Do you know what Popular123.com is?
Popular123.com is a search engine that comes as a redirect from Yeadesktop.com. In other words, if a user opens this page, he/she is straight redirected to Popular123.com. Theoretically, this dubious search tool might be set as a default search tool without permission too after the successful entrance of a browser hijacker. No matter why you see it, using it as a default search tool is not recommended because it is powered by Baidu.com, a suspicious search provider, and, as a consequence, it might provide you with shady sponsored links. It is one of the major signs that the presence of Popular123.com might bring you a bunch of problems. If you are redirected to Popular123.com from Yeadesktop.com, you will no longer see it opened for you only when you remove this browser hijacker from your PC. If Popular123.com is automatically launched for you because it has become your default search tool against your will, you could get rid of it by simply changing your default search provider. Let’s first talk about Popular123.com and why it is considered untrustworthy, and then we will tell you more about its deletion.
Popular123.com is advertised as a search tool that can help to “find what’s popular all over the world.” Its start page contains a bunch of third-party links under Popular Trends, Popular Sales, and Popular Categories sections. These links open articles and certain pages where specific products can be purchased from. In other words, they open affiliate websites. Unfortunately, we cannot confirm that all these websites are trustworthy. The same can be said about search results you will be provided with if you enter a search query in its search box. They will also open third-party pages. These pages should contain the information users are looking for, but do not be surprised if you are ever redirected to a random third-party page with no relevant information because sponsored links might be placed on the search results page for you expecting that you will click on them too. Their main job is to promote certain pages by driving traffic to them. Most probably, the owner of Popular123.com gets the advertising revenue by promoting these pages. If we have not convinced you yet that Popular123.com is untrustworthy despite its harmless-looking appearance, you should know that it might also collect information about users. It will definitely not miss an opportunity to record your search queries, but non-personally identifiable information is not the only one it will gather. The Privacy Policy document of this search engine tells users that personal data will be shared “among popular123.com-controlled affiliates and subsidiaries too.” Even though users are told that this information about them is collected so that they could get “an efficient, meaningful, and customized browsing experience,” it does not mean that you should let Popular123.com track you. Actually, you should not let any program/search tool collect personally-identifiable information because this might result in the violation of your privacy.
Popular123.com screenshot
Scroll down for full removal instructions
You might experience automatic redirections to Popular123.com if Yeadesktop.com, which automatically opens this search tool, is set on your browsers. On the other hand, it could have entered your system bundled with untrustworthy software and changed your browsers’ settings without your approval. Either way, the removal of this dubious search tool is mandatory because its presence might put your PC and your privacy in danger.
What you should do first if your browsers automatically open Popular123.com for you is resetting them to their default settings. Do this if Yeadesktop.com is first opened for you and only then you are redirected to Popular123.com too. If you still see it after resetting your browsers, check the Target line of your web browser and make sure the Target line does not contain Popular123.com in it. In some cases, fixing the browser’s shortcut might not solve this problem either. In such a case, scanning the system with an automated scanner is recommended.
How to delete Popular123.com
Fix the shortcut of your web browser
- Right-click on the shortcut of your browser and select Properties.
- Click on the Shortcut tab and locate the Target line.
- Remove Popular123.com from this line and make sure it ends in quotation marks.
- Click Apply and close the window.
Reset your web browser to its default settings
Internet Explorer
- Open Internet Explorer.
- Tap Alt+T to open the Tools menu and click Internet Options.
- Open the Advanced tab and click Reset.
- Mark the Delete personal settings box.
- Click Reset.
Mozilla Firefox
- Launch your Mozilla Firefox browser.
- Press Alt+H and select Troubleshooting information from the Help menu.
- Click Refresh Firefox.
- In the pop-up confirmation window, click Refresh Firefox once again.
Google Chrome
- Launch Google Chrome and tap Alt+F.
- Click Settings and go to the very bottom of the page.
- Select Show advanced settings.
- Click Reset settings.
- Click on the Reset button.
In non-techie terms:
So many untrustworthy search tools whose main goal is to disseminate sponsored links are available on the market, so it would be a sin to do nothing regarding the system’s protection. Such search tools like Popular123.com might even expose users to potential threats by opening third-party pages and, on top of that, cause privacy-related problems, so do whatever it takes not to discover one on your browsers again.