MacOS is known for its robust security but still, it is not non-contagious. Any device can be infected with viruses or malware if you haven’t deployed any security. If you enable security measures on your Mac, there are fewer chances of any sort of infection. There are different ways to remove malware from Mac. Before we figure out ways to disinfect the Mac, let’s understand the symptoms.
Your Mac may give different symptoms of malware infection on a Mac. you may experience sluggish performance, unexpected pop-ups, notifications, unknown browser tabs, browser redirects, unknown applications opening, frequent crashes or system freezes, high CPU usage, and more. If you are experiencing any of these issues, it is time to check and remove malware from your Mac.
Manual Methods to Remove Malware from Mac
There are a few manual steps to get rid of any infection or malicious files. You can try these steps before you use the Best Free Malware Removal for Mac.
Clear Browser Cache & Cookies
If you have browsed a malicious web page, there are possibilities that some infected cache or cookies are still on your Mac. You can clear the cache using these steps on the Safari browser on Mac.
Step 1. Open Safari browser on your Mac.
Step 2. Click on the Safari menu and go for the Preferences option.
Step 3. The Safari Settings window will open. Click on the Advanced tab.
Step 4. Put a check on the checkbox which says ‘Show Develop menu in the menu bar.’
Step 5. Access the Develop menu from the top menu bar and click on the ‘Empty Cache’ option.
Please Note: You can also clear cache files on Safari by pressing Command + Option + E keys.
Scan Mac for Infections and Viruses
If you have installed an antivirus application or any security software on your Mac, run a full system scan to Check for Malware on Mac and quarantine or delete infected files.
Step 1. Download and install the CleanMyMac X app from its official website.
Step 2. Click on the Protection tab in the left panel and then click on the Malware Removal option.
Step 3. Initiate the scan and let it find and list out any infections found on your Mac.
Step 4. Click on the Remove button to delete found infected files.
Check Suspicious Activity in Activity Monitor
Activity Monitor is one stop solution to check all the active applications and background running processes on your Mac. you can check if there is any suspicious app running, and you can quickly force quit the app and uninstall it from your Mac.
Step 1. Go to the Dock and click on the Finder icon.
Step 2. Click on the Applications folder from the Finder window.
Step 3. Double-click to access the Utilities folder and access Activity Monitor.
Step 4. Click on the CPU tab at the top of the window.
Step 5. Double-click on the CPU% column to arrange applications according to the CPU usage. Check out the applications that are utilizing a lot of CPU resources. If there is any unknown application that is draining your CPU, you need to quit the app and uninstall it then and there.
Step 6. Identify and right-click on the app and select the Quit or Force Quit option to kill its processes.
Uninstall Any Unknown App on Mac
If you have accidentally installed any unknown application, you should immediately get rid of the application. You can follow the below steps to uninstall any application on Mac.
Step 1. Go to the Dock and click on the Finder icon.
Step 2. Click on the Applications folder from the Finder window.
Step 3. Identify the app icon that needs to be uninstalled. Right-click on the app icon and click on the ‘Move to Trash’ option.
Alternatively, you can drag and drop the app icon into the Trash bin and confirm to delete the app. It will be uninstalled in the background.
Please Note: Once you uninstall the app, you will need to get into the Cache folder and delete all the app residual files to completely clean off your Mac storage.
Set Browser to Default Settings
If you ever experience that your browser is opening different websites instead of what you clicked, you may be a victim of a browser hijack. You can set the browser to its default settings and undo any changes done by any suspicious application or malicious link to remove malware from your Mac.
Step 1. Access the Safari browser on your Mac.
Step 2. Click on the Safari menu and select the Clear History option.
Step 3. Select All History from the dropdown and click on the Clear History button.
Step 4. Again, click on the Safari menu and click on the Preferences option.
Step 5. Go to the Privacy tab and click on the ‘Manage Website Data’ option.
Step 6. Click on the Remove All button and on the prompt, click on the ‘Remove Now’ button.
Also Read: Best Screen Sharing Software for Windows 10 and 11
Final Words
This article on how to remove malware from Mac has the basic checks that you can perform on your Mac to remove unwanted clutter and get rid of any malicious app or file from your Mac. If the manual tricks are not helping enough, it is recommended to use the Best Free Malware Removal for Mac and check for malware or other infections on Mac.
