Security

How to Remove Search Marquis from Mac

If Search Marquis finds its way onto your Mac, you’ll soon know about it. Whether you’re using an iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or a different Mac model, it can take over your web browser, making everything go through the Search Marquis website.

 

That might not sound dangerous, but it might be an invasion of your privacy. Moreover, Search Marquis can affect your Mac’s performance and have other, more detrimental effects.  

 

Even worse, you can’t just delete Search Marquis. It’s built to be difficult to get off your Mac, so you’ll need to take extra steps to get rid of it. In this guide, we’ll show you how to remove this annoying and unwelcome guest from your machine.

 

For other virus issues, check out our guide on how to remove malware from Mac. Now, let’s look at Search Marquis in a bit more detail.

Malware name

Search Marquis

Category                                   

Web browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program (PUP), adware

Infection symptoms

Unexpected web redirects, search engine defaults to Search Marquis, system slowdown, advertising pop-ups, unexpected browser extensions

Infection sources

Often bundled with legitimate software, malicious ads, file-sharing networks

Removal methods

MacKeeper or manual methods

Before we start

 

Malware like Search Marquis has serious implications for your online safety. To keep your Mac safe and protect yourself, try MacKeeper. Its StopAd feature will block ads and online trackers in Safari and Chrome, while giving you the power to easily decide what to block and what to allow. Here’s how to get it set up.  

  1. In MacKeeper, select StopAd from the side menu
  2. Next to Safari extension, click Enable, then follow the on-screen prompts to install the add-on
  3. Return to MacKeeper, and next to Chrome extension, click Install, and again follow the prompts
  4. In both browsers, you should now see a MacKeeper extension logo. Click it to access the StopAd settings. 

MacKeeper also gives you a host of other security features that can help you defeat viruses like Search Marquis. They include real-time Antivirus protection and Smart Uninstaller.  

How to get rid of Search Marquis on Mac manually

When the Search Marquis gets on your Mac, it can affect your system in many different ways. As well as installing files in your Applications folder, it can install login items and more. If you know where to look, though, you can manually remove this virus from your Mac.  

Delete malicious applications

One of the first steps to deleting Search Marquis off your Mac is to delete it and any apps related to it. Here’s how:

  1. Start by opening Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities
  2. Look through the list of active apps and processes
  3. If you see anything that might be related to Search Marquis, select it, then click the X button
  4. When prompted, select Force Quit
  5. Now, look through your Applications folder for any apps that might be related to Search Marquis. Drag them to your Trash and empty it.
Activity Monitor window is opened from Finder as the helping tool to remove malicious apps on a Mac
Step 1. Open Activity Monitor from Finder
In the Activity Monitor app, you can find and see the list of the current processes with the information about their RAM memory use and the CPU
Step 2. Mac Activity Monitor
After selecting the app to be closed in the Activity Monitor app, click on the X button to finalize the process.
Step 3. Close an app in Activity Monitor

Although deleting apps like this is important, this measure alone is unlikely to be enough to remove Search Marquis, so now it’s time to proceed to the next step.

Remove unknown Login or Startup Items

If you have a Search Marquis infection, it may install login or startup items on your Mac. This means that when you turn off your computer and turn it back on again, these items can automatically restore themselves at launch.  

 

You can remove login items from your Mac’s System Settings:

  1. In your menu bar, select Apple > System Settings
  2. Select General, then Login Items
  3. In the Open at Login section, select anything that shouldn't be there, and click the minus  (–) button to remove it.
The System Settings option is selected from the Apple drop-down menu as the first step to removing login items on a Macbook
Step 1. Apple icon > System Settings
The General section of the Mac’s System Preferences is selected on the left panel, with the further move to Login items
Step 2. Open the General section > Login Items
The Login Items window shows the list of apps that automatically launch with every startup of the computer. You can manage this list by + and - buttons
Step 3. Click on the minus ro remove login item

Get rid of malware-related leftovers

When you uninstall apps from your Mac, often some files will get left behind. The same applies to Search Marquis—there are likely to be files you need to take off your machine to keep the virus from coming back.

