How to Remove Search Engine Toolbar

There are many software programs and search engines that will install search engine add-ons to your web browser. These add-ons take up additional space on your browser and can often go unused. To clean up your browser and get rid of unused or unwanted search engine toolbars, you can either disable them from your browser or uninstall them on your computer.

Instructions

Disable an Add-On in Internet Explorer

1. Launch Internet Explorer.

2. Click on your "Tools" menu.

3. Select "Manage Add-ons."

4. Click "All Add-ons" under "Show" toward the bottom of the left pane.

5. Find the exact search engine toolbar that you want to remove (e.g. Yahoo!, Bing or Ask) in the right pane.

6. Select "Disable," then select "Disable" again to confirm the change.

7. Restart Internet Explorer.

Disable an Add-On in Firefox

1. Launch Firefox.

2. Click the "Tools" menu from the top of the browser.

3. Select "Add-ons."

4. Click on the "Extensions" tab. All your current add-ons and toolbars will be listed. Browse the list until you find the search engine toolbar that you want to remove.

5. Select the toolbar and click the "Disable" button. This will remove the toolbar from view on your browser and you can enable it at a later date without having to reinstall it. At the top of your window, a "Restart Firefox" button will then appear. Press that button and restart your browser for the changes to take effect.

   Alternatively, you may press the "Uninstall" button which is next to the Disable button. Then follow the uninstallation prompts and restart your browser. This will uninstall the search engine toolbar completely from Firefox, but not from your computer.

Uninstall an Add-On

1. Click on your Start menu.

2. Select the "Control Panel."

3. Click "Programs" and then "Programs and Features."

4. Select your search engine toolbar from the list of installed software.

5. Select "Uninstall" and follow the uninstallation prompts.

References

• Microsoft: Uninstall or change a program in 7
• Microsoft: Internet Explorer FAQs
• ScienceText: Removing Firefox Addons
• LifeSpy: Firefox Quick Tip Remove Add-ons