Nearbyme Mac (virus) - Removal Instructions

What is Nearbyme Mac?

Nearbyme Mac – a browser hijacker that targets specifically Mac users

When your browser is hijacked, a new search engine, new tab, and homepage are set without your direct consent

Nearbyme Mac is a potentially unwanted program^[1] (PUP) designed to generate income for its developers by redirecting search and internet traffic to affiliated websites. It does that by modifying the default browser settings (search engine, new tab, homepage) without your direct consent.

When this browser is installed (whether willingly or not) each time you launch your browser or open a new tab, the M.nearbyme.io will appear. It's an address of a fake search engine as it doesn't generate any search results itself. It redirects to Google Search, but with a twist.

All search results presented by Nearbyme Mac are filled with deceptive ads from its affiliated websites. But the scary thing is that you might end up on any of the malicious pages without even clicking on any of them if a redirect is triggered. And they could be launched on-demand.

The most common sites that are promoted through PUPs are the ones that you wouldn't visit of your own volition. They usually contain push notifications, viruses, adult pages, gambling, tech support scams, etc. Visiting such pages isn't recommended as you might get yourself and your device in trouble.

And last but not least, by causing redirects, Nearbyme Mac browser hijacker can record your online activities. It gathers information about your last visited sites, search inquiries, clicked links, IP address, geolocation, and other non-identifiable information.

Then it's either used by advertisers or shared with third parties to customize ads based on it. This makes the adverts irresistible as they're based on your online habits. If clicked, they could redirect to websites that have nothing in common with deceptive adverts.

That's why using the article's culprit is not recommended. This article contains illustrated instructions on how to remove it from your Mac if it's installed as an app and from all most popular browsers if it's installed as an extension. Please don't skip any steps, so removal is done properly.

Search results provided by the browser hijacker contain tons of ads

Professional anti-malware software will remove Nearbyme Mac within a couple of minutes

Browser hijackers are often falsely advertised as handy tools that will increase your privacy and security while browsing and speed up page loading. In fact, they do the exact opposite by slowing down the browsing speed and endangering users by collecting browsing-related information.

When Nearbyme Mac is installed on your Apple device, other PUPs will soon follow as you will be bombarded with ads to install similar worthless software. That's why you shouldn't hesitate for a second before taking on its removal. We recommend using the SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner to remove the intruder.

There might be a possibility to remove the browser hijacker manually. However, we suggest sticking to the automatic removal as then you can rest assured that all associated files and entries are completely removed. The threat won't renew itself on the next system bootup.

If you're willing to risk that, at least use instructions prepared by IT specialists. Remove Nearbyme Mac from your computer by following this step-by-step guide:

1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
2. In the Applications folder, look for entries related to the article's culprit.
3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)

To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.

If you managed to find Nearbyme Mac virus and remove it manually, we still recommend performing a full system scan with the Malwarebytes security software. It will ensure that no malicious files or entries are overlooked. This kind of software is a must these days as cybercriminals are getting more and more aggressive, and their malware is becoming extremely dangerous.

A reliable anti-malware tool protects your device from all kinds of cyber threats, from potentially unwanted programs to severe malware infections such as ransomware, Trojans, etc. Regularly updated software might save you from a lot of nightmares that criminals are causing to people with insufficient cybersecurity.

Illustrated manuals to remove suspicious extensions from your browsers

As we've already mentioned earlier, Nearbyme Mac browser hijacker could be installed as a browser extension. If that's the case, no software can help you to remove it. You'll have to do it yourself. But since we're here to help, our team has prepared comprehensive instructions to help you do that.

Since the potentially unwanted program is brand new, it's hard to tell which browsers it can infect. That's why we're providing instructions for the two most popular ones. Remember that you might be prohibited from restoring your default search provider until the malicious extension is removed.

Therefore, first, check the default Apple browser. These instructions will help you to remove Nearbyme Mac from your Safari browser:

• Click Safari > Preferences…
• In the new window, pick Extensions.
• Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.

You will have to look for the suspicious extensions on every browser you have installed on your Mac. Therefore, since Google Chrome is the most popular browser in the world, we're assuming you might use it. The instructions below will help you to get rid of all suspicious extensions from it:

1. Open Google Chrome, click on the menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

After completing all instructions shown above, Nearbyme Mac should have been removed. Now you can restore your default settings and don't suffer from redirects to dubious websites. Depending on how long the intruder was installed on your device, you might have numerous tracking cookies from questionable sites that can endanger your privacy.

Manual cookie removal takes a lot of time, especially if you have multiple browsers. You can optimize your Mac and delete all tracking cookies by using the trustworthy FortectIntego system repair software. It will also clean all virus residual files and entries and safeguard your Apple device. That's why security specialists from Japan^[3] highly recommend it.