How to remove Search Marquis on Mac

If you’re continuously redirected to Search Marquis on Safari or Google Chrome, your Mac is infected with a browser hijacker. Once it enters the system, it changes the default search engine to searchmarquis.com. So, users are continuously forced to use this fake search engine for their queries.

Additionally, the Search Marquis virus delivers intrusive ads and redirects to suspicious websites where cybercriminals engage in phishing and other malicious activities. Luckily, there’s a way you can quickly uninstall it from your device and avoid any damage done.

In this article, I will explain how to remove Search Marquis from Mac and provide detailed guides on how to reset Safari and Chrome to the primary state.

What is Search Marquis?

Search Marquis is a type of malware that is also known as a browser hijacker. It disguises itself as a simple search engine to infect popular browsers, like Google Chrome, Safari, and Mozilla Firefox on Mac devices specifically.

When this virus infiltrates the system, it alters browser settings so that you’d be continuously redirected to searchmarquis.com. Once you are forced to use this dubious search engine, you are served with annoying ads and redirects to other potentially dangerous websites.

Any intentional or unintentional clicks on the displayed ads or other content on redirected sites can lead to further infiltration of cyber threats and even phishing attempts.

Protect your devices with TotalAV

Symptoms of Search Marquis virus

If you wonder whether your Mac is infected with the Search Marquis virus, you should look for pretty distinct virus symptoms.

Here is the list of signs indicating that your device might be infected:

• Redirects to searchmarquis.com. Your Mac is infected if whenever you open your browser, your preferred search engine, like Google, is changed to Search Marquis.
• Annoying ads. Once you’re forced to browse through searchmarquis.com, you should notice a significant increase in intrusive ads delivered by adware. They might appear as banners or pop-ups and either promote suspicious goods/services or lead to dubious websites.
• Redirects to questionable sites. Alternatively, your Mac is infected with Search Marquis virus if you experience never-ending redirects to suspicious pages. They might be used for phishing purposes or other malicious activities that cause financial losses.
• New and unrecognized add-ons. You should also be aware of browser extensions and other add-ons that you haven’t installed yourself. If you find any suspicious files, there’s a high chance that your Mac has a Search Marquis virus.

How to get rid of Search Marquis on Mac

Search Marquis removal is a two-step process. Firstly, you need to remove the Search Marquis virus from your Mac. You can either use a premium antivirus software to do the job for you or do it manually. Secondly, you will need to reset your browser to the default settings.

Get rid of Search Marquis virus with the help of an antivirus:

1. Choose a robust antivirus. TotalAV is great for removing browser hijackers;
2. Install it on your Mac;
3. Run a full system scan;
4. Follow the instructions provided by your antivirus.

Get TotalAV

Delete files related to the Search Marquis virus manually:

1. Identify and stop malicious processes: navigate to the Finder > Go > Utilities > Activity Monitor and Force Quit all suspicious activity;

2. Identify and delete recently created launch agents: navigate to the Finder > Go > Go to Folder, type /Library/LaunchAgents and delete unwanted launch agents;

3. Delete unwanted launch agents in other folders: complete the same steps in /Library/Application Support and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders;
4. Uninstall unrecognized apps: navigate to the Finder > Go > Applications and move all suspicious apps to the bin;

5. Locate and remove malicious Login items: navigate to the Apple icon > System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login items > Padlock and enter your admin password; If there are any recently-added suspicious files, remove them with a minus button at the bottom.

Once you remove the Search Marquis virus from your Mac, you should not forget that it affects the browser as well. So, make sure to take appropriate measures to delete this virus from your browser too.

Remove Search Marquis hijacker from your browser

Browser hijackers like Search Marquis perform malicious alterations to your browser settings. If you want to get rid of it, you must reset your browser settings to the default settings. Below, you’ll find guides showing how to remove Search Marquis virus from Safari and Chrome.

For Safari users:

1. Launch Safari and in the top menu bar click Develop and then the Empty Caches;

2. In the same Safari top menu, click History, choose the Clear History option, and select to clear all history in the pop-up window;

3. Return to earlier mentioned Safari Preferences and navigate to the Privacy > Manage Website Data > Remove All to delete cookies;

4. Restart Safari.

TIP: Can’t find the Develop menu? Go to Safari > Preferences > Advanced and at the bottom tick the option to show the Develop menu.

For Chrome users:

1. Open Google Chrome, click on the 3 dots in the top right corner for the drop-down list, and choose the Settings option;

2. Click on the Advanced tab on the left and choose the Reset Settings at the bottom;

3. Confirm the reset by clicking on the Reset Settings button;

4. Restart Chrome.

How can I protect my device against viruses?

If your device gets infected with adware, a browser hijacker, or another type of potentially unwanted program frequently, you should start taking precautionary measures. Here are some useful tips to help you avoid malware in the future:

• Regularly update your OS and apps. All types of viruses can sneak into the system via existing vulnerabilities. Luckily, with each new update, developers patch more and more vulnerabilities. So, you should always keep your OS and installed apps updated.
• Never click on suspicious ads. The Internet today is full of commercial content, and unfortunately, hackers also place malicious ads to trick unsuspecting users. You should avoid clicking on pop-ups that appear to be unreliable.
• Do not open dubious email attachments. One of the most common malware distribution methods is malicious email campaigns. Hackers attach the executable files of their viruses and spread them via emails. Do not open junk files received from unfamiliar email addresses.
• Do not click on questionable links on social platforms. Once cybercriminals manage to hack at least a single social media account, they can use it to spread malware through the friend list. So, double-check if your friend’s account is not hacked before opening a suspicious link.
• Protect your device with an antivirus. The best way to get real-time protection is to install reputable antivirus software, like TotalAV. It continuously monitors your system for potential threats and can stop a malware attack before it actually happens.

Conclusion

Being constantly redirected to the Search Marquis search engine is not only annoying but also potentially dangerous. This browser hijacker targets Mac users and aims to take over their browsers.

Luckily, you can easily remove the Search Marquis virus with the help of an antivirus, like TotalAV. Once its files are out of your Mac’s system, you should also reset the hijacked browser’s settings.

Have you tried our Search Marquis removal guides? Tell us what worked the best by leaving a comment below!

FAQ