How to uninstall macLauncher

What is macLauncher?

macLauncher belongs to a family of adware infections called AdLoad. Adware feeds users with various online advertisements, however, macLauncher promotes a fake search engine and might also operate as an information tracking tool.

Typically, users download and install adware inadvertently, and therefore apps of this type are categorized as potentially unwanted applications (PUAs). Research shows that macLauncher can be installed through a fake Adobe Flash Player installer.

Installed adware can serve advertisements in various forms including, for example, pop-ups, banners, surveys, and coupons. These ads often open dubious websites. In some cases, they cause download/installation of PUAs by executing certain scripts. In any case, it is not safe to click these ads.

Note that, as well as operating as adware, macLauncher is a browser hijacker: this PUA promotes a fake search engine. Typically, browser hijackers modify browser settings (such as the address of the default search engine, homepage, and new tab).

Fake search engines often generate misleading results and users might arrive at dubious or even malicious pages. Therefore, these search engines should never be used to search the web. Furthermore, it is possible that macLauncher will collect various user-system information.

These apps target browsing data IP addresses, entered search queries, addresses of visited pages, geolocations, and so on, however, some PUAs also gather personal, confidential information. Furthermore, the developers sell the data to third parties who misuse it in other ways.

Note that the data might be received by cyber criminals. As mentioned, macLauncher is distributed though a fake Adobe Flash Player installer.

These installers do not update or install Adobe Flash Player and are used to distribute unwanted applications. In some cases, they cause installation of malware including ransomware, Trojans, or other malicious software. Therefore, it is never safe to use fake updaters or installers.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by macLauncher
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Downloader-C [Adw]), BitDefender (MAC.OSX.Downloader.A), ESET-NOD32 (OSX/TrojanDownloader.Adload.C), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:Downloader.OSX.Macnist.a), 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. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac 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.

More examples of apps similar to macLauncher include SmartToolboxSearch, MajorChannelSearch and SkilledDeskSearch. Most adware-type applications display ads and gather data. They deliver no real value and can be the reason behind various problems.

For example, users might experience problems relating to browsing safety, privacy or even become victims of identity theft. Therefore, never download or install adware. If macLauncher or other apps of this type are already installed, remove them immediately.

How did macLauncher install on my computer?

This particular app is distributed through an installer disguised as an Adobe Flash Player installer, however, this is not the only way that unwanted software is downloaded and installed. PUAs are often distributed using a deceptive marketing method called "bundling" - this is used trick people into downloading and installing unwanted apps together with other, regular software.

Generally, unwanted apps are included into the download/installation set-ups of other programs as "additional offers", which can be found in "Custom", "Advanced" and similar settings.

Many users fail to check these settings when they download and install programs. Leaving them unchanged, can allow PUAs to be downloaded and installed with software that was downloaded or installed willingly. Download and installation of PUAs can also be caused by clicking deceptive advertisements designed execute certain scripts.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

All programs and files should be downloaded from official pages and through direct links. Third party downloaders (and installers), Peer-to-Peer networks (torrent clients, eMule), unofficial websites, freeware download pages, etc., can be used to distribute unwanted, malicious apps.

Settings of the download and installation set-ups ("Advanced", "Custom") often mention offers to download and install additional, unwanted apps. Dismiss these offers before completing any downloads or installations. It is not safe to click advertisements that appear on dubious websites, since they can open untrusted pages or cause download/installation of unwanted applications.

It is possible that these ads might also appear on legitimate pages. Remove any suspicious, unwanted plug-ins, add-ons or extensions installed on the browser immediately. The same should be applied to software of this kind that is installed on the operating system.

If your computer is already infected with macLauncher, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Files related to macLauncher adware that need to be removed:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.macLauncher/macLauncher
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.macLauncherDaemon/macLauncher
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macLauncher.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.macLauncherDaemon.plist

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups/apps that promote macLauncher adware are designed to create a new device profile. Therefore, before taking any further removal steps, perform these actions:

1) Click the "Preferences" icon in the menu bar and select "Profiles".

2) Select the "macLauncher" profile and delete it.

3) Perform a full system scan with Combo Cleaner anti-virus suite.

After performing these actions, you can proceed with further removal steps for this adware.

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 macLauncher?
• STEP 1. Remove macLauncher related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove macLauncher ads from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove macLauncher adware from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove macLauncher ads from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

macLauncher adware removal:

Remove macLauncher-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 adware-related files and folders

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Check for adware 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 adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware 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 adware 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 adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware 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 adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Remove malicious Safari extensions:

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.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

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".

• 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".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

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