Uninstall browser hijackers that create "Managed by your organization" entries on Chrome
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Chrome "Managed by your organization"?
"Managed by your organization" is an entry that can be found in Google Chrome's main menu. It is a legitimate Google Chrome feature that allows organization administrators to manage various Chrome browser settings for users within their organization.
Essentially, "Managed by your organization" indicates that one or more policies are set in Chrome and it is being managed by a group, organization, etc. In fact, Chrome users who are not part of any organization see the "Managed by your organization" item in their browser settings.
This usually occurs when a potentially unwanted application (PUA), a browser hijacker, or even malicious program is installed on the Chrome browser and sets certain policies that control how the browser operates.
This Chrome policies management feature can be used by organizations to set an address of a homepage, prevent users/members from printing, block them from accessing certain websites, installing various extensions, and so on. There are hundreds of policies that administrators can set and use to control how the Chrome browser functions.
Unfortunately, many browser hijackers, other PUAs, and malicious programs can also manage/set the policies. Typically, browser hijackers are designed to promote various fake search engines by changing browser settings such as the address of the default search engine, homepage and new tab.
Therefore, users are forced to visit the address of a fake search engine when they open a browser, new tab or enter search queries into the URL bar.
In most cases, this can be undone by uninstalling the PUA, however, if a browser hijacker caused the appearance of the "Managed by your organization" item, it may be more difficult to resolve the problem and undo the changes made. Instructions about how to fix this problem are provided below.
| Name | Managed by your organization entry |
| Threat Type | Browser hijacker, Mac malware, Mac virus. |
| Detection Names Of A Rogue Installer That Creates "Managed by your organization" | Avast (MacOS:Bundlore-EA [Adw]), AVG (MacOS:Bundlore-EA [Adw]), DrWeb (Adware.Mac.Bundlore.775), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Bnodlero.ah), Full List (VirusTotal) |
| Symptoms | Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites. |
| Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers, torrent file downloads. |
| Damage | Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information. |
| Malware Removal (Mac) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Some examples of browser hijackers are NiceTab StartPage, SearchMine and MacAppExtensions. Typically, these apps force users to visit and use fake search engines. Most PUAs also operate as information tracking tools. They gather various details relating to users' browsing habits such as IP addresses, geolocations, entered search queries, addresses of visited pages, etc.
In some cases, they target sensitive, personal information as well. Developers sell the data to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals) who misuse it in other ways. In summary, apps of this type deliver no real value or features and can cause problems such as identity theft, issues with browsing safety, privacy, and so on.
How were unwanted apps that caused the appearance of "Managed by your organization" installed on my computer?
Typically, people download and install PUAs unintentionally when they click deceptive advertisements, which cause downloads/installations by running certain scripts, or when they download or install software that contains unwanted apps included in the setups.
This latter distribution method is called "bundling". Developers use it to trick people into downloading and installing PUAs with regular software.
Typically, information about additionally-included apps can be found in "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings of the set-ups, however, people often leave these settings unchecked and unchanged, thereby allowing PUAs to be downloaded and installed with regular software.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications
Do not use various third party downloaders/installers, unofficial websites, various Peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule) or other similar channels to download software. The safest way to download is using official, trustworthy websites and direct download links.
Check all download/installation setups and decline offers to download or install unwanted, additionally-included programs. Do not click intrusive ads that are displayed on dubious web pages - they can redirect to untrusted websites or cause download/installation of unwanted apps.
If you believe that PUAs might be installed on the browser, check all extensions, plug-ins and add-ons on the browser and remove all unwanted, suspicious entries immediately. Also remove programs of this kind that are installed on the computer/operating system.
If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
Chrome window that is opened after clicking the "Managed by your organization" item in Chrome settings:
Screenshot of a deceptive web page designed to promote a fake Adobe Flash Player installer, which installs the SearchMine browser hijacker and adds the "Managed by your organization" item:
Screenshot the aforementioned fake Adobe Flash Player installer:
Screenshot of a fake Adobe Flash Player installer with unwanted apps:
How to remove apps that cause the appearance of the "Managed by your organization" item in Chrome settings:
Manual removal:
1) To start, find all suspicious/recently-installed applications and remove them.
2) Remove all malicious profiles from the system (you are advised to eliminate all existing profiles, not just those relating to Google Chrome).
Step 1: Click the "Preferences" icon in the menu bar and select "Profiles".
Step 2: Select the "Chrome Settings" profile and delete it. We recommend that you remove other existing profiles as well.
3) Reset Google Chrome:
IMPORTANT NOTE! Resetting browser settings will result in loss of all data (saved logins/passwords, browsing history, cache, etc.) stored within the browser.
