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

What is EffectiveVision

According to security researchers, EffectiveVision is an adware application that targets Mac platform. Adware is form of malicious software which displays unwanted ads on a computer, redirects search requests to scam webpages and gathers confidential data for marketing purposes. Adware can show banner advertisements, full-screen ads, popups, videos, or other varieties of online advertising. Adware can attack your computer’s web-browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Maybe you approve the idea that the ads or popups are just a small problem. But these annoying advertisements eat MAC OS resources and slow down your Mac performance.

Does adware steal your confidential data? EffectiveVision can install a component which enables its creator to track which web pages 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 on your MAC system, there is a good chance you have another that is collecting and sharing your confidential information with third parties, without your consent.

So, if you happen to encounter the adware, then be quick and take effort to remove it sooner. Follow the few simple steps below to delete EffectiveVision. Let us know how you managed by sending us your comments please.

How does EffectiveVision get on your Apple Mac

Many of free programs out there install unwanted browser toolbars, hijackers, adware and potentially unwanted applications along with them without your knowledge. One has to be attentive while installing free programs in order to avoid accidentally installing third-party programs. It’s important that you pay attention to the EULA (End User License Agreements) and select the Custom, Manual or Advanced setup type as it will typically disclose what additional applications will also be installed.

Threat Summary

Name	EffectiveVision
Type	adware software, PUP (potentially unwanted program), Mac virus, Mac malware
Detection Names	MacOS.Agent-MT, ApplicUnwnt, Trojan-Downloader.OSX.Adload, OSX.Trojan.Gen, Adware/Adload!OSX, Program:MacOS/Vigram.A, Osx.Adware.Cimpli and Adware.MAC.Generic
Distribution	Freeware installers, shady popup advertisements, torrent downloads and fake updaters
Symptoms	Your browser is redirected to web-pages you did not want, browser pop-ups appear and recommend fake Jave updates, unwanted program installed without your knowledge, unwanted browser addons or toolbars keep coming back, unexpected changes in your web-browser such as displaying new tabs you didn’t open, slow Internet or slow browsing.
Removal	EffectiveVision removal guide

How to Remove EffectiveVision adware (removal tutorial)

The answer is right here on this web-page. We have put together simplicity and efficiency. It will help you easily to clean your MAC system of EffectiveVision adware. Moreover, you can select manual or automatic removal method. If you’re familiar with the Apple Mac then use manual removal, otherwise use the free anti malware utility designed specifically to delete adware. Of course, you can combine both methods. Some of the steps will require you to reboot your computer or close this web-page. So, read this tutorial carefully, then bookmark this page or open it on your smartphone for later reference.

To remove EffectiveVision, perform the following steps:

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

Remove unwanted profiles on Mac device

EffectiveVision can make changes to the Mac system such as malicious changes to browser settings, and the addition of malicious system profiles. You need to check the system preferences, find and remove malicious profiles and ensure your settings are as you expect.

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 EffectiveVision.

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 EffectiveVision related programs through the Finder

One of the first things to attempt for removal of adware software is to check your Mac device installed programs screen and look for unwanted and questionable applications. If there are any apps you do not recognize or are no longer using, you should uninstall them. If that doesn’t work, then you may need to use malicious software removal utility like MalwareBytes.

Open Finder and click “Applications”.

Very carefully look around the entire list of programs installed on your computer. Most likely, one of them is the EffectiveVision adware software. Once you have found a questionable, unwanted or unused application, right click to it and choose “Move to Trash”. Another solution is drag the application from the Applications folder to the Trash.

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

Remove EffectiveVision related files and folders

Now you need to try to find EffectiveVision 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.

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

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

Some files created by EffectiveVision 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 EffectiveVision 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.EffectiveVision.service.plist, macsearch.plist, com.machelper.plist, com.net-preferences.plist, installapp.plist and search.plist. Most often, browser hijackers, adware software and PUPs create several files with similar names.

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

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

Scan your Mac with MalwareBytes

We recommend using MalwareBytes to scan the Mac computer for PUPs, browser hijackers and adware. This free utility is an advanced malware removal program designed by (c) Malwarebytes lab. This application uses the world’s most popular anti malware technology. It is able to help you remove malicious software and other security threats from your Mac device for free.

1. Installing the MalwareBytes Free is simple. First you will need to download MalwareBytes from the link below.
   
   

   Malwarebytes Anti-malware (Mac)
   20983 downloads
   Author: Malwarebytes
   Category: Security tools
   Update: September 10, 2020
   
2. After the downloading process is complete, close all software and windows on your MAC system. Open a directory in which you saved it. Run the downloaded file and follow the prompts.
3. Click the “Scan” button . MalwareBytes application will scan through the whole machine for the EffectiveVision adware software. This process may take some time, so please be patient.
4. After MalwareBytes Anti-Malware completes the scan, MalwareBytes AntiMalware will open a list of all items detected by the scan. Once you’ve selected what you wish to delete from your MAC click “Quarantine”.

Remove EffectiveVision from Safari, Chrome, Firefox

This step will show you how to delete harmful extensions. This can get rid of EffectiveVision adware and fix some browsing problems, especially after adware infection.

Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
In the top right hand corner, click on ‘three vertical dots’, and this will open up the main menu on Google Chrome. When the drop-down menu appears, select ‘More tools’ and click on ‘Extensions’. Click ‘Remove’ to uninstall an extension. Click ‘Remove’ in the dialog box. You can also try to remove EffectiveVision adware software 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 EffectiveVision adware software 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

To put it simply, you need to use an ad blocking utility (AdGuard, for example). It’ll stop and protect you from malicious webpages, unwanted advertisements and pop-ups. To be able to do that, the ad-blocking application uses a list of filters. Each filter is a rule that describes a malicious webpage, an advertising content, a banner and others. The ad-blocker program automatically uses these filters, depending on the websites you’re visiting.

1. Visit the page linked below to download the latest version of AdGuard for Apple Mac.
   
   

   AdGuard for Mac download
   3771 downloads
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: January 17, 2018
   
2. After the downloading process is finished, start the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
3. When the installation is finished, press “Skip” to close the installation program and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial which will assist you get to know AdGuard better.
4. In most cases, the default settings are enough and you do not need to change anything. Each time, when you launch your Apple Mac, AdGuard will run automatically and stop annoying ads, block malicious and misleading webpages.

To sum up

Once you have removed the adware using this steps, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Google Chrome will no longer display the EffectiveVision ads. Unfortunately, if the few simple steps does not help you, then you have caught a new adware, and then the best way – ask for help here.