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Bennett H.'s avatar
Bennett H.
New member | Level 2
14 days ago
Solved

Anybody else see Chrome default search engine change to Yahoo after most recent Dropbox update?

Application Affected
Dropbox client (the OG app for file syncing, not sure if it has a separate name)
Device
HP Envy x360 Laptop
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
Windows 11 Home
Dropbox App Version (if using the app)
237.4.5655

Question or Issue
On November 19, the Dropbox client displayed a dialog box saying that it had been updated (along with info about some changes like the way icons would be displayed in Windows Explorer). On the same day, my default search engine in Chrome changed from Google to Yahoo.  I had not installed any other client-side software or updates on my machine for several weeks so it seemed like a big coincidence that both of these would happen on the same day. Anybody else see their default search engine change from Google to Yahoo after the latest update?

(There are a lot of online sources claiming if your search engine changes from Google to Yahoo it might be a sign of something worse like blatantly illegal malware. The problem with that is that since there is no "affiliate code" when you change from Google to Yahoo, it seems that there would be no way for some basement-dwelling malware writer to make a quick buck from changing your default search engine. My understanding is that this usually happens when mostly-legitimate companies make a deal with Yahoo so that their installer will ASK if you want to switch from Google to Yahoo, and then sometimes they "forget" to make sure the installer asks before switching.)

  • Thanks. I am running Chrome 142.0.7444.163 for Windows although I don't think that makes much difference (I'm trying to figure out which app changed my browser search engine without asking, so whichever app did it, it would presumably work regardless of Chrome version).

    I do of course have lots of third party apps on the laptop, too many to list, but Dropbox is the only one that displayed a notification about an update at the same time the browser search engine changed, so that's why I thought it might be related.

    However, I also have McAfee WebAdvisor (which came free with the PC and eventually expired and I just never got rid of it), and lots of sources suggests that WebAdvisor frequently changes people's browser search default to Yahoo.

4 Replies

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  • Mark's avatar
    Mark
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
    13 days ago

    It was marked as spam, sorry Bennett H.​ 

    I've reallowed the post for you and will close this one now :)

  • Bennett H.'s avatar
    Bennett H.
    New member | Level 2
    13 days ago

    I posted a reply to this but it's not showing up even after refreshing this page. Are my replies to my own post quarantined for moderation?

    Anyway, I would like to close this request to indicate I no longer need help but I can't see an option to do that. (I don't want to pick "Mark as Solution" since the solution was unrelated to the reply.) I very much appreciate your help!

  • Bennett H.'s avatar
    Bennett H.
    New member | Level 2
    13 days ago

    Thanks. I am running Chrome 142.0.7444.163 for Windows although I don't think that makes much difference (I'm trying to figure out which app changed my browser search engine without asking, so whichever app did it, it would presumably work regardless of Chrome version).

    I do of course have lots of third party apps on the laptop, too many to list, but Dropbox is the only one that displayed a notification about an update at the same time the browser search engine changed, so that's why I thought it might be related.

    However, I also have McAfee WebAdvisor (which came free with the PC and eventually expired and I just never got rid of it), and lots of sources suggests that WebAdvisor frequently changes people's browser search default to Yahoo.

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    14 days ago

    Hey Bennett H. - thanks for bringing this to our attention. 

    We haven't had any similar reports lately. Could you let us know the version of Chrome you're using and if you happen to be running any 3rd party apps on your computer that could have caused this?

    Any additional information, or even screenshots, are more than welcome!

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