If you are an Apple user and have encountered the frustrating issue of Search Marquis hijacking your Safari browser, you are not alone. Search Marquis is a browser hijacker that can take over your search engine settings and cause unwanted redirects to its own search page. However, there are steps you can take to remove Search Marquis from Safari on your Mac. In this article, we will guide you through the process of getting rid of this pesky browser hijacker.
What is Search Marquis?
Search Marquis is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that often comes bundled with free software downloads or fake Adobe Flash Player updates. Once installed on your Mac, it changes your default search engine in Safari to its own search page (searchmarquis.com) without your permission. This can lead to a degraded browsing experience with constant redirects and intrusive ads.
Step 1: Close Safari and Disable Extensions
The first step in removing Search Marquis from Safari is to close the browser completely. Make sure all Safari windows are closed before proceeding. Next, open Safari while holding down the Shift key to prevent any previously opened tabs from loading.
Once Safari is open, go to the “Safari” menu at the top left corner of the screen and select “Preferences.” In the Preferences window, click on the “Extensions” tab. Look for any suspicious extensions related to Search Marquis or unfamiliar ones that you did not install yourself. Click on each extension and select “Uninstall” to remove them from Safari.
Step 2: Clear Cache and History
To further clean up your browser from any traces of Search Marquis, it’s recommended to clear your browsing history and cache data. In Safari, go back to the “Safari” menu and choose “Clear History.” You can select how far back you want to clear your history – it’s advisable to choose “all history.”
Next, go back to the same menu and select “Clear All Website Data” under Privacy settings. This will remove any stored website data including cookies that might be associated with Search Marquis.
Step 3: Reset Safari Settings
If clearing cache and history didn’t fully remove Search Marquis from Safari, you may need to reset the browser settings. To do this, go back to Preferences in Safari and click on the “Privacy” tab. Here, you will find an option called “Manage Website Data.” Click on it and then select “Remove All.”
After removing all website data, navigate back to Preferences again but this time click on the “Advanced” tab. At the bottom of this window, tick the box next to “Show Develop menu in menu bar.” A new option called “Develop” will appear in the top menu bar.
Click on Develop > Empty Caches from the top menu bar in Safari.
Step 4: Check Homepage Settings
In some cases, Search Marquis may have changed your homepage settings as well. To check this, go back into Preferences in Safari and look for the
