How to uninstall SearchExplore app/extension from Mac – Removal guide

SearchExplore is a PUP (potentially unwanted program) that belongs to the category of Adware. What is Adware? Adware displays unwanted ads on your computer. Some of these ads are scams or fake advertisements designed to trick you. Even the harmless advertisements can become really irritating. Adware can be installed accidentally and without you knowing about it, when you open email attachments, install free applications.

Does the SearchExplore adware steal your confidential data? Adware software can install a component which enables its developer to track which web-sites you visit, which products you look at upon those pages. They are then able to choose the type of ads they show you. So, if you had adware software on your Apple Mac, there is a good chance you have another that is collecting and sharing your data with third parties, without your knowledge.

Threat Summary

Name	SearchExplore, Search Explore 1.0 app
Type	adware, potentially unwanted application (PUA), pop-up advertisements, popup virus, popups
Symptoms	adverts appear in places they shouldn’t be web-site links redirect to websites different from what you expected your MAC starts automatically installing unwanted applications new toolbars in your web browser your web browser startpage has modified and you cannot modify it back speed test good but internet slow your web-browser crashes
Removal	SearchExplore removal guide

How does SearchExplore get on your MAC

Adware software usually gets onto computer by being attached to freeware . So, when you installing free software, carefully read the disclaimers, choose the Custom or Advanced installation type to watch for third-party apps that are being installed, because certain of the applications are potentially unwanted apps and adware.

Therefore, the adware is quite dangerous. So, we advise you delete it from your MAC without a wait. Follow the instructions presented below to remove SearchExplore from the Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome.

How to Remove SearchExplore (removal guidance)

The following steps will help you to remove SearchExplore ads from the Safari, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Moreover, the step-by-step instructions below will allow you to delete malware, browser hijackers, PUPs and toolbars that your MAC OS may be infected. Please do the guidance step by step. If you need help or have any questions, then ask for our assistance or type a comment below. Read it once, after doing so, please bookmark this page (or open it on your smartphone) as you may need to exit your browser or reboot your Apple Mac.

To remove SearchExplore, execute the following steps:

1. How to delete SearchExplore adware without any software
   • Uninstalling the SearchExplore, check the list of installed apps first
   • Get rid of SearchExplore from Mozilla Firefox
   • Remove SearchExplore adware software from Safari
   • Remove SearchExplore adware software from Google Chrome
2. Automatic Removal of SearchExplore
   • Remove SearchExplore adware software with MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM)
3. How to stay safe online
4. To sum up

How to delete SearchExplore adware without any software

The step-by-step instructions developed by our team will help you manually get rid of SearchExplore ads from your internet browser. If you are not good at computers, we recommend that you use the free utilities listed below.

Uninstalling the SearchExplore, check the list of installed apps first

First, you should try to identify and delete the application that causes the appearance of undesired advertisements or web browser redirect, using the ‘Applications’ list that located in the Finder.

1. Open the Finder.
2. Click “Applications”.
3. It will display a list of all programs installed on the MAC system.
4. Scroll through the all list, and uninstall suspicious and unknown software. Pay maximum attention to the program you installed last.
5. Drag the dubious program from the Applications folder to the Trash.
6. Empty Trash.

Get rid of SearchExplore from Mozilla Firefox

Resetting your Mozilla Firefox is basic troubleshooting step for any issues with your internet browser program, including unwanted SearchExplore ads. However, your themes, bookmarks, history, passwords, and web form auto-fill information will not be deleted.

Press the Menu button (looks like three horizontal lines), and click the blue Help icon located at the bottom of the drop down menu as displayed below.

A small menu will appear, click the “Troubleshooting Information”. On this page, click “Refresh Firefox” button like below.

Follow the onscreen procedure to return your Firefox browser settings to their default state.

Remove SearchExplore adware software from Safari

If you find that Safari web browser settings such as new tab, search engine and start page having been modified by SearchExplore , then you may return your settings, via the reset web browser procedure.

Run Safari web-browser. Next, choose Preferences from the Safari menu.

First, click the “Security” tab. Here, select “Block pop-up windows”. It will block some types of popups.

Now, click the “Extensions” icon. Look for dubious extensions on left panel, select it, then click the “Uninstall” button. Most important to remove all suspicious add-ons from Safari.

Once complete, check your start page and search engine settings. Click “General” tab. Make sure that the “Homepage” field contains the website you want or is empty.

Make sure that the “Search engine” setting shows your preferred search provider. In some versions of Safari, this setting is in the “Search” tab.

Remove SearchExplore adware software from Google Chrome

If you have adware, SearchExplore ads or Chrome is running slow, then reset Google Chrome can help you. In this guidance we’ll show you the method to reset your Chrome settings and data to original state without reinstall.

1. First, run the Google Chrome and click the Menu icon (icon in the form of three dots).
2. It will open the Chrome main menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
3. You’ll see the list of installed extensions. If the list has the plugin labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following steps: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
4. Now open the Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
5. Next, click “Advanced” link, that located at the bottom of the Settings page.
6. On the bottom of the “Advanced settings” page, click the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
7. The Google Chrome will open the reset settings dialog box as shown on the image above.
8. Confirm the web browser’s reset by clicking on the “Reset” button.
9. To learn more, read the blog post How to reset Chrome settings to default.

Automatic Removal of SearchExplore

Manual removal is not always as effective as you might think. Often, even the most experienced users can not completely remove SearchExplore adware software. So, we recommend to check your computer for any remaining harmful components with free adware removal software below.

Remove SearchExplore adware software with MalwareBytes AntiMalware (MBAM)

We suggest using the MalwareBytes AntiMalware. You can download and install MalwareBytes Free to detect adware software and thereby remove SearchExplore ads from your browsers. When installed and updated, this free malicious software remover automatically detects and removes all threats present on the Apple Mac.

1. Download MalwareBytes Free by clicking on the link below.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware (Mac)
   20841 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: September 10, 2020
   
2. Once the downloading process is finished, close all applications and windows on your Apple Mac. Open a file location. Run the downloaded file and follow the prompts.
3. Click the “Scan” button to search for the SearchExplore adware. This procedure may take quite a while, so please be patient. While the utility is scanning, you may see number of objects and files has already scanned.
4. When MalwareBytes has finished scanning your computer, you will be shown the list of all detected items on your computer. Next, you need to click “Remove Selected Items”.

How to stay safe online

Run an adblocker tool such as AdGuard will protect you from harmful ads and content. Moreover, you can find that the AdGuard have an option to protect your privacy and stop phishing and spam web-sites. Additionally, ad-blocking apps will help you to avoid intrusive pop-up ads and unverified links that also a good way to stay safe online.

AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link.

After the download is done, run the downloaded file. The “Setup Wizard” window will show up on the computer screen.

Follow the prompts. AdGuard will then be installed. A window will show up asking you to confirm that you want to see a quick guidance. Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick guide which will assist you get to know AdGuard better.

Each time, when you start your machine, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted pop up advertisements, block malicious and misleading web-sites.

To sum up

Now your Apple Mac should be clean of the SearchExplore adware. We suggest that you keep MalwareBytes Free (to periodically scan your Apple Mac for new adware softwares and other malware) and AdGuard (to help you stop undesired popup ads and malicious web sites). Moreover, to prevent any adware software, please stay clear of unknown and third party applications.

If you need more help with SearchExplore ads related issues, go to here.