Search Marquis is a browser hijacker that normally targets internet software that operates on Mac OS computers. It is supposed to improve the browsing experience, especially when looking for something on the internet. Official website promotes Search Marquis as a leading search tool that can give quick and accurate search results to web users. Hence, it is noticeable from several Macintosh communities that there is a growing request for the removal of Search Marquis. They are concerned about the sudden and unwanted changes in the browser that designate Searchmarquis.com as the new default homepage and search tool.
Search Marquis Infection
According to some Mac users, Search Marquis gets to install itself after they load freeware. It is a fact that most potentially unwanted applications, such as Search Marquis is bundled with free software that several dubious websites are offering. Actually, the makers of these unwanted applications are utilizing online ad campaigns just to drive web users to where Search Marquis is hosted.
Pop-up ads or redirects from several questionable sites may pretend to be legitimate OS warnings. This fake alert usually prompts that software is obsolete and the user needs to download the update to avoid any conflicts and issues. Because the pop-up ads were designed to appear as valid warnings, many Mac users are tricked into downloading and installing the fake update without noticing that it will instead install adware like Search Marquis.
Troubles caused by Search Marquis
Search Marquis is an adware (ad-supported software) that can push a lot of advertisements on the internet browser program where it resides. These ads are so aggressive that they can cause severe distraction to Mac user’s web browsing activities. Pop-ups and redirect ads from Search Marquis are unusual because they contain malicious links that can drive web users to sites that are capable of injecting various malware into the browser.
The operation of Search Marquis also involves malicious internet cookies that aim to track the online activity of web users. It logs crucial information like search terms, favorite websites, visited online pages, the user’s location, and personal identifiable data like a username and password. Makers of Search Marquis may misuse collected data to elevate their profit by displaying personalized ads, or they can even sell the amassed information to online marketers.
Procedures to Remove Search Marquis from Mac
This area contains comprehensive procedures to help you remove adware and potentially unwanted program from the computer. Guide on this page are written in a manner that can be easily understand and execute by Mac users.
To successfully remove Search Marquis from your Mac, follow the steps below:
- Quick Fix : Scan the computer with the Combo Cleaner tool.
- Step 1 : Uninstall Search Marquis from the Applications folder.
- Step 2 : Remove malicious browser extensions.
- Step 3 : Delete Search Marquis files from your Mac computer.
- Step 4 : Run another scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
- Step 5 : Remove Search Marquis entries from internet browsers.
Quick Fix - Scan the Mac Computer with Combo Cleaner
Combo Cleaner is a trusted Mac utility application with complete antivirus and optimization features. It is useful in dealing with adware, malware, and PUP's. Moreover, it can get rid of adware like Search Marquis. You may need to purchase the full version if you want to maximize its premium features.
1. Download the tool from the following page:
2. Double-click the downloaded file and proceed with the installation.
3. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon onto your Applications folder icon.
4. Open your Launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon.
5. Wait until your antivirus downloads its latest virus definition updates.
6. Next, click on "Start Combo Scan" to start removing Search Marquis.
7. Free features of Combo Cleaner include Disk Cleaner, Big Files finder, Duplicate files finder, and Uninstaller. To use antivirus and privacy scanner, users have to upgrade to a premium version.
Proceed with the rest of the removal steps if you are comfortable manually removing malicious objects associated with the threat.
Step 1 : Delete Search Marquis from Mac Applications
1. Go to Finder.
2. On the menu, click Go and then, select Applications from the list to open Applications Folder.
3. Find any unwanted programs or suspicious files (i.e., Search Marquis.gqa, Search Marquis.system). It may also disguise itself as a different file.
4. Drag the suspicious file to the Trash Bin to delete the application from Mac.
5. Right-click on Trash icon and click on Empty Trash.
Step 2 : Remove Browser Extensions that belongs to Search Marquis
1. Locate the add-on or extension that is relevant to the adware. To do this, please follow the following depending on affected browser.
Safari - Choose Preferences from the Safari menu, then click the Extensions icon. This will open a window showing all installed extensions.
Chrome - Select Preferences from the Chrome menu, and then click the Extensions link found on the left pane.
Firefox - Choose Add-ons from the Menu. Look at both the Extensions and Plug-ins lists when it opens a new window.
2. Once you have located Search Marquis, click on Remove or Uninstall, to get rid of it.
3. Close the browser and proceed to the next steps.
Step 3 : Delete Malicious Files that have installed Search Marquis
1. Select and copy the string below to your Clipboard by pressing Command + C on your keyboard.
~/Library/LaunchAgents
2. Go to your Finder. From the menu bar please select Go > Go to Folder...
3. Press Command + V on your keyboard to paste the copied string. Press Return to go to the said folder.
4. You will now see a folder named LaunchAgents. Take note of the following files inside the folder:
- com.Search Marquis.plist
- unknown.service.plist
- unknown.system.plist
- unknown.download.plist
- unknown.update.plist
The term unknown is just a representation of the actual malware name. Attackers may use the following file names:
- SearchItNow, Search Snow, (random characters).plist
If you cannot find the specified file, please look for any unfamiliar or suspicious entries. It may be the one causing Search Marquis to be present on your Mac. Arranging all items to see the most latest ones may also help you identify recently installed unfamiliar files. Please press Option + Command + 4 on your keyboard to arrange the application list in chronological order.
