Table of Contents
This guide will teach you everything you need to know how to Remove Spyware on Your Device. First, let’s take a quick look at what the word “Spyware” means. Spyware is like a spy because it can hide in your system and steal your personal information without you knowing.
It can lock your computer in secret and keep track of everything you do on the internet, including your usernames and passwords, the websites you visit, your e-mails and other messages, and so on. Most importantly, Spyware is known for having a lot of computing power that can hurt your PC’s and smartphone performance and slow it down.
Spyware, which comes from the words “spy” and “ware,” is software that is installed on your device and works in the background without your knowledge, consent, or control. Such programs sneak into your system and start to control your actions, which can sometimes have effects you didn’t expect or cause your system’s internal processes to fail.
How to Remove Spyware on windows PC
Most of the time, the user doesn’t know that spyware is on his or her computer unless the malware opens so many ads and unwanted sites that it’s obvious. The truth is that many of the sudden changes in how your PC works that may be caused by spyware are easy to explain.
- You’ve noticed new toolbars, links, or preferences that you didn’t add to the browser;
- The home page, mouse pointer, or search service changes unexpectedly;
- If you enter the address of a specific site in your browser, a completely different page opens;
- Pop-up advertisements appear even if the computer is not connected to the Internet;
- If you see a black command line screen when loading the operating system;
- If you look in the task manager and see that with general inactivity of the system, the video card and processor are loaded by more than half;
- The computer suddenly slows down.
How to Remove Spyware on Mac
Most of the worst spyware comes from the same places it does on Windows: installers that come with unwanted software, download sites, and shadowed ads that lead you to an unofficial, broken installer. Get apps from the Mac App Store or developer site to keep your Macbook safe. Avoid running software that hasn’t been signed. This means that for your safety, you should only download apps from the App Store or from well-known official developers.
On Windows, the apps list has a window where you can see what’s installed and quickly remove it. This is not the case on Mac. Most “legal” software for Windows lets you get rid of it from there. On a Mac, it can be hard to figure out how to get rid of this junk, but remember that you can use Launchpad or Finder to get rid of it. To keep viruses from getting into your Macbook, you need to test certain functions:
- If the automatic system update is turned off, turn it on urgently. Apple pays a lot of attention to patches, making work safer with every update;
- Use an account without full user rights for your daily work (regular user account);
- Use Password Manager regularly. Keychain Access will allow you to safely store all passwords on your computer using a single master key. Its request will alert you if malicious code is launched;
- Do not switch off the firewall and check it regularly.
How to Remove Spyware on iPhone or iPad
There’s a chance that your iPhone has a virus if it’s using a lot of data that you don’t know about, getting too hot, draining the battery quickly, or running apps that you didn’t install. Don’t start panicking. These steps might lead to the result you want:
- Find and remove suspicious applications;
- Check on your PINs and biometric authentication are set up on all connected devices (you may also reset them);
- Update your Apple ID password;
- Enable the 2-factor authentication (if not enabled yet);
- Factory reset your iPhone;
- Get an antivirus application, scan your device and then clean up suspicious stuff.
How to Remove Spyware on Android
Usually, if you have an Android device, you can remove spyware by hand. However, we recommend that you first restart your Android device to Safe Mode. This will let you get rid of the bad apps on your phone or tablet without hurting the good ones. Here are the steps you have to take to finish the job.
- Go to Settings;
- Scroll down to “All applications” (it will not hurt to look into “System applications” as well);
- Find the “Running” or “Active” tab and scroll through it carefully.
- When the Safe mode is running, go to settings and tap on Apps.
- In the list that appears, disable and uninstall spy apps.
- If you are not sure about the origin of the program, Google search for the names of suspicious software to know for sure.
- Now restart your Android and use it normally.
A factory reset can get rid of viruses on any Android phone, just like it can on an iPhone. If you couldn’t get rid of all the bad things on your device and it still feels like something is wrong, this is the way to do it.
- Head to Settings;
- Tap Backup and reset;
- Select Factory data reset and tap the Reset phone button;
- Confirm your intentions via a PIN or biometric confirmation;
- Pick a backup from when you haven’t had issues with spyware or start your device fresh.
FAQ
Can you remove spyware?
Run a scan for malware. There are mobile antivirus programs that can find and get rid of spyware. This is the easiest way to fix the problem, but it might not always work. Cybersecurity companies like Malwarebytes, Avast, and Bitdefender all sell tools for scanning mobile devices for spyware.
Is spyware difficult to remove?
Spyware is made to be hard to get rid of. One infection can make it easy for many more to get in. Most manual attempts to get rid of spyware fail because of this. Anti-spyware software that is based on AI and machine learning is another option.
Does resetting phone remove spyware?
When you do a factory reset, everything on your phone will be erased, including the spyware. Before you do this, make sure you have a backup of your phone so that you don’t lose your photos, apps, and other information. You’ll need to put your phone back to a backup from before the spyware problems started.