MacKeeper is an application that is designed to help you uninstall apps, get rid of junk files, and carry out other tasks that keep your Mac running smoothly and free of clutter. It includes tools that securely erase files and perform backups, among many other features.
However, in the past, it has been heavily promoted on the web using methods which MacRumors calls “unrealistic claims.”
Once installed, MacKeeper has a range of tools to help you keep your Mac running smoothly. But Sophos and Malwarebytes even viewed it as a potentially unwanted program, a form of malware.
'Thanks for the fast, reliable support MacKeeper!' Ricky Lopez 'Absolutely excellent service! Great listening skills; Impeccable knowledge as to how to address and solve my issue; Gave wonderful advice on maintenance. I couldn't be happier with the service I received today. No wonder we love Ukraine!' The system will come up with the list of the items that launch when the computer is started up. Locate MacKeeper or other potentially unwanted app there and click on the “-“ button; Get rid of MacKeeper virus in web browser on Mac. To begin with, the web browser settings taken over by the MacKeeper virus should be restored to their default. Contact MacKeeper support to install an earlier version of MacKeeper, as the older version is no longer available for download on our website. MacKeeper Customer Services will be able to send you a link to download the installation file for the older version of MacKeeper. Contact MacKeeper support to install an earlier version of MacKeeper, as the older version is no longer available for download on our website. MacKeeper Customer Services will be able to send you a link to download the installation file for the older version of MacKeeper 2. Get started: MacKeeper.
Many users will see references to an application called MacKeeper on various web sites and via pop-ups on their browser. Not only is it expensive for what it purports to do (freeware applications that do the same or more are readily available), it can sometimes install itself without the user realising it, and it can be very tricky to get rid of.
Whatever the reason, many Mac users who have installed MacKeeper decide that they want to remove it. However, its removal is a process that may involve a lot of steps. MacKeeper places files in several folders on your Mac, making it even more difficult to remove the app from your device. However, we’ll show you how to uninstall it for good.
How to delete MacKeeper from your Mac
There are several different steps needed to completely remove MacKeeper from your Mac. These are:
- Delete MacKeeper from the menu bar
- Uninstall the application
- Delete the files left behind
- Remove browser extensions and cookies
Now we will address each of the steps in detail to make it clearer how to free your Mac of MacKeeper.
Delete MacKeeper from your Mac’s menu bar
Clicking on the menu bar illustrates one of the ways in which MacKeeper makes itself difficult to remove or even stop running. There’s no Quit command. And it doesn’t want you to Force Quit either. So, to delete MacKeeper from your Mac’s menu bar you need to:
- Go to your Applications folder and double-click MacKeeper to launch it.
- Click on the MacKeeper menu on the left of the menu bar and choose Preferences.
- Choose the General tab.
- Uncheck the box labeled Show MacKeeper icon in the menu bar.
- Quit MacKeeper. Ignore any prompts to activate it or sign up for any services.
Uninstall MacKeeper
- Go back to the Applications folder.
- Locate the MacKeeper app and drag it to the Trash.
- If you’re prompted for your administrator password, type it in and click Ok.
- You might then see another pop-up (it’s very persistent) asking whether you are sure you want to uninstall MacKeeper. Type in your username and password again and press Ok.
- Once it’s deleted, a window may launch in Safari asking you to complete a survey on mackeeper.com to explain why you uninstalled it. You can either share your opinion or safely ignore it.
How to get rid of the rest of MacKeeper files
- In the Finder, click on the Go menu and type the following into the box:
~/Library - Locate the following files in the Library folder and drag them to the Trash.
- Empty the Trash.
/Application Support/MacKeeper Helper (this one is a folder, delete the whole folder)
/Caches/com.mackeeper.MacKeeper
/Caches/com.mackeeper.MacKeeper.Helper
/LaunchAgents/com.mackeeper.MacKeeper.Helper.plist
/Application Support/MacKeeper Helper
/LaunchDaemons/com.mackeeper.MacKeeper.plugin.AntiTheft.daemon.plist
How to uninstall MacKeeper the easy way
If all that seems like quite a lot of effort to get rid of MacKeeper, there is an easier way. CleanMyMac X has an Uninstaller tool that can remove MacKeeper and pretty much any other app in a few clicks. The benefit of using CleanMyMac X instead of uninstalling the app manually is that you can be sure that you will get rid of all the files MacKeeper installed on your Mac. CleanMyMac X scans your Mac to make sure that none of the associated files will be left cluttering up your startup drive. Here’s how it works.
- Download and launch CleanMyMac X — get a free version here
- Choose Uninstaller in the left-hand sidebar.
- Locate MacKeeper in the main window and check the box next to it.
- Press Uninstall.
That’s all there is to it! As you can see on the screenshot, MacKeeper creates lots of additional files but CleanMyMac X will remove them for you.
Go to the Optimization tab in CleanMyMac X and find Launch Agents.
