What is MegaGuard
MegaGuard is classified as adware, a type of malware that bombards users with unwanted advertisements. Despite being marketed as a security tool designed to prevent access to suspicious websites, MegaGuard’s true nature is far from benign. It operates as a browser extension, integrating itself into web browsers to display intrusive advertisements and track users’ online activities. MegaGuard is known to infect major web browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari. It integrates itself as an extension in these browsers, enabling it to display ads and track user activity across the internet.MegaGuard’s operations extend beyond mere ad display. It engages in spying on users’ browsing activities, collecting sensitive data such as visited URLs, search queries, and personal information. This data can be sold to third parties or used for nefarious purposes, posing significant privacy and security risks. The advertisements displayed by MegaGuard are not only intrusive but can also be dangerous. They may endorse online scams, untrustworthy software, and even malware. Clicking on these ads could lead to further infections or financial losses. Moreover, the presence of MegaGuard on a device can lead to decreased computer performance, browser tracking issues, and the potential for additional malware infections. Its supposed functionality of preventing access to suspicious sites is overshadowed by the myriad of risks it introduces.
How MegaGuard infects computers
MegaGuard primarily infects computers through deceptive distribution methods. One common tactic is bundling, where MegaGuard is packaged with free software installers. Unsuspecting users download and install the free software, inadvertently installing MegaGuard in the process. Additionally, deceptive pop-up ads may prompt users to install the extension under the guise of enhancing their browsing security.
- Download MegaGuard Removal Tool
- Remove MegaGuard from Control Panel and Applications
- Remove MegaGuard extensions from browsers
- Reset browser search and homepage settings
- Alternative way to remove MegaGuard search redirects
- Clean browser shortcuts from MegaGuard
- How to protect from threats like MegaGuard
Download Removal Tool for Windows
To remove MegaGuard completely, we recommend you to use WiperSoft Antispyware. It detects and removes all files, folders, and registry keys of MegaGuard and several millions of other adware, hijackers, toolbars. WiperSoft Antispyware offers free scan and 7-days limited trial.
Download Removal Tool for Mac
To remove MegaGuard completely, we recommend you to use Combo Cleaner for Mac. It can help you remove files, folders, and registry keys of MegaGuard and uninstall hijackers, toolbars, and unwanted add-ons from the Safari browser. Combo Cleaner for Mac offers free scan and 7-days limited trial.
Remove MegaGuard manually for free
Here is a manual step-by-step tutorial for full MegaGuard removal from your computer. This works 99% and was checked with the latest versions of the MegaGuard an installer on operating systems with the latest updates and browser versions.
Note: MegaGuard can be installed as Google Chrome extension as Administrator (you may see Installed by enterprise policy or Your browser is managed by your organization inscription near it), and this will not allow removal. Therefore, before starting removal process, perform these actions:
- Start the Command Prompt by clicking the Start menu button and typing command prompt (or just searching for “command prompt” in Windows 10 search field). Right click on the Command Prompt result and choose Run as Administrator.
- Type in and execute the following commands:
rd /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers"
rd /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy"
gpupdate /force
Remove MegaGuard from Control Panel or Applications
To start removing MegaGuard you should uninstall it using Control Panel. It can be present by different names – “MegaGuard”. It should uninstall correctly, however, we recommend you to use IObit Uninstaller to clean leftover items after uninstalling. Here are instructions for Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, or Mac.
Remove MegaGuard from Windows XP:
- Click on Start button.
- Choose Control Panel.
- Click Add or Remove Programs.
- Find MegaGuard-related or other suspicious program.
- Click Uninstall.
Remove MegaGuard from Windows 7:
- Click Start button.
- Then go to Control Panel.
- Click Uninstall a Program.
- Find MegaGuard-related or other suspicious program and click Uninstall.
Remove MegaGuard from Windows 8:
- Hover mouse pointer to the bottom-right corner to see Menu.
- Click Search.
- After that click Apps.
- Then Control Panel.
- Click Uninstall a Program under Programs.
- Find MegaGuard-related or other suspicious program, click Uninstall.
Remove MegaGuard from Windows 10:
There are 2 ways to uninstall MegaGuard from Windows 10
Way one
- Click on the Start button.
- In opened menu choose Settings.
- Click on the System tile.
- Click Apps & features and locate MegaGuard-related or other suspicious program in the list.
- Click on it and then click Uninstall button near it.
Way two (classic)
- Right-click on the Start button.
- In opened menu choose Programs and Features.
- Locate MegaGuard-related or other suspicious program in the list.
- Click on it and then click Uninstall button above.
Remove MegaGuard from Windows 11:
- Right-click on the Start button.
- In opened menu choose Settings.
- Click on the Apps tab on the left side.
- Click Apps & features and locate MegaGuard-related or other recently installed suspicious program in the list.
- Click on 3-dots icon near it and then click Uninstall button near it.
- Depending on the type of application (Windows Store app or classic Win32 app) it will be removed immediately or you will need to confirm the action and go through standard uninstall procedure.
- In the Finder sidebar, click Applications.
- MegaGuard might have an Uninstaller.
- Otherwise, drag MegaGuard from the Applications folder to the Trash (located at the end of the Dock).
- Then choose Finder > Empty Trash.
- Reboot your computer.
- While it starts booting press F8 button.
- This will open Advanced Boot Options menu.
- Choose Safe Mode and wait until Windows loads.
- Go to Control Panel > Uninstall a program and remove MegaGuard or other suspicious program
- Download free AppCleaner.
- Drag MegaGuard from Applications folder to AppCleaner window.
