How to remove SkyScanner app (Mac)

What is SkyScanner

Developed by British company, SkyScanner is a legitimate application designed for Mac that analyzes flights, hotels and car hire databases to offer the cheapest and best deals from providers. Likewise other similar platforms, SkyScanner is very useful since it saves tons of time on searching for the tickets and combines them into a single application.

However, SkyScanner is commonly distributed via malicious repacks that contain other potentially unwanted programs. Extortionists abuse its legitimacy to infect users with additional software like adware or browser hijackers without permission. This is why you should download SkyScanner and other legitimate software solely from official providers, especially if it is totally free. Unwanted applications can endanger your privacy and eat a lot of resources that slow down your PC. They are known to be altering browser settings in order to generate malicious redirects, ads, banners, fake pop-ups, and others. If clicked, all of this content can cause various infections like trojans, adware, browser hijackers and ransomware (which is the most dangerous) since it irreparably encrypts user’s data. Moreover, unwanted software stealthily spies on personal data like passwords, IP-addresses, geolocations, and others. As a result, the recorded information can be shared with cybercriminals for making a profit. If SkyScanner was installed without your consent, then more likely your computer is infected with harmful applications as well. To exclude the credibility of being spied, you should get rid of suspicious applications or browser extensions that put your data under serious risk.

How SkyScanner infected your computer

The most frequently used method to distribute unwanted software is via Fake updaters that are advertised on shady websites. It is usually presented with highlighted titles (e.g. “Your Flash Player is outdated and needs to be updated”) therefore prompting users into downloading it. Additionally, potentially unwanted applications can be bundled alongside other software. Bundling is a deceptive marketing technique that means packing legitimate software with unwanted or malicious offers. When installing, most users often ignore terms and skip steps that contain pre-set offers. This careless behavior often leads to immediate infiltrations that allow frauds to take control over non-protected PCs. You should also avoid clicking on dubious ads since they can redirect you to pages that run executable scripts stealthily infecting your device. Luckily, with the help of underneath solutions, you will be able to sustain your PC clean and virus-free.

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

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 SkyScanner in browsers.

Download AdGuard for Mac

Remove SkyScanner manually for free

Note: SkyScanner sets up to start on Mac OS startup. Therefore, before starting 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 “SkyScanner” entry. Select it, and click the “-“ (minus) button to remove it.

Note 2: SkyScanner 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 SkyScanner in the list.
3. Click Force Quit button.

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

Remove SkyScanner from Applications

Remove SkyScanner from Mac:

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

Cannot uninstall SkyScanner

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

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

Remove SkyScanner add-on from your browsers

Removing SkyScanner from Applications often does not bring desired effect. It is browser extension and it may still be active in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Here are instructions on how to remove SkyScanner 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 SkyScanner 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 SkyScanner 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 SkyScanner extension.
4. Click Disable or Remove button.

Remove following files and folders of SkyScanner


~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.SkyScanner.agent.plist
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.SoftwareUpdater.agent.plist
~/Library/Application Support/SkyScanner/
~/Library/Caches/SkyScanner.SkyScanner-app


How to protect Mac OSX from hijackers, like SkyScanner app

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.

Download Malwarebytes for Mac