How to remove the Babylon toolbar, home page and search engine

Revision Information
  • Revision id: 33417
  • Created:
  • Creator: Michael Verdi
  • Comment: Completed info for fx<13, removed steps about removing user.js as babylon doesn't inject one in new profiles, completed mac steps.
  • Reviewed: Yes
  • Reviewed:
  • Reviewed by: user633449
  • Is approved? Yes
  • Is current revision? No
  • Ready for localization: No
Revision Source
Revision Content

Babylon translation software adds a toolbar and other add-ons to browsers. It also changes Firefox preferences such as your home page and search engine. These changes are done in a way that can be difficult to detect and reverse. This article explains how to fully remove Babylon and reset the Firefox options back to normal.

Note: This article only applies to Windows and Mac OS X. To see instructions, choose Windows or Mac OS X from the dropdown menu above.
Important: The steps in this article include using the Firefox reset which is available in the latest version of Firefox. We recommend that you download and install the latest Firefox from mozilla.org/firefox before continuing (see How to install Firefox on Windows for details)(see How to download and install Firefox on Mac for details).

1. Uninstall Babylon software

  1. Click the Start Menu and select Control Panel. The Control Panel window will open.
    Control Panel - WinXP
  2. In the Control Panel window click on Add or Remove Programs. The Add or Remove Programs window will open.
  3. From the list of currently installed programs, select Babylon.
  4. To begin the uninstall, click the Remove button to the right of Babylon.
    Remove Babylon - WinXP
  5. In the Babylon Uninstall Wizard that opens, click Uninstall and then follow the onscreen instructions.
    Uninstall Babylon
  6. Repeat these steps to remove any other Babylon related software you may have like, Babylon Toolbar, Browser Manager or Browser Protection.
  1. Click the Start Menu and select Control Panel. The Control Panel window will open.
    Control Panel - Win7
  2. In the Control Panel window click the Uninstall a program link under the Programs section.
    Uninstall a program - Win7
  3. From the list of currently installed programs, select Babylon.
  4. To begin the uninstall, click the Uninstall button at the top of the list.
    Remove Babylon - Win7
  5. In the Babylon Uninstall Wizard that opens, click Uninstall and then follow the onscreen instructions.
    Uninstall Babylon
  6. Repeat these steps to remove any other Babylon related software you may have like, Babylon Toolbar, Browser Manager or Browser Protection.
  1. From the Start Screen, click the Desktop tile. The Desktop view will open.
  2. From the Desktop, hover in the lower right-hand corner to access the Charms.
  3. Select Control Panel from the Charms menu. The Control Panel window will open.
  4. In the Control Panel window click the Uninstall a program link under the Programs section.
    Uninstall a program - Win7
  5. From the list of currently installed programs, select Babylon.
  6. To begin the uninstall, click the Uninstall button at the top of the list.
    Remove Babylon - Win7
  7. In the Babylon Uninstall Wizard that opens, click Uninstall and then follow the onscreen instructions.
    Uninstall Babylon
  8. Repeat these steps to remove any other Babylon related software you may have like, Babylon Toolbar, Browser Manager or Browser Protection.
  1. Click the Finder icon in the dock. Your home folder will open, (usually the name of your Mac user account). On the left side of the window, click the Applications folder to open it.
  2. Locate Babylon in the Applications folder and drag it to the Trash.
  3. Click and hold on the Trash icon and then select Empty Trash from the menu to delete Babylon.

The application is now uninstalled. So let's continue to remove its add-ons, changed preferences and other bundled programs.

2. Remove add-ons, fix your home page and search engine by resetting Firefox

The Firefox reset feature will remove the Babylon toolbar from Firefox and reset the preferences it changes. It will also preserve your personal data but it will restore everything else to their default settings.

Learn more about the reset feature in the Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings article.

Note: Your version of Firefox doesn't have the reset feature. If you can't update to the latest version of Firefox, follow the steps in Remove a toolbar that has taken over your Firefox search or home page.
  1. At the top of the Firefox window, click the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information.
    Reset Firefox 1 - WinXP
  2. Click the Reset Firefox button in the upper-right corner of the Troubleshooting Information page.
    Reset Firefox 2 - WinXP
  3. To continue, click Reset Firefox in the confirmation window that opens.
  4. Firefox will close and be reset. When it's done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click Finish and Firefox will open.
  1. At the top of the Firefox window, click the Firefox button, go over to the Help sub-menu
    (on Windows XP, click the Help menu at the top of the Firefox window) and select Troubleshooting Information.
    Troubleshooting info - win
  2. Click the Reset Firefox button in the upper-right corner of the Troubleshooting Information page.
    Reset Firefox - Win - 1
  3. To continue, click Reset Firefox in the confirmation window that opens.
  4. Firefox will close and be reset. When it's done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click Finish and Firefox will open.
  1. On the menu bar, click the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information.

    Troubleshooting info - mac
  2. Click the Reset Firefox button in the upper-right corner of the Troubleshooting Information page.
    Reset Firefox - Mac - 1
  3. To continue, click Reset Firefox in the confirmation sheet that slides down.
  4. Firefox will close and be reset. When it's done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click Done and Firefox will open.

Babylon will now be fully removed from Firefox. The steps below will help you remove other traces of it from your computer.

3. Remove add-ons from your other browsers

If you're also using other browsers, you might want to reset them or remove the Babylon-related add-ons too. The following articles link to external support websites:

4. Check your computer for malware

After completing the above steps, check your computer for malware. See How do I get rid of malware? for some recommended malware removal programs.