Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you enter something in the search bar of your web browser, it automatically uses the Yahoo search engine to search for it? Well, if you haven’t, you’re one of the lucky ones. Also known as the Yahoo redirect virus, it hijacks your browser’s default search engine and new tab settings. In this tutorial, we will see, how to get rid of yahoo search on Mac?
It is not a virus, technically speaking, but malware. The Yahoo redirect virus will change the name of the new tabs that you open in your browser, slow down your Mac, and redirect you to a Yahoo search engine every time you try to search for something in your browser.
Although this malware isn’t something that will completely corrupt your system, you should still remove it as soon as you notice something’s wrong.
People want to hijack your browser and force you to click on paid links that will make them money. They usually use Yahoo because it looks familiar and can easily manipulate it to their advantage.
If your Mac has also been infected with this malware, we have collated a few ways you can get rid of it by using in-built functions.
How Does This Malware Infect a Computer in The First Place?
- First, let’s understand what you might have done to get your Mac infected by this malware or PUP. The most common source of Yahoo Search On Mac infection is that this malware might come bundled with freeware that you download from different sites.
- The second possibility is downloading software or applications from what you’re led to believe are official sites. However, they are carefully created, identical copies of those websites—specially designed to fool users into downloading what is most likely some sort of virus or malware. Hence, make it a habit to verify URLs with scrutiny. It might look like the original website, but it will have a different domain name.
- The last possibility is you click on a pop-up from a random site to take a survey or update some essential software on your system. You should be extremely careful clicking on such links as they are usually meant to infect your system and gain access to it.
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How to Get Rid of Yahoo Search On Mac
We have detailed some of the methods and solutions that we recommend to get rid of the Yahoo Search On Mac.
Removing Yahoo Search From Google Chrome
You need to reset your browser settings to get rid of theYahoo Search On Mac from Google Chrome. Read the steps mentioned below to see how to do that.
- Open your Mac and click on Google Chrome from the dock, or you can also run a Spotlight search to open the browser.
- Click on the three dots on the top right corner of the screen and select Settings from the list.
- Head over to the Advanced section from the side menu and click on Reset settings.
- Choose Reset settings to their original defaults and hit Reset settings when the warning pop-up is displayed.
- Relaunch, the Chrome browser, and the Yahoo search engine should be gone.
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Removing Yahoo Search From Safari
Like Google Chrome, you need to reset the settings in Safari to remove the Yahoo search engine. Read the details provided below to learn how to do that.
- Open your Mac and sign in to it.
- Run Safari from the dock or use the Spotlight search to do the same.
- Open Safari Preferences from the menu bar and head over to the Advanced tab.
- Tick the box next to the Show develop menu in the menu bar option.
- Once that’s been done, click on Safari once again and choose the Develop option from the menu bar.
- Click on Empty caches from the list.
- After clearing caches, click on History and delete all the data from it too.
- Once that is done, open Safari preferences again, head over to the Privacy tab, and click on Manage website data.
- Click on Remove all and hit Done.
- Relaunch Safari and check if the Yahoo search engine has been removed.
Removing Yahoo Search From Mozilla Firefox
The process to remove the Yahoo search from Mozilla Firefox is different. Read the details provided below to learn how to do that.
- Open your Mac and sign in to it.
- Load Mozilla Firefox from the dock or use the Spotlight search.
- Click on the three lines on the upper right-hand corner of the screen and select Help.
- Choose Troubleshooting Information and click on Refresh Firefox.
- Confirm the action, and you’re good to go.
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Frequently Asked Questions
As we already discussed this malware affects the system. But you can always choose to get rid of this for good and make your system secure. For this, you need to do the basics first which is simply scanning your entire system to detect the virus. If you have a lot of files stored on the system it might take time hence, be patient.
Now once you get hold of the virus, you can use the tool on your Mac to get rid of the virus that is harming the system. Make sure to remove viruses and not all the files from the system.
Your Mac might be caught in this Yahoo search loop that is probably a virus or malware entering the system. Now, there could be a lot of reasons for this. But the reason for such a virus could be because of ads and software causing this issue that you might be unaware of at the moment. The best way to get rid of this is simply removing any new software you have used or scanning for viruses.
Conclusion
The Yahoo redirect virus is a pesky problem and can go unnoticed for an extended period of time how to Get Rid of Yahoo Search On Mac. If you see any indications that you have been infected with it, use the methods given above to get rid of it as soon as possible. Make sure you try everything so that your system is free completely.
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I am Carissa Gudinoa, a technology buff, and Office online and Apple expert with over 9 years of experience. I am passionate about helping others get the most out of their Apple devices. I have written extensively about Apple products and technologies. I am committed to providing my clients with the best possible service and am always up-to-date on the latest Apple products and features. I also write extensively on other software available for use at minimal cost or free. This includes Word Online, Outlook Online, Excel Online, and other Office online programs… Check out more.