Update-macos.com ads: what they are and how to stop them
Update-macos.com is a web address that our 2024 report found asking visitors to click Allow on a fake human check, so it can send ads as notifications; on our October 2026 visit it showed only a for-sale page. Nothing is installed by the address itself; take back any notification permission in your browser, as shown below.
Facts checked October 6, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation.
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Update-macos.com: summary
| Type | Notification-spam website; not a program |
|---|---|
| Risk | Low to medium: nothing is installed, but the ads lead to scams and fake downloads |
| Symptoms | A human-verification or download page asking for Allow; notifications at random times, even with no page open |
| How to get rid of it | Block the site in the browser's notification list; scan only if pop-ups continue or you ran a file |
| Our check (6 October 2026) | update-macos.com showed a for-sale page; a plain request to updates-macos.com was redirected elsewhere |
| Running since/first seen | Our report is from 22 August 2024; update-macos.com was created on 25 August 2024 |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 11 more facts
| Name | Update-macos.com |
|---|---|
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
| Domains | update-macos.com |
| Ads shown as | Desktop notifications |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| Installed on the PC | Nothing; a browser notification permission only |
| First seen | 22 August 2024 |
| Distribution | Typically redirects from streaming and download sites, fake "click Allow" checks and fake video players |
| Damage | Notification ads that lead to scam pages, fake virus alerts and unwanted downloads |
| Detection names | None: nothing is installed on the PC, so Microsoft Defender and other antivirus programs have no file to detect |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
Facts checked on 6 October 2026 against our own test of update-macos.com in desktop Chromium from Lithuania, one plain web request to updates-macos.com, and the registry's RDAP records for both domains.
What Update-macos.com is and why you see it
Update-macos.com is a web address, not a program. Our 2024 report described pages under this name (and the near-identical updates-macos.com) that ask visitors to click Allow, and the notifications that follow are the ads. Opening the page installs nothing on your PC or Mac; the pop-ups come from the page, from its push service and from the ad networks behind it.
- 1
You land on the address without looking for it
Our 2024 report says the page usually appears out of nowhere: a redirect from another shady site, or from adware that is already on the device. We did not test how visitors arrive.
- 2
A fake check or a fake download button asks for a click
The pictures in our 2024 report show two lures: a "Human verification" page with an I'm not a robot box, and a dark "Click Allow to start downloading" page. The page wants one thing, and that is the browser's notification permission.
- 3
One click on Allow is remembered
If you click Allow, the browser keeps the permission for the site address until you remove it (Chrome Help). Closing the tab does not take it back, and the page does not have to be open for the permission to work.
- 4
Ads then arrive as notifications
The site's server sends messages through the browser's push service (MDN). They appear in the corner of the screen or in the notification centre. Chrome and Edge keep running in the background by default, so this works after the last window is closed; Firefox shows them only while it is open (Mozilla Support).
- Address in this guide
- update-macos.com; the pictures of 2024 show the sibling updates-macos.com (with an s)
- Registration of update-macos.com
- Created 25 August 2024 at Tucows Domains Inc., last changed 31 July 2026, paid until 25 August 2027 (registry RDAP record)
- Registration of updates-macos.com
- Created 3 April 2026, last changed 23 September 2026, paid until 3 April 2027 (registry RDAP record)
- Our report
- First published 22 August 2024, three days before update-macos.com was created; the pictures in it show updates-macos.com
- Who it targets
- The name says macOS, but our 2024 report saw the links on Windows PCs in Chrome as well; both are covered below
- What it needs from you
- Clicks on the page and one click on Allow; no download is needed for the notifications
What the Update-macos.com ads look like
Human verification. Are you a human being? We apologize for the confusion, but we can't quite tell if you're a person or a script.
Is Update-macos.com dangerous?
Our test on 6 October 2026
We opened update-macos.com the way a visitor does: a clean desktop Chromium browser in Lithuania, one visit. It showed a parked-domain page, none of the pages from our 2024 report. We also sent one plain web request to updates-macos.com, and that address answered differently.
Update-macos.com · desktop Chromium · Lithuania · 6 October 2026
- PageAnswered with status 200 and a short page headed update-macos.com with the line "This domain may be for sale" and links to Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Nothing else was on it.
