A solution for fixing hijacked Chrome settings

Many users – if not all – have experienced downloading a free screensaver or game without looking at the small print and consequently getting their browser unwittingly saddled with an unwanted toolbar, add-on or homepage.

According to Linus Upson, Google VP of Engineering, the problem of hijacked browser settings is one that troubles a lot of Chrome users. Last October, the company added a “reset browser settings” button to its browser, but it is apparently not enough, and they will now begin asking Windows users whose settings have been altered if they would like to restore their browser settings back to factory defaults:

The option comes with a warning: the move will also disable (but not uninstall) any extensions, apps and themes the users themselves have chosen to use.

Luckily, the apps will be automatically re-enabled when the users use them the very next time, and the chosen extensions can be simply reactivated manually.

This latest addition from the Chrome team has been introduced because sometimes hijackers leave behind processes aimed at undermining user control of settings repeatedly after short periods of time have passed.

This new feature won’t solve this latter problem permanently, but it will allow low-level users to remove those annoyances temporarily with a single click of a button.

Those who are looking for a more permanent solution – i.e. uninstalling the settings hijacking programs – are encouraged to check out the Chrome help forum for step-by-step instructions.