How To Remove Mac Adware and Malware

Created by Brian Hernandez, Modified on Sat, 17 Sep 2016 at 11:43 PM by Brian Hernandez

Mac Adware and Malware Removal Instructions

Download the Free Malwarebytes Antimalware for Mac (aka MBAM)

Install by opening Downloads > MBAM.dmg > run package installer and enter your Mac admin/login password to approve. Drag MBAM icon to the Applications alias they provide. Then Eject MBAM white drive icon.

Launchpad > find and open Malwarebytes (blue shield icon) and wait for internet to update latest virus list (takes a few seconds)

Click top Scan button (magnifying glass icon)… It should only take 10 sec or so. Take a screenshot of the results (Shft-Cmd-3, saves to desktop) and attach it to your support ticket.

Delete anything MBAM finds. It then may ask you to restart your Mac, do that please

Once you login back into your Mac, run MBAM one more time to make sure you’re system is clean. Quit MBAM.

Empty trash (if applicable)

Some of these Malware apps are getting smarter. Some will "lock" their files so that MBAM can't remove them. This will require manually locating the apps and their preference or library files and "unlocking" them before MBAM can safely delete them. This is a bit more complicated to explain here so please contact us so we can schedule a time to look at your Mac.

**NOTE** AVOID any other "cleaning" apps like MacKeeper, MacCleaner, MacBooster, MemoryCleaner, SpyHunter, etc. as these are SCAMS in among themselves. They don't do anything useful and, in fact, can do more harm to your system by cleaning/erasing things that should not be removed. These usually give you a trial run and then ask for money (say $49+). The design of these apps may look pretty but they are not necessary and considered spam by the Mac industry. You can learn more from Thomas Reed, Mac security expert, at http://thesafemac.com and https://blog.malwarebytes.com/author/treed/