If you attempt to perform a web search in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or another browser only to be redirected to Yahoo Search, then your Mac has unfortunately contracted the Yahoo Search redirect virus. Although Yahoo is a legitimate search engine, if you haven’t made it the default search homepage on your browsers, it likely means there’s a problem.

The Yahoo redirect virus is a form of malware which, in any scenario, is something you’ll want to rid from your computer with anti-malware software. Browser hijacker malware such as this may do anything from modifying your browser settings in ways you can’t see, to tracking your browsing history so hackers can collect data on your internet behavior, to redirecting you to sites that produce advertisement revenue for hackers.

In this article, we’ll explain more in-depth about the virus itself and how to rid your Mac of it across Chrome, Safari, and Firefox if your computer is infected.

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What is the Yahoo Search redirect virus?

The Yahoo Search redirect virus is a browser hijacker rooted in malware that redirects your browser away from your intended site to search.yahoo.com. On the way to Yahoo search results, the computer virus may bring your browser through several other sites that generate revenue for the hacker.

All three of those web browsers default to Google as their search engine (yes, even Apple’s Safari), so any search you perform in any of them should produce results in Google.

Seeing results in Yahoo, despite the default settings of your browser, means your browