How to remove TamperMonkey (Windows and Mac)

What is TamperMonkey

TamperMonkey by Jan Biniok is controversial browser extension, that can be installed in many browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer and some others. It allows users to install and maintain custom scripts in browsers, that can serve different purposes. For example, it may help download music and video content from social networks or filter ads. TamperMonkey also works in symbiosis with other popular plugins to perform certain tasks or expand functionality. However, along with pros users get unpleasant cons. In particular, many users complain, that TamperMonkey installs without their consent. Some users see third-party ads after installing this add-on. Generally, there are concerns about the security and privacy of this application, as it gets access to deep internal browser settings and has a large user database of 10 million users. In this tutorial, we collected, summarized and provided you in a convenient way all instructions to remove TamperMonkey from different browsers both on Windows and Mac.

How TamperMonkey infected your PC or Mac

TamperMonkey is available on the Chrome store and can be freely downloaded by any user. Sometimes, other popular applications and websites feature this extension for download, for example, SaveFrom.net (media download service) recommends TamperMonkey. There are several reports on security forums, that TamperMonkey automatically installs along with other applications and add-ons. Users receive the message shown in the image below. To prevent the installation of undesired apps we recommend using anti-malware program for Windows and Mac: SpyHunter

Remove TamperMonkey manually for free

Here is the manual step-by-step tutorial for full TamperMonkey removal from your computer. This works 99% and was checked with the latest versions of TamperMonkey installer on operating systems with the latest updates and browser versions.

Note: TamperMonkey can be installed as Google Chrome extension as Administrator (you may see Installed by enterprise policy inscription near it), and this will not allow removal. Therefore, before starting removal process, perform these actions:

1. 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.



2. Type in and execute the following commands:

   
rd /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers"
rd /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy"
gpupdate /force

Remove TamperMonkey from Control Panel or Applications

To start removing TamperMonkey you should uninstall it using Control Panel. It can be present by different names, but commonly “TamperMonkey”. 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 and MacOS.

Remove TamperMonkey from Mac:

1. In the Finder sidebar, click Applications.
2. TamperMonkey might have an Uninstaller.
3. Otherwise, drag TamperMonkey from the Applications folder to the Trash (located at the end of the Dock).
4. Then choose Finder > Empty Trash.

Remove TamperMonkey from Windows XP:

1. Click on Start button.
2. Choose Control Panel.
3. Click Add or Remove Programs.
4. Find TamperMonkey.
5. Click Uninstall.

Remove TamperMonkey from Windows 7:

1. Click Start button.
2. Then go to Control Panel.
3. Click Uninstall a Program.
4. Find TamperMonkey and click Uninstall.

Remove TamperMonkey from Windows 8:

1. Hover mouse pointer to the bottom-right corner to see Menu.
2. Click Search.
3. After that click Apps.
4. Then Control Panel.
5. Click Uninstall a Program under Programs.
6. Find TamperMonkey, click Uninstall.

Remove TamperMonkey from Windows 10:

There are 2 ways to uninstall TamperMonkey from Windows 10

Way one

1. Click on the Start button.
2. In opened menu choose Settings.
3. Click on the System tile.
4. Click Apps & features and locate TamperMonkey in the list.
5. Click on it and then click Uninstall button near it.

Way two (classic)

1. Right-click on the Start button.
2. In opened menu choose Programs and Features.
3. Locate TamperMonkey in the list.
4. Click on it and then click Uninstall button above.

Cannot uninstall TamperMonkey

In some cases, TamperMonkey won’t uninstall and gives you the message, that “You do not have sufficient access to uninstall TamperMonkey. Please, contact your system administrator” when you try to remove it from Control Panel or “Access denied” error when removing TamperMonkey folder and files. This happens, because 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 TamperMonkey in Safe Mode. To boot in Safe Mode do the following:

1. Reboot your computer.
2. While it starts booting press F8 button.
3. This will open Advanced Boot Options menu.
4. Choose Safe Mode and wait until Windows loads.
5. Go to Control Panel > Uninstall a program and remove TamperMonkey.

>> See detailed instructions and video tutorial on how to boot in Safe Mode

and for Mac:

If you can’t uninstall TamperMonkey using instructions above, or it keeps coming back, you can use free AppCleaner for Mac to remove all residual data and libraries of TamperMonkey. Follow instructions below:

1. Download free AppCleaner.
2. Drag TamperMonkey from Applications folder to AppCleaner window.
3. Choose files and folders you want to remove along with TamperMonkey.
4. Click Delete button.

Remove malicious add-ons from your browsers

Uninstalling TamperMonkey from Control Panel often does not bring desired effect. It sometimes have browser extension and it may still be active in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Here are instructions on how to remove TamperMonkey extension from your browsers manually.

Safari:

1. Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
2. Click Extensions tab.
3. Find TamperMonkey extension.
4. Click Uninstall button to remove it.

Google Chrome:

1. Start Google Chrome browser
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) chrome://extensions.
3. Find TamperMonkey add-on.
4. Click the trash can icon to remove them.
5. Also remove other suspicious extensions from the list.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) about:addons.
3. Choose TamperMonkey extension.
4. Click Disable or Remove button.
5. Remove all suspicious extensions from the list.

Microsoft Edge:

1. Open Microsoft Edge and click on Settings and More (…) menu in the top right corner.
2. Select Extensions.
3. Find TamperMonkey extension and click on it.
4. In the opened window click Remove button.
5. Confirm removal by clicking OK button in opened dialog box, and restart the browser.

Internet Explorer (9, 10, 11):

Note: There is no feature to remove browser extensions from browser in latest version of Internet Explorer. To remove TamperMonkey from Internet Explorer, please, perform instructions for uninstalling program from Control Panel. To disable TamperMonkey, please, do the following:

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click on gear/asterisk icon in the top-right corner.
3. In opened menu Manage Add-ons.
4. Select Toolbars and Extensions.
5. Click Disable TamperMonkey.
6. Also disable other suspicious extensions from the list.

Opera Browser:

1. Start Opera browser.
2. Go to Tools > Extensions > Manage Extensions.
3. Find TamperMonkey extension.
4. Click Uninstall button.
5. Also remove other suspicious extensions from the list.

How to block ads and pop-ups from TamperMonkey

TamperMonkey ads, in most cases, are caused by a program installed on your PC or add-on installed in browsers. However, sometimes it can appear on a clean computer when visiting a malicious website, using advertising script. Also, apps that generate “TamperMonkey” are themselves installed from pop-ups. 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:

Download AdGuard for Windows

Download AdGuard for Mac

Final tips

Be careful while surfing the internet and downloading software, as programs, like TamperMonkey, 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-spyware and anti-malware programs is SpyHunter 5. It can protect your PC from threats, like TamperMonkey.