Important: Take note of all the suspicious files as you may also delete the same item on another folder as we go on.
5. Drag all suspicious files that you may find to Trash.
6. Please restart the computer.
7. Open another folder using the same method as above. Copy and Paste the following string to easily locate the folder.
~/Library/Application Support
8. Look for any suspicious items that are similar to the ones in Step 4. Drag them to the Trash.
9. Repeat the process on the following non-hidden folders (without ~):
/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
/Library/Application Support
10. Lastly, go to your Finder and open the Applications Folder. Look for subfolders with the following names and drag them to Trash.
- SearchItNow, Search Snow
Optional : For locked files that cannot be removed, do the following:
1. Go to Launchpad, Utilities folder, open Activity Monitor.
2. Select the process you want to quit.
3. Click on Force Quit button.
4. You may now delete or remove locked files that belongs to Search Marquis adware.
Step 4 : Double-check with MBAM Tool for Mac
1. Download Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac from this link:
2. Run Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac. It will check for updates and download the most recent version if one is available. This is necessary for finding recent malware threats, including Search Marquis.
3. If it prompts to close all running web browser, please do so. Thus, we advise you to PRINT this guide for your reference before going offline.
4. Once it opens the user interface, please click on the Scan button to start scanning your Mac computer.
5. After the scan, Malwarebytes Anti-malware for Mac will display a list of identified threats, and Search Marquis is surely part of it. Be sure to select all items in the list. Then, click the Remove button to clean the computer.
Step 5 : Remove Search Marquis from Homepage and Search
Safari
- Open your Safari browser.
- Go to the Safari Menu located in the upper left-hand corner, and then select Preferences.
- Under the General tab, navigate to the Default Search Engine section and select Google or any valid search engine.
- Next, be sure that the "New Windows Open With" field is set to Homepage.
- Lastly, remove Search Marquis from the Homepage field. Replace it with your preferred URL to be set as your default homepage.
Google Chrome
- Open the Google Chrome browser.
- Input the following on the address bar and press Enter on the keyboard : chrome://settings/
- Look for 'On Startup' area on the sidebar.
- Select 'Open a specific page or set of pages'.
- Choose the unwanted homepage, and click on Ellipses (three dots) and select Edit.
- Enter the desired web address as your homepage, replacing the Search Marquis setting. Click Save.
- To set the default search engine, go to the Search Engine area from the sidebar link.
- Click on 'Manage search engines...' button.
- Select the questionable Search Engine and click on Ellipses (three dots). ClickDelete. to remove it from the list.
- Go back to the Search Engine area and choose a valid entry (i.e., Google) from 'Search engine used in the address bar'.
Mozilla Firefox
- Run Mozilla Firefox browser.
- Type the following on the address bar and hit Enter on keyboard : about:preferences
- Click Home on the sidebar area.
- Under "New Windows and Tabs", you may choose Firefox Home (Default) or Custom URLs.
- Input the desired URL to replace Search Marquis settings if you chose Custom URLs.
- To configure default search engine, select Search on the sidebar to display the settings.
- Under the Default Search Engine list, please select one (i.e., Google).
- On the same page, you have the option to Remove unwanted search engines.
Optional : If you are unable to change browser settings, execute these steps:
Some users complain that there is no way to change browser settings because they are grayed out by Search Marquis. In such a situation, it is important to check if there is an unwanted profile. Please do the following:
1. Quit any running applications and launch System Preferences from your Dock.
2. Under System Preferences, click Profiles.
3. Select Search Marquis or any relevant profile from the left pane. See the image below.
4. At the bottom of this window, click the minus [-] button to delete the account. Please refer to the image above.
5. Close the Profiles window and open the affected browser to change all settings associated with Search Marquis.
Search Marquis and "Managed by your organization" Policy
If the Google Chrome browser states that it is "Managed by the organization," it means that Search Marquis has made drastic changes that resulted to this restriction. In this case, we need to revise the policy and it can be done by executing the following steps:
1. Please download the Google Chrome Policy Remover for Mac by Stefan Vd. (See VirusTotal Scan Result for this file)
2. If there are currently running applications, please close all of them.
3. Unzip or extract the downloaded file.
4. Run the tool by double-clicking on “Chrome-Policy-Remover-for-Mac”.
5. Please restart Google Chrome browser. Sometimes, a complete restart of the Mac computer is needed to complete the process.
