HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar Removal Guide

Do you know what HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar is?

HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar was created by Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc., the company that stands behind hundreds and hundreds of toolbars compatible with Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox web browsers. A few to mention are MyEasyLotto Toolbar, HolidayPhotoEdit Toolbar, and GifaPalooza Toolbar. As you can tell just by looking at the names, these toolbars are different, and the one discussed in this report is all about horoscopes. If you are interested in this, you might think that this toolbar is wonderful, but our research team does not agree with that. This toolbar is just an instrument to promote the services of horoscope.com and MyWay, a search engine that was created by Mindspark as well. Although you might find these services useful, calling the toolbar beneficial is not fair. That is just one of the reasons we recommend removing HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar, and if you want to learn about this, you will have to continue reading.

The official download page of HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar is horoscopebuddy.com, but it can also be presented via ransom pop-ups and advertisements. In fact, our research team estimates that this is how most users will acquire this toolbar. Depending on the pop-up or ad promoting this toolbar, third-party software could be attached to it, which is why it is crucial to scan the operating system and check if any of the additional pieces are malicious and require removal. HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar always travels bundled with the MyWay search tool, which you are forced to accept as your homepage if you are using Firefox or IE. http://hp.myway.com/horoscopebuddy/ttab02/index.html? is also set as the New Page on all browsers. The interface of this “hijacker” is identical to the interfaces of all other toolbars, but the links are different. At the top, you can see “Personality Quizzes,” “Tarot Reading,” “Love Compatibility,” and “Numerology” buttons. All of them promote horoscope.com. If you go below the search field, you can find links to Gmail, Yahoo, Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Macy’s, Target, TripAdvisor, Walmart, and Instagram. While these links are legitimate, you can easily delete the toolbar and then add these links to your bookmarks bar for easy access.HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar Removal GuideHoroscopeBuddy Toolbar screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions

We need to talk about the search field that is allegedly “enhanced by Google.” The search tool represented via it is search.myway.com, and it might be one of the reasons why HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar was created. While this toolbar clearly promotes links, which it might earn money for, it can do the same via the search tool. As you enter keywords into the field, you are routed to a page with corresponding results. Some of them could represent third-party advertisements. Google does not affect the results that are shown to you, but the hijacker can copy the results that you would find if you used Google Search, and that might be a reason for you to delete HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar. After all, the search service is not very authentic or reliable.

Do not be intimidated by the HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar removal instructions you can see below. There are quite a few steps in these instructions, but they are simple, and you should not have any problem following them. If you face challenges, there’s always anti-malware software, which you should use not only for the automated malware removal but also for the protection it can produce. You should be particularly interested in this option if you discover other potentially unwanted programs or even malicious threats. How can you determine if malware exists? Install and run a trustworthy malware scanner, and you will know soon enough if and which threats require removal.

Remove HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar

Internet Explorer

  1. Launch RUN by tapping Win+R keys.
  2. Enter regedit.exe to launch Registry Editor.
  3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\.
  4. Delete the key named HoroscopeBuddy.
  5. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage\.
  6. Delete the key called horoscopebuddy.dl.myway.com.
  7. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage\.
  8. Delete the key named horoscopebuddy.dl.tb.ask.com.
  9. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\.
  10. Delete the key named HoroscopeBuddyTooltab Uninstall Internet Explorer.
  11. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main.
  12. Double-click the value named Start Page and overwrite the URL in the value data. Click OK.
  13. Launch Explorer by tapping Win+E.
  14. Enter %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\ into the bar at the top.
  15. Delete the folder named HoroscopeBuddyTooltab.
  16. Enter %LOCALAPPDATA% into the bar at the top.
  17. Delete the folder named HoroscopeBuddyTooltab.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Launch Explorer by tapping Win+E.
  2. Enter %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ into the bar at the top.
  3. Open the {unique name} folder representing your Firefox profile.
  4. Open the extensions folder.
  5. Delete the file named _pdMembers_@free.horoscopebuddy.com.xpi.
  6. Go back to the profile folder and then open the file named prefs.js.
  7. Overwrite the undesirable URL in this file and then save it.

Google Chrome

  1. Launch Explorer by tapping Win+E.
  2. Enter %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ into the bar at the top. Windows XP users enter %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\.
  3. Open the Default folder, or, if folder exist, the {unique name} folder representing your Chrome profile.
  4. Delete the folder named aiobhbancgedeigmnbijlakfnfjmfmcd.
  5. Go back to the Default/profile folder and then open the Local Storage folder.
  6. Delete the files named chrome-extension_aiobhbancgedeigmnbijlakfnfjmfmcd_0.localstorage-journal and chrome-extension_aiobhbancgedeigmnbijlakfnfjmfmcd_0.localstorage.
  7. Go back to the Default/profile folder and then modify the files named Preferences and Secure Preferences (to modify, open the file, overwrite the undesirable URL, and save the file).

In non-techie terms:

Do you want a daily horoscope to be accessible from your web browser? If you do, you might consider HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar to be a great addition to your browser. The reality is that this potentially unwanted program was created for promotional reasons, and it does not really offer services that are exclusive. If you want your horoscope, all you have to do is go to horoscope.com, and you do not need a tool that forces you to make changes to your browser or that offers a suspicious search service. If you choose to delete HoroscopeBuddy Toolbar from your browser, you have to figure out whether you want to do it manually (refer to the guide above) or if you want to install anti-malware software. If we can help you make the decision, post a comment below.