Are you wondering how to uninstall chromium on your computer? Well, this is a technical error caused by the unethical chromium packages available on the internet. Now there are many things responsible for this chromium problem.
As we all know, there are many Google Chrome alternatives available on the internet. Chromium is considered as a safe and secure web browser in the software market. There are many differences between these two web browsers services. Google provides built-in support services as Adobe’s Flash Player, crash reporting, digital rights management (DRM) components make it authentic. Chromium is a Google-centric platform but lacks an update mechanism. Thus you need to install the latest version and updates by yourself, which can lead to other risk factors.
But the major differences between the two browsers are their stability and reliability. In technological terms, chromium has bugs problems, and it can crash your device. And literally, with the same shortcut & interface, it does replace chrome. Though the clean version of chromium is a legitimate browser, it has many loopholes. Thus, hackers will access your browser and customize its panel. Even change your search engine without any authorization. So if you would like to prevent any harm to your system, it’s better to uninstall chromium.
How Does Chromium Get Installed On Your System?
First of all, chromium is an open-source web browser identical to google chrome. Generally, people get confused with the same interface and improved features. That means chromium is installed automatically and can be modified into your existing browser. Hence, you should pay attention while downloading or surfing any unverified websites. Always check the installation process, read the license agreement before you accept anything. So this could be a risk factor for the users unless you uninstall it manually. That’s why many users are looking for techniques on how to uninstall chromium.
What Might Be The Reasons To Uninstall Chromium?
Many types of research have been done on this particular issue to prevent the unexpected installation of chromium on your pc. Definitely, this is a severe problem that restricts every user from safe browsing. Let’s talk about the potential risk factors & reasons affecting your browsing experience.
Reason 1: Issues With Your Browser
If your existing web browser has been changed automatically and altered by the chromium, then it’s not a good sign. If you are getting unsecured ads, and external links on your browser, it could be a potential risk factor. Chromium has an open-source code platform. There are much malware; hidden system viruses are bundled with the application. When you visit any sort of unverified website, it might be the reason that you have installed the chromium on your system. Chromium virus will force you to redirect on particular malicious websites, search engines.
Reason 2: Malware & Spywares
There are many malware and spyware, hacking attempts initiated by chromium virus once it’s been installed. When you click on any of these websites, it tracks your online activities and accesses your data. Hackers can trace your personal information, bank details, official data stored in the cloud. Third-party unknown vendors and hackers can breach data security without your knowledge.
Reason 3: Unwanted Advertisements, Pop-ups On Browser
Chromium has unwanted malware, PUP that run in the background. It also generates advertisements, pop-ups, fake updates & unverified links, etc. It directs you to check adult websites, install software updates without your permission. So it will fill your web browser with sponsored content links and push notifications. Even chromium tracks the cookies to gather information about the user programs.
Reason 4: Low Performance Of Your System
Not only affects online browsing and data security, but it also consumes high usage of memory. You might have faced a slow process, the low performance of your computer, tablets, and other gadgets. If you check the task manager, you can see the usage of the chromium.exe file. It damages the internal memory of your system.
If your system is corrupted with these malicious programs, try to avoid chromium based browsers. There are many other browsers listed below that are also responsible for malware activities.
- BoBrowser
- Chedot
- eFast
- BrowseAir
- MyBrowser
- Olcinium
- Palikan
- Tortuga
Now you know the potential reasons behind this threat. Let’s learn how to uninstall Chromium with a few easy steps next. Here you go!
How to Uninstall Chromium?
Seeing this malicious program on your PC can lead you to an awful situation. But don’t worry! If you don’t know how to uninstall chromium & malware issues, follow these techniques. There are many easy methods by which you can clear chromium permanently from your system. Let’s get into the points:
Method 1: Remove Chromium Using Control Panel
There are many users who have failed to clean chromium permanently from the system. Users are searching for fixes on how to uninstall chromium. After removing it from the program and features, still, it loads automatically at startup. In that case, find out the App data folder and delete the chromium folder from there. Follow the steps, how to uninstall chromium from your system:
For Windows XP/7
- At first, press Windows logo key + R to open the run command box
- Then type appwiz.cpl and hit enter to open programs and features in Control Panel
- After that, scroll down to find chromium and double-click on it to uninstall
Note: To make it functional, you have to reboot your system and check whether the chromium folder is in the system tray or not. If it’s still on the list, follow this process.
- First, open file explorer and choose local disk C: drive
- Then navigate to Users and click on Personal Folders
- From there, click on Appdata then go to Local
- Under this section, you will find the Chromium Folder
- Once you get the folder, delete the whole chromium folder and reboot the system to complete the process
Now check the system tray to confirm it. You must not see the application again, but in case it persists, has a look at our second method.
