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

What is GeneralBoardSearch

According to security professionals, GeneralBoardSearch is a PUP (potentially unwanted program) that falls under the category of Adware . Adware is a term that originates from ‘ad supported’ software. Most commonly, ‘adware’ is considered by many to be synonymous with ‘malicious software’. Its purpose is to earn money for its owner by showing unwanted ads to a user while the user is browsing the Web.

Even worse, adware can have spyware and keyloggers built into the application, leading to greater damage to your MAC system and possible invasion of your confidential information.

How does GeneralBoardSearch get on your Apple Mac

Adware gets on your computer with various free programs. This means that you need to be very careful when installing software downloaded from the Web, even from a large proven hosting. Be sure to read the Terms of Use and the Software license, choose only the Manual, Advanced or Custom install type, switch off all undesired internet browser add-ons and programs are offered to install.

Threat Summary

Name	GeneralBoardSearch, General Board Search 1.0 app
Type	adware software, potentially unwanted application (PUA), popup ads, pop-up virus, pop-ups
Symptoms	unwanted advertisements appear on webpages that you are visiting every time you perform an Internet search, your internet browser is redirected to another web-site new entries appear in your Programs folder undesired toolbars your web-browser startpage has changed and you are unable to change it back you cannot update your anti-virus slow browsing Internet your MAC system became slower than normal
Removal	GeneralBoardSearch removal guide

How to Remove GeneralBoardSearch adware (removal tutorial)

There are a simple manual steps below which will assist you to get rid of GeneralBoardSearch adware from your Mac machine. The most effective solution to delete this adware software is to perform the manual removal steps and then use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware automatic utility (it is free). The manual way will help to weaken this adware and these malicious software removal utilities will completely delete unwanted ads and return the Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari settings to default.

To remove GeneralBoardSearch, use the following steps:

1. How to get rid of GeneralBoardSearch adware software without any software
   • Remove GeneralBoardSearch associated software by using the Finder
   • Get rid of GeneralBoardSearch adware from Safari
   • Remove GeneralBoardSearch from Firefox by resetting web browser settings
   • Remove GeneralBoardSearch adware from Google Chrome
2. Automatic Removal of GeneralBoardSearch adware
   • How to automatically remove GeneralBoardSearch with MalwareBytes Free
3. How to stay safe online
4. To sum up

How to get rid of GeneralBoardSearch adware software without any software

In most cases, it’s possible to manually get rid of GeneralBoardSearch adware. This method does not involve the use of any tricks or removal tools. You just need to recover the normal settings of the MAC system and web browser. This can be done by following a few simple steps below. If you want to quickly remove adware software, as well as perform a full scan of your MAC, we recommend that you use adware removal tools, which are listed below.

Remove GeneralBoardSearch associated software by using the Finder

First of all, check the list of installed apps on your MAC OS and uninstall all unknown and recently installed programs. If you see an unknown program with incorrect spelling or varying capital letters, it have most likely been installed by malicious software and you should clean it off first with malicious software removal utility such as MalwareBytes AntiMalware.

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

Get rid of GeneralBoardSearch adware from Safari

By resetting Safari web browser you return your browser settings to its default state. This is good initial when troubleshooting problems that might have been caused by GeneralBoardSearch .

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

First, click the “Security” icon. Here, choose “Block pop-up windows”. It will block some types of pop ups.

Now, click the “Extensions” icon. Look for suspicious extensions on left panel, choose it, then click the “Uninstall” button. Most important to remove all suspicious plugins from Safari.

Once complete, check your start page and search provider settings. Click “General” icon. 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 engine. In some versions of Safari, this setting is in the “Search” tab.

Remove GeneralBoardSearch from Firefox by resetting web browser settings

This step will help you get rid of GeneralBoardSearch ads, third-party toolbars, disable malicious plugins and return your default startpage, new tab page and search provider settings.

Start the Firefox and click the menu button (it looks like three stacked lines) at the top right of the browser screen. Next, press the question-mark icon at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It will display the slide-out menu.

Select the “Troubleshooting information”. If you’re unable to access the Help menu, then type “about:support” in your address bar and press Enter. It bring up the “Troubleshooting Information” page like the one below.

Click the “Refresh Firefox” button at the top right of the Troubleshooting Information page. Select “Refresh Firefox” in the confirmation prompt. The Firefox will start a process to fix your problems that caused by the GeneralBoardSearch adware. After, it is finished, press the “Finish” button.

Remove GeneralBoardSearch adware from Google Chrome

Unwanted ads or other symptom of having adware software in your internet browser is a good reason to reset Google Chrome. This is an easy method to recover the Google Chrome settings and not lose any important information.

1. First launch the Google Chrome and click Menu button (small button in the form of three dots).
2. It will display the Google Chrome main menu. Choose More Tools, then press Extensions.
3. You’ll see the list of installed extensions. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following tutorial: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
4. Now open the Google Chrome menu once again, click the “Settings” menu.
5. You will see the Google Chrome’s settings page. Scroll down and click “Advanced” link.
6. Scroll down again and click the “Reset” button.
7. The Chrome will show the reset profile settings page as on the image above.
8. Next press the “Reset” button.
9. Once this process is done, your internet browser’s home page, search engine and newtab will be restored to their original defaults.
10. To learn more, read the article How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.

Automatic Removal of GeneralBoardSearch adware

Use malware removal utilities to remove GeneralBoardSearch adware automatically. The free programs utilities specially developed for browser hijackers, adware and other potentially unwanted apps removal. These utilities can remove most of adware from Google Chrome, Safari and Mozilla Firefox. Moreover, it can remove all components of adware from Windows registry and system drives.

How to automatically remove GeneralBoardSearch with MalwareBytes Free

Manual GeneralBoardSearch removal requires some computer skills. Some files that created by the adware can be not fully removed. We suggest that use the MalwareBytes that are completely free your computer of adware. Moreover, this free utility will help you to get rid of browser hijacker infection, malware, PUPs and toolbars that your computer can be infected too.

1. Download MalwareBytes Free from the following link.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware (Mac)
   20842 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: September 10, 2020
   
2. Once downloading is done, please close all apps and open windows on your Apple Mac. Run the downloaded file. Follow the prompts.
3. The MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) will launch and open the main window.
4. Further, click the “Scan” button . MalwareBytes Free tool will begin scanning the whole MAC to find out GeneralBoardSearch . A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your MAC system. When a threat is found, the count of the security threats will change accordingly.
5. When the scan is complete, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware will show a list of detected items.
6. In order to remove all threats, simply press the “Remove Selected Items” button.
7. Close the Anti Malware and continue with the next step.

How to stay safe online

We recommend to install an ad-blocking application. The ad blocker tool like AdGuard is a program that basically removes advertising from the World Wide Web and stops access to malicious websites. Moreover, security experts says that using ad blocker applications is necessary to stay safe when surfing the Net.

1. AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link.
   
   

   AdGuard for Mac download
   3677 downloads
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: January 17, 2018
   
2. When downloading is complete, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
3. After the installation is finished, click “Skip” to close the install application and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial that will assist you get to know AdGuard better.
4. In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you launch your MAC OS, AdGuard will start automatically and stop annoying advertisements, block harmful and misleading web-pages.

To sum up

Once you’ve complete the steps outlined above, your machine should be clean from this adware and other malware. The Chrome, Safari and Firefox will no longer display the GeneralBoardSearch ads when you surf the Net. Unfortunately, if the guide does not help you, then you have caught a new adware software, and then the best way – ask for help.

Please create a new question by using the “Ask Question” button in the Questions and Answers. Try to give us some details about your problems, so we can try to help you more accurately. Wait for one of our trained “Security Team” or Site Administrator to provide you with knowledgeable assistance tailored to your problem with the GeneralBoardSearch adware.