- RedirectNone on this one visit; the address stayed the same.
- Notification requestNone on this one visit.
- Pop-upsNone opened on this one visit.
- Service workerNone registered in the browser.
- Ad networksNone named in the page. It loaded files only from assets.abovedomains.com.
- Sibling address updates-macos.comA plain web request (not a browser visit) at 04:10 UTC on 6 October 2026 was answered with a 302 redirect to survey-smiles.com and a cookie. We did not open the target, so we do not know what that page shows. The answer shows only that this address was not parked at that moment.
- Not testedOther countries, phones, Mac and Safari, other referrers, a second visit, a click on the page and visits through an ad. Pages of this kind change what they show by country (our 2024 report says the same), device, referrer or visit, so one quiet visit tells us nothing about what other visitors get.
- Old permissionA notification permission allowed on any of these names stays in the browser under that address, whatever the page shows today. If notifications under this name keep arriving, they come from that permission.
Parked on one address, redirecting on its sibling The address in this guide showed only a for-sale page when we looked. That is one visit from one place and does not clear the name: the sibling updates-macos.com sent our request on to another site, and pages of this kind show different things to different visitors.
What the 2024 report showed, and what changed
2024
Two lures in our report: a fake check and a fake download
The picture shows updates-macos.com in Chrome on Windows with three windows. At the back is a dark page headed "Click Allow to start downloading" with a download-client logo and a green ALLOW button, under a real Chrome prompt "updates-macos.com wants to Show notifications". At the front is a "Human verification" page asking "Are you a human being?" with an I'm not a robot box. A Chrome prompt "Get notifications?" sits at the top right. The logo is only a bait picture; we found nothing that links the program's maker to this page.
From our 2024 report: the lures on updates-macos.com (the address bar says so). It is not a capture from our 2026 test. 22 August 2024
Our report is published
It calls the pages adware and lists five subdomains of the plural address, all unconfirmed by us today: op., top., tip., hot. and pal. before updates-macos.com.
25 August 2024
update-macos.com is created
The registry record for the address in this guide starts three days after our report, so the pictures cannot be from this exact name.
3 April 2026
updates-macos.com has a new registration
The record for the plural address starts on this date. The name was registered again or changed hands; the record does not say which, or who runs it now.
6 October 2026
Our new check
update-macos.com: a for-sale page, no prompt, redirect or pop-up on one visit. updates-macos.com: a redirect to another site on one plain request.
The fake check and download pages, and how to read them
None of these pages checks anything. A web page cannot tell a person from a script by a tick box, and a download that starts only after you allow notifications is not a download.
| What the page says | What it pretends to be | What it really does |
|---|---|---|
| Human verification. Are you a human being? We apologize for the confusion, but we can't quite tell if you're a person or a script. | A robot check, like the ones real sites use before a login | Nothing is checked. The next step is the notification prompt, which you may take for part of the test |
| Click "Allow" to start downloading | A download that waits for your permission | Allow gives the site the right to send notifications; no file is waiting |
| updates-macos.com wants to Show notifications | A browser warning that you must clear | A real browser prompt; the Allow button is the whole aim of the page |
| Links with Mac OS in them, shown on Windows in Chrome | A message meant for your computer | Our 2024 report counted this as a sign of a bought traffic chain; the page does not know your computer |
Subdomains named in our 2024 report (defanged)
- op.updates-macos[.]com
- top.updates-macos[.]com
- tip.updates-macos[.]com
- hot.updates-macos[.]com
- pal.updates-macos[.]com
These are the addresses our 2024 report listed. We have not checked them. If one appears in a notification, treat it as the same source as updates-macos.com.
Notifications, pop-ups or redirects: which are you seeing?
