This check tells you whether the behavior has gone or whether another cause still warrants examination.
Gauge the reach of this tool
Malwarebytes sets AdwCleaner apart from its wider protection products. The tool is aimed at adware, potentially unwanted programs and browser hijackers. You should not, therefore, expect from it continuous monitoring, full protection against ransomware or a general repair of Windows. A hardware fault, a misconfigured browser and an advertising program can yield close symptoms. If the problem lingers, lean on the items in the report to carry the diagnosis further. Avoid stacking cleanups without knowing what is being removed: it muddies the comparison of results and can wipe out information useful for troubleshooting.
Pick complementary tools from the catalog
BleachBit and CCleaner Free are chiefly for cleaning temporary files and traces of use. They are not direct equivalents of the adware search presented here. Everything serves to locate files by their name, which can help place a document without ruling on whether its content is unwanted. Mozilla Firefox lets you revisit the browser's settings and manage extensions after an intervention. So choose the tool against the question at hand. Freeing up space, finding a file and correcting a hijacked navigation remain separate operations, even when they arise on the same computer.
Hold on to a record of the result
Troubleshooting is easier to follow when you keep the date of the scan, the starting symptom and the matching report. State as well whether a cleanup was applied and whether a restart followed. If several people use the PC, ask each one to check the behavior that affected them. An immediate improvement does not prove the cause will never return, all the more if an extension or an installer brings the same program back. The report helps recognize a recurrence and steer the search toward its origin. File this information in a record accessible to the person responsible for the workstation.
Key features
- Targeted search for adware on the PC
- Spotting potentially unwanted programs already in place
- Detecting hijacks that affect the browser
- Reviewing the results before running the cleanup
- Handy reports for keeping track of troubleshooting
- One-off use, with no protection subscription
System requirements
Windows: compatible versions, architecture, memory and disk space not specified in the source consulted.
How to install
- Download the AdwCleaner file from the official Malwarebytes page.
- Open the downloaded file and accept the rights request if it appears.
- Accept the terms presented, then run a scan.
- Review the results before confirming the cleanup and any requested reboot.
