Zwinky Toolbar Removal Guide

Sometimes users are confused as to which version of a toolbar is the real one, because there may be a lot of browser extensions circulating under the same name. This situation can be applied to Zwinky Toolbar. There are at least two toolbars under the same name – both are called Zwinky Toolbar and one is developed by Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc, and the other one is distributed by Conduit Ltd. Due to the fact, that Mindspark toolbar appears to be more popular, this article will deal with Mindspark Zwinky Toolbar and ways to remove it.

Although Zwinky Toolbar is very far from being a genuine computer infection, it is considered to be a potentially unwanted application due to its association with Mindspark. This operating business unit is known for developed such potentially unwanted programs as myWebSearch Toolbar that was quite often considered a browser hijacker due to its intrusive nature. Although Zwinky Toolbar is far from being as annoying as myWebSearch toolbar, it can still come off as a surprise, especially if you do not realize you are installing the full setup on your PC.

Zwinky Toolbar is easily compatible with Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers. It requires user’s intervention to be installed, and during the installation you can choose whether you want your home page and default search engine changed to home.tb.ask.com and search.tb.ask.com. In case you overlook this step, you may think that Zwinky Toolbar has hijacked your browser, but that is not the case, as Ask Search is a legitimate search engine.

The extension has several ways to distribute itself. Although the main way to download Zwinky Toolbar is to access its official website at zwinky.com, downloading the toolbar bundled with freeware from third party websites is also not unheard of. The toolbar itself provides with Facebook and Weather shortcuts, as well as a customized search bar and a shortcut to Zwinky’s virtual world, which basically functions as a flash role playing game.

Neither Zwinky Toolbar nor Ask Search intend to cause you any harm, but the problem is that once your home page and default search engine get changed, Ask Search collects your web browsing data, and later on it can be used for marketing purposes, spamming you with commercial ads and what not. What is more, in case Zwinky Toolbar gets hacked by a malicious third party, all the data it collected can be exploited for malicious purposes, eventually infecting you with malware. Therefore, it is for the best to remove Zwinky Toolbar from your PC.

How to remove Zwinky Toolbar

Windows 8

1. Move mouse cursor to the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. Click Settings on Charms bar and go to Control Panel.
3. Select Uninstall a program and remove Zwinky Internet Explorer Toolbar & Zwinky Firefox Toolbar.

Windows Vista & Windows 7

1. Open Start menu and click Control Panel.
2. Select Uninstall a program and remove Zwinky Internet Explorer Toolbar & Zwinky Firefox Toolbar.

Windows XP

1. Open Start menu and go to Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add or remove programs and uninstall Zwinky Internet Explorer Toolbar & Zwinky Firefox Toolbar.

How to restore browser settings

Internet Explorer

1. Press Alt+X and click Internet options.
2. Select Advanced tab and press Reset.
3. Mark Delete personal settings and click Reset again.
4. Once the reset is complete, click Close and OK.

Mozilla Firefox

1. Press Firefox button and go to Help.
2. Click Troubleshooting information.
3. Click Reset Firefox on the top right.
4. Press Reset Firefox again and when the reset is complete click Finish.

It is also recommended to scan your computer with SpyHunter free scanner, in order to check whether there are any other potentially unwanted programs present in your system. Do not hesitate to remove them if necessary.