Our 2024 report blamed a potentially unwanted program running in the background. A web page is run by whoever owns the address; adware is one possible reason a browser keeps opening such addresses, and not the usual one. The causes look alike and have different fixes.
| What you see | Most likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Ads in the corner of the screen, or in the Mac notification centre, with no page from this site open | A notification permission allowed earlier | Block the site in the browser's notification list (steps in the plan) |
| This address opens after you click a video, download or link on another site | The page you were on sends visitors through an ad network and this address is one link in the chain | Close the tab and click nothing; nothing needs removing from the PC |
| The same pages open on many unrelated sites, or new tabs open by themselves | An unwanted browser extension, or a program that came with free software (adware) | Check the extensions and the list of installed apps, then reset the browser |
| Way a page like this reaches you | What our 2024 report said |
|---|---|
| Compromised ad networks and malvertising | Attackers place the page inside ads on legitimate sites, so careful users meet it as well |
| Social engineering | Fake checks and fake download buttons, as above |
| Software bundling | Adware installed beside free programs, which then opens pages like this one |
| Spam e-mail | Links in unwanted messages |
| Affiliate networks | Scammers earn a commission for every visitor and every click they send on |
| Streaming and piracy sites | Visiting them is not safe; the report names them as a common starting point |
The real risks, from most to least serious
The notification permission installs nothing. These are the ways the pages and ads that follow it can hurt you.
- High
Running a file an ad or notification offers
Fake macOS updates, "players" and "cleaners" are how adware and trojans get onto a Mac or PC. A real macOS update comes from System Settings, never from a link in a pop-up.
- Medium
Typing details into a page that came from an ad
The ads that follow are for dubious or outright harmful sites. Scam shops, surveys and fake support pages ask for card numbers, passwords and phone numbers, and whatever you type goes to the people running them.
- Medium
A steady flow of ads to the same permission
Our 2024 report says the pop-ups arrive in large numbers and are mostly unrelated to you. Some adverts may be for real products, but they are placed by affiliates, not by the makers.
- Low
The permission alone
It lets the site show notifications and nothing else. It is a nuisance, and it stays until you remove it.
How to remove Update-macos.com
How to stop Update-macos.com notifications
Do this in every browser you use, and in every profile inside it: each keeps its own list of sites allowed to send notifications.
Nothing has to be uninstalled for the notifications themselves.
Which browser shows the ads?
On an Android phone
In Chrome tap the three-dot menu > Settings > Site settings > Notifications. Tap each unknown site under Allowed and pick Reset permissions, or turn notifications off for all sites. Then look in Settings > Apps for apps you did not install.
Remove extensions you do not recognise
Type
chrome://extensionsin the address bar and press Remove on any extension you did not add, such as a video downloader or a "search" helper.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Reset Chrome
Go to Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults > Reset settings. The start page and search engine return to default and extensions are switched off; bookmarks and passwords stay. To stop alerts after Chrome is closed, also turn off Settings > System > Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Remove extensions you do not recognise
Type
edge://extensionsin the address bar and press Remove under any extension you did not add.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Reset Edge
Go to Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their default values > Reset. Extensions are switched off and the start page returns to default; favourites, history and passwords stay. To stop alerts after Edge is closed, turn off Settings > System and performance > Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Remove add-ons you do not recognise
Type
about:addonsin the address bar, open Extensions and choose Remove from the three-dot menu of any add-on you did not install.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear cookies and site data
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data, tick both boxes and press Clear.
Refresh Firefox
Open the menu > Help > More troubleshooting information > Refresh Firefox. Add-ons and custom settings go; bookmarks, history and passwords stay.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Take back the notification permission
In Safari 18 or later on macOS open Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications, select
updates-macos.com,update-macos.comor any site you do not know, and choose Deny or Remove. Untick Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications so no site can ask again.Remove extensions you do not recognise
Open Safari > Settings > Extensions, select any you did not install and press Uninstall.
Clear the site data
Open Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data and remove the site, or use History > Clear History > all history.
Check the Mac for apps from the ads
Pages like this push fake players and "cleaners" to Mac users. In Finder > Applications move unknown apps to the Bin, and remove unknown entries in System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. Then use Go > Go to Folder to look in
/Library/LaunchAgents,~/Library/LaunchAgents,/Library/LaunchDaemonsand/Library/Application Supportfor items with the same names, and empty the Bin.
Then, whichever browser you use
Step 1: Remove update-macos.com from Chrome's notification list
Open More (the three dots) > Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications, or paste
chrome://settings/content/notificationsinto the address bar.Under Allowed to send notifications, open the menu next to
update-macos.comand choose Remove or Block, and do the same for any other address you do not recognise.Next to Not allowed to send notifications, click Add and enter update-macos.com, so the site cannot ask again. The menus are the same in Chrome on Windows 11 and Windows 10, and each Chrome profile keeps its own list.