- Choose files and folders you want to remove along with MegaGuard.
- Click Delete button.
- Start Google Chrome browser
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
chrome://extensions
. - Find MegaGuard extension.
- Click the Remove button to remove them.
- Also remove other suspicious extensions from the list.
- Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
about:addons
. - Find MegaGuard extension.
- Click three-dots icon near it and choose Remove in the menu.
- In opened dialog window click Remove button to confirm the action.
- Remove all suspicious extensions from the list.
- Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
- Click Extensions tab.
- Find MegaGuard extension.
- Click Uninstall button to remove it.
- Start Microsoft Edge browser.
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
edge://extensions
. - Find MegaGuard extension.
- Click Remove link under the name of extension.
- In opened dialog window click Remove button to confirm the action.
- Remove all suspicious extensions from the list.
- Open Internet Explorer.
- Click on gear/asterisk icon in the top-right corner.
- In opened menu Manage Add-ons.
- Select Toolbars and Extensions.
- Click Disable MegaGuard or other suspicious extensions.
- Also disable other suspicious extensions from the list.
- Start Opera browser.
- Go to Tools > Extensions > Manage Extensions.
- Find MegaGuard or other suspicious extensions.
- Click Uninstall button.
- Also remove other suspicious extensions from the list.
- Start Google Chrome browser
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
chrome://settings
. - On the left panel expand Advanced options.
- Choose Reset and clean up.
- Click on Restore settings to their original defaults link and confirm by clicking Reset button.
- Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
about:support
. - Click Refresh Firefox… button.
- Click Refresh Firefox button in opened dialog window to confirm.
- Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
- Go to the Privacy section of Safari’s preferences.
- Click Remove All Website Data button.
- In opened window click Remove Now button to remove data stored by websites in Safari.
- Go to the Advanced section of Safari’s preferences.
- Click the Show Develop menu in menu bar option.
- In the menu click Develop and select Empty Caches from this menu.
- Again, go to Safari menu and choose Clear History….
- Choose to clear all history and click Clear History button.
- Start Microsoft Edge browser
- Click on 3-dots icon in the top-right corner and choose Settings.
- On the left panel find and click Reset settings option.
- Click on Restore settings to their default values link and confirm by clicking Reset button.
- Start Internet Explorer.
- Click on gear/asterisk icon in the top-right corner.
- In opened menu choose Internet options.
- Click Advanced tab.
- Click Reset button.
- Choose Delete personal settings and click Reset.
- Start Opera browser and click on Opera icon in the top-left corner.
- Choose Settings and click Advanced on the left side and choose Browser.
- Scroll down to the very bottom and click on Restore settings to their original defaults link.
- Confirm by clicking Reset button.
Remove MegaGuard from Mac:
Cannot uninstall MegaGuard in Windows
In some cases, MegaGuard won’t uninstall and gives you the message, that “You do not have sufficient access to uninstall MegaGuard. Please, contact your system administrator” when you try to remove it from Control Panel or “Access denied” error when removing the MegaGuard folder and files. This happens because the process or service does not allow you to do it. In this case, I will recommend you to use SpyHunter 5 or Malwarebytes or uninstall MegaGuard in Safe Mode. To boot in Safe Mode do the following:
>> See detailed instructions and video tutorial on how to boot in Safe Mode
Cannot uninstall MegaGuard in MacOS
If you can’t uninstall MegaGuard using instructions above, or it keeps coming back, you can use free AppCleaner for Mac to remove all residual data and libraries of MegaGuard. Follow instructions below:
Remove malicious add-ons from your browsers
Uninstalling MegaGuard from Control Panel or Applications often does not bring the desired effect. It sometimes has a browser extension and it may still be active in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Here are instructions on how to remove MegaGuard extension from your browsers manually.
Google Chrome:
Mozilla Firefox:
Safari:
Microsoft Edge:
Internet Explorer (9, 10, 11):
Note: There is no feature to remove browser extensions from browser in latest version of Internet Explorer. To remove MegaGuard from Internet Explorer, please, perform instructions for uninstalling program from Control Panel. To disable MegaGuard, please, do the following:
Opera Browser:
Generally, MegaGuard does not install in Opera browser however you can always double check. Do the following:
Reset browsers settings (homepage, default search)
MegaGuard installs a search engine, that hijacks your browsers. Here is the instruction to reset your browser’s homepage, new tab, and search engine to default values.
Google Chrome:
Mozilla Firefox:
Reset Safari:
Microsoft Edge:
Internet Explorer (9, 10, 11):
Opera Browser:
How to block ads and pop-ups, promoting MegaGuard
MegaGuard, in most cases, is promoted by ads and pop-ups on doubtful websites. These sites can redirect users’ browsers to MegaGuard ads, generating advertising revenue for the attackers. The malware is often offered through these ads, leaving users puzzled about the origin of the software. In some cases, users may unknowingly install the MegaGuard extension, which then injects advertisements into the websites they visit and redirects their search queries. Additionally, the malware can be distributed through other channels such as peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, misleading ads, and compromised or shady websites that trigger automatic downloads To protect your PC and browsers from phishing websites, pop-up ads, banners, malicious scripts it is recommended to use AdGuard. Download free trial here:
How to protect from threats, like MegaGuard, in future
Be careful surfing the internet and downloading software, as programs like MegaGuard may become a real headache as they are hard to remove and break your privacy. To keep safe from such threats we recommend you always use antivirus and one of the anti-malware programs available on the market. One of the best anti-virus programs is SpyHunter 5. It can protect your PC from threats like MegaGuard.