Do you know what Alexa Toolbar is?
Alexa Toolbar is a legitimate browser extension made by Alexa Internet. It is installed as browser extension on Mozilla Firefox and as a browser helper object on Internet Explorer. It is also possible to install it on Google Chrome via Chrome store. Alexa uses this toolbar to store and analyze website statistics. On the surface this toolbar looks absolutely legitimate, but there is a number of users that complain about it.
First of all, Alexa Toolbar slows down the Internet browsing process. Alexa Toolbar is supposed to block pop-ups, but these days all browsers are equipped with those automatically. Alexa Toolbar monitors user's browsing habits and stores data about all websites the user visits. What is more, Google even uses the data collected by Alexa to rank and index various websites. It is supposed to increase the website traffic if you surf the net using this toolbar.
Therefore, a lot of users install Alexa Toolbar themselves. However, computer security websites have also received complaints from users who seemed to be unable to uninstall Alexa Toolbar from their computers. Also, there have been reports that Windows Vista does not allow to install Alexa Toolbar at all, because Windows Defender categorizes it as a Trojan infection.
Although Alexa Toolbar is not a Trojan, it can cause various computer problems, especially as it collects your browsing data and stores it for indefinite period of time. Due to this a lot of users do not want to have Alexa Toolbar installed, considering it a spyware application. Sometimes these users panic and cannot terminate Alexa Toolbar manually which is easy. You simply have to do the following:
For Windows Vista and Windows 7:
- Open Start Menu.
- Click on Control Panel.
- Select View by: Category at the top right corner.
- Click Uninstall a program below the bottom left Programs icon.
- Click View Installed Updates on the left pane.
- Scroll down the list and find Alexa Toolbar. Click on it.
- Click Uninstall button at the top, right to Organize button.
- Restart your computer.
For Windows XP:
- Open Start Menu.
- Click Add or Remove Programs.
- Click Change or Remove Programs button.
- Scroll down to Alexa Toolbar, click on it.
- Click Remove.
- Restart the computer.
If you still see Alexa Toolbar on your browser, then you should download a computer security program that categorizes the toolbar as potentially unwanted application. If you run a full system scan with such an application Alexa Toolbar should be removed automatically.
In non-techie terms:
Alexa Toolbar is a legitimate browser extension that collects your Internet browsing data to provide rating and indexing for specific websites. If you do not feel comfortable with this toolbar on your browser, remove Alexa Toolbar following the instructions posted above.
Aliases: AlexaToolbar.