Chrome on Windows 11: Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications. Full procedure with screenshots: Stop website notifications and pop-ups
Step 2: Remove update-macos.com from Edge's notification list
Edge stores its own permission list, separate from Chrome's, and it is often the browser behind these pop-ups on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > All permissions > Notifications, or paste
edge://settings/content/notifications. Removeupdate-macos.comfrom Allowed, then add it under Not allowed to send notifications. Notifications that show the Edge logo come from this list.
Edge on Windows 11: Site permissions > All permissions > Notifications. Full procedure with screenshots: Stop website notifications and pop-ups
Step 3: Remove update-macos.com from Firefox's notification permissions
In Firefox the permission sits in Settings > Permissions and data > Notifications (in older versions Privacy & Security > Notifications > Settings). Select
update-macos.comin the list, click Remove Website, and confirm with Save Changes.Firefox only shows these notifications while it is open, so if they stopped after closing Firefox, this is the browser to clean. The steps are the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Firefox on Windows 11: the Notification Permissions window. Full procedure with screenshots: Stop website notifications and pop-ups
Step 4: Scan the PC if you downloaded anything from the ads
Most people who only saw the notifications can skip this step. If a notification or the page it opened made you download or run a file, delete the file and run a full scan, then a Microsoft Defender Offline scan.
In Windows 11 and Windows 10 open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now. The PC restarts and the scan takes about 15 minutes, so save your work first.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
After removal: keep the ads from coming back
If you ran a file or the pop-ups keep coming
Browser steps cover notifications. A web page cannot be "deleted" from your device; what you remove is the permission and anything that was installed. If pop-ups or redirects continue, or you ran a file that a page offered, add these steps.
- 1
Windows: remove unknown programs
In Windows 11 open Settings > Apps > Installed apps (Apps & features in Windows 10), sort by install date and uninstall what appeared on the day of the click (Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix).
- 2
Windows: scan twice
Run a Microsoft Defender Full scan, then the Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan), which runs before Windows starts (Microsoft).
- 3
Mac: look through Applications and Login Items
In Finder > Applications move apps you did not install to the Bin, then open System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions and remove unknown entries. The Safari tab in the plan has the folders to check.
- 4
Reset the browser
Changed start pages, search engines and extensions are undone by the reset for your browser in the plan.
Typed a password or card number on a page that came from an ad? Change that password today and tell your bank about the card.
How to avoid fake checks and notification traps
Do
- Close a page that asks you to prove you are human before showing anything.
- Switch notification prompts off: Chrome Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications > Don't allow sites to send notifications.
- Update macOS only from System Settings > General > Software Update, and Windows from Settings > Windows Update.
- Install software from the maker's site or the app store, and pick Custom setup to untick bundled extras.
- Keep a recent backup of your files, so a bad download never costs you the originals.
Don't
- Click Allow unless you want that site's notifications.
- Open a file that an ad or notification calls an update, player or cleaner.
- Use streaming and pirate sites that push pop-ups at you; our 2024 report names them as a common start of these chains.
Questions about Update-macos.com
What is Update-macos.com?
Update-macos.com is a web address that our 2024 report described as an adware page: it asks visitors for notification permission and sends ads and redirects. The pictures in that report show a fake Human verification page and a Click Allow to start downloading page on the sibling updates-macos.com.
It is not a program, and nothing is installed when you open it. When we visited update-macos.com on 6 October 2026 it showed only a page saying the domain may be for sale, while a plain request to updates-macos.com was redirected to another site. One quiet visit does not clear either name.
Is Update-macos.com a virus?
No, Update-macos.com is not a virus: it is a website, and a website cannot install a program just because you opened it. The risk is what the pages ask you to do.
They ask for a click on Allow, which gives the site the right to send notifications, and the ads that follow can lead to scams, fake updates and harmful downloads.
Running a file that such a page offers is how real malware arrives. Our visit on 6 October 2026 saw a for-sale page and no prompt, which does not clear the site, because pages of this kind show different things to different visitors.
