How to Get Rid of Adware on Mac

While there might be advertisements you like, adware is a whole other story. If you have malicious adware on your Mac, you’ll likely be bombarded with intrusive ads, including pop-ups and notifications. In some cases, adware can be so aggressive to the extent when it slows down your computer or causes it to crash. Sometimes, adware may also function as spyware, gathering your data and sending it to third parties without your permission.

That’s why it’s vital to remove adware from your Apple Mac as soon as you can—because it can be dangerous as well as annoying. Follow our advice here, and you can keep your Mac free of unwanted advertising.

Before we start:

 

Getting rid of adware on your Mac can be difficult, but there’s good news—you can make the whole process easier with MacKeeper’s Adware Cleaner. Here’s how:

1. Download and run MacKeeper. Select Adware Cleaner from the side menu.
2. Click Start Scan.
3. If the scan finds anything, MacKeeper can delete it for you.

And there it is—a quick and easy way to clean adware off your Mac. Just one of the many powerful features of MacKeeper. Give it a try today.

What is adware on Mac?

Adware is software that automatically shows you advertising while it’s running. Although some adware is legitimate, a lot of adware is malicious, acting without your permission and gathering your data.

Adware distribution methods

You can get adware on your Mac in many different ways, including rogue email attachments, infected web links, and malicious browser extensions. Sometimes adware is also bundled with legitimate apps, to generate income for the app’s developer.

What are the types of adware on Mac?

Adware affects web browsers and other apps. Typically, it’ll come in the form of banners, pop-ups, toolbars, and extensions.

How to check if your Mac has adware

Unless you’re using an automated adware removal tool, there’s no foolproof way of checking your Mac for adware. Not only do you need to know where to look, you have to decide what counts as malicious adware rather than legitimately ad-supported software.

There are, however, some common signs of adware you can look out for. They won’t confirm you have malicious adware on your device, but they will let you know if you need to investigate further.

What are the symptoms of an adware infection of your MacBook?

• Your Mac slows down or freezes up.
• You see a lot of pop-ups and other intrusive ads.
• Your web browser redirects by itself.
• Your homepage changes without your permission.
• There are new extensions in your browser that you didn’t install.
• Your Mac automatically installs new apps.
• Your default search engine changes by itself.

Note from our experts: 

 

If you’re being bombarded with pop-ups, read our guide on How to stop virus pop-ups on Mac.

How to remove adware from Mac

Take these steps to get rid of adware on Mac:

1. Get rid of suspicious apps
2. Remove malicious profiles
3. Delete .plist files
4. Remove login items
5. Delete unwanted network proxies
6. Get rid of adware extensions from your browser
7. Manage home and search engine settings
8. Use adware removal software

1. Get rid of suspicious apps

Adware may come bundled with other apps or it may have its own program. You should remove any apps that may be serving you ads without your permission. Here’s how:

1. Open your Applications folder, and look for anything that could be adware-related.
2. Send suspicious apps to your Trash, and then empty it.

2. Remove malicious profiles

Sometimes, malware will install configuration profiles on your Mac. It’s a good idea to delete these unwanted profiles when deleting adware on your Mac. Just follow these steps:

1. First, go to your Mac’s System Settings. Select the Privacy & Security section from the side menu. Select Profiles under Others.
2. If you see something in the profiles list, select it and click the minus button.

3. Delete .plist files

Most apps on your Mac include .plist files. These store information about your preferences for each app. The problem is adware can also install these files, so find and remove them when you’re getting rid of adware. This is what you need to do:

1. In Finder, select Go > Go to Folder from your menu bar at the top of your screen.
2. Type  ~/Library/LaunchAgents and hit Return.
3. Look through this folder for anything that may be malware-related and delete it.
4. Do the same with /Library/LaunchAgents, ~/Library/Application Support, and /Library/LaunchDaemons.

4. Remove login items

While removing .plist files from your LaunchDaemons and LaunchAgents folders will remove login items, you can also delete some from your System Settings. Here’s how:

1. Open up your Mac’s System Settings. Under General, select Login Items.
2. Look through the list of login items. To remove one, select it, and click the minus button.

Hint from our team: 

 

Rather than having to search through your Mac’s login items manually, you can save time and effort with MacKeeper’s Login Items tool. Just follow these steps:

1. Open MacKeeper, and select Login Items from the menu on the left. Click Start Scan.
2. When the scan is done, select anything you want to delete. Click Remove Selected Items.
3. Click Remove to confirm.

5. Delete unwanted network proxies

Proxies are servers that sit between your computer and the rest of the internet. People generally use proxies for security and privacy purposes, but malware can also use them for malicious reasons, including to serve you ads. Here’s how to check for unwanted network proxies on your Mac:

1. Open System Settings, and select Network in the side menu. Select your internet connection.
2. Click Details.
3. Select Proxies from the sidebar, and make sure none of the options are enabled.

6. Get rid of adware extensions from your browser

Sometimes, adware will install browser extensions on your Mac, or you might knowingly install an extension without realizing that it’s adware. Either way, you’ll want to remove this malware from your browser.

