Macsafesearch.net Removal Guide

Mac Safe Search is a browser extension that promotes the Macsafesearch.net search provider. It will be set as your new default search provider after you install this piece of software. As research has clearly shown, it primarily targets MAC OS X users, and it should change Google Chrome settings only. Of course, we cannot guarantee that other popular browsers (e.g. Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari) will not be affected either. Researchers at 411-spyware.com have managed to find out that it should be possible to get the Mac Safe Search extension directly from the Chrome Web Store (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kabjgfhbfoafaackbiopkmlifjppdkjb?), but, of course, if there are extensions available for other browsers too, they will have other official sources. On top of that, specialists suspect that it might be possible to install this piece of software from some kind of file-sharing or a similar third-party website. No matter how it is installed on your PC, you will find Macsafesearch.net set on your web browser in all the cases. Unfortunately, we cannot confirm that this search tool is legitimate. Reliable search providers are never distributed by suspicious extensions and set on users’ browsers without their knowledge. Luckily, you could remove it quite easily. Continue reading to find more about its removal.

Macsafesearch.net might look like a legitimate search provider, but it is not, we can assure you. The first symptom showing that it is untrustworthy is the fact that it has changed your browser’s settings without your knowledge. As mentioned in the first paragraph of this article, it should only affect Google Chrome, but if it happens that you find it set as your new default search tool and/or homepage on all other browsers you use too, you must remove it from them ASAP as well. You should be careful with search providers you know nothing about because they might present you with untrustworthy search results, for example, you might see the so-called modified search results driving traffic to dubious websites after entering a search query. Not all these websites have a malicious content, but you must be cautious because you might even end up on pages promoting malware if you use Macsafesearch.net to perform web searches every day. We could not access the Privacy Policy document belonging to the Mac Safe Search extension, so it is hard to say what details it will automatically record, but our specialists believe that it should not be able to access any personally-identifiable information. Instead, it will record only non-personally identifiable details, including search queries, websites opened, links clicked, and much more. Do not enter anything personal in the search box because these search queries will be recorded and then might be shared with third parties. Nothing is known about these third parties, so if your personal details are really disclosed to them, they might eventually end up in cyber criminals’ hands.

As you should already know, Macsafesearch.net is closely associated with the Mac Safe Search browser extension. Without a doubt, some users install it willingly from the Chrome Web Store or another website, whereas others simply notice one day that their browsers’ settings have been altered and cannot even explain why this has happened. This shows that the Mac Safe Search extension can be installed on users’ PCs without their knowledge as well. Untrustworthy browser extensions promoting search tools are usually spread in software bundles. That is, they are spread hidden behind third-party applications. As a consequence, users install them on their PCs during the installation of freeware downloaded from some kind of website. It is not always enough to be cautious to prevent bad software from entering the system, so there must be security software installed on all computers, our specialists say.

You should find Macsafesearch.net set only on your Google Chrome browser, but if you notice that settings of all your other browsers have been altered as well, go to undo these changes. Feel free to use the removal guide provided below. Alternatively, you should be able to remove Macsafesearch.net from all your browsers by scanning your system with an antimalware scanner. The tool you use must be compatible with Mac OS X.

How to remove Macsafesearch.net

Mozilla Firefox

1. Open Mozilla Firefox.
2. Click the button in the top-right corner and select Add-ons.
3. Locate the add-on you want to remove.
4. Select it.
5. Click Remove.

Google Chrome

1. Start Google Chrome.
2. Open the browser’s menu by clicking the button in the top-right corner.
3. Select More tools.
4. Click Extensions.
5. Select the extension associated with Macsafesearch.net.
6. Click Remove.
7. In the confirmation window, click Remove again.

Safari

1. Open Safari.
2. Choose Preferences from the Safari menu.
3. Click Extensions.
4. Select the unwanted extension.
5. Click Uninstall.