Web Browser Add-on Toolbars

Add-on toolbars are plugged into Web browsers, such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, to incorporate new functionalities aimed to enhance the Web browsing experience of users. One-click search features, pop-blockers, and globally accessible bookmarks are some of the common features on add-on toolbars. Although they are useful, having too many add-on toolbars can considerably reduce your browsing speed and become troublesome. Therefore, in case you have installed multiple toolbars in your Web browser, it is recommended that you uninstall the ones you don’t use much. Let’s have a look at some common Web browser toolbars and the steps to uninstall toolbars from Internet Explorer and Firefox.

Common Add-on Toolbars

Some of the common add-on Web browser toolbars and their key features are discussed below:

• Google toolbar: This is a customizable toolbar that enables you to add and remove options according to your requirement. The toolbar enables you to perform smart Google search by prompting you with suggestions, save bookmarks accessible from any Web-enabled PC, check Gmail, and block problematic pop-ups, which are a major source of malware such as spyware and adware. You can install this toolbar both on Firefox and Internet Explorer.
• MSN toolbar: This toolbar uses Pop-up Guard to block pop-up ads from displaying on your desktop, helps you perform quick searches using keyword highlight and highlight viewer, and enables you to launch various MSN websites and applications such as Hotmail and MSN Messenger. You can install this toolbar on Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.
• Yahoo toolbar: You can use the Yahoo toolbar to save your bookmarks that are easy to organize, search, and access. The toolbar can be customized to enable you to have one-click access to different Web sites. The toolbar also incorporates features that help you keep your PC safe from spyware. You can install this toolbar both on Firefox and Internet Explorer.
• NetZero toolbar: This is an ultra-slim toolbar that comes packaged with the Net Zero Platinum software. The toolbar simplifies the process of receiving news, checking weather reports, keeping track of various sports, and more. The toolbar also uses Pop-Blocker to stop troublesome pop-up ads from displaying on your computer.

Uninstall Toolbar in Internet Explorer

To uninstall a toolbar from Internet Explorer, perform the following steps:

1. Close all Internet Explorer windows.
2. Open Start menu and select Control Panel.
3. Double-click the Add or Remove Programs button.
4. Scroll through the displayed window and select the toolbar entry you want to remove.
5. Select the Change/Remove button or the Remove button.
6. Restart Internet explorer after the uninstallation is complete to ensure that the toolbar is removed.

Uninstall Toolbar in Firefox

To uninstall a toolbar from Firefox, perform the following steps:

1. In the Mozilla Firefox window, select the Tools menu.
2. Select the Extensions menu command.
3. Scroll down the Firefox Extensions Manager window and select the toolbar you want to remove.
4. Select Uninstall or OK to remove the selected tool bar.
5. Exit the Firefox Extensions Manager window and restart Firefox.

Toolbars help you in adding those functionalities to your Web browsers that are originally lacking in them. However, having multiple toolbars may deteriorate your Web browsing experience instead of enhancing it. Therefore, it is advised to uninstall toolbars that you no longer use. Quite often, when you uninstall applications from your Windows system, many entries are left behind in the system registry. In due course, the registry gets cluttered, defragmented, and unstable, which, in turn, slows down system performance. To prevent this, it is recommended to that you use a reliable and efficient registry cleaner software to scan through the registry and remove any left behind registry entries after the uninstallation.