Search.altagit.com: what it is and how to remove it
Search.altagit.com is a browser hijacker that modifies settings of Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or other browsers and sets startup page, new tab URL, and search engine to the article's culprit's domain. The unwanted program spreads with the help of the extension called Altagit - a plug-in dedicated to Mac computers.
Facts checked October 6, 2026. Removal steps checked against Apple's current documentation and the security vendors' reports. We have not run the malware on a Mac. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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Search.altagit.com: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | Search.altagit.com |
| Type | Search hijacker extension |
| Symptoms | A changed search engine |
| Removal | Scan the Mac with security software to find the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect for Mac scans for malware and unwanted programs. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 5 more facts
| Evidence | 4 write-ups by security sites; details still limited |
|---|---|
| Search page | search.altagit.com |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| First seen | 22 June 2021 |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
Is Search.altagit.com dangerous? What it collects
From our report of Jun 2021 · not reviewed since
Search.altagit.com – a PUP that injects deceptive ads into search results
Search.altagit.com is a browser hijacker that modifies settings of Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or other browsers and sets startup page, new tab URL, and search engine to the article's culprit's domain. The unwanted program spreads with the help of the extension called Altagit - a plug-in dedicated to Mac computers.
The rogue app promises to help install programs effortlessly and without hassle. However, the cost of such functionality is a compromised browser and potential threat of malware infection by constantly being redirected to untrustworthy websites. If you're willing to remove this infection, please keep on reading.
Similar to Go.bonefreeze.com, Search.schooldozer.co or Search.zanzibog.com, this PUP also seeks to gain monetary benefit by exploiting users' browsing session quality. It is unsurprising that users look for Search.altagit.com removal instructions after a short period of time, as their browsers are contaminated with advertisements of various forms. These ads can even conceal the background of legitimate websites, making browsing almost impossible.
What is worse - the hijacker might install additional components, such as other useless extensions, fake system optimizers, and other bogus software, all without users' consent. It is never known what type of apps are injected into your machine, and that sort of activity makes multiplication quite an easy task.
Search.altagit.com hijack may seem harmless at the start, as the front page is clean and not cluttered with intrusive ads. Nevertheless, all search results are redirected to Yahoo - a legitimate engine. However, because search queries are being rerouted through a chain of shady portals, results might be not entirely genuine.
Users generally can quickly notice sponsored links everywhere - especially at top of the page (developers try to convince users that their offered products or services are worth buying - all to increase revenue). Despite browser hijacker not being classified as malware, its intrusive techniques and several system changes may worry users enough to call it a virus.
Indeed, it can lead to multiple severe infections, as the unwanted app could potentially reroute users to malware-ridden, hacked, porn, or other dangerous sites. Thus, if you got redirected to a suspicious site, never click on anything and immediately close down your browser (remember not to open previously viewed tabs, however).
The offered extension Altagit is not an excellent addition to your machine either. Developers offer improved installation of programs; however, victims might be left with software that will contaminate the system even more. Besides, such programs can often result in multiple bugs with software installation - it can fail entirely or install incorrectly.
We suggest you remove Search.altagit.com using or reliable security software. You can also eliminate the threat manually, merely follow our guide below this article. But with the automatic removal, you'll save time and ensure that no other parasites are present on your device.


From our report of Jun 2021 · not reviewed since
Suspicious applications have deceptive infiltration methods
Users should be more attentive when downloading and installing new software or browsing the internet in general.
This way, they would be able to avoid unwanted apps and potentially compromised machines. The first step is to avoid using Recommended or Quick settings when installing freeware. Only if Advanced/Custom mode is used users can withdraw all the additional components and only install the desired program.
Security specialists from novirus.uk also urges users to not interact with file-sharing sites. The repacked or cracked software might contain the malicious code of a dangerous virus. Additionally, illegal software downloads should not be practiced in general - you could be prosecuted.
This system diagnostics software is also capable of fixing system irregularities and deleting tracking cookies stored by shady domains.
From our report of Jun 2021 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on Search.altagit.com
- Altered browser settings, invasive ads, etc.
Check your browser and PC
- Address:
search.altagit.com
How to remove Search.altagit.com
How to remove Search.altagit.com from a Mac
Remove the app and what starts it, then check the browsers.
Step 1: Delete apps and downloads you did not intend to install
Open the Applications folder and your Downloads folder. Drag any app you did not install, and any disk image (
.dmg), installer (.pkg) or archive (.zip) that came from Search.altagit.com or a site you do not trust, to the Bin, then empty the Bin.Also check
~/Library/Application Supportfor a folder with the same name as the app you removed.Step 2: Remove unknown login items and background items
Open System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. Under Open at Login and Allow in the Background, switch off or remove anything you do not recognize, especially items whose developer is shown as an unknown name or that appeared on the day you ran the command.
Then open Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder and check
~/Library/LaunchAgents,/Library/LaunchAgentsand /Library/LaunchDaemons for property list (.plist) files you did not add. Drag suspicious ones to the Bin, then restart the Mac.Step 3: Check the browsers for extensions and changed settings
In Safari open Settings > Extensions and General (homepage). In Chrome open
chrome://extensions, in Firefoxabout:addons.Remove any extension you did not add, and reset the homepage and search engine if they changed. Browsers hold saved passwords and cookies, which is why the password step comes first.
Step 4: Quit what is running that you do not recognize
Open Activity Monitor (in Applications > Utilities, or search for it with Command + Space).
In the CPU or Network tab, look for a process you did not install or whose name is random, select it, click the stop button (the octagon with an X) and choose Quit or Force Quit.
