SearchForWords Adware - How to remove

SearchForWords is a malicious app that causes ad spam, instability of online apps, and spies on browsing data. Or, alternatively, it’s an app that causes your macOS to show warnings and alerts about SearchForWords being dangerous and wanting to control your apps. If you find SearchForWords or other similar apps and files on your Mac, it’s recommended to delete them and to review your settings to get rid of any traces of adware.

SearchForWords in short:

Threat type	Adware, trojan.
SearchForWords infection symptoms	Your macOS might show you warnings about SearchForWords, unknown apps and browser add-ons might get installed, online apps might be unstable, excessive ads might fill your browser.
How adware spreads	Included in fake installers, promoted by malicious ads.
How to delete SearchForWords	Find suspicious files yourself and with antivirus apps (Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, Spyhunter for Mac, others) and delete them, restore browser and macOS settings, protect your account passwords.

What is SearchForWords?

SearchForWords is a persistent infection

MacOS might catch SearchForWords and show warnings about it trying to control Safari and about it damaging your computer. In these cases, you should be prompted to delete the file. However, deleting SearchForWords is not that easy and it can return on its own. There are a few files and settings helping this malicious app stay rooted in your system.

If SearchForWords is able to work, here are some effects that you might see:

• Excessive ads, pop-ups, and redirects in your browser. Unfamiliar websites returning search results and replacing your home page.
• Browser, email, and other online apps crashing, lagging.
• The internet connection on the infected device might be unstable.
• Unfamiliar apps being installed and running on their own.

The goal of SearchForWords is to show ads and to log data about people’s browsing habits.

The infection spreads with fake ads

Nobody wants to download a malicious app, and yet, SearchForWords infects computers somehow. Most likely it’s fake software updates, such as Flash Player update alerts and other fake software updates. These malicious ads appear online as pop-ups and pretend to be Mac system warnings. They download adware bundles and malicious apps.

While there’s no way to stop all malicious ads, you can reduce them. Some of the malicious ads that spread SearchForWords can be blocked by ad blockers and malicious site blockers, as well as some anti-malware apps.

It also helps to manage the settings of your Mac to protect your Mac from malware.

How to get rid of SearchForWords

Follow the guide below to delete files, apps, browser extensions, login items, network and profile settings related to SearchForWords. You might find files on your Mac called “SearchForWords” (such as “com.SearchForWordsDaemon.plist”), settings in your System Preferences, as well as potentially unwanted browser extensions.

It might be best to do it all at once to stop SearchForWords from returning. This adware can be a little persistent (How Malware Persists on macOS).

At the same time, look for other potentially unwanted programs – MyMacUpdater, OperativeMachined, and other similarly named apps. Also, look for folders named long strings of random characters – they might also hide malware.

If you don’t have an anti-malware app, consider scanning your device with one (such as Combo Cleaner, Malwarebytes, Spyhunter for Mac, others) to help you find suspicious items on your Mac. SearchForWords might be detected as AdLoad, Malware, Adware, or even Trojan.

Finally, once SearchForWords and other malware are gone, you might want to change your passwords. SearchForWords could have read passwords saved in your online apps (such as the web browser) or installed a bad browser extension to spy on you. At least make sure of two things:

• that you have multi-factor authentication turned on for all the accounts that are important to you,
• that you don’t reuse passwords for important accounts.

Automatic Malware removal tools

How to remove SearchForWords Adware from macOS

Delete SearchForWords Adware from your applications.

1. Open Finder.
2. In the menu bar, click Go.
3. Select Applications from the dropdown.
4. Find the SearchForWords Adware 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 SearchForWords Adware.

• 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 SearchForWords Adware.

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

How to remove SearchForWords Adware from Safari:Top

Remove malicious extensions

• Click on Safari menu on the top left corner of the screen. Select Preferences.
  
• Select Extensions and uninstall SearchForWords Adware 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 SearchForWords Adware, 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 SearchForWords Adware from Google Chrome on Mac:

• Open Chrome browser.
• Enter in the url field “chrome://extensions” address and hit Enter.
• Find SearchForWords Adware 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 SearchForWords Adware, 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 SearchForWords Adware 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 SearchForWords Adware 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 SearchForWords Adware, 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.