Searchbaron.com - How to remove

Searchbaron.com, or Search Baron, is a fake search engine that takes over web browsers. It redirects search queries to unfamiliar or unwanted sites. It’s similar to Searchmarquis.com, Flashsearch.xyz, etc.

Searchbaron.com affects Macs. It comes with infected app installers and fake software updates which install a malicious app, browser extension, possibly even change network settings.

The people whose browsers get infected with Searchbaron.com (Discussions.apple.com, Support.google.com) want to get rid of it as it’s really disruptive and completely useless.

Following this guide will help you understand more about Searchbaron.com and how to stop it from interfering with your web search.

About Searchbaron.com:

Threat type	Browser hijacker, trojan, adware.
How Searchbaron.com is installed	Advertised with fake ads, included in adware bundles, installed without getting your permission.
How it affects your browser	It hijacks internet searches, it logs your information.
How to remove Searchbaron.com	Uninstall malicious apps and browser add-ons manually and with antivirus tools (Spyhunter for Mac, Combo Cleaner, others), check your System Preferences.

How does Searchbaron.com work?

Installed without asking for permission

There’s no way to install Searchbaron.com intentionally. The website doesn’t even work unless you have specific links – which are impossible to guess.

Rather, Searchbaron.com sneaks onto computers through deceptive means.

It spreads with fake macOS or Flash Player updates, fake browser updates, and other malicious ads. It also infects some installers that you can find on freeware sites, as well as pirated apps.

Once the infection is downloaded, Searchbaron.com takes over the browser. It may or may not change search engine settings. You may also see warnings from your macOS about apps trying to control Safari.

To avoid Searchbaron.com and similar malicious apps, it is important to only download software from trustworthy websites. Avoid software repositories and stick to developer sites. Avoid pirating or use a strong antivirus tool to protect yourself against malicious software.

Hijacks search queries

Searchbaron.com ignores your search engine preferences and hijacks search queries. Even if you manually open other search engines, Searchbaron.com still takes over. It might eventually land you in Bing.com, Yahoo.com, Ask.com, Searchlee.com, or another site.

Bing and the other sites are legitimate search providers and are not directly related to Searchbaron.com. There might be a complicated and obscure chain of affiliate deals that allow Searchbaron.com to profit from legitimate search engines.

More importantly, Searchbaron.com interferes with your browsing and even logs your personal information.

Collects user data

Furthermore, it is important to know that Searchbaron.com collects data that could be considered personal, for example:

• IP addresses,
• the URLs of the visited websites,
• submitted search queries,
• ads clicked.

This is not that strange – lots of websites collect lots of data about us, as demonstrated by sites like Myactivity.google.com.

But, unlike the more mainstream sites, Searchbaron.com is not accountable. It’s not even clear who the company behind the site is. And besides, this site uses trojans to spread. It can’t be trusted.

There is every reason to be suspicious of Searchbaron.com. It can log people’s search queries and use them for advertising or sell them to big data companies.

How to remove Searchbaron.com

Avoid malicious applications

We already mentioned that trojans and adware bundles distribute Searchbaron.com. We also said that infected installers are distributed with the help of fake update prompts and misleading ads.

Here are a few things you can do to avoid hijackers like Searchbaron.com:

• Do not install any “updates” that pop up while browsing the web; they’re just malicious software.
• Block malicious ads with ad blockers. Use a reputable ad blocker, download it from the developer’s site to avoid malicious clones.
• Protect your Mac by restricting what apps are allowed (Support.apple.com).
• If needed, use a good anti-malware app to protect your Mac from malicious apps and ads.

Stop Searchbaron.com redirects

The first step to getting rid of Searchbaron.com is to check the browser settings for your default search engine. This is described in the instructions at the bottom of this page.

It’s possible that these settings aren’t affected by Searchbaron.com or that they reset in a short while. In that case, check for malicious apps in your Applications folder. The apps that cause Searchbaron.com redirects might have names like OpticalRatePro, OriginalModuled, OriginalUnitValue, GoSearch, etc. If you find something suspicious, remove it (Support.apple.com).

However, malicious apps tend to be very persistent. Below are instructions for checking your configuration profiles, proxy settings, and other usual suspects to get rid of this kind of adware.

In addition, it might help to use an anti-malware app, such as Spyhunter for Mac, Combo Cleaner, or others.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove Searchbaron.com from macOS

Delete Searchbaron.com from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the Searchbaron.com app.
5. Select it and right-click it (or hold the Ctrl and click the left mouse button).
6. In the dropdown, click Move to Bin/Trash. You might be asked to provide your login password.

(Optional) Delete related settings

Some malicious apps make themselves difficult to delete by changing various settings and leaving behind malicious files. Remove settings related to Searchbaron.com.

• Click the Apple logo in the menu bar. Open System Preferences.
• Some malicious applications set profiles to enforce unwanted settings. Remove unwanted configuration profiles.

1. 1. In System Preferences, click the Profiles icon. This icon is only visible if there are profiles on your Mac.
   2. Select unwanted profiles and remove them by pressing the minus '-'  button at the bottom.

• Some adware applications set SOCKS proxy to manipulate your internet traffic. Remove unwanted proxies:

1. 1. In System Preferences, click Network, Advanced, Proxies.
   2. If a proxy is set without your permission, uncheck it and click OK.

(Optional) Delete malicious files

Some malicious apps leave behind dangerous files in your Library folders. Delete files related to Searchbaron.com.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go -> Computer.
3. In the search box, type in Searchbaron.com and variations of it.
4. Delete the files that are found and that seem to be related to Searchbaron.com.

Remove unwanted browser extensions

How to remove Searchbaron.com from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall Searchbaron.com and other suspicious extensions.
  
• If your homepage was changed, click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences and choose General tab. Enter preferable URL to the homepage field.
  

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings(older versions) If you are still experiencing any issues related to Searchbaron.com, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Reset Safari…
  
• Select which options you want to reset (usually all of them come preselected) and click on the Reset button.
  

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program.

TopHow to remove Searchbaron.com from Google Chrome on Mac:

• Open Chrome browser.
• Enter in the url field “chrome://extensions” address and hit Enter.
• Find Searchbaron.com on the extensions list and click on the recycle bin icon next to it.
• Click on 'Chrome' button at the top left corner. Select 'Preferences' on a drop-down menu box.
• Find 'Search' options on Settings tab. If your search engine is changed, click 'Manage Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
• On the same page find 'Show home button' checkbox and change your homepage.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Searchbaron.com, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• On the 'Preferences' menu window, scroll down to the bottom and find 'Reset settings' button. Click it.
• Confirm your selection and click 'Reset' on the following window.

If you cannot reset your browser settings and the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program. Top

How To remove Searchbaron.com from Firefox on Mac OS:

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla window and select the “Add-ons” icon (Or press cmd+Shift+A on your keyboard).
• Go through Extensions list, remove everything Searchbaron.com related and items you do not recognise. If you do not know the extension and it is not made by Mozilla, Google, Microsoft, Oracle or Adobe then you probably do not need it.
• Enter “about:preferences” in URL bar and hit enter.
• Open Search settings tab.
• If your search engine is changed, click 'Default Search Engines' and set your preferred search engine.
• If your homepage was changed, click on the Firefox menu in the top right corner, select Preferences-> General. Enter a preferable URL to the home page field.

(Optional) Reset your browser’s settings If you are still experiencing any issues related to Searchbaron.com, reset the settings of your browser to its default settings.

• Click on the menu button on the top right corner of a Mozilla Firefox window. Click on the Help button.
• Choose Troubleshooting Information on the Help menu.
• Click on the Refresh Firefox button.
• Click on the Refresh Firefox button on the confirmation box. Mozilla Firefox will close and change the settings to default.

If the problem persists, scan your system with an anti-malware program to identify malicious entries.