Note the name first: you will look for the same name in the next steps. Malware that comes back after a restart is handled in the next two steps.
Instructions for each browser and system
The detailed steps for every browser and system this guide covers. Open the one you use.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Remove from Google Chrome
Reset Google Chrome settings in the following way:
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

Delete from macOS
To eliminate the PUP from Mac, follow these steps:
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files.
More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
From our report of Jun 2021 · not reviewed since
Remove Search.altagit.com virus in a few minutes
To retrieve your normal browser settings and avoid infecting your machine with malware, you should consider the browser hijacker's removal immediately.
Luckily, such potentially unwanted programs are relatively easy to eliminate either manually or automatically.
Not so convenient but also effective PUP elimination method is by checking our professional guide below. It includes illustrated step-by-step instructions which should guide you through the process smoothly. Nevertheless, if you found it to be confusing, do not even attempt manual deletion and use security software to remove Search.altagit.com virus and all its components safely.
Questions about Search.altagit.com
Is it safe to keep search.altagit.com as my search engine?
It is not recommended. Searches through search.altagit.com usually still return results, but the operator sees every query, often stores it with an identifier for your browser and shows extra ads or paid links. Some hijacked results lead to fake downloads or scam pages.
You also did not choose it, which means something changed your settings without asking and may still be installed. Set your own search engine back, remove the extension or program that set search.altagit.com, and check the browser's other settings, such as the start page and notification permissions, for further changes made at the same time.
Did search.altagit.com come with a program I installed?
Most likely, yes. Search hijackers such as search.altagit.com usually arrive with free software, where an extra offer is pre-ticked in the installer, or as an extension that promises something useful, such as file conversion, maps, recipes or streaming.
Look at Settings, Apps, Installed apps sorted by install date: whatever was installed just before the search engine changed is the main suspect. Uninstall it, then remove any extension you do not recognise. In future, choose the custom or advanced option in installers and untick extra offers, and install extensions only from the official store pages of publishers you know.
What is search.altagit.com?
It is the search page used by the browser hijacker Search.altagit.com. It has no search index of its own: it forwards your queries to another search engine and adds ads and tracking along the way.
People rarely choose it on purpose; it becomes the default search engine, home page or new tab after an extension, program or policy changes the browser settings. The page itself is not malware, but it should not be in your browser if you did not set it. The steps above remove the source and restore your settings.
Is search.altagit.com dangerous?
It is not designed to infect the PC, but it is not neutral either. It logs searches, adds sponsored results that are hard to tell apart from real ones, and its ad partners are not checked as strictly as those of major search engines.
Some hijacker pages have shown ads for fake updates, tech support scams and unwanted software. The main harm is to privacy. Remove Search.altagit.com, and if you entered personal data on sites reached through its results, check those sites carefully.
Do I have to fix every browser?
Yes, every one where the search engine or start page changed. In the cases we checked, Search.altagit.com affected Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
Each browser stores its own search settings and extensions, so fixing one does not fix the others, and Windows-level changes such as shortcuts can affect each browser differently. Work through them one at a time:
- remove the extension
- check the policies
- restore the search engine
- start page
If you sync a browser, stay signed in so the fix spreads to your other computers.
Did search.altagit.com record my searches?
Almost certainly. Logging is the point of a hijacker search page: each query, with your IP address, browser details and the result you clicked, is valuable to advertisers.
The operators of search.altagit.com can store and share that data under their own privacy policy, which you never agreed to knowingly. There is no way to delete it from their side. What you can do is stop the flow:
- remove Search.altagit.com
- clear cookies and site data for search.altagit.com
- treat sensitive searches made in the meantime as known to a third party
Why does my search page look slightly different?
Because it is not your search engine's own page. Search.altagit.com sends searches to search.altagit.com, which may copy the colours and layout of a known search engine while adding its own ads and tracking. Small differences give it away:
- an unfamiliar address
- more ads than usual
- a different logo
- a search box with a brand name you do not recognise
Remove the hijacker and set your search engine again from the browser's settings to get the real page back. Then delete the hijacker's entry from the saved search engines list.
Can I just block search.altagit.com?
You can, but it treats the symptom. Blocking the domain in a firewall or the hosts file makes searches fail instead of redirecting, while the extension or program that set it keeps running and collecting data.
Hijacker operators also switch to new domains in updates, so a block may stop working within weeks. Remove the source instead, then set your own search engine. If you want extra protection afterwards, turn on Potentially unwanted app blocking in Windows Security, which stops many hijacker installers before they run.
What do I lose if I reset Chrome or Edge?
Less than you might think. A reset turns off all extensions, which you can turn back on one by one, restores the default search engine, home page, new tab and pinned tabs, and clears cookies, so you are signed out of most sites.
Bookmarks, history, saved passwords and autofill data stay. Firefox's equivalent, Refresh Firefox, keeps the same essentials but removes add-ons completely. Before you reset, make sure you know your main passwords or have them saved, since you will need to sign in again.
Will Fortect remove Search.altagit.com?
Fortect for Mac scans for malware and unwanted programs, and its free scan shows what it finds on your Mac before you decide anything.
For Search.altagit.com, follow the plan on this page as well: removing a launch item or an app is done in macOS itself, and a scanner cannot undo what was typed or entered on the infected Mac, such as saved passwords that were copied.
Change your passwords from another device first, and if the page tells you to erase the Mac, a scan is not a substitute. The free scan costs nothing and the full-featured product needs a license.
Sources
- Technopedia: Browser Hijacker (read October 6, 2026)
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 6, 2026)