What Is search_protect.exe? Is It A Virus Or Malware? Uninstall?

What is search_protect.exe?

search_protect.exe is an executable exe file which belongs to the StartNow Search Update process which comes along with the StartNow Toolbar Software developed by Zugo software developer.

If the search_protect.exe process running in the Windows Operating system is important, then you should be careful while deleting it. Sometimes search_protect.exe process might be using CPU or GPU too much. If it is malware or a virus, it might be running in the background without you knowing it.

The .exe extension of the search_protect.exe file specifies that it is an executable file for Windows Operating Systems like Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

Malware and viruses are also transmitted through exe files. So we must be sure before running any unknown executable file on our computers or laptops.

Now we will check if the search_protect.exe file is a virus or malware. Whether it should be deleted to keep your computer safe? Read more below.

Is search_protect.exe safe to run? Is it a virus or malware?

Let’s check the location of this exe file to determine whether this is legit software or a virus. The location of this file and dangerous rating is.

File Location / Rating: C:Program Files (x86)StartNow Toolbar

To check whether the exe file is legit you can start the Task Manager. Then click on the columns field and add Verified Signer as one of the columns.

Now, look at the Verified Signer value for search_protect.exe process if it says “Unable to verify” then the file may be a virus.

File Name	search_protect.exe
Software Developer	Zugo
File Type	EXE
File Location	C:Program Files (x86)StartNow Toolbar
Software	StartNow Toolbar

 

Over All Ratings for search_protect.exe : 4/5

Next, check the developer of search_protect.exe. If the developer of the software is legitimate, then it is not a virus or malware. If the developer is not listed or seems suspicious, you can remove it using the uninstall program.

Based on our analysis, we have displayed our result of whether this search_protect file is a virus or malware below.

How to check if search_protect.exe is a security issue?

We also recommend using the Security task manager application to find which processes are unwanted in your Windows computer and can be a security issue. Here is how you can find whether search_protect.exe is a security threat using the Security Task Manager application.

1. Download the Security Task Manager application and install it on your computer.
2. Run it as administrator. It will now show all the applications that are running on your computer.
3. Now it will show the Rating, file location, company, and product name for each process.
4. Now click on the rating column to sort based on ratings.
5. You will now see which process has the worst rating easily so can decide search_protect.exe is given a bad rating or not easily.
6. You will also find whether the search_protect.exe process is important or not with this feature. Here is a screenshot of the software running on our windows computer.

How To Remove or Uninstall search_protect.exe

To remove search_protect.exe from your computer do the following steps one by one. This will uninstall search_protect.exe if it was part of the software installed on your computer.

1. If the file is part of a software program, then it will also have an uninstall program. Then you can run the Uninstaller located at directory like C:Program Files>Zugo>StartNow Toolbar >StartNow Search Update> search_protect.exe_uninstall.exe.
2. Or the search_protect.exe was installed using the Windows Installer then to uninstall it Go to System Settings and open Add Or Remove Programs Option.
3. Then Search for search_protect.exe or the software name StartNow Toolbar in the search bar or try out the developer name Zugo.
4. Then click on it and select the Uninstall Program option to remove search_protect.exe file from your computer. Now the software StartNow Toolbar program along with the file search_protect.exe will be removed from your computer.

How do I stop search_protect.exe process?

In order to stop the search_protect.exe process from running you either have to uninstall the program associated with the file or if it’s a virus or malware, remove it using a Malware and Virus removal tool.

Is search_protect.exe a Virus or Malware?

As per the information we have the search_protect.exe is not a Virus. But a good file might be infected with malware or a virus to disguise itself.

Is search_protect.exe causing High Disk Usage?

You can find this by opening the Task Manager application (Right-click on Windows Taskbar and choose Task Manager) and clicking on the Disk option at the top to sort and find out the disk usage of search_protect.exe.

Is search_protect.exe causing High CPU Usage?

You can find this by opening the Task Manager application and finding the search_protect process and checking the CPU usage percentage.

How to check GPU Usage of search_protect.exe?

To check search_protect.exe GPU usage. Open the Task Manager window and look for the search_protect.exe process in the name column and check the GPU usage column.

I hope you were able to learn more about the search_protect.exe file and how to remove it. Also, share this article on social media if you find it helpful.

Let us know in the comments below if you face any other search_protect.exe related issues.