How to remove Go-search.me (Mac)

What is Go-search.me

Go-search.me is a browser hijacker that targets various browsers like Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Edge, and others. Oftentimes, such infections appear on systems without the user’s involvement. Go-search.me secretly alters browser settings by adding a fake search engine (http://go-search.me/search.php?b=) and slight changes in homepage appearance. Initially, Go-search.me positions itself as a beneficial tool that improves online shopping. In fact, this function does not work as intended because it redirects user’s queries through legitimate search provider Yahoo.com. Go-search.me and similar hijackers appear to be quite sticky and hard-to-remove because they set special values inside the system preferences. This is part of the reason why so many people fail to uninstall Go-search.me on their own. In this guide, we will provide professional help with solving the problem down below.

How Go-search.me infected your computer

Since browser hijackers are categorized as Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs), they tend to penetrate systems by using freeware software. Cybercriminals ask website hosts to inject third-parties offers alongside repacks advertised on their pages. Depending on how many users install these offers, the host will get a certain percentage from a successful installation. Sometimes extortionists decide to create shady websites themselves to promote unwanted software. However, the first is much more efficient since it covers the wider traffic of victims. When victims initiate the installation of a downloaded program, they forget to check additional sections (“Advanced/Custom”) for extra bundles. Therefore, one of the ways to prevent such infections is to simply deselect third parties offers during the setup. Furthermore, very often users do not spot the activity of unwanted programs allowing them to suck personal data and sell it to other figures. Be attentive and do not download freeware left and right unless you want to catch another infection of such sort.

Remove Go-search.me manually for free

Here is the manual step-by-step tutorial for full Go-search.me removal from your computer. This works 99% and was checked with the latest versions of the Go-search.me installer on operating systems with the latest updates and browser versions.

Important update: Go-search.me hijacker installs a malicious Device Profile called AdminPrefs on MacOS, that won’t allow users to make changes to browser search engine and homepage settings. Follow instructions below to remove this profile.

Remove Go-search.me profile

1. Go to System Preferences and click on Profiles.
2. In the list of profiles on the left side, choose AdminPrefs and click on “-” button to remove it.
3. In your case it can be named differently, in this case remove all visible profiles. Check the picture below to see how it looks like.

Remove Go-search.me from Applications

Remove Go-search.me from Mac:

1. In the Finder sidebar, click Applications.
2. GoSearch might have an Uninstaller. If you see Uninstall GoSearch or GoSearch Uninstaller, double-click it and follow the onscreen instructions.
3. Otherwise, drag GoSearch from the Applications folder to the Trash (located at the end of the Dock).
4. Then choose Finder > Empty Trash.

Cannot uninstall Go-search.me

If you can’t uninstall Go-search.me using instructions above, or it keeps coming back, you can use free AppCleaner for Mac to remove all residual data and libraries of Go-search.me. Follow instructions below:

1. Download free AppCleaner.
2. Drag GoSearch from Applications folder to AppCleaner window.
3. Choose files and folders you want to remove along with GoSearch.
4. Click Delete button.

Remove Go-search.me add-on from your browsers

Removing GoSearch from Applications often does not bring the desired effect. It is a browser extension, and it may still be active in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Here are instructions on how to remove the GoSearch extension from your browsers manually.

Safari:

1. Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
2. Click Extensions tab.
3. Find GoSearch extension.
4. Click Uninstall button to remove it.

Google Chrome:

1. Start Google Chrome browser
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) chrome://extensions.
3. Find GoSearch extension.
4. Click the trash can icon to remove it.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) about:addons.
3. Choose GoSearch extension.
4. Click Disable or Remove button.

Reset browser settings

To finish Go-search.me removal reset your browser settings to make sure, there are no leftover items in browser folders.

Reset Safari:

1. Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
2. Go to the Privacy section of Safari’s preferences.
3. Click Remove All Website Data button.
4. In opened window, click Remove Now button to remove data stored by websites in Safari.
5. Go to the Advanced section of Safari’s preferences.
6. Click the Show Develop menu in menu bar option.
7. In the menu, click Develop and select Empty Caches from this menu.
8. Again, go to Safari menu and choose Clear History….
9. Choose to clear all history and click Clear History button.

Reset Google Chrome:

1. Start Google Chrome browser
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) chrome://settings.
3. Scroll down and find Show advanced settings link.
4. Click on it and scroll down to the bottom again.
5. Click Reset settings button and click Reset to confirm.

Reset Mozilla Firefox:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) about:support.
3. Click Refresh Firefox… button.
4. Click Refresh Firefox to confirm.

Remove following files and folders of Go-search.me


~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.GoSearch.plist
~/Library/Safari/Extensions/GoSearch.safariextz
~/Library/Application Support/GoSearch


How to protect Mac OSX from hijackers, like Go-search.me

Mac OSX is known to be one of the safest operating systems, and for a long time there was no need for antivirus products for Mac. But with the growing popularity of Mac computers and notebooks and evolving technology, viruses, trojans, adware, toolbars, hijackers and other malware paved the way for Mac users. We recommend you to use one of the best anti-malware for Mac available – Malwarebytes for Mac.

Download Malwarebytes for Mac