How do I stop Update-macos.com notifications?
Block the site in your browser's notification list. In Chrome open Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications, find the address under Allowed to send notifications and choose Block.
In Edge open Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Notifications. In Firefox open Settings > Privacy & Security > Permissions > Notifications > Settings. In Safari on a Mac open Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications and choose Deny.
Check for updates-macos.com and for any address you do not know. The plan on this page has the steps for each browser, including Android.
Why do I see Update-macos.com pop-ups when the browser is closed?
The notifications come from the browser's push service, not from an open page. After you click Allow, the site's server can send a message at any time, and Chrome and Edge keep a background process running by default so that it is shown even with no window open.
Firefox shows notifications only while it is running. The fix is to remove the permission for the site and, in Chrome or Edge, to switch off running in the background when the browser is closed. The browser sections in the plan give the setting names for each.
Why does a Mac update page appear on my Windows PC?
The name is only bait; the page does not know which computer you use before it loads. Our 2024 report noted that links with Mac OS in the address showed up on Windows PCs in Chrome. Pages of this kind reach people through ad networks, redirects and bought traffic, and the same lure goes to everyone who is sent there.
So the name says nothing about your device, and the same fix works: remove the notification permission in your browser and do not run any file the page offers. Windows and Mac steps are both on this page.
What does the Human verification page want?
The Human verification page wants you to click Allow on the browser's notification prompt, and nothing else. It shows an I'm not a robot box and the line Are you a human being?
We apologize for the confusion, but we can't quite tell if you're a person or a script. No check is made; the tick box is a picture.
Right after it, the browser asks to Show notifications, and people take that for the last step of the test. Click Block, or close the tab. If you already clicked Allow, remove the permission as shown in the plan.
I clicked Allow on Update-macos.com. What should I do now?
Remove the permission now; that is the whole fix for the notifications. Open your browser's notification settings, find update-macos.com or updates-macos.com in the Allowed list and choose Block or Remove. Nothing is installed by that click, so no scan is needed for it.
Scan only if you also ran a file, installed an app or an extension from the page, or typed a password or card number on a page that came from an ad. In that case use the Windows and Mac steps above, and change the password you typed from a different device.
Do I need antivirus software to remove Update-macos.com?
No, not for the notifications: they are removed in the browser's own settings. An antivirus scan is a sensible extra step when pop-ups appear even with the notifications blocked, when new tabs open by themselves, or when you ran a file from a page like this.
On Windows 11 and 10 Microsoft Defender is built in, with a Full scan and an offline scan. On a Mac, look through Applications and Login Items and remove what you did not install. We do not recommend any product on this page and no tool removes a website.
Is Mac Uptodate.com the same thing?
We have not checked Mac Uptodate.com, so we cannot say. The name follows the same pattern, a fake update lure for Mac users, and people searching for it often land on pages about update-macos.com. If you meet a page with a name like this that asks for notification permission or offers an update, treat it the same way:
- do not click Allow
- update macOS only through System Settings > General > Software Update
- remove any permission you gave in the browser's notification settings
Will Fortect remove Update-macos.com?
No program removes Update-macos.com itself, because there is nothing on the PC to remove: the notifications come through a permission saved in the browser, and only the browser's settings take it away, as the steps above show.
What Fortect can do is check the rest of Windows. Its free scan looks for malware, unwanted programs and damaged system files, which is useful if you clicked the ads, downloaded something from the pages they opened, or are not sure what else changed on the PC.
If the scan finds nothing and the notifications stopped after you removed the permission, this problem is solved. Use Microsoft Defender as a second opinion whenever you have downloaded files from pages like these.
Sources
- Registry RDAP record: update-macos.com (read October 6, 2026)
- Registry RDAP record: updates-macos.com (read October 6, 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Use notifications to get alerts (no longer online) (read October 6, 2026)
- Mozilla Support: Firefox push notifications (read October 6, 2026)
- MDN: Push API (read October 6, 2026)
- Apple Support: Customize website notifications in Safari (read October 6, 2026)
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft: Stay protected with the Windows Security app (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft: Internet Explorer 11 desktop app retirement FAQ (read October 6, 2026)