Searches.network is a Mac OS X browser hijacker. Searches.network browser hijacker modifies the search engine and homepage of Safari and Google Chrome on Mac OSX.
Searches.network is regularly offered on the internet as a convenient homepage. However, in reality, this is a browser hijacker that collects all kinds of data from your browser.
The data collected by Searches.network is used for advertising purposes. The data is sold to advertising networks. Because Searches.network collects data from your browser, Searches.network is also classified as (PUP) Potentially Unwanted Program.
Searches.network browser extension will install itself in the Google Chrome and Safari browser only on Mac OS X. Neither Apple of any browser developer yet notices this browser hijacker as unwanted.
If your home page has changed to Searches.network and the Searches.network browser extension has been installed, remove the Searches.network extension as soon as possible using this Searches.network removal instruction.
Remove Searches.network
Step 1 – Remove malicious Mac profile
Before we start you need to remove an administrator profile from your Mac settings. The administrator profile prevents Mac users from uninstalling Searches.network from the web browser.
- In the top left corner click on the Apple icon.
- Open Preferences from the menu.
- Click on Profiles
- Remove the profiles: AdminPref, Chrome profile, or Safari profile by clicking the – (minus) in the bottom left corner. Remove any profile you do not know!
Step 2 – Remove Searches.network – Safari
- Open Safari
- In the top left menu open the Safari menu.
- Click on Settings or Preferences
- Go to the Extensions tab
- Remove the Search.network extension. Basically, remove all extensions you do not know.
- Go to the General tab, change the homepage from Searches.network to one of your choices.
Step 3 – Remove Searches.network with Malwarebytes for Mac
In this first step for Mac, you need to remove Searches.network using Malwarebytes for Mac. Malwarebytes is the most reliable software to remove unwanted programs, adware, and browser hijackers from your Mac. Malwarebytes is free to detect and remove malware on your Mac computer.
Download Malwarebytes (Mac OS X)
You can find the Malwarebytes installation file in the Downloads folder on your Mac. Double click the installation file to begin.
Follow instructions in the Malwarebytes installation file. Click the Get Started button.
Where are you installing Malwarebytes on a personal computer or on a work computer? Make your choice by clicking any of the buttons.
Make your choice to either use the Free version of Malwarebytes or the Premium version. The premium versions include protection against ransomware and offer real-time protection against malware.
Both Malwarebytes free and premium are able to detect and remove malware from your Mac.
Malwarebytes needs “Full Disk Access” permission in Mac OS X to scan your harddisk for malware. Click Open Preferences.
In the left panel click on “Full Disk Access”. Check the Malwarebytes Protection and close the settings.
Go back to Malwarebytes and click the Scan button to begin scanning your Mac for malware.
Click on the Quarantine button to delete the found malware.
Reboot your Mac to complete the malware removal process.
When the removal process is done, continue to the next step.
Remove unwanted profile (Google Chrome) from your Mac
Next, you need to check if there are policies created for Google Chrome. Open the Chrome browser, in the address bar type: chrome://policy.
If there are policies loaded into the Chrome browser, follow the steps below to remove the policies.
On the Applications folder on your Mac, go to Utilities and Open the Terminal application.
Enter the following commands in the Terminal application, press ENTER after each command.
- defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageIsNewTabPage -bool false
- defaults write com.google.Chrome NewTabPageLocation -string “https://www.google.com/”
- defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageLocation -string “https://www.google.com/”
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderNewTabURL
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderName
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome ExtensionInstallSources
Remove “Managed by your Organization” from Google Chrome on Mac
Some adware and malware on Mac force the browser’s homepage and search engine using a setting known as “Managed by your organization”. If you see the browser extension or settings in Google chrome is forced using the “Managed by your organization” setting, follow the steps below.
Make sure to bookmark this webpage and open it in another web browser, you need to Quit Google Chrome.
On the Applications folder on your Mac, go to Utilities and Open the Terminal application.
Enter the following commands in the Terminal application, press ENTER after each command.
- defaults write com.google.Chrome BrowserSignin
- defaults write com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderEnabled
- defaults write com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderKeyword
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome HomePageIsNewTabPage
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome HomePageLocation
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome ImportSearchEngine
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome NewTabPageLocation
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome ShowHomeButton
- defaults delete com.google.Chrome SyncDisabled
Restart Google Chrome when you are done.
I hope this helped you get rid of Searches.network on Mac. Try this guide on how to remove Mac malware.
Hi! Thanks for your information. I’ve followed all the instructions but when I click on ‘Searches Network’ under search engines to delete it, the options don’t show like it does with the other websites. Wondering if there has been any further development regarding this! Thanks again!
Hi Daniel, did you scan for malware with Malwarebytes? It is free to detect and remove malware.
Its a bit different for me, i tried this but none of those was available
Did you try Malwarebytes?
I used the Malwarebytes and nothing bad was dectected. But the searches network is still there. I went into search engine and I am unable to remove it from the list. I said it is controlling the default. Nothing you suggested seem to get rid of that page. What else can I do.
Did you try to remove the profile from Mac? See the instructions. First remove the malicious profile and then remove the extension from your browser and reset homepage and search engine.
Rien n’y fait, impossible de retirer ce fameux moteur de recherche par toutes les solutions que vous avez données.