How to Remove Bing and Yahoo redirect from Safari Mac

The Bing/Yahoo redirect problem seems to have gotten much more frequent with the Safari browser lately. The Bing redirect issue with the browser almost dominated in 2019, and shortly after that, the Yahoo redirect virus came into existence.

Whenever you search for something on the Safari browser, it redirects you to Bing or Yahoo’s home page. The worst part is that users cannot come up with an appropriate conclusion about how this virus threatens them.

So, in this article, we will see the reasons behind these redirects and how to remove the Bing/ Yahoo redirect from your Safari browser.

At first glance, it looks like a standard redirect that lands us on a different page than expected and nothing serious. However, this redirection loads multiple other pages that can be seen in the status bar at the bottom of the browser if observed.

Even though these pages are not visible on the system, they might contain suspicious codes or scripts which operate from the backend.

In the worst scenario, it might cause serious harm in various ways, such as identity theft, data theft, and more. But since the issue has got more common, it must not take long for you to suspect this problem.

So, if you ever encounter such redirections on your Safari browser, the mentioned methods will help remove these viruses from your Mac.

Remove Extensions

Suspicious third-party extensions often change specific settings inside your browser, which changes your Safari browser’s default homepage or search page. Once you have spotted the issue on your Safari Mac, your next move should be to remove them from your system immediately.

Here are the steps to remove suspicious extensions:

1. Open the Safari browser app on your Mac.
2. Click on the Safari menu and select the Preferences/Settings sub-menu.
   It will open the Preferences/Settings window.
3. Switch to the Extensions tab.
4. Lookup for suspicious extensions installed.
   
5. Select the extension, and hit Uninstall to remove it from Safari.

It will immediately remove the extension and make the browser less vulnerable to redirect and malware attacks.

Change Homepage Settings

If you are being redirected to Bing or Yahoo whenever you press a new tab, this is because of your homepage settings.

You can keep any web URL as a homepage in the Safari browser. Some extensions can change these settings by showing you specific prompts on your screen, and if you agree to them, extensions will change the homepage settings.

Here are the steps to change homepage settings:

1. Open the Safari app on your Mac.
2. Click on the Safari menu and select the Preferences/Settings sub-menu.
   It will open the Safari Preferences window.
3. Switch to the General tab, and set a preferred homepage for your Safari browser.
   
4. Again, switch to the Search tab, and set your default search engine.
   

Relaunch the Safari browser after making the necessary changes.

Clear Browser data

Another precaution is to clear your browser cache and history to get the everyday experience. However, make Note that clearing browser history will delete all your previous activities from the browser.

1. Launch the Apple Safari browser.
2. Click on the Safari menu and select the Preferences sub-menu.
3. Switch to the Advanced tab.
4. Enable the check box for the Show Develop menu in the menu bar.
   It will enable a new Develop menu in the Safari menu bar.
5. Click on the Develop menu on the menu bar.
6. Select Empty Caches from the drop-down menu.
   It will clear and empty all the cache files stored within the Safari browser.
7. Next, Click on the History menu on the menu bar.
8. Click on the Clear History… option.
   It will display a clear history dialog box on the screen.
9. Choose a suitable time frame and click on the Clear History button.
   

It will delete and clear the Cache data and History from the Safari browser.

Check Activity Monitor

Activity monitor is a unique app on your Mac that keeps details of all apps and processes running on your machine. It will detect if your Mac is infected with some script or suspicious process.

[Note]Note: Proceed cautiously; killing a system process may freeze your machine. [/Note]

Here are the steps to check the Activity Monitor on Mac:

1. Open the Activity Monitor app on your Mac.
   You can open it by going to the Utility folder in the Launchpad.
2. Lookup for any suspicious process in Activity Monitor.
   
3. Select and click on the X on the process.
4. Hit on Force Quit command button.
   

Now the malware/suspicious process is gone, you won’t see any Bing/Yahoo redirects in Safari Browser.

Delete Unknown Profiles

Mac uses a profile system to install various apps and services, but hackers often exploit this functionality to install potentially harmful profiles on your machine. Make sure your Mac does not have any unidentified profiles.

Here are the steps to delete unknown user profiles:

1. Click on Apple for the menu list.
2. Select System Preferences/Settings menu.
   It will open the System Preferences/Settings window.
3. Click on the Privacy and Security setting icon.
4. Scroll down to the bottom and select the Profiles option.
5. Find any Suspicious profiles which you haven’t created.
6. Select the profile, and click on the – sign to delete.
   

It will remove the User Profiles you haven’t created or are deceptive.

Remove Suspicious Mac Apps

The redirecting problem in the Safari browser may be due to some suspicious app changing your browser history and settings. So it’s a good idea to check what apps you are using and remove apps you don’t identify or remember installing on your Mac.

Every time you install a new Application or Software not from App Store, remember to read what changes it will make to the system.

Check Login Items

If your Safari browser is infected with malware or viruses, it will activate on your Mac startup and cause a Bing/ Yahoo redirect. Remove any suspicious entries from login items on your Mac.

1. Click on Apple for the menu list.
2. Select System Preferences/Settings menu.
   It will open the System Preferences window.
3. Select the Users & Groups tab.
   
4. Switch to the Login Items tab.
5. Find any suspicious login items which you haven’t installed yourself.
6. Select the Login item, and click on the – sign to delete.
   

After the system startup, it will remove the login item and not start the application listed under Login items.

Note: you need to click on the Padlock icon at the bottom to make changes like removing the login items.

Bottom Line

Removing the Bing/Yahoo redirect virus from Safari is a piece of cake. The genuine hardship is while identifying the problem on a device.

Moreover, many users are unaware of this virus and continue to do their searches even with the redirects until they get completely frustrated. It can lead to significant harm in the future.

Therefore, spread awareness among the people near you who might be encountering the same problem.

Let us know if this has helped you remove the virus from your Safari Mac also if any method has helped fix the redirection issue in the Safari browser.

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