Mac-Flix Adware (Mac)
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is Mac-Flix?
Mac-Flix is a dubious application that supposedly allows users to access various websites that would otherwise be blocked in their own countries. Its appearance is similar to NextFlix, DNS Unlocker, TopFlix, and many other applications.
Fake promises to enable so-called 'useful functionality' often trick users to install, however, Mac-Flix is developed only to record various user/system information and display intrusive online advertisements. Furthermore, this app often infiltrates systems without users’ permission. For these reasons, it is classed as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and adware.
Mac-Flix employs a 'virtual layer' to display various intrusive advertisements (for example, coupon, banner, and pop-up). The virtual layer enables placement of third party graphical content on any site. The displayed adverts often conceal underlying content, significantly diminishing the browsing experience.
In addition, some redirect to suspicious websites containing malicious content - thus, even accidental clicks can result in high-risk adware or malware infections. Another downside of this PUP is data tracking.
Be aware that Mac-Flix records Internet Protocol (IP) addresses (to determine geographic location), search queries entered into search engines (for example, Bing, Yahoo, Google, etc.), websites visited, pages viewed, and other similar data.
This information might be personally identifiable and shared by developers of Mac-Flix with third parties (who often misuse personal data to generate revenue). Therefore, the presence of an information-tracking app on your system can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. For these reasons, you are strongly advised to remove this application immediately.
Adware-type applications have similar characteristics. All claim to enable 'useful' functions to improve the web browsing experience in certain ways. These fake promises are merely attempts to give the impression of legitimate software. In fact, adware simply generates revenue for the developers.
Rather than providing any significant value for users, apps such as Mac-Flix collect personal data (which is later shared with third parties to generate revenue), deliver intrusive online advertisements (using the 'Pay Per Click' [PPC] advertising model), and often cause unwanted browser redirects (thereby generating traffic for various websites). Adware-type applications are useless to regular users.
How did Mac-Flix install on my computer?
Developers know that many users do not express enough caution when downloading/installing software and employ a deceptive software marketing method called 'bundling' - stealth installation of third party apps with regular software.
They also hide potentially unwanted programs within the 'Custom/Advanced' settings of download and/or installation processes. Therefore, rushing and skipping this section often leads to inadvertent installation of bogus programs.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
The key to computer safety is caution. Most PUPs are distributed using the bundling method. Therefore, it is very important to carefully observe each step of the download/installation processes. Furthermore, opt-out of all additionally-included programs and never accept offers to download/install them.
Instant automatic Mac malware removal:
Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced IT skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Mac malware. Download it by clicking the button below:
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Quick menu:
- What is Mac-Flix?
- STEP 1. Remove Mac-Flix related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove Mac-Flix ads from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove Mac-Flix adware from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove Mac-Flix ads from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:
Mac-Flix adware removal:
Remove Mac-Flix-related potentially unwanted applications from your "Applications" folder:
Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select “Applications”. In the applications folder, look for “MPlayerX”,“NicePlayer”, or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.
Remove browser hijacker-related files and folders
Click the Finder icon from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...
Check for browser hijacker generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents/
In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by browser hijackers - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Browser hijacker commonly installs several files with the exact same string.
Check for browser hijacker generated files in the ~/Library/Application Support/ folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/Application Support/
In the "Application Support" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, "MplayerX" or "NicePlayer", and move these folders to the Trash.
Check for browser hijacker generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ folder:
In the Go to Folder... bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
In the "LaunchAgents" folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by browser hijackers - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Browser hijacker commonly installs several files with the exact same string.
Check for browser hijacker generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder:
In the "Go to Folder..." bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons/
In the "LaunchDaemons" folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example "com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist", "com.myppes.net-preferences.plist", "com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist", "com.avickUpd.plist", etc., and move them to the Trash.
Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:
If you have followed all the steps correctly, your Mac should be clean of infections. To ensure your system is not infected, run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file, double click combocleaner.dmg installer. In the opened window, drag and drop the Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates its virus definition database and click the "Start Combo Scan" button.
Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays "no threats found" - this means that you can continue with the removal guide; otherwise, it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.
After removing files and folders generated by the browser hijackers, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.
Remove browser hijackers from Internet browsers
Remove Safari browser hijackers:
Open the Safari browser, from the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".
In the preferences window, select "Extensions" and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the "Uninstall" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for regular browser operation.
Change your homepage:
In the "Preferences" window, select the "General" tab. To set your homepage, type the preferred website URL (for example: www.google.com) in the Homepage field. You can also click the "Set to Current Page" button if you wish to set your homepage to the website you are currently visiting.
Change your default search engine:
In the "Preferences" window, select the "Search" tab. Here you will find a drop-down menu labeled "Search engine:" Simply select your preferred search engine from the drop-down list.
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.
Remove Google Chrome browser hijackers:
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "More Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, select these entries and click "Remove".
Change your homepage
Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select "Settings". In the "On startup" section, disable the malicious extension (if present), look for a browser hijacker URL below the "Open a specific or set of pages" option. If present, click on the three vertical dots icon and select "Remove".
Change your default search engine:
To change your default search engine in Google Chrome: Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Settings", in the "Search engine" section, click "Manage search engines...", in the opened list look for a browser hijacker URL, when located click the three vertical dots near this URL and select "Delete".
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.
Remove malicious extensions from Mozilla Firefox:
Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window) and select "Add-ons and themes". Click "Extensions", in the opened window locate all recently-installed suspicious extensions, click on the three dots and then click "Remove".
Change your homepage
To reset your homepage, click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), then select "Settings", in the opened window disable malicious extension (if present), remove the browser hijacker URL and enter your preferred domain, which will open each time you start Mozilla Firefox.
Change your default search engine:
In the URL address bar, type "about:config" and press Enter. Click "Accept the Risk and Continue".
In the search filter at the top, type: "extensionControlled". Set both results to "false" by either double-clicking each entry or clicking the button.
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.
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