SmartWebSearch is a potentially unwanted app that belongs to the Adware family. It is part of software that presents unwanted advertising on a MAC OS, redirects search results to advertising webpages and gathers privacy data for marketing purposes. SmartWebSearch can show banner advertisements, full-screen ads, pop ups, videos, or other varieties of online advertising. It can attack your MAC OS’s browsers such as the Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Maybe you approve the idea that the advertisements or popups is just a small problem. But these advertisements eat MAC system resources and slow down your machine performance.
Unwanted ads
Does adware steal your confidential data? SmartWebSearch can be used to collect your surfing history and personal information, including passwords and credit card numbers. In the future, personal information can be transferred third party companies.
Threat Summary
| Name | SmartWebSearch, Smart Web Search 1.0 app |
| Type | adware, potentially unwanted application (PUA), pop up advertisements, pop up virus, pop ups |
| Symptoms |
|
| Removal | SmartWebSearch removal guide |
How does SmartWebSearch get on your MAC
Most often, adware such as SmartWebSearch come bundled with the setup files from file sharing websites. So, install a free application is a a good chance that you will find a bundled adware. If you don’t know how to avoid it, then use a simple trick. During the install, select the Custom or Advanced installation method. Next, press ‘Decline’ button and clear all checkboxes on offers that ask you to install third-party applications. Moreover, please carefully read Term of use and User agreement before installing any programs or otherwise you can end up with another unwanted program on your MAC such as this adware.
So, if you happen to encounter SmartWebSearch, then be quick and take effort to get rid of adware software that cause intrusive pop-up ads to appear as quickly as possible. Follow the few simple steps below to get rid of Smart Web Search adware. Let us know how you managed by sending us your comments please.
How to Remove SmartWebSearch app from Mac (Adware virus removal guide)
The following step-by-step tutorial will allow you to delete SmartWebSearch adware from the Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Moreover, the few simple steps below will help you to remove malicious software, hijackers, potentially unwanted apps and toolbars that your MAC may be infected. Please do the guide step by step. If you need help or have any questions, then ask for our assistance or type a comment below. Read this manual carefully, bookmark it or open this page on your smartphone, because you may need to shut down your internet browser or restart your MAC OS.
To remove SmartWebSearch, follow the steps below:
- Manual SmartWebSearch removal
- Automatic Removal of SmartWebSearch adware
- How to stay safe online
- To sum up
Manual SmartWebSearch removal
In most cases, it is possible to manually get rid of SmartWebSearch adware. This solution does not involve the use of any tricks or removal utilities. You just need to recover the normal settings of the MAC OS and web-browser. This can be done by following a few simple steps below. If you want to quickly remove Smart Web Search, as well as perform a full scan of your MAC, we recommend that you run adware removal utilities, which are listed below.
Remove SmartWebSearch related apps through the Finder
Some of potentially unwanted applications, adware software and hijacker infections can be removed using the ‘Move to Trash’ tool which is located in the Finder. So, if you’re using any version of Mac OS and you have noticed an unwanted program, then first try to remove it through the Finder.
Open Finder and click “Applications”.
It will show a list of all software installed on your computer. Scroll through the all list, and remove any dubious and unknown apps. Right click to suspicious program and select “Move to Trash”. Another solution is drag the application from the Applications folder to the Trash.
Most important, scroll through the all list, and move to trash any unknown applications. Don’t forget, select Finder -> Empty Trash.
Delete SmartWebSearch from Safari
If you find that Safari browser settings such as search engine by default, start page and new tab having been modified by SmartWebSearch, then you may restore your settings, via the reset web-browser procedure.
Run Safari web browser. Next, select 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 suspicious extensions on left panel, select it, then click the “Uninstall” button. Most important to remove all suspicious extensions from Safari.
Once complete, check your start page and search provider 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 engine. In some versions of Safari, this setting is in the “Search” tab.
Delete SmartWebSearch from Firefox by resetting web-browser settings
If your Mozilla Firefox web browser is affected by SmartWebSearch or an unknown search engine shows results for your search queries, then it may be time to perform the web-browser reset. However, your themes, bookmarks, history, passwords, and web form auto-fill information will not be deleted.
First, run the Mozilla Firefox and press 
button. It will display the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web-browser. Further, click the Help button (
) as shown on the screen below.
In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the internet browser adress bar and press Enter. It will open the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown on the screen below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.
It will open the confirmation prompt. Further, press the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Firefox will begin a task to fix your problems that caused by the SmartWebSearch adware. Once, it’s finished, click the “Finish” button.
Remove SmartWebSearch from Chrome
Reset Google Chrome will help you to remove SmartWebSearch ads from your web-browser as well as to recover web-browser settings affected by adware. All undesired, malicious and adware addons will also be removed from the internet browser. It’ll save your personal information such as saved passwords, bookmarks, auto-fill data and open tabs.
Open the Google Chrome menu by clicking on the button in the form of three horizontal dotes (
). It will open the drop-down menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
Carefully browse through 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 Google Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy otherwise, just go to the step below.
Open the Google Chrome main menu again, click to “Settings” option.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Advanced” link. Now scroll down until the Reset settings section is visible, as displayed in the figure below and press the “Reset settings to their original defaults” button.
Confirm your action, press the “Reset” button.
Automatic Removal of SmartWebSearch adware
If you’re not expert at MAC technology, then we advise to use free removal utilities listed below to remove Smart Web Search adware for good. The automatic solution is highly recommended. It has less steps and easier to implement than the manual way. Moreover, it lower risk of system damage. So, the automatic SmartWebSearch removal is a better option.
Automatically get rid of SmartWebSearch adware with MalwareBytes Anti Malware (MBAM)
Manual SmartWebSearch adware removal requires some computer skills. Some files that created by the adware can be not fully removed. We suggest that run the MalwareBytes that are fully clean your Apple Mac of adware. Moreover, this free tool will allow you to remove hijacker, malicious software, PUPs and toolbars that your MAC system can be infected too.
- Visit the page linked below to download MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM).
Malwarebytes Anti-malware (Mac)
20850 downloads
Author: Malwarebytes
Category: Security tools
Update: September 10, 2020
- When the download is done, please close all apps and open windows on your MAC. Run the downloaded file. Follow the prompts.
- The MalwareBytes Free will start and show the main window.
- Further, click the “Scan” button . MalwareBytes AntiMalware application will scan through the whole MAC system for the SmartWebSearch adware. This task can take quite a while, so please be patient. During the scan MalwareBytes Free will detect threats exist on your MAC OS.
- After MalwareBytes Anti-Malware has finished scanning, MalwareBytes AntiMalware will show you the results.
- You may remove items (move to Quarantine) by simply click the “Remove Selected Items” button.
- Close the Anti Malware and continue with the next step.
How to stay safe online
It’s important to use ad-blocking software such as AdGuard to protect your MAC system from malicious webpages. Most security experts says that it’s okay to block ads. You should do so just to stay safe! And, of course, the AdGuard may to block misleading and other unwanted web-pages.
Visit the page linked below to download the latest version of AdGuard for Mac OS.
3686 downloads
Author: © Adguard
Category: Security tools
Update: January 17, 2018
After the downloading process is finished, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” screen. Follow the prompts.
Each time, when you launch your MAC, AdGuard will run automatically and stop annoying pop-up ads, block harmful or misleading webpages.
To sum up
After completing the step-by-step guide shown above, your MAC OS should be free from SmartWebSearch adware and other malware. The Chrome, Firefox and Safari will no longer redirect you to various unwanted web sites. Unfortunately, if the instructions does not help you, then you have caught a new adware, and then the best way – ask for help here.