Method 2: Clear Chromium From The Browser
As chromium recompiles into your existing browser, it could be harmful to the system. Chromium has improved features and a customized interface that attracts users. But there are many viruses and malware activities bundled up with the package. First, it affects your web browser, especially Google Chrome, because it has a similar outlook & shortcut. By following these easy methods, you can clear chromium from the web browser.
For Chrome Browser
- At first, open your Google Chrome web browser
- Now, you need to press Alt +F to close existing tabs
- Next, click on the menu icon which you will find at the top right corner (three horizontal dots)
- After that, find the Setting option
- From the next window, go to the left pane and select Extension option
- Now, find chromium then click on the Trash can option to remove it from your browser
- Finally, clear the cache and cookies
For Mozilla Firefox & Safari Browser
In the case of Mozilla Firefox, press Shift + Ctrl + A, then choose Chromium and click on the disable or remove button. For mac users, open your Safari browser and choose Extensions. Locate chromium & other suspicious malware extensions. Click the Uninstall button to clear these files.
Method 3: Change the Default Browser
Fake browsers are designed in such a way that it’s hard to remove easily. But if you have an issue with the existing web browser then change your default browser settings. For Google Chrome, follow the steps:
- First, open your Google Chrome browser on your Windows PC
- Then go to the Settings option by clicking three dots at the above right-hand side corner of the browser
- Now, click on the option Make google chrome the default browser
- If the fake chromium-browser pops up in the dialogue box, just click on Don’t ask again tab
In this way, you can temporarily block the fake chromium malware programs. But for a permanent solution, you need to remove it manually. Wondering how? Here we have provided the method below.
Method 4: How to Uninstall Chromium Manually?
Unfortunately, for many users, the impact of the virus has been worse. Sometimes after taking measures, the chromium malware stays in the system. Many people don’t have much idea of how to uninstall chromium. As the virus is quite heavy and highly suspicious, it has a tendency to damage your system if it’s not removed permanently.
- Firstly, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc at a time to open the Task manager
- Next, you have to go to the processes tab
- Now, find the Chromium processes
- After that, right-click on any of the processes to search the Open File Location
- Once you have accessed the malware location, you can remove the file manually
Note: Before removing it, you have to close all the chromium processes already running. Otherwise, your system won’t allow you to clear the files permanently.
- Now, right-click on the file and click on End Task in the Task Manager Process
- Then quickly jump into the next step because the virus will automatically re-open.
- Once you have closed Chromium processes, go back to the malware location folder
- After that, delete the main executable (Explore.exe) file
By deleting the executable host file, it won’t spawn again in your system again & again. After that, you can delete the remaining files from the Explore folder. Or else, simply delete the Explore folder as a whole.
- Next, you need to remove the leftover Data folder and back to the Local in the folder hierarchy
- Now, delete the Games Bot folder from Local
After this process, don’t forget to clean or empty your Recycle Bin and reboot your system. Your system must restart without any indication of chromium malware.
For macOS & iOS Systems
- First, quit all the chromium processes running in the background related to your browser.
- Go to the Finder select Applications folder then delete the chromium to trash.
( Now to clear the leftover and other useless junk files from the trash following these simple steps. )
- Open Finder and go to Menu Bar and click Go. Then select Go to Folder and type ~/Library click Go. Then check all the chromium sub-folder files to remove the leftovers caches permanently from MacOS.
~Library/Application Support/Chromium
~Library/Caches/Chromium
Method 5: Remove Leftovers With The Help Of Antivirus
After all these processes, if the virus still persists in your system, then it might affect other files. If it’s not deleted properly, it will re-download the malicious files and stay in the system.
To delete every trace of chromium malware, an anti-malware scan is required. There are many registered Anti-malware tools to help you delete the leftovers permanently. Malwarebytes is a free all-round solution. If you’re wondering how to uninstall chromium, then follow the steps:
- First, download & install the Malwarebytes application from the official website
- Open Malwarebytes and check the leftmost pane to scan. Then select Threat Scan to scan all the places, including memory files, start-up, file registry, etc. and press start scan
- Depending on your system, it might take an hour or more than that to complete the scanning process
- Once the scanning process is completed, by clicking on View Identified Threats, check if it removed the registry entries or not.
After selecting all the affected files hit the Quarantine Selected button. Lastly, reboot your system one last time to operate the function properly
How To Minimize The Risk Of Chromium Malware? – Quick Tips
Even Google’s open-source program chromium has major risk factors. To prevent the possibility of system corruption and inflection, maintain these above-stated methods. Don’t neglect the installation of any unauthorized programs and apps on your system. Always download the software from official and registered websites. Do routine check-ups using your secure Anti-malware software.
Try to update your Antivirus with the legal vendor. If you notice anything suspicious like junk emails or pop up links, don’t entertain or give any permission. Never use or reveal your device at any public place. Because it’s your responsibility to keep your system malware-free. By considering these guidelines on how to uninstall chromium, you can permanently remove chromium. It will help you to keep your system safe and secure.
