How to Remove Bing Redirect Virus From Mac: 9 Best Ways

Written by

Hashir Ibrahim

Reviewed by

Ojash

Last updated: October 18, 2023

Expert verified

Ever felt like your Mac has a mind of its own, redirecting you to Bing unexpectedly? The Bing Redirect Virus is the sneaky culprit, and it’s more than just an annoyance—it’s a threat to your digital privacy.

In this guide, I’ll explain what Bing Redirect is, its implications, and most importantly, share different solutions to remove Bing Redirect Virus from Mac effectively. So, let’s get started.

What Is Bing Redirect Virus on Mac?

Often mistaken for a virus, the Bing redirect doesn’t self-replicate or spread across computers via networks or shared storage. So, it’s not technically a virus.

The Bing Redirect Virus is more aptly categorized as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) or, more specifically, a browser hijacker. This is because it alters primary browser settings, like the homepage and default search engine, across all browsers on your Mac.

Once this hijacker finds its way onto your Mac, it bombards you with unwanted ads and gathers data, including your IP address, search queries, and visited websites. The primary purpose behind this is monetary gain. By redirecting traffic, the perpetrators can generate ad revenue. These programs may also collect user data, posing a privacy risk.

How Bing Redirect Got Installed on Your Mac?

The Bing Redirect often finds its way onto Macs through deceptive or indirect means. Here’s how it typically gets installed:

1. 📦 Bundled Software: When downloading and installing a new application, especially from unofficial sources, the Bing Redirect or associated PUP might be an optional add-on.
2. 🚫 Misleading Advertisements: Some online ads are designed to look like legitimate system warnings or software update prompts. Clicking these can initiate downloading and installing the Bing Redirect or other unwanted software.
3. ⚠️ Fake Software Updates: You might encounter pop-ups or notifications urging you to update a particular software. However, instead of the promised update, you end up downloading the redirect tool or other PUPs.
4. 🌐 Downloaded from Unofficial Websites: Downloading software from unofficial or unverified websites increases the risk of getting unwanted programs. These sites might offer free versions of popular software but come with hidden extras like the Bing Redirect.
5. 📧 Infected Email Attachments: Though less common for this type of threat, it’s possible to get infected by opening a malicious email attachment.
6. 🛠️ Compromised Software Installers: Sometimes, cybercriminals tamper with legitimate software installers to include malicious programs. When you download and install the compromised software, you inadvertently install the unwanted program as well.

What Are the Signs of the Bing Redirect Virus?

The Bing Redirect Virus exhibits several noticeable symptoms that can help you identify its presence on your Mac. Here are the common signs of the Bing Redirect Virus on your Mac:

1. 🔍 Search Engine Switch: Your default search engine (e.g., Google or Yahoo) suddenly changes to Bing without your consent.
2. 🏠 Changed Homepage: Upon opening your browser, you may notice Bing or another unfamiliar page has replaced your usual homepage.
3. 🌐 Unwanted Browser Redirects: When you try to visit a website, you’re unexpectedly redirected to Bing or other unrelated sites.
4. 🛍️ Intrusive Advertisements: You start seeing excessive pop-up ads, banners, or sponsored links that weren’t there before.
5. 🔗 Unwanted Browser Extensions or Toolbars: New toolbars, extensions, or plugins appear in your browser that you don’t remember installing.
6. 🔄 Recurring Changes: Even after manually resetting your browser settings, they revert to unwanted configurations, making it challenging to restore your preferred settings.

Recognizing these signs early can help take prompt action to remove Bing Redirect Virus from Mac and restore it to its normal functionality.

How to Remove Bing Redirect Virus From Mac

Even the best of Macs can face challenges, like the Bing Redirect Virus. This unwanted guest can change your browser’s behavior, but you can fix it easily. In this section, I’ve shared the quickest ways to remove Bing Redirect Virus from Mac on different browsers.

a. On Safari

For Safari users, here’s how to modify the homepage settings and remove Bing redirects on your Mac:

1. Launch Safari on your Mac.
2. Click Safari in the menu bar and select Settings.

3. Click the General tab.

4. Update the URL in the Homepage field to your desired one.

5. Navigate to the Search tab and choose your preferred search engine.

b. On Chrome

To remove the Bing Redirect Virus in Chrome on your Mac, follow these steps:

1. Launch Chrome on your Mac.
2. Click Chrome in the menu bar and select Settings.

3. Click Search engine in the left sidebar.

4. Click Manage search engines and site search.

5. Set your preferred search engine as default and remove any unwanted ones.

6. Go to the On Startup tab.
7. If Open a specific page or set of pages is selected, remove or change any undesired addresses.

c. On Firefox

To remove the Bing Redirect Virus on Firefox, follow these steps:

1. Launch Firefox on your Mac.
2. Click Firefox in the menu bar and select Settings.

3. Click Home in the left sidebar.
4. Set your desired homepage beside the Homepage and new windows option.

5. Click the Search tab in the left sidebar and pick your favorite search engine.

Other Methods to Remove Bing Redirect Virus From Mac

If your Mac isn’t infected with a virus, manually changing your browser’s homepage and default search engine should fix the issue. But you may need further troubleshooting if you keep seeing unwanted pop-ups and redirects.

