What is Search-it-now.com?

Search-it-now.com is a type of adware that infects Mac computers by redirecting users to unwanted websites and displaying intrusive ads. This adware typically gets installed on a Mac computer through software bundles or deceptive advertisements. Once installed, Search-it-now.com modifies the browser settings to redirect users to its own search engine, which may display sponsored search results and advertisements.

To prevent Search-it-now.com adware from infecting Mac computers, users should be cautious when downloading software from the internet and always opt for custom installation to deselect any additional programs. It is also important to regularly update the operating system and security software to protect against known vulnerabilities that adware may exploit. If a Mac computer is already infected with Search-it-now.com adware, users can try removing it manually by uninstalling any suspicious applications and resetting the browser settings. Alternatively, they can use reputable anti-malware software to scan and remove the adware automatically.

Brief overview:

Name	Search-it-now.com
Type of threat	Browser hijacker
URL address	Search-it-now.com
Symptoms	Browser hijacker changes homepage and search engine of browser so that users are forced to use them. It fills the targeted browser with commercial content in form of pop-ups, banners, in-text links, audio/video ads, etc. Also, hijacker can occasionally cause redirects to third-party websites
Infiltration	Freeware programs, illegal software, software cracks, torrents, fake updates
Manual Removal	To eliminate threat manually, you should remove all files and applications related to the browser hijacker
Removal Tool	To completely get rid of hijacker, We recommend using SpyHunter. This is the only way you can be 100% sure that all components of the threat are removed from the system.

Recommended Anti-malware tools:

The easiest and most modern way of removing hijackers, pop-ups, Trojans, ransomware, or other viruses is to use automatic removal tools. See our Anti-malware tools below for further instructions.

Alternative solution.

If you’ve encountered the Search-it-now.com browser hijacker on your macOS system, follow these steps to remove it manually from Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. We’ll provide clear instructions to safeguard your browsing experience.

Step 1: Remove Search-it-now.com from macOS

Search-it-now.com may not have the app associated with it in Applications. However, we recommend you to inspect the list of installed applications and remove unknown or suspicious ones.

1. Identify and Close Background Apps: Right-click on the Apple menu, select Utilities, and then open Activity Monitor. Locate the hijacker process, select the X icon, and click Force Quit.
2. Uninstall Unknown Apps: Go to the Apple menu and choose System Preferences. Select Security & Privacy, then click on the Privacy tab. In the left sidebar, select Full Disk Access. Check if any unknown apps have access and remove them.

Learn more about uninstallation of programs in Mac OSX

Step 2: Remove malicious entries from Profiles (Mac)

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Click on Profiles.
3. Click on unsigned and suspicious profiles on the left panel.
4. Click the – (minus) button below to delete rogue settings.

Step 3: Get rid of Search-it-now.com using Terminal (only for Google Chrome)

1. Open Terminal
2. Copy and paste the following entries one by one each time by pressing Enter:

   
defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageIsNewTabPage -bool false
defaults write com.google.Chrome NewTabPageLocation -string "https://www.google.com/"
defaults write com.google.Chrome HomepageLocation -string "https://www.google.com/"
defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL
defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderNewTabURL
defaults delete com.google.Chrome DefaultSearchProviderName


3. Relaunch Chrome

Step 4: Delete Search-it-now.com from browsers

Safari:

1. Open Safari.
2. Click Safari in the menu bar and select Preferences.
3. Go to the Extensions tab.
4. Remove any suspicious extensions related to Search-it-now.com.

Learn more about removing extensions from Safari.

Google Chrome:

1. Launch Google Chrome.
2. Click the menu icon (three vertical dots) in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Extensions from the drop-down menu.
4. Find the malicious extension related to Search-it-now.com and click Remove.

Learn more about removing extensions from Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Firefox.
2. Click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
3. Select Add-ons.
4. In the left sidebar, choose Extensions.
5. Locate the suspicious extension related to Search-it-now.com and click Remove.

Learn more about removing extensions from Firefox.

Step 5: Resetting your browser search and homepage settings

Resetting browser settings can help resolve issues caused by unwanted extensions or changes made by malware, restoring your browser to its default state.

Safari:

1. Open Safari and go to the Safari menu.
2. Select Preferences and navigate to the Privacy tab.
3. Click on Manage Website Data and remove all website data.

Google Chrome:

1. Open Chrome and click on the three dots in the top-right corner.
2. Select Settings and scroll down to find Advanced.
3. Under Reset and clean up, choose Restore settings to their original defaults.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Launch Firefox and click on the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
2. Go to Help and select Troubleshooting Information.
3. Click on Refresh Firefox to reset browser settings.

By following these steps, you can effectively remove the Search-it-now.com browser hijacker from your macOS system and enhance your online security.