A Quick Guide On How To Remove Malware From Mac

There are a lot of Mac users who are dealing with malicious software. The list comprises of Adware, hijackers on browsers, and unknown apps. These can be threats to your system as it can invite malware, generate web traffic and collect sales leads.

Adware is a kind of software that is designed to show advertisements on your monitor. You can find it often on any browsers. These can invite a bundle of software that can lead your system to download other software beyond your knowledge.

How to Recognize Whether Adware is on your System?

Adware enables unwanted advertisements on your browser whenever you start searching for something online. This adware basically promote the installation of dubious applications on your system. 

Thus, we have figured out some symptoms to recognize if your system has adware or not.

• Advertisements appear here and there.
• The homepage of your web browser changes without your knowledge and permission.
• Web Pages that you used to visit display improperly.
• Website links redirect you somewhere else than expected.
• Pop-ups appear with fake and dubious software.
• You can notice some unwanted programs installed on your system.

These are the prime symptoms having any adware on your macOS. Sometimes, the symptoms may vary from system to system and version to version of Mac device.

How to Recognize if Malware is on your Mac?

Are you sure that your Mac device has malware? Check out the symptoms below if you have any doubt. 

If you can observe one or more symptoms, then you can go for the steps of removing malware or virus from your Mac.

• Mac starts to freeze-up frequently.
• Regularly-visited web pages are full of advertisements.
• Mac takes a reboot suddenly or any app behaves so.
• Your browser starts to download dubious applications.

You should not ignore these symptoms and go for some widely used removal techniques which are discussed in a later section of this article. 

How to Recognize if Any Particular App is a Virus?

You may find any app on your Mac system that is downloaded automatically. Therefore, you need to confirm whether it is a virus or not. We have collected some symptoms that can help you to decide.

• The app advises you to “fix your Mac”.
• If you think it’s pirated software.
• App gets downloaded from an unknown source.
• The app comes from BitTorrent.
• A “codec” or “plugin” from an unknown source.

You should be aware of these symptoms. It is better to retain yourself from browsing unsecured websites from your browser so that you can avoid such circumstances.

How to Remove Adware from Mac?

You can get relief from adware by blocking extensions on your browsers. Here, we will be discussing the three most preferred browsers on Mac and they are Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.

For Safari

As browser can invite adware to affect your system that’s why we suggest you block extensions on browsers. And Safari lies first in our list.

1. Go to the Preferences tab of your Safari browser.
2. Click on the Extensions tab.
3. Select the preferred extension and go for Uninstall option.

For Google Chrome

Google Chrome is the most commonly used browser around the world. So, we can’t miss the steps regarding extension uninstallation on Google Chrome and this is very simple.

1. Just open your Chrome browser. Then explore its Settings menu by clicking the three lines at the top-right corner of Chrome.
2. Head towards Advanced link under the Settings. Click on it.
3. Go for “Reset settings to their original defaults” under the “Reset and Clean up” section.
4. Confirm the Reset process by clicking on the Reset settings.

And the extension setting should revert to its default one.

For Mozilla Firefox

We are going to disable the extensions for users using this browser. Follow the step-by-step method to overcome this particular issue.

1. Go to the menu of the browser that is indicated by three horizontal lines. 
2. Choose Help option from the drop-down list.
3. Click on Troubleshooting Information.
4. Choose the Refresh Firefox option.
5. Confirm the prompt message.
6. Click on Finish.

This will automatically reset the extension settings and won’t let adware to attack you through extensions.

How to Remove Malware from Mac?

We seek help from doctors if we have any diseases and the same logic applies to your Mac systems as well. But your Mac requires a Mac scan. If you figure out that your Mac is affected by malware, then please follow the steps below. 

We have described the steps following which you can manually remove the malware or virus and as a result, root out those applications accused to have malware.

Fix 1: Remove Malware Using Activity Monitor

We will use the Activity monitor to remove malicious apps or malware from Mac. This is one of the best ways to remove malware from Mac manually. Let’s start with the process.

1. Open Activity Monitor. You can type the name in the launchpad.
2. Find out the malicious apps.
3. Click on the [x] button to quit the apps.
4. Now, head towards your application and move it to Trash Bin.
5. Empty the bin, immediately.

This fix will uproot the application with malware but traces of malware can stay on your system. So, we recommend using a powerful Uninstaller tool to uproot the application.

Fix 2: Remove Malware Using Finder

You can also readily use the Finder application to uproot malicious apps. At first, you need to identify malicious apps and then continue to uninstall them.

1. Open Finder application from the dock of your Mac.
2. Choose Applications from the left-pane of Finder.
3. Find out the problematic apps by scrolling down the list. Remove them by right-clicking on them and clicking on “Move to Trash”.
4. Right-click on Trash and go for Empty Trash.

Sometimes, some malware can create widgets on the Menu bar. Just click on such an unwanted icon and go for the “Shutdown” option.

How to Block Pop-up Ads on your Browser?

Ad pop-ups on your web browser can enhance the malware to affect your Mac system. So you can block these Ad pop-ups to prevent such circumstances.

For Safari

You may get a malicious app like “Mac defender” through ad pop-ups on your Safari browser. So, you need to disable such pop-ups by using the following simple steps.

1. Open Preferences tab of Safari browser.
2. Click on the Security tab.
3. Check “Block Pop-up” windows.

And you have blocked the Ad pop-ups on your Safari browser.

For Chrome

Similarly, we have the solution for Chrome, as well. Don’t skip this short process if you want to ensure your Mac from malware.

1. Open the Chrome menu.
2. Follow the path: Advanced>Privacy and security>Content Setting.
3. Find the pop-up tabs and block them from reappearing.

Hopefully, these hacks and fixes can help you to get rid of malware from your Mac system. If you have any queries, then you can share it with us. You can use the comments section to reach us. We will try our best to help you.