How to uninstall FocusBrowse adware

What is FocusBrowse?

FocusBrowse is the name of a potentially unwanted application (PUA) categorized as adware. It supposedly enhances the browsing experience and delivers various features, however, FocusBrowse feeds users with intrusive advertisements and collects information. In most cases, people download and install adware and other PUAs inadvertently.

Applications such as FocusBrowse usually display ads that conceal underlying content of visited web pages. Some examples of ads that adware-type programs display include pop-up ads, coupons, banners and surveys. People who click them allow the ads to open dubious pages or even execute scripts that cause download/installation of unwanted, potentially malicious software.

Furthermore, many unwanted apps of this type gather information relating to users' browsing activity. For example, IP addresses, geolocations, URLs of visited pages, entered search queries and other browsing data. Some PUAs record sensitive details.

Research shows that FocusBrowse can access credit card details, telephone numbers, passwords and other confidential information. Furthermore, the developers tend to sell the data to third parties who might be cyber criminals. These people misuse the data to generate revenue.

Data collected by FocusBrowse can be misused to make fraudulent purchases and transactions, steal identities, etc. This app can be the reason behind unwanted downloads and installations, problems relating to privacy, browsing safety, monetary loss, and other issues.

Threat Summary:

Name	Ads by FocusBrowse
Threat Type	Adware, Mac malware, Mac virus.
Detection Names	Avast (MacOS:Adload-AB [Trj]), BitDefender (Gen:Variant.Adware.MAC.Adload.5), ESET-NOD32 (A Variant Of OSX/Adware.Didnarbois.A), Kaspersky (Not-a-virus:HEUR:AdWare.OSX.Adload.g), Full List (VirusTotal)
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.

ChoiceFinder, ProcessFresh and ExpertCharacterSearch are some examples of applications similar to FocusBrowse. In most cases, these apps are advertised as useful and legitimate, however, they deliver no real value. On the contrary, these apps simply cause problems and are designed only to perform tasks that help the developers to generate revenue.

How did FocusBrowse install on my computer?

In most cases, people download and install adware and other PUAs inadvertently. They cause this by clicking deceptive advertisements that run certain scripts, or by downloading and installing programs without declining offers to download/install additional software.

PUAs are distributed by including them as additional offers within various download or installation set-ups. This distribution method is called "bundling". Generally, offers to download or install PUAs can be found in settings such as "Advanced", "Custom", and "Manual".

Many people fail to check and change these settings, thereby allowing PUAs to be downloaded and installed together with their required software.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications

Do not use third party downloaders, installers, Peer-to-Peer networks (torrents clients, eMule), unofficial pages or other similar channels to download or install software. Use only official websites and direct download links. Check all download and installation set-ups that contain settings such as "Custom", "Advanced", and "Manual".

Dismiss any offers to download or install additional, potentially unwanted software before completing the process. Intrusive ads that are shown on unofficial, dubious web pages are often designed to open malicious pages or cause download/installation of unwanted apps.

These advertisements should not be clicked . Remove any unwanted, suspicious extensions, plug-ins or add-ons installed on the browser immediately.

The same should be applied to programs of this kind that are installed on the operating system. If your computer is already infected with FocusBrowse, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate this adware.

Pop-up window displayed once FocusBrowse installation is complete:

FocusBrowse installed on Safari:

FocusBrowse folder and its contents:

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

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

FocusBrowse adware removal:

Remove FocusBrowse-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.

▼ Show Discussion