Uninstall Mac Cleanup Pro “Virus” (May 2019 Update)

Mac Cleanup Pro

The ads, the page-redirects and the changes to the user’s browser caused by an application of the browser hijacker category can really get on anybody’s nerves. Apps of this category are known for being highly irritating and some people even regard them as security hazards for their computers. This is why, we believe it is important that all of our readers are well acquainted with the abilities and the characteristics of the browser hijacker software class as that would help all of you keep your machine clean and protected in the future. If you’ve recently had the starting page and the search engine of your browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera and or any other) replaced and if there are a many different pop-ups and banners as well as random page redirects that appear on your screen while you are surfing the online world, then you most definitely have a hijacker on your computer and should read the following information.

Some general information about browser hijackers and the newly-released Mac Cleanup Pro

The main reason for the writing of this post is a software piece that’s known under the name of Mac Cleanup Pro (although it might sometimes appear under a different name). Similarly to most cyber security researchers, we also consider Mac Cleanup Pro to be a browser hijacker. This app has been reported to invade the users’ browsers and make changes to them, tinkering with the search engine tool, the toolbar or with the homepage and the new-tab page. Also, frequent redirects to different pages that the user never even tried to visit is to be expected if you have Mac Cleanup Pro on your computer. Of course, another typical trait of hijackers that this app is also capable of is generating random adverts, banners, pop-up boxes and blinking messages on the user’s screen whenever the browser is opened.

Due to all this intrusiveness, most people who are faced with Mac Cleanup Pro are eager to get rid of it in the quickest way possible. We can help you do that with our Mac Cleanup Pro removal manual. The guide below has a list of manual steps as well as a recommended security tool – both of those could enable you to uninstall Mac Cleanup Pro.

Assuming that you have taken a look at the guide and the steps in it, it should be apparent to you that getting rid of a hijacker is not as easy as uninstalling any regular program from your PC which is actually one of the main issues with this type of software. Most users aren’t able to properly remove any hijacker that might have gotten inside their computer. This makes people suspicious of the nature of apps like Mac Cleanup Pro – they think browser hijacker apps are similar to nasty virus programs (Trojan Horses, Ransomware, Spyware, Worms and so on). Here is where we must tell you that a browser hijacker app isn’t really something that would normally be used for any criminal or harmful activity. The representatives of this software category aren’t normally malicious and the likelihood of a hijacker actually being used to harm your virtual safety in any way is rather low. That said, you must still be cautious around this type of undesirable apps. Their annoying adverts and their frequent redirects should typically be avoided. You see, it is generally inadvisable to trust random online adverts. This rule is even more relevant when there’s a hijacker on your PC – not all of its ads and redirects are what they seem. In some cases, you might click on an advert thinking you’d get sent to an actual offer but instead you might get linked to some shady online address where you could get your machine infected with insidious viruses like the ones we already mentioned above – Ransomware, Trojan Horses, etc.

How to install new software?

Now, you most probably know how to install a program on your PC. There, however, is one very important detail that a lot of users tend to forget about which, in turn, could get them a hijacker like Mac Cleanup Pro. The key to properly installing a new program without risking the installation of a hijacker is to always use the Advanced or the Custom setup menu in the installation manager. The reason it’s important to do that is because a lot of hijacker get bundled with legitimate programs as bonus components. In most cases, the only way to leave out the hijacker and still install the main program is by unchecking it from the Advanced/Custom installation menu which is something that we advise you to do in the future.

SUMMARY:

Remove Mac Cleanup Pro “Virus”

The first thing you need to do is to Quit Safari (if it is opened). If you have trouble closing it normally, you may need to Force Quit Safari:

You can choose the Apple menu and click on Force Quit.

Alternatively you can simultaneously press ⌘ (the Command key situated next to the space bar), Option (the key right next to it) and Escape (the key located at the upper left corner of your keyboard).

If you have done it right a dialog box titled Force Quit Applications will open up.

In this new dialog window select Safari, then press the Force Quit button, then confirm with Force Quit again.

Close the dialog box/window.

WARNING! READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING!

Start Activity Monitor by opening up Finder, then proceed to

Once there, look at all the processes: if you believe any of them are hijacking your results, or are part of the problem, highlight the process with your mouse, then click the “i” button at the top. This will open up the following box:

Now click on Sample at the bottom:

Do this for all processes you believe are part of the threat, and run any suspicious files in our online virus scanner, then delete the malicious files:

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The next step is to safely launch Safari again. Press and hold the Shift key while relaunching Safari. This will prevent Safari’s previously opened pages from loading again. Once Safari is opened up, you can release the Shift key.

On the off chance that you are still having trouble with scripts interrupting the closing of unwanted pages in Safari, you may need to take some additional measures.

First, Force Quit Safari again.

Now if you are using a Wi-Fi connection turn it off by selecting Wi-Fi off in you Mac’s Menu. If you are using a cable internet (Ethernet connection), disconnect the Ethernet cable.

Re-Launch Safari but don’t forget to press and hold the Shift button while doing it, so no previous pages can be opened up. Now, Click on Preferences in the Safari menu,

and then again on the Extensions tab,

Select and Uninstall any extensions that you don’t recognize by clicking on the Uninstall button. If you are not sure and don’t want to take any risks you can safely uninstall all extensions, none are required for normal system operation.

The threat has likely infected all of your browsers. The instructions below need to be applied for all browsers you are using.

Again select Preferences in the Safari Menu, but this time click on the Privacy tab,

Now click on Remove All Website Data, confirm with Remove Now. Keep in mind that after you do this all stored website data will be deleted. You will need to sign-in again for all websites that require any form of authentication.

Still in the Preferences menu, hit the General tab

Check if your Homepage is the one you have selected, if not change it to whatever you prefer.

Select the History menu this time, and click on Clear History. This way you will prevent accidentally opening a problematic web page again.

 How to Remove Mac Cleanup Pro From Firefox in OSX:

Open Firefox, click on  (top right) ——-> Add-ons. Hit Extensions next.

The problem should be lurking somewhere around here –  Remove it. Then Refresh Your Firefox Settings.

How to Remove Mac Cleanup Pro From Chrome in OSX:

 Start Chrome, click  —–>More Tools —–> Extensions. There,  find the malware and  select  .

 Click  again, and proceed to Settings —> Search, the fourth tab, select Manage Search Engines.  Delete everything but the search engines you normally use. After that Reset Your Chrome Settings.

If the guide doesn’t help, download the anti-virus program we recommended or try our free online virus scanner. Also, you can always ask us in the comments for help!