What is Search.gratziany.com
Search.gratziany.com is a fake search engine, controlled by malicious Gratziany extension, that Mac users should be worried about. Likewise other shady extensions it is classified as a potentially unwanted application (PUA). Once installed on your computer, it alters the homepage domain to search.gratziany.com, therefore, changing the browser interface. Searching queries are displayed by the Yahoo engine which means that search.gratziany.com search engine is only a cover of fraudulent activity. Unfortunately, search.gratziany.com does not bring any benefit, on the contrary, it is capable of tracking your browser activity that means gathering a bunch of personal data like Passwords, Searching history and other types of information that can make up a big value for extortionists. In addition, search.gratziany.com is known to be disturbing browsing by spreading deceptive ads that are displayed across pages you visit. These advertisements can potentially contain suspicious redirects to malicious resources that are aimed to infect your computer. Search.gratziany.com is a truly dangerous application that has to be uninstalled from your device by following the removal guide in the article below.
How Search.gratziany.com infected your computer
It turns out that search.gratziany.com is a browser hijacker that can put your confidentiality under a huge risk. But how could this foolish extension sneak into your computer? Well, there are a couple of ways that virus developers use for distributing their software. Number one is via common advertisements that can be seen on lots of resources. Basically, ads constitute a major profit for page-holders, however, there are some people who integrate unwanted redirects under nice-looking banners. Clicking on such banners may turn out dangerous because it forces the infiltration of malvertising apps like Search.gratziany.com without your consent. To avoid this kind of ads you can install totally free browser extension called “Adblock” that is phenomenal at hiding myriads of intrusive ads consequently preventing you from clicking on them. Another crafty method that most swindlers abuse is “bundling”. Bundling is categorized as a marketing tool that means putting additional offers alongside other software. Thus, virus creators promote unwanted applications in installation kits that can be downloaded from dubious pages. Because most users do not read all installation steps, therefore, skipping “Advanced” or “Custom” sections that can conceal unwanted offers. As a result of users’ obliviousness, the malicious software gets settled on a device, therefore, endangering your data. We have prepared a full instruction that will guide you through the riding of Search.gratziany.com from your PC.
Download Removal Tool for Mac
To remove Search.gratziany.com completely, we recommend you to use SpyHunter for Mac. It can help you remove files, folders and registry keys of Search.gratziany.com and uninstall hijackers, toolbars and unwanted add-ons from Safari browser. The trial version of SpyHunter for Mac offers virus scan and 1-time removal for FREE.
Alternative Removal Tool
To remove Search.gratziany.com completely, we recommend you to use CleanMyMac. It can help you remove files, folders and registry keys of Search.gratziany.com and uninstall hijackers, toolbars and unwanted add-ons from Safari browser.
Remove Search.gratziany.com manually for free
Here is the manual step-by-step tutorial for full Search.gratziany.com removal from your computer. This works 99% and was checked with the latest versions of Search.gratziany.com installer on operating systems with the latest updates and browser versions.
Important update: Search.gratziany.com hijacker installs 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 Search.gratziany.com profile
- Go to System Preferences and click on Profiles.
- In the list of profiles on the left side choose AdminPrefs and click on “-” button to remove it.
- 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 Search.gratziany.com from Applications
Remove Search.gratziany.com from Mac:
- In the Finder sidebar, click Applications.
- Gratziany might have an Uninstaller. If you see Uninstall Gratziany or Gratziany Uninstaller, double-click it and follow the onscreen instructions.
- Otherwise, drag Gratziany from the Applications folder to the Trash (located at the end of the Dock).
- Then choose Finder > Empty Trash.
Cannot uninstall Search.gratziany.com
If you can’t uninstall Search.gratziany.com using instructions above, or it keeps coming back, you can use free AppCleaner for Mac to remove all residual data and libraries of Search.gratziany.com. Follow instructions below:
- Download free AppCleaner.
- Drag Gratziany from Applications folder to AppCleaner window.
- Choose files and folders you want to remove along with Gratziany.
- Click Delete button.
Remove Search.gratziany.com add-on from your browsers
Removing Gratziany 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 Gratziany extension from your browsers manually.
Safari:
- Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
- Click Extensions tab.
- Find Gratziany extension.
- Click Uninstall button to remove it.
Google Chrome:
- Start Google Chrome browser
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
chrome://extensions
. - Find Gratziany extension.
- Click the trash can icon to remove it.
Mozilla Firefox:
- Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
about:addons
. - Choose Gratziany extension.
- Click Disable or Remove button.
Reset browser settings
To finish Search.gratziany.com removal reset your browser settings to make sure, there are no leftover items in browser folders.
Reset Safari:
- Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
- Go to the Privacy section of Safari’s preferences.
- Click Remove All Website Data button.
- In opened window click Remove Now button to remove data stored by websites in Safari.
- Go to the Advanced section of Safari’s preferences.
- Click the Show Develop menu in menu bar option.
- In the menu click Develop and select Empty Caches from this menu.
- Again, go to Safari menu and choose Clear History….
- Choose to clear all history and click Clear History button.
Reset Google Chrome:
- Start Google Chrome browser
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
chrome://settings
. - Scroll down and find Show advanced settings link.
- Click on it and scroll down to the bottom again.
- Click Reset settings button and click Reset to confirm.
Reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
- In address box type (or copy-paste)
about:support
. - Click Refresh Firefox… button.
- Click Refresh Firefox to confirm.
Remove following files and folders of Search.gratziany.com
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.Gratziany.plist
~/Library/Safari/Extensions/Gratziany.safariextz
~/Library/Application Support/Gratziany
How to protect Mac OSX from hijackers, like Search.gratziany.com
Mac OSX is known to be one of the safest operating systems, and for a long time there was no need in 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.