6.1 Delete adware extensions from Safari

As the default macOS web browser, Safari’s extensions work slightly differently from other browsers. Do as follows to remove adware extensions from Safari:

1. In Safari, choose Safari > Settings from the menu bar.
2. Open the Extensions section. In the sidebar, you’ll see your currently installed extensions. Select one to remove, and click Uninstall.
3. In this pop-up, select Show in Finder.
4. Delete the extension like any other file—by sending it to your Trash.

Important:

 

If you think your browser is infected, check out our guide on removing a Safari virus.

6.2 Remove adware-related extensions from Google Chrome

Google’s Chrome web browser also offers extensions. If you think one of them might be adware, use these steps to get rid of it:

1. In Chrome, select Chrome > Settings from the menu bar.
2. Click Extensions on the left-hand side.
3. To delete an extension, simply click its Remove button.
4. Click Remove to confirm the removal.

6.3 Get rid of adware extensions from Mozilla Firefox

If you’re a Firefox user, then you can easily remove unwanted extensions. Just do as follows:

1. In  Firefox, select Firefox > Settings from the menu bar at the top.
2. Select Extensions & Themes from the side menu.
3. Under Manage Your Extensions, look for an extension to remove. You’ll see three dots on its right-hand side. Click them to bring up a new menu. Select Remove.
4. In the pop-up, click Remove to confirm.

6.4 Delete adware extensions from Opera

If you’re an Opera user, then you can also remove extensions that may carry adware. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open Opera, then type opera://extensions into the search bar. Hit Return.
2. If you see a suspicious extension, click its Remove button.
3. Click Remove to confirm.

Note from our experts: 

 

Looking for a faster, simpler way to find and remove adware from your Mac? Try MacKeeper’s Adware Cleaner tool to find and delete any irritating adware that finds its way onto your computer.

 

Here’s how to run a scan with Adware Cleaner:

1. Open MacKeeper and select Adware Cleaner from the side menu. Click Start Scan.
2. Wait for the scan to finish. MacKeeper will confirm whether your Mac is clean or infected.

7. Manage homepage and search engine settings

Adware may also take control of your homepage and search engine settings. Sometimes, it’ll also prevent you from manually restoring your chosen settings, but it’s worth checking anyway.

7.1 Set up your Safari search engine and homepage

Follow these steps to see what your current settings are in Safari and to change them:

1. Open your Safari settings, then select the Search tab. In the Search engine section, choose the search engine you want to use.
2. Now select the General tab and look in the Homepage field. If there’s anything suspicious there, remove it.

7.2 Alter your search engine and homepage in Google Chrome

To check and change your Chrome home and search engine, do as follows:

1. In your menu bar, select Chrome > Settings. Click Search engine in the side menu. Click Manage search engines and site search.
2. In the Search engines section, look through the list of search engines. To remove one, click the three dots next to it, and select Delete.
3. Now select On Startup from the side menu. If Open a specific page or set of pages is active, remove any unwanted addresses.

7.3 Manage search engine and homepage in Firefox

If you’re using Firefox, then you should follow these steps to manage your homepage and search engine:

1. Open your Firefox settings. Click search in the Search side menu. Under Default Search Engine, choose your preferred search engine.
2. If you see a search engine you weren’t expecting, scroll down to Search Shortcuts, highlight that item, and click Remove.
3. Now go to the Home tab. If the Homepage and new windows option is active, remove or replace any suspicious URLs.

7.4 Change your homepage and search engine in Opera

If you’re an Opera user, then use these instructions to adjust your homepage and search engine settings:

1. Open your Opera settings. In the side menu, select Basic. Scroll down to the Search engine section, and choose your preferred search engine.
2. Next click Manage search engines and site search. If you see a search engine you don’t recognize, click the three dots next to it and remove it.
3. Return to the Basic section, and go down to the On startup area. If Open a specific page or set of pages is enabled, delete any unwanted pages.

8. Use adware removal software

While you can manually get rid of malware on Mac, it’s usually not easy. You need to know what you’re looking for and where it’s stored. Often viruses, adware, and other malicious apps store files in hard-to-find areas of your hard drive, making them tricky to detect and uninstall.

So what's the solution? Our advice is to use an adware removal tool. These programs automate the whole process of dealing with adware, whether you have a MacBook Pro, Mac mini, or iMac. They can scan your entire system, looking for adware and related data, and will delete it in just a click or two.

Many popular security apps include adware removal tools. Most also protect you from virus activity and safeguard your Mac when you’re online. Some of the most popular options include:

• MacKeeper
• Bitdefender
• Malwarebytes
• Intego Internet Security
• Avast One

Reclaim your Mac

Adware is a fairly broad category, which can include legitimate ad-supported software. However, you can also get malicious and aggressive forms that qualify as malware because they have a negative impact on your Mac’s performance and may actually install viruses and steal data.

In some cases, you may get tricked into installing adware. Even if it’s harmless, that’s an intrusion you shouldn’t tolerate, and you should treat it like any other unwanted guest on your computer—by finding it and deleting it forever.

As you’ve seen in our article here, there are many ways to deal with adware on your Mac, but automated adware removers are the most straightforward option. MacKeeper’s Adware Cleaner tool is purpose-built for removing adware, so it’s well worth trying. Plus, it’s packed with other security tools that can help with adware, including Antivirus, ID Theft Guard, and VPN Private Connect.