 

Follow these steps to find and remove Search Marquis leftovers:

  1. In Finder, select Go > Go to Folder from the menu bar
  2. Type ~/Library/LaunchAgents, and press Return
  3. Look for anything with ‘search marquis’ in its name, then delete it
  4. Repeat these steps for the following locations:
  • /Library/LaunchDaemons
  • /Library/Application Support
  • ~/Library/Application Support.
The Go to Folder option selected in the drop-down Apple menu as the perfect tool to initiate Search Marquis leftovers removal
Step 1. Go to Folder in Mac menu bar
Entering the location in Go to Folder identifies the ~/Library/LaunchAgents path to open the startup items list. Press the Return button
Step 2. Enter the path to open LaunchAgents folder
The LaunchAgents folder shown among the other folders on this computer, highlighted with the dark blue color, before the deletion process
Step 3. Remove files connected with Search Marquis

Clean up malicious profile configurations

To strengthen its control over your Mac, Search Marquis may create a configuration profile in your settings. You’ll need to get rid of it to block the virus.  

  1. In System Settings, select Privacy & Security
  2. Scroll down, and click Profiles
  3. If you see anything that shouldn’t be there, select it, and click the minus (–) button.
The Privacy&Security tab is selected in the System Preferences on a Mac as a method of cleaning malicious profile configurations
Step 1. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security
The Privacy&Security window displays the list of the corresponding apps that require some kind of user permissions. Find the Profiles button at the bottom of the screen 
Step 2. Click on Profiles 
In the newly opened Profiles window, find the one you want to delete and click on the - button to confirm the action
Step 3. Click on the minus to remove suspicious profiles

Remove suspicious extensions in browsers

Browser extensions can add all kinds of wonderful features, but viruses can also use this functionality to take over your browser or spy on you.  

 

Follow these steps to turn off and remove unwanted add-ons from Safari:

  1. In Safari, select Safari > Settings from the menu bar
  2. In the Extensions section, select an add-on you want to remove, and click Uninstall
  3. In the prompt that pops up, click Show in Finder
  4. Now drag the extension to your Trash and empty it.
The Settings option is selected from the Safari dialogue menu bar to delete unwanted add-ons in the browser
Step 1. Open Safari Settings
The Extensions window features the list of Safari extensions that were uploaded to this device. Choose the necessary and click on the Uninstall button
Step 2. Select the suspicious extension and click on Uninstall
The app you’d like to delete from Safari extension will send you a confirmation message over the Extensions window. React with Show in Finder 
Step 3. Select Show in Finder option in the pop-up window
The Applications folder opened from Finder will show you the file you’re searching for. Drag it to your Trash and empty the bin
Step 4. Move the extension to Trash 

Delete Chrome extensions like this:

  1. In Chrome, select Chrome > Settings from the menu bar
  2. Select Extensions from the side menu
  3. Find the add-on you want to take out of the equation, and click its Remove button
  4. In the pop-up, click Remove.
The Settings option is selected from the Chrome dialogue menu bar to delete unwanted extensions
Step 1. Open Chrome Settings
The Extensions tab is now launched after being chosen from the side menu
Step 2. Go to Extensions tab
Chrome’s extensions screen with the full list of all the installed add-ons within this browser. Find the necessary and click on Remove
Step 3. Click on Remove on the needed extension tab
After seeing the app’s pop-up appearing over the Extensions window, show your decisiveness by clicking on Remove once again
Step 4. Confirm removal of Chrome extension

Follow these steps to remove extensions from Firefox:

  1. From the Firefox menu bar, select Tools > Add-ons and themes
  2. Find the add-on you want to delete, and click the three dots. Then select Remove
  3. Confirm that you want to remove the add-on by clicking Remove.
The Add-ons and Themes option selected from Tools in the Firefox dialogue menu, highlighted for the user to see the required step
Step 1. Open Tools > Add-ons and themes in Firefox
The Manage Your Extensions window in your Firefox browser lists the enabled and recommended extensions. Among enabled, pick the one you need and click on Remove
Step 2. Select the suspicious extension > click Remove
In the app’s pop-up message, find the confirmation removal button and click on it to finish the deletion
Step 3. Confirm removal of Firefox extension

 

Note from our experts:

 

If you’re using a different browser, the process of removing add-ons is likely to be similar to one of the ones we’ve looked at here. Check your browser’s website for more information. 