Step 1: Navigate to Google Chrome settings by clicking three dots on right-upper corner of the screen and selecting "Settings":
Step 2: Navigate to the "Reset settings" section by clicking the "Advanced" button on the left side of the screen and selecting "Reset settings". Then reset Google Chrome settings by clicking the "Restore settings to their original defaults" button and confirming it.
Alternative method:
Step 1: Open the "Go to Directory" window by clicking the "Command", "Shift" and "G" keyboard buttons simultaneously (Command+Shift+G) and enter "~/Library/Preferences":
Step 2: Locate the "com.google.Chrome.plist" file and delete it.
4) Once you have removed the malicious Profiles and reset Google Chrome to its default state, reboot the system.
Automatic removal:
1) Clean the system using Combo Cleaner antivirus suite:
Step 1: Run the Combo Scan by selecting "Dashboard" and clicking "Start Combo Scan":
Step 2: Select all detected threats and remove them by clicking "Remove Selected" and confirming the process by authenticating your account (authentication pop-up windows will be prompted):
Step 3: Reset Google Chrome by navigating to the "Privacy Scanner" section, selecting "Full reset", opting-in the "Chrome Full Reset" option and clicking "Remove" (before doing so, be sure to close the Chrome browser by right-clicking on its icon in the Dock and selecting "Quit"):
IMPORTANT NOTE! Resetting browser settings will result in loss of all the data (saved logins/passwords, browsing history, cache, etc.) stored within the browser.
2) After removing all of the threats and resetting Google Chrome to its default state, reboot the system.
Instant automatic Mac malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac
By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.
Quick menu:
- What is Chrome "Managed by your organization"?
- STEP 1. Remove Chrome "Managed by your organization" related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove Chrome "Managed by your organization" redirect from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove Chrome "Managed by your organization" browser hijacker from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove Chrome "Managed by your organization" homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove the "Managed by your organization" entry from Google Chrome using Combo Cleaner:
Chrome "Managed by your organization" redirect removal:
Remove Chrome "Managed by your organization"-related potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:
Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select "Applications". In the applications folder, look for "MPlayerX", "NicePlayer", or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.
Remove browser hijacker-related files and folders
Click the Finder icon from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...
Check for browser hijacker generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents/
In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by browser hijackers - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Browser hijacker commonly installs several files with the exact same string.
Check for browser hijacker generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/Application Support/
In the "Application Support" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, "MplayerX" or "NicePlayer", and move these folders to the Trash.
Check for browser hijacker generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by browser hijackers - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Browser hijacker commonly installs several files with the exact same string.
Check for browser hijacker generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:
In the "Go to Folder..." bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons/
In the "LaunchDaemons" folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example "com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist", "com.myppes.net-preferences.plist", "com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist", "com.avickUpd.plist", etc., and move them to the Trash.
Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:
If you have followed all the steps correctly, your Mac should be clean of infections. To ensure your system is not infected, run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file, double click combocleaner.dmg installer. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates its virus definition database and click the "Start Combo Scan" button.
Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays "no threats found" - this means that you can continue with the removal guide; otherwise, it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.
After removing files and folders generated by the browser hijackers, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.
Remove browser hijackers from Internet browsers
Remove Safari browser hijackers:
Open the Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".
In the preferences window, select "Extensions" and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the "Uninstall" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for regular browser operation.
Change your homepage:
In the "Preferences" window, select the "General" tab. To set your homepage, type the preferred website URL (for example: www.google.com) in the Homepage field. You can also click the "Set to Current Page" button if you wish to set your homepage to the website you are currently visiting.
Change your default search engine:
In the "Preferences" window, select the "Search" tab. Here you will find a drop-down menu labeled "Search engine:" Simply select your preferred search engine from the drop-down list.
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.
Remove Google Chrome browser hijackers:
Click the Chrome menu icon 
(at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".
Change your homepage
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, disable the malicious extension (if present), look for a browser hijacker URL below the "Open a specific or set of pages" option. If present, click on the three vertical dots icon and select "Remove".
Change your default search engine:
To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list look for a browser hijacker URL, when located click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Delete".
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.
Remove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu 
(at the top right corner of the main window) and select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".
Change your homepage
To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Settings", in the opened window disable malicious extension (if present), remove the browser hijacker URL and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.
Change your default search engine:
In the URL address bar, type "about:config" and press Enter. Click "Accept the Risk and Continue".
In the search filter at the top, type: "extensionControlled". Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the 
button.
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.
Outstanding!
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