Want to remove SearchMine on Mac?
Although Macs have exceptional security policies protecting the system from viruses, they likely get targeted once in a while by various malware. One such malicious software is SearchMine, which commonly attacks Macs and seriously threatens your privacy.
This malware changes your browser’s default page to searchmine.net without seeking your permission and makes the whole internet experience highly irritating. Moreover, this virus records your data, such as search history, internet activity, location, etc., and can share it with other advertisers.
To protect your Mac from this hijacking browser malware, it’s essential to take precautionary steps. As this virus usually invades the Mac through bundled softwares, always pay attention to what you’re installing. However, if you do become its victim, here are some quick solutions to help you remove SearchMine on Mac.
So, let’s begin!
1. Remove Malicious Profiles.
System admins use configuration profiles to connect devices with a single network to manage and control your Mac settings remotely. This is why malicious softwares primarily hijack and exploit these profiles so users can no longer bring their browser settings back to default.
So the first step you must follow is to check if any recent profiles have been added to the system. If so, remove them by following the steps below:
- Go to the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Preferences.
- Then, click on Profiles.
- Check for any malicious profiles. To remove a profile, click on the – icon.
2. Delete Unknown Logins Items.
The malicious software may also add suspicious login items or startup applications that will boot up with your Mac and result in the redirection of your browser. You can revert these changes by removing the recently added and unfamiliar login items.
Here’s how:
- First, click on the Apple icon from the menu bar.
- Then, select System Preferences.
- Once the window opens, go to Users & Groups.
- From the left pane, click on your profile.
- After that, click on the Login Items tab.
- If there is any suspicious or unknown application in the list, remove it by first clicking on the particular item and clicking on the – icon.
- Restart the Mac to see the changes take place.
3. Remove Malicious Apps.
Apart from login items and profile configuration, suspicious applications may also get installed on your Mac. This bundled program needs to be removed from the system immediately to eliminate the incorrect functioning of your computer.
Look for any unfamiliar programs and delete them by following these steps:
- Start by clicking on Finder.
- Then, go to the Go tab from the menu bar.
- Click on Applications.
- If you see any suspicious apps, remove them by dragging the app to the Trash icon.
4. Delete SearchMine Traces From Your Disk.
Even after deleting SearchMine-related files, apps, profiles, login items, and so on, its traces can be left behind in the system, increasing chances for its comeback in the future. To prevent this, you need to clean your disks of malicious leftovers.
Below are the steps you need to follow:
- Click on Finder.
- Then, go to the Go menu.
- From there, select Go to Folder.
- Paste the following locations in the text box, one by one, and click on the Go button:
~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchAgents/Library/LaunchDaemons/Library/Application Support- In each folder, look for any malicious files and delete them.
5. Delete SearchMine from Safari.
Safari is the default browser for Mac users, and some people prefer keeping it that way. If SearchMine hijacks it, you can either shift to a different browser. If that’s not an option, you can try to remove SearchMine on Mac Safari.
Here’s how to do it:
- Start by pressing the Cmd + Space shortcut keys from your keyboard. This will open Spotlight.
- Type ‘Safari’ in the search box and press the Enter key.
- Then, from the safari menu, select Preferences.
- Once the window opens, go to the Advanced tab.
- Next, click on the box for Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- Then, select the Develop tab from the menu bar.
- Click on Empty Caches from the drop-down menu.
- Then, go to the History tab from the menu bar.
- Click on Clear History.
- From the drop-down menu, select all history and click on Clear History to confirm the action.
- Now, head back to Preferences.
- Go to the Privacy tab.
- Select Manage Website Data.
- From the list of websites, select any shady ones and click on Remove.
- Then, click on the Done button.
- After that, go back to the General tab and check whether the set Homepage is of your choice.
- Then, go to the Extensions tab.
- Check for any malicious extension and select it.
- Then click on Uninstall to remove it.
6. Delete SearchMine on Chrome.
For Chrome fans, there’s no chance of going for an alternate browser. Fortunately, you can remove SearchMine from your favorite browser and get back to using Google as your default search engine.
Follow the steps below to do it:
- First, launch the Chrome browser.
- Paste the following address in the address bar and press Enter.
chrome://settings/- From the sidebar, select Reset Settings.
- Then, click on Reset settings to their original default.
- A dialog box will appear. Click on the Reset settings button to confirm the action.
- Next, paste the following address in the address bar:
chrome://policy- This will open the Chrome policy. If you spot a suspicious policy, press the Cmd + Space keys from your keyboard to launch Spotlight.
- Type in ‘terminal app’ and press the Enter key.
- Paste the following commands in this specific order:
defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageIsNewTabPage -bool falsedefaults write com.google.Chrome NewTabPageLocation -string "https://www.google.com/"defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageLocation -string "https://www.google.com/"defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderSearchURLdefaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderNewTabURLdefaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderName- Next, click on Chrome from the menu bar.
- Select Quit Google Chrome.
7. Remove SearchMine from Firefox.
Firefox is another very popular browser choice among Mac users, which SearchMine malware doesn’t miss a chance to hijack. But you can refresh the browser to bring back its default settings. Hopefully, this will remove SearchMine on Mac.
Below are the steps you need to follow:
- Launch the Firefox app.
- In the address bar, paste the following and press the Enter key:
about:support- On the right side of the screen, click on Refresh Firefox.
- A dialog box will appear. Click on Refresh Firefox to revert the browser to its default settings.
This brings us to the end of our guide on how to remove SearchMine on Mac. For more questions, head over to the comment section below. We will respond to you as soon as possible.
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