Fix website redirection settings in browsers

Finally, to get your Mac clear of Search Marquis, you should fix redirection by removing browser data or resetting the search engine.  

 

To fix redirection in Safari, do this:

  1. Select Safari > Settings from the Safari menu bar
  2. Select Privacy, and click Manage Website Data
  3. Click Remove All. 
 The Privacy window opened from Safari settings shows the number of settings. Among them, find and click Manage Website Data
Step 1. Open Privacy section in the Safari settings
Safari will show you the new notification about the web data storage. React with the Remove All button
Step 2. Remove website data

Reset redirection in Chrome like this:

  1. Select Chrome > Settings from the menu bar
  2. Open the Search engine section
  3. Use the drop-down menu to choose a search engine
  4. Now, click Manage search engines and site search
  5. In the Search engines, use the three dots next to a search engine and click Delete.
The Search Engine tab is selected on the left panel in Chrome’s settings window
Step 1. Go to Search engine section in Chrome settings
The Search Engine window now displays the menu, clicking on the first item, you’ll see the list of browsers to choose your desired option
Step 2. Select the Search Engine
Now go to select the second option—Manage search engines and site search—in the Search Engine window
Step 3. Click on Manage search engines in Chrome
The process of deleting a search engine in Chrome. Choose the necessary browser in the list of search engines and click on Delete
Step 4. Delete search engine 

You can reset your Firefox redirect settings like this:

  1. Select Firefox > Settings from the Firefox menu bar
  2. Open the Search section
  3. Under Default Search Engine, use the drop-down to select a search engine.
The Search window appears after going to Firefox > Settings from the browser dialogue menu
Step 1. Go to Search section in Firefox settings
The Default Search Engine window displays the clickable list of search engine options. Fix it on the desired browser selected.
Step 2. Change search engine in Firefox

What is Search Marquis on Mac?

Search Marquis is a browser hijacker. Forcing you to search through the searchmarquis.com landing page and search engine, Search Marquis will redirect you to Bing or Yahoo. And on the way, your queries will pass through several advertising networks, making money for those behind the virus.  

 

That by itself is annoying, but security is another reason we suggest you get this malware off your computer. Now check the symptoms of a Search Marquis infection on your Mac:  

  • Unexpected browser add-ons: Search Marquis may install browser extensions without permission. These can further compromise your Mac’s security.
  • Dangerous redirects: This malware may also redirect its victims to dangerous websites, including phishing sites.
  • More ads than normal: If you find you’re suddenly bombarded with pop-up ads, it could be a sign of a Search Marquis infection.
  • System slowdown: The presence of Search Marquis can affect the performance of your browser and macOS in general.

In other words, Search Marquis is bad news. And it doesn’t matter whether you use Safari or a third-party browser, like Chrome or Firefox. Search Marquis can affect them all, and it’s something you should fix ASAP.  

Keep your browser under your control

By following the steps gathered and explained by our experts, you can get this annoying virus off your Mac. But if you want your Apple machine to remain protected, you should aim to block Search Marquis from your Mac permanently.

 

As well as being careful about software bundles and file-sharing sites, our team’s advice is to protect your browser and your Mac with MacKeeper. Its StopAd feature will prevent unwanted pop-ups, malicious ads, online trackers, and other nasties watching or bothering you. If you need to remove a Bing virus from your Mac—or any malware, for that matter—it has everything you need.  

 

Combine MacKeeper with good basic cybersecurity practices, and you can keep Search Marquis from returning to haunt you.

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