How to uninstall the Quick Mac Fixer potentially unwanted application
Written by Tomas Meskauskas on (updated)
What is "Quick Mac Fixer"?
The Quick Mac Fixer application is supposedly capable of improving operating system performance. According to this software's promotional material, it can manage installed apps and remove unwanted files (e.g. unused, large, duplicate and junk files). Due to the dubious methods used to proliferate Quick Mac Fixer, it is classified as a Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA).
Despite its legitimate appearance, software within the PUA category cannot perform the promised capabilities. Additionally, PUAs often have underlying dangerous functionality.
While dubious distribution techniques are used for normal products, they are more commonly employed to spread untrusted software. Some types of PUAs - fake system cleaners/optimizers - usually require activation to perform the advertised functionality. I.e., they must be purchased to work as promised.
Following activation, however, they remain nonoperational - and this is likely to be the case with Quick Mac Fixer. Furthermore, PUAs can have additional features. They can force-open various dubious and malicious websites. Adware-types run intrusive advertisement campaigns.
When clicked, they redirect to similarly harmful sites, and some can execute scripts to stealthily download/install rogue software (e.g. PUAs). Other PUAs called browser hijackers make alterations to browser settings to promote fake search engines.
With this software installed, new browser tabs/windows opened and search queries typed into the URL bar redirect to the promoted address. Bogus search engines are seldom capable of providing search results, and so they redirect to Yahoo, Google, Bing and other genuine sites.
Most PUAs (adware and browser hijackers) have data tracking capabilities. They can monitor browsing activity (URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries typed, etc.) and collect sensitive information extracted from it (IP addresses, geolocations and other details).
The gathered data typically contains personally identifiable information. Furthermore, PUA developers often monetize this information by sharing it with and/or selling it to third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). To summarize, the presence of unwanted apps on devices can lead to financial loss, system infections, serious privacy issues and even identity theft.
To protect device integrity and user safety, you are strongly advised to eliminate all suspicious applications and browser extensions/plug-ins.
Name | Quick Mac Fixer potentially unwanted application |
Threat Type | PUP (potentially unwanted program), PUA (potentially unwanted application), Mac malware, Mac virus. |
Supposed Functionality | Operating system cleaning and optimization. |
Detection Names | Emsisoft (Application.MAC.QuickMacFixer.A (B)), BitDefender (Application.MAC.QuickMacFixer.A), GData (Application.MAC.QuickMacFixer.A), MAX (Malware (ai Score=89)), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal). |
Symptoms | A program that you do not recall installing suddenly appeared on your computer. A new application is performing computer scans and displays warning messages about 'found issues'. Asks for payment to eliminate the supposedly found errors. |
Distribution Methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake Flash Player installers. |
Damage | Monetary loss (unnecessary purchase of fake software), unwanted warning pop-ups, slow computer performance. |
Malware Removal (Mac) | To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your Mac with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. |
Total Mac Care, Qbit Mac Optimizer and Total Mac Fixer are some examples of unwanted apps similar to Quick Mac Fixer. PUAs usually offer "useful" functions, however, they are rarely operational and, even if they do work, it is not as promised. The only purpose of this unwanted software is to generate profit for the developers.
Regular users receive no real value and can instead experience serious issues. PUAs deliver intrusive ad campaigns, cause redirects, hijack browsers and track private information.
How did potentially unwanted applications install on my computer?
Some PUAs (including Quick Mac Fixer) have "official" promotional web pages, from which they can be acquired. They can also be downloaded/installed together with products. This deceptive marketing tactic of packing regular software with unwanted or malicious additions is called "bundling".
By rushing through download/installation processes (e.g. ignoring terms, skipping steps and sections, etc.), many users risk inadvertently allowing bundled content into the system. Intrusive ads proliferate these applications as well. Once clicked, they can execute scripts to download/install PUAs without users' consent.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications
All products should be researched prior to download/installation. You are advised to download only from official and verified sources. Untrusted channels such as unofficial and free file-hosting sites, Peer-to-Peer sharing networks and other third party downloaders can offer deceptive and/or bundled content, and should thus be avoided.
When downloading/installing, it is important to read the terms, explore all available options, use the "Custom" or "Advanced" settings and opt-out of supplementary apps, tools, features, and so on. Intrusive advertisements may seem legitimate and innocuous, however, they can redirect to dubious pages (e.g. pornography, gambling, adult-dating, etc.).
If you encounter these ads/redirects, inspect the system and immediately remove all suspect applications and browser extensions/plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with PUAs, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
Appearance of Quick Mac Fixer application (GIF):
Quick Mac Fixer installation setup:
Website promoting Quick Mac Fixer application:
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 "Quick Mac Fixer"?
- STEP 1. Remove PUA related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove rogue extensions from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove rogue add-ons from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove potentially unwanted plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove Quick Mac Fixer unwanted application using Combo Cleaner:
Potentially unwanted applications removal:
Remove 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