How to uninstall OnlineResultsSearch app/extension from Mac (Virus removal guide)

What is OnlineResultsSearch

According to security professionals, OnlineResultsSearch is a malicious app that belongs to the Adware family. Adware is a part of malware that can modify web-browser settings and install malicious browser addons. The OnlineResultsSearch app is developed to bombard you with unsolicited ads and pop-up windows that could potentially be dangerous for you and your MAC. It

Another reason why you need to get rid of OnlineResultsSearch is its online data-tracking activity. It can have spyware and keyloggers built into itself leading to greater damage to your machine and possible invasion of your data. So, we recommend to remove OnlineResultsSearch, as soon as you found it, as the adware can redirect your web browser to web-resources that may load other unwanted applications on your MAC.

How does OnlineResultsSearch get on your computer

Adware may be spread with the help of trojan horses and other forms of malware, but most commonly, adware gets on your MAC as a part of some free programs. Many creators of freeware include additional software in their installer. Sometimes it is possible to avoid the installation of any adware: carefully read the Terms of Use and the Software license, select only Manual, Custom or Advanced install method, disable all checkboxes before clicking Install or Next button while installing new free programs.

Threat Summary

Name	OnlineResultsSearch, OnlineResultsSearch 1.0 app
Type	adware software, PUP (potentially unwanted program), Mac virus, Mac malware
Detection Names	Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Adload, ApplicUnwnt, Adware/Adload!OSX, MacOS.Agent-MT, Osx.Adware.Cimpli, Program:MacOS/Vigram.A, Adware.MAC.Generic and OSX.Trojan.Gen
Distribution	Free software installers, suspicious pop up advertisements, torrent downloads and fake update tools
Symptoms	You keep getting redirected to dubious websites, web-browser pop-ups appear and recommend fake updates and other unwanted applications, new entries appear in your Applications folder, an unwanted toolbar appears in your internet browser, your web-browser home page has modified without your permission, slow Internet or slow browsing.
Removal	OnlineResultsSearch removal guide

How to Remove OnlineResultsSearch (removal guide)

The following few simple steps will help you to remove OnlineResultsSearch from Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Moreover, this guidance below will help you to remove malware, hijackers, PUPs and toolbars that your MAC may be infected. Please do the tutorial step by step. If you need help or have any questions, then ask for our assistance or type a comment below. Some of the steps will require you to restart your Apple Mac or exit this web-page. So, read this instructions carefully, then bookmark this page or open it on your smartphone for later reference.

To remove OnlineResultsSearch, complete the following steps:

1. Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device
2. Delete OnlineResultsSearch related apps through the Finder
3. Remove OnlineResultsSearch related files and folders
4. Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes
5. Remove OnlineResultsSearch from Safari, Chrome, Firefox
6. How to stay safe online

Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device

OnlineResultsSearch can install a configuration profile on the Mac system to block changes made to the browser settings. Therefore, you need to open system preferences, find and delete the profile installed by the adware.

Click the System Preferences icon ( ) in the Dock, or choose Apple menu ( ) > System Preferences.

In System Preferences, click Profiles, then select a profile related to OnlineResultsSearch.

Click the minus button ( – ) located at the bottom-left of the Profiles screen to remove the profile.
Note: if you do not see Profiles in the System Preferences, that means there are no profiles installed on your Mac, which is normal.

Delete OnlineResultsSearch related apps through the Finder

Check out the Finder (Applications section) to see all installed software. If you see any unknown and dubious programs, they are the ones you need to delete.

Open Finder and click “Applications”.

Very carefully look around the entire list of programs installed on your Apple Mac. Most probably, one of them is the OnlineResultsSearch adware software. Once you’ve found a dubious, unwanted or unused application, right click to it and select “Move to Trash”. Another solution is drag the program from the Applications folder to the Trash.

Don’t forget, select Finder -> “Empty Trash”.

Remove OnlineResultsSearch related files and folders

Now you need to try to find OnlineResultsSearch related files and folders, and then delete them manually. You need to look for these files in certain directories. To quickly open them, we recommend using the “Go to Folder…” command.

OnlineResultsSearch creates several files, these files must be found and removed. Below is a list of files associated with this unwanted program.

• /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.OnlineResultsSearch.system.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.OnlineResultsSearch.service.plist
• /Library/Application Support/.(RANDOM)/System/com.OnlineResultsSearch.system
• ~/Library/Application Support/.(RANDOM)/Services/com.OnlineResultsSearch.service.app

Some files created by OnlineResultsSearch are hidden from the user. To find and delete them, you need to enable “show hidden files”. To do this, use the shortcut CMD + SHIFT + . Press once to show hidden files and again to hide them. There is another way. Click Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal. In Terminal, paste the following text: defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES

Press Enter. Hold the ‘Option/alt’ key, then right click on the Finder icon in the dock and click Relaunch.

Click on the Finder icon. From the menu bar, select Go and click “Go to Folder…”. As a result, a small window opens that allows you to quickly open a specific directory.

Check for OnlineResultsSearch generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
/Library/LaunchAgents

This will open the contents of the “/Library/LaunchAgents” folder. Look carefully at it and pay special attention to recently created files, as well as files that have a suspicious name. Move all suspicious files to the Trash. A few examples of files: com.net-preferences.plist, search.plist, macsearch.plist, com.machelper.plist, installapp.plist, com.OnlineResultsSearch.service.plist and com.google.defaultsearch.plist, . Most often, browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs and adware software create several files with similar names.

Check for OnlineResultsSearch generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
/Library/Application Support

This will open the contents of the “Application Support” folder. Look carefully at its contents, pay special attention to recently added/changed folders and files. Check the contents of suspicious folders, if there is a file with a name similar to com.OnlineResultsSearch.system, then this folder must be deleted. Move all suspicious folders and files to the Trash.

Check for OnlineResultsSearch generated files in the “~/Library/LaunchAgents” folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
~/Library/LaunchAgents

Proceed in the same way as with the “/Library/LaunchAgents” and “/Library/Application Support” folders. Look for suspicious and recently added files. Move all suspicious files to the Trash.

Check for OnlineResultsSearch generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder

In the “Go to Folder…” window, type the following text and press Go:
/Library/LaunchDaemons

Carefully browse the entire list of files and pay special attention to recently created files, as well as files that have a suspicious name. Move all suspicious files to the Trash. A few examples of files to be deleted: com.installapp.system.plist, com.OnlineResultsSearch.system.plist, com.machelper.system.plist, com.search.system.plist and com.macsearch.system.plist. In most cases, browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs and adware create several files with similar names.

Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes

If you carefully followed the previous steps, then you should be able to get rid of OnlineResultsSearch. Of course, very often browser hijackers, PUPs and adware software hides on a Mac computer, disguising itself as legitimate apps and files. Therefore, in some cases, it is difficult for an inexperienced user to decide whether a particular file is part of adware, browser hijackers and potentially unwanted programs. Therefore, we suggest you to use MalwareBytes to scan the Mac computer.

Please go to the link below to download the latest version of MalwareBytes Anti Malware for Mac.

When downloading is done, close all windows on your MAC. Further, open the saved file. Follow the prompts.

The MalwareBytes Free will automatically start and you can see its main window as on the image below.

Next, click the “Scan Now” button to begin checking your computer for the OnlineResultsSearch adware. Depending on your MAC, the scan may take anywhere from a few minutes to close to an hour. While the utility is scanning, you can see how many objects and files has already scanned.

When finished, MalwareBytes Anti Malware will show a list of detected items. Review the results once the utility has finished the system scan. If you think an entry should not be quarantined, then uncheck it. Otherwise, simply click the “Quarantine” button.

The MalwareBytes Anti Malware will remove OnlineResultsSearch adware and move the selected items to the Quarantine.

Remove OnlineResultsSearch from Safari, Chrome, Firefox

If you are still getting OnlineResultsSearch adware, then you can try to remove it by removing harmful extensions.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
In the top-right corner, expand the Google Chrome menu. In the menu go to ‘More tools’, then ‘Extensions’. Click ‘Remove’ to uninstall an extension. Click ‘Remove’ in the dialog box. You can also try to delete OnlineResultsSearch by reset Chrome settings.	Click on ‘menu’ button and select ‘Add-ons’. Go to ‘Extensions’ tab. To uninstall an add-on, click on ‘Remove’ button next to it. If you are still experiencing problems with OnlineResultsSearch adware removal, you need to reset Mozilla Firefox browser.
Safari
On the top menu select ‘Safari’, then ‘Preferences’. Select ‘Extensions’ tab. Select an extension you want to delete and click ‘Uninstall’ button next to it.

How to stay safe online

If you want to remove annoying advertisements, browser redirects and pop ups, then install an ad blocking program like AdGuard. It can block unwanted ads and pop ups, stop web-pages from tracking your online activities when using the Chrome, Safari and Mozilla Firefox. So, if you like surf the Web, but you do not like annoying advertisements and want to protect your computer from harmful web sites, then the AdGuard is your best choice.

Please go to the link below to download AdGuard.

Once downloading is complete, 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 tutorial. Click “Skip” button to close the window and use the default settings, or press “Get Started” to see an quick guide that will allow you get to know AdGuard better.

Each time, when you start your machine, AdGuard will start automatically and stop intrusive popups, block harmful and misleading webpages.

Finish words

After completing the instructions shown above, your MAC should be clean from the adware and other malicious software. The Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome will no longer display any unwanted ads when you browse the Internet. Unfortunately, if the steps 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 OnlineResultsSearch adware.