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

What is ArchiveRemote

ArchiveRemote is an adware application that targets Mac computers. Adware is form of malware which shows unwanted ads, redirects search results to advertising web pages and collects confidential data for marketing purposes. Adware can attack your computer’s browsers such as Chrome, Safari and Firefox. ArchiveRemote can show banner advertisements, full-screen advertisements, pop-ups, videos, or other varieties of online advertising. Maybe you approve the idea that the advertisements or pop-ups is just a small problem. But these unwanted ads eat system resources and slow down your MAC performance.

Even worse, ArchiveRemote can collect your Internet browsing activity by recording URLs visited, IP addresses, internet browser version and type, cookie information, Internet Service Provider (ISP) and webpages visited. Such kind of behavior can lead to serious security problems or sensitive info theft. This is another reason why the adware should be deleted ASAP.

How does ArchiveRemote get on your MAC

Adware is usually bundled within some freeware that users download off of the World Wide Web. So, think back, have you ever download and run any free apps. In order to avoid adware infection, in the Setup wizard, you should be be proactive and carefully read the ‘Terms of use’, the ‘license agreement’ and other installation screens, as well as to always choose the ‘Manual’ or ‘Advanced’ install type, when installing anything downloaded from the Internet.

Threat Summary

Name	ArchiveRemote, ArchiveRemote 1.0 app
Type	adware software, potentially unwanted program (PUP), Mac virus, Mac malware
Detection Names	OSX.Trojan.Gen, Adware/Adload!OSX, Program:MacOS/Vigram.A, ApplicUnwnt, Osx.Adware.Cimpli, MacOS.Agent-MT, Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Adload and Adware.MAC.Generic
Distribution	Freeware installers, torrent downloads, fake update tools and suspicious popup advertisements
Symptoms	You keep getting redirected to unfamiliar web-sites, you experience lots of of unexpected popup ads, your MAC starts automatically installing unexpected software, unwanted web-browser plugins or toolbars keep coming back, your internet browser search provider has modified without your permission, slow browsing Internet.
Removal	ArchiveRemote removal guide

How to remove ArchiveRemote from Mac

According to security professionals, ArchiveRemote removal can be complete manually and/or automatically. These tools which are listed below will help you remove adware, harmful browser extensions, malware and PUPs . However, if you are not willing to install other apps to get rid of adware software, then use following steps to revert back your Apple Mac settings to defaults.

To remove ArchiveRemote, use the following steps:

1. Remove profiles created by ArchiveRemote
2. Delete ArchiveRemote associated software by using the Finder
3. Remove ArchiveRemote related files and folders
4. Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes
5. Remove ArchiveRemote from Safari, Chrome, Firefox
6. How to stay safe online

Remove profiles created by ArchiveRemote

ArchiveRemote 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 ArchiveRemote.

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 device, which is normal.

Delete ArchiveRemote associated software by using the Finder

It is of primary importance to identify and remove potentially unwanted programs, adware software and browser hijackers through ‘Applications’ section of your Finder.

Open Finder and click “Applications”.

Carefully browse through the list of installed programs and delete all dubious and unknown apps.

After you’ve found anything suspicious that may be the ArchiveRemote adware or other potentially unwanted program, then right click this program and select “Move to Trash”. Once complete, Empty Trash.

Remove ArchiveRemote related files and folders

Now you need to try to find ArchiveRemote 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.

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

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

Some files created by ArchiveRemote 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 ArchiveRemote 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.google.defaultsearch.plist, , com.net-preferences.plist, search.plist, com.machelper.plist, macsearch.plist, installapp.plist and com.ArchiveRemote.service.plist. Most often, browser hijackers, adware and potentially unwanted programs create several files with similar names.

Check for ArchiveRemote 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.ArchiveRemote.system, then this folder must be deleted. Move all suspicious folders and files to the Trash.

Check for ArchiveRemote 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 ArchiveRemote 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.ArchiveRemote.system.plist, com.macsearch.system.plist, com.installapp.system.plist, com.search.system.plist and com.machelper.system.plist. In most cases, browser hijackers, potentially unwanted programs and adware create several files with similar names.

Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes

Manual ArchiveRemote removal requires some computer skills. Some files and system entries that created by the adware can be not completely removed. We advise that use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware to scan the Mac device. Moreover, this program will allow you to remove adware software, PUPs, browser hijackers and toolbars that your machine can be affected too.

Download MalwareBytes on your MAC system from the following link.

After downloading is complete, close all software and windows on your machine. Open a directory in which you saved it. Run the saved file and follow the prompts.

Once installation is complete, you will see window as displayed below.

Now press the “Scan” button to perform a system scan with this utility for the ArchiveRemote adware. A system scan can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending on your MAC. While the MalwareBytes Free is checking, you can see how many objects it has identified either as being malicious software.

Once MalwareBytes Anti Malware has finished scanning your computer, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) will show you the results. You may remove threats (move to Quarantine) by simply press “Quarantine” button.

The Malwarebytes will now remove ArchiveRemote adware and move the selected items to the Quarantine.

Remove ArchiveRemote from Safari, Chrome, Firefox

Remove unwanted addons is a easy way to get rid of ArchiveRemote and restore web-browser’s settings that have been replaced by adware software.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
In the top-right corner, expand the 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 remove ArchiveRemote by reset Google 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 ArchiveRemote adware removal, you need to reset 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

In order to increase your security and protect your computer against new unwanted ads and malicious webpages, you need to use ad blocking application that stops an access to harmful advertisements and web pages. Moreover, the program may stop the display of intrusive advertising, which also leads to faster loading of websites and reduce the consumption of web traffic.

Installing the AdGuard is simple. First you’ll need to download AdGuard by clicking on the link below.

After the downloading process is finished, 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 click “Get Started” to see an quick instructions which will assist you get to know AdGuard better.

Each time, when you launch your computer, AdGuard will launch automatically and stop annoying popup ads, block harmful and misleading web-pages.

To sum up

Now your Apple Mac should be free of the ArchiveRemote adware. We suggest that you keep AdGuard (to help you stop unwanted popup advertisements and unwanted malicious web pages) and MalwareBytes (to periodically scan your MAC for new malware, browser hijackers and adware software). Make sure that you have all the Critical Updates recommended for Mac operating system. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new hijackers, malicious apps and adware are released.

If you are still having problems while trying to remove ArchiveRemote from your web-browser, then ask for help here.