How to remove PublicUpdater (Mac)

What is PublicUpdater

PublicUpdater is an adware-type application that primarily targets Mac computers. It is designed to display as many online advertisements as possible, which can be disruptive and expose users to various online threats, including malware, phishing scams, unwanted software installations, and privacy risks. PublicUpdater typically spreads through malicious websites, compromised software downloads, phishing emails, and malicious attachments. Once installed on your Mac, PublicUpdater modifies the settings of your web browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Edge, and Safari, and generates questionable ads. These ads can be in the form of pop-up windows, banner advertisements, or full-screen advertisements, interrupting your online activities and potentially exposing you to various online threats.

How PublicUpdater infects Mac computers

PublicUpdater can infect Mac computers through various methods, such as:

Malicious websites: Visiting websites that host malicious content can lead to the installation of PublicUpdater on your Mac.
Compromised software downloads: Downloading and installing software from untrusted sources can result in the inadvertent installation of PublicUpdater.
Phishing emails: Opening emails from unknown senders and clicking on links or downloading attachments can lead to the installation of PublicUpdater.
Malicious attachments: Downloading and opening malicious attachments from emails or other sources can result in the installation of PublicUpdater.

1. Download PublicUpdater Removal Tool
2. Remove PublicUpdater from Login Items
3. Remove/Uninstall PublicUpdater from Applications
4. Remove PublicUpdater from browsers
5. Reset browser settings
6. Remove PublicUpdater files and folders
7. Block PublicUpdater ads and pop-ups
8. How to protect from threats, like PublicUpdater

Remove PublicUpdater manually for free

Note: PublicUpdater sets up to start on Mac OS startup. Therefore, before starting the removal, perform these steps:

1. Open System Preferences, choose Users & Groups.
2. Choose your account (set up as Current User).
3. Click Login Items tab.
4. Find “PublicUpdater” entry. Select it, and click the “-“ (minus) button to remove it.

Note 2: PublicUpdater won’t quit just by closing it, therefor use Force Quit to end the process.

1. Press 3 buttons at the same time: Option, Command, and Esc (Escape). This is similar to Control-Alt-Delete on a Windows PC.
2. Choose PublicUpdater in the list.
3. Click Force Quit button.

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

Remove PublicUpdater from Applications

Remove PublicUpdater from Mac:

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

Cannot uninstall PublicUpdater

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

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

Remove PublicUpdater add-on from your browsers

Removing PublicUpdater 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 PublicUpdater 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 PublicUpdater 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 PublicUpdater 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 PublicUpdater extension.
4. Click Disable or Remove button.

Reset browser settings

To finish PublicUpdater 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 PublicUpdater


~/Library/Application Support/.[random_string]/Services/com.PublicUpdater.service.app
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.PublicUpdater.service.plist
/Library/Application Support/.[random_string]/System/com.PublicUpdater.system
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.PublicUpdater.system.plist


Download AdGuard for Mac to block malicious pop-ups, that promote PublicUpdater

AdGuard is the best ad-blocker, internet filtering, and internet security application for macOS. It can cut out unwanted banners from site pages, block pop-ups, stop redirects, and prevent users from visiting potentially dangerous resources. Use it to stop ads promoting PublicUpdater in browsers.

Download AdGuard for Mac

How to protect Mac OSX from adware, like PublicUpdater

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