Remove WindowArea from the system

What is WindowArea?

WindowArea is a potentially unwanted application (PUA), an adware-type type app very similar to MatchKnowledge and Top Results. The app supposedly allows users to search more effectively, however, adware is a type of software that feeds users with unwanted ads.

Furthermore, apps such as WindowArea are often used to gather details about users. We strongly advise against the use of WindowArea - uninstall it immediately.

When installed, WindowArea forces users to search via the Yahoo search engine (search.yahoo.com). Although this is a legitimate and trustworthy search engine, people with WindowArea installed on their systems cannot search with their preferred search engine.

Furthermore, adware-type apps force users to see intrusive advertisements. They display ads such as coupons, banners, surveys, pop-ups, and so on. When clicked, these open untrustworthy or even malicious web pages. Furthermore, they sometimes execute scripts that lead to unwanted downloads or installation of other PUAs, or even malware.

Another problem with WindowArea (and other adware) is that apps of this type often collect information relating to users' browsing habits. For example, IP addresses, geolocations, addresses of visited pages, entered search queries, and so on. Adware developers send the information to third parties (potentially cyber criminals) who misuse it to generate revenue.

Adware can thus cause privacy and browsing safety issues, and lead to unwanted download/installation of PUAs or even malicious programs. Therefore, remove all adware installed on your computer or browser immediately.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by WindowArea
Threat Type	Mac malware, Mac virus
Symptoms	Your Mac becomes slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you are redirected to dubious websites.
Distribution methods	Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads.
Damage	Internet browser tracking (potential privacy issues), display of unwanted ads, redirects to dubious websites, loss of private information.
Malware Removal (Mac)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner for Mac To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

People sometimes install adware intentionally when they believe it is useful, legitimate, and so on. After installation, however, these apps display unwanted advertisements, record information, and deliver no real value.

How did WindowArea install on my computer?

To trick people into downloading and installing unwanted apps, developers use the "bundling" method. They include PUAs into the download and installation set-ups of regular software. Information about this can usually be found in settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", and other similar parts of software set-ups.

Many people skip this section and leave available settings unchanged, thus allowing unwanted apps to be downloaded or installed through the setups of other regular software. Unwanted software also infiltrates through deceptive ads that, if clicked, run scripts that cause unwanted downloads and installations.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

Do not download files or software through third party downloaders, Peer-to-Peer networks such as torrent clients, eMule, and so on, unofficial pages, or other similar channels. Do not trust third party installers. Download software from official web pages and use direct download links.

Download and install software correctly: study each setup by checking "Custom", "Advanced" and other similar settings/options. Decline offers to install or download additional programs. Avoid clicking intrusive ads, since they often redirect to untrustworthy websites.

Untrustworthy ads are usually displayed on pages relating to adult dating, pornography, gambling, and so on. To stop your browser from opening these dubious sites and displaying ads, remove all unwanted extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins installed on the browser and programs installed on the operating system.

If your computer is already infected with WindowArea, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

IMPORTANT NOTE! It is impossible to delete WindowArea unless its process in Activity Monitor is killed. If you attempt to delete it without killing the process, you will encounter this pop-up:

To remove this adware, you must first kill its process using Activity Monitor:

Screenshot of WindowArea adware files:

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:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for Mac By downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. Limited seven days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Quick menu:

• What is WindowArea?
• STEP 1. Remove WindowArea related files and folders from OSX.
• STEP 2. Remove WindowArea ads from Safari.
• STEP 3. Remove WindowArea adware from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove WindowArea ads from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove WindowArea adware using Combo Cleaner:

WindowArea adware removal:

Remove WindowArea-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 adware-related files and folders

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Check for adware 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 adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware 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 adware 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 adware - "installmac.AppRemoval.plist", "myppes.download.plist", "mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist", "kuklorest.update.plist", etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the exact same string.

Check for adware 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 adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Internet browsers

Remove malicious Safari extensions:

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.

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

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".

• 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".

• If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

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