Now, tick 'MacKeeper agent' and delete it from the list.
But why delete one Mac cleaning app with another? Well...many people indeed put all Mac cleaning apps in the same box. But in this particular case, the devil is in the details. CleanMyMac X is a different software that is notarized by Apple. “Notarized” means it’s been verified as a safe cleaning utility.
Seeing pop-ups? Here’s how to get rid of them
Depending on how you downloaded MacKeeper and where you downloaded it from, you might see a bunch of pop-ups in Safari after you download it. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to get rid of them. Here’s what you need to do.
- Quit Safari. If the pop-ups are preventing it from quitting, press Command-Option-Escape and choose Safari from the list of apps in the window that opens to force quit it.
- Launch Safari again, but this time hold down the Shift key to stop the windows from the last session re-opening.
- Click on the Safari menu and choose Preferences, then select the Extensions tab.
- Look for any extensions you didn’t intend to install and select on. Press Uninstall.
- Repeat step 4 for any other extensions you didn't need.
- Now, choose the Privacy tab.
- Press Manage Website Data.
- In the Search box, type MacKeeper to search for any cache files or cookies. If you find any, select them and press Remove.
How to remove Mackeeper pop-ups in Chrome
- Launch Chrome.
- In the address bar, type:
chrome://extensions - Check for any extensions you didn’t install and click on the Remove button next to them.
- Now type:
chrome://settings. - Click on Advanced at the bottom of the page.
- In the Privacy and Security section, look for Clear browsing data and click on it.
- Click on the Time Range menu and choose All Time.
- Make sure Cookies and other site data is checked and click Clear Data.
That’s quite a long process, but there is an easier way. CleanMyMac X can remove Extensions and clear website data like cache files and cookies in just a couple of clicks. Here’s how to do it.
- Download and install CleanMyMac X if you haven't already done it.
- Launch CleanMyMac X.
- Choose Extensions in the sidebar.
- Click View All Extensions.
- Select the extensions you want to get rid of and press Remove.
- Now, click on the Privacy section in the sidebar and then press Scan.
- When it’s finished scanning, click on Safari, or whichever browser you use, to see the items available for removal.
- Check the box next to the items, eg Browser History, you want to delete.
- Press Remove.
Still having problems with pop-ups?
It’s possible that even after clearing out cache files and cookies you will still see MacKeeper pop-up ads. To prevent that, the best idea is to use an ad-blocker. There are several ad-blockers for Safari on the Mac App Store. Not all ad-blockers are the same, though. Some work better than others, and some block content that doesn’t advertise anything. So do your research before choosing the best ad-blocker to install.
MacKeeper is an application that is designed to clean up your Mac and improve its performance by clearing out junk files, uninstalling apps, scanning for malware, and performing optimization routines. Thanks to its extensive advertising campaign, which uses a number of different techniques that may be found intrusive, it has found its way on to many Mac machines over the years. And when those users come to uninstall it, they often find it’s not as easy as it should be.
The good news is that if you follow the steps above, you can delete MacKeeper and remove all of the files this app puts on your Mac. If you want to optimize the deletion process and make sure your Mac isn’t cluttered by associated files, CleanMyMac X can help.
Many users will see references to an application called MacKeeper on various web sites and via pop-ups on their browser. Not only is it expensive for what it purports to do (freeware applications that do the same or more are readily available), it can sometimes install itself without the user realising it, and it can be very tricky to get rid of.
MacKeeper has been described by various sources as highly invasive malware*that can de-stablize your operating system, adding that it is unethically marketed, with a history of making false advertising claims, by a company called Zeobit, and a rip-off.
(Please note that references to the original developers, Zeobit, also now refer to Kromtech Alliance Corp, who acquired MacKeeper and PCKeeper from ZeoBit LLC in early 2013.)
Most positive reviews of it have been found to have been paid for by Zeobit (developers of MacKeeper) in the form of ‘free upgrades’ etc. One such opinion is:
For more about ‘astruturfing’ (writing phoney product reviews for money) see here:
and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24299742
Further opinion on it and how to uninstall MacKeeper malware can be read here:
MacKeeper have recently said that the uninstaller from here:
now works.
There are many forms of ‘Malware’ that can affect a computer system, of which ‘a virus’ is but one type, ‘trojans’ another. Using the strict definition of a computer virus, no viruses that can attack OS X have so far been detected 'in the wild', i.e. in anything other than laboratory conditions. The same is not true of other forms of malware, such as Trojans. Whilst it is a fairly safe bet that your Mac will NOT be infected by a virus, it may have other security-related problem, but more likely a technical problem unrelated to any malware threat.
You may find this User Tip on Viruses, Trojan Detection and Removal, as well as general Internet Security and Privacy, useful: The User Tip seeks to offer guidance on the main security threats and how to avoid them.
More useful information can also be found here:
www.thesafemac.com/mmg
Mackeeper Apple Support
* The expression ‘malware’ is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software.