Below, I’ve shared some effective ways to remove Bing Redirect Virus from Mac.

1. Scan Your Mac for Viruses With MacKeeper

One of the most effective ways to address the Bing Redirect Virus is using a trusted antivirus tool like MacKeeper. It doesn’t just scan for common threats, it’s great at spotting and getting rid of browser hijackers and unwanted programs causing those Bing redirects.

Here’s how to run a virus scan on your Mac using MacKeeper:

1. Download and install MacKeeper.
2. Launch MacKeeper and navigate to the Antivirus tab in the left sidebar.

3. Start an instant virus scan by clicking the Start Scan button.

4. If viruses are detected during the scan, click the Fix Items button to resolve the issues.
5. You’ll see a No threats found message if your system is threat-free. You can tap the Restart button to run the scan again.

6. Enable real-time antivirus protection to safeguard your Mac from future threats by clicking the Enable button.

After configuring your security settings, MacKeeper will continue to operate in the background, scanning for threats and blocking malicious activity.

2. End Sketchy Programs via Activity Monitor

Sometimes, the root of the Bing Redirect Virus or similar issues lies in rogue processes running silently in the background. The Activity Monitor on your Mac is a powerful tool that allows you to view and end these suspicious programs, potentially stopping the redirect at its source.

Here’s how to use the Activity Monitor to kill suspicious background processes on Mac:

1. Open Activity Monitor by going to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.

2. Once Activity Monitor is open, identify the background process you want to terminate by browsing the list or using the search box at the top-right corner.

3. Select the process you want to terminate and click the X button in the top toolbar.

4. A confirmation window will appear, asking if you want to Quit or Force Quit the process.
5. Click the Quit button in the confirmation window to terminate the selected process.

3. Remove Bing Redirect From Applications

Sometimes, the Bing Redirect issue stems from an unwanted application installed on your Mac. Uninstall any applications on your Mac that might have come bundled with third-party apps you don’t recognize.

Here’s how to identify and remove these culprits from your Applications folder:

1. Click the Finder icon in your Dock.

2. Select Applications from the sidebar.

3. Browse your applications and look for something like Uninstall Bing Redirect or Bing Redirect Uninstaller.
4. Once you identify the unwanted application, click and drag it to the Bin in your Dock.
5. To ensure the application is completely removed, right-click the Bin and select Empty Bin.

6. After deleting the application, restart your Mac to ensure all associated processes are terminated.

4. Remove Bing Redirect Files and Folders

Beyond just applications, the Bing Redirect Virus may leave behind files and folders scattered throughout your Mac. To ensure a thorough cleanup, locating and deleting these remnants is essential. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Click the Finder icon in your Dock.

2. Press Command ⌘ + Shift ⇧ + Period (.) simultaneously on your keyboard to reveal hidden files.

3. Click Go in the menu bar and select Go to Folder…

4. Enter each of the following paths one by one:

~/Library/LaunchAgents

/Library/LaunchAgents

/Library/LaunchDaemons

5. Within these folders, look for any items related to Bing Redirect. Drag them to the Bin in your Dock.

5. Clear Browser Cache

Clearing your browser’s cache can help eliminate lingering traces of the Bing Redirect Virus and ensure a fresh browsing experience.

Below, I’ve shared the steps to clear browser cache on your Mac for different browsers:

a. Safari

Here’s how to clear Safari cache on Mac:

1. ​​Open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar and select Settings.

2. Select the Privacy tab and click the Manage Website Data button.

3. Click Remove All to clear all website cookies completely.

4. Alternatively, you can select individual websites and tap Remove.

5. Click Done when you have deleted all cookie files.

b. Google Chrome

Follow these steps to clear your cache on Google Chrome:

1. Open Chrome and click the three dots at your display’s top right corner.

2. Select More tools from the drop-down menu, followed by Clear browsing data…

3. A pop-up window will appear. Select the Cached images and files option. You can also clear other browsing data like browsing history, cookies, and more.
4. Select the time range you want to clear the cache for (e.g., Last hour, Last 24 hours, All time).
5. Now, click Clear data to remove these items from your browser.

c. Mozilla Firefox

Follow these steps to clear your browser cache on Firefox:

1. Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.

2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.

3. In the Settings window, click Privacy & Security in the left sidebar, scroll down the right pane, and click Clear Data… under Cookies and Site Data.

4. Check the boxes next to Cookies and Site Data and Cached Web Content, and tap the Clear button.

5. Your Firefox browser cache will now be cleared.

6. Remove Suspicious Login Items

Certain malicious programs or unwanted applications set themselves to launch automatically upon startup. By checking and removing suspicious login items, you can prevent these programs from running when you boot up your Mac.

The quickest way to remove login items on your Mac is via MacKeeper. Follow these steps to delete unwanted login items using MacKeeper:

1. Download MacKeeper and install it on your Mac.
2. Open Login Items under Performance in MacKeeper.

3. Click Start Scan.

4. Select unnecessary items from the list and click Remove Selected Items.

5. Tap the Remove button on the pop-up.

6. It will remove your selected items from the system startup list. You can click Rescan to repeat the process.

Alternatively, you can change start up items on your Mac via System Settings:

1. Click the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen and tap System Settings.

2. Select General and click Login Items in the right menu.

3. Select the login item you want to remove and click the – button at the bottom of the list to remove the login item.

7. Remove Harmful Browser Extensions

Browser extensions can enhance your online experience, but some can be harmful or intrusive, especially if installed without your knowledge. Removing these extensions can help restore your browser’s performance and security.

Here’s how to remove browser extensions on your Mac:

a. On Safari

You can remove browser extensions on Mac from Safari by following these steps:

1. Open Safari on your Mac, click Safari in the menu bar, and select Settings.

2. Click the Extensions tab to view all the installed extensions.

3. Find the extension you want to remove and click it.

4. Click the Uninstall button to confirm that you want to remove the extension.

b. On Chrome

Follow these steps to remove extensions from Google Chrome on your Mac: 

1. Click the Google Chrome icon in your dock or search for it in the Applications folder.

2. Click the three-dot icon on the top right corner of the Chrome window and select More Tools from the dropdown Menu. Then, select Extensionsfrom the submenu.

3. Find the extension you want to remove from the list of installed extensions. You can use the search bar to find it quickly.
4. Click the Remove button next to the extension you want to uninstall. Confirm the removal when prompted.

5. Close and reopen Chrome to complete the removal process.

c. On Firefox

Here’s how to remove unwanted or harmful extensions on Firefox:

1. Open Firefox on your Mac by clicking its Dock or Applications folder icon.

2. Click Firefox in the menu bar and select Settings.

3. Click Extensions & Themes in the left-hand menu to view all the extensions installed in Firefox.

4. Find the extension you want to remove and click the three dots icon. Tap Remove in the drop-down menu.

5. Click Remove again to confirm that you want to remove the extension.

8. Remove Malicious Configuration Profiles

Configuration profiles can set specific preferences and restrictions or deploy applications on Mac systems. While they benefit businesses and institutions, unwanted software can install malicious profiles to enforce certain settings or behaviors.

Here’s how to identify and delete these harmful profiles to remove Bing Redirect Virus from Mac:

1. Click the Apple logo and select System Settings.

2. If you see a Profiles tab, configuration profiles are installed on your Mac.

3. Click the Profiles tab and review the list of configuration profiles in the right pane.
4. Look for any profiles you don’t recognize or seem suspicious.
5. Select the malicious or unfamiliar profile and click the – button at the bottom to remove it.
6. A prompt will appear asking for confirmation. Click Remove to finalize the deletion.

9. Reset Your Browser to Factory Defaults

The Bing Redirect Virus often alters browser settings, installs unwanted extensions, and makes other changes that can disrupt your online experience. One surefire way to eliminate its traces and effects is resetting your browser to its default settings.

Here’s how to revert your browser to its original settings to remove Bing Redirect Virus from Mac:

a. On Safari

1. Close all Safari tabs and windows and exit the browser.
2. Open Finder by clicking its icon in the Dock.

3. With Finder open, click Go in the menu bar and select Go to Folder.

4. Type the following directory in the box and press Enter:

~/Library/Preferences/

5. Find and drag the com.apple.Safari.plist file into the Bin.

6. Next, bring the Go to Folder box again and type the following directory:

~/Library/Safari/

7. Inside this folder, delete everything except the Bookmarks.plist file.

8. Lastly, bring the Go to Folder box again and type the following directory:

~/Library/Containers/

9. Type Safari in the search box on the top-right of the window and delete all files and folders that appear in the result.

b. On Chrome

1. In Chrome, click the three vertical dots and go to Settings.

2. In the next window, click Reset settings in the left sidebar and select Restore settings to their original defaults.

3. A pop-up window will appear. Click Reset settings, and it will restore your Chrome settings to default.

c. On Firefox

1. In Firefox, click the three horizontal lines and go to Help.

2. Select More troubleshooting information.

3. On the right, you’ll see Refresh Firefox. Click it.

4. When you click Refresh Firefox, a pop-up will appear at the top of the page. Click Refresh Firefox again.

Get Rid of Bing Redirect Viruses on Your Mac

The Bing Redirect Virus, while not a traditional virus, can be a pesky intruder disrupting the Mac user experience. With the knowledge and steps provided in this guide, you can effectively combat and prevent this issue, ensuring a smoother and safer browsing journey.

Here are some more tips to make your Mac more secure:

• Besides redirects, phishing scams, like the iforgot.apple.com phishing scam are quite common on Mac. You should adopt safe browsing practices to stay safe from such scams.
• You can remove the Windows Defender Security Warning on Mac by uninstalling suspicious extensions, running a virus scan, or resetting your browser settings.
• To remove keyloggers from your Mac, you can use the Activity Monitor, Privacy & Security settings, and Login Items.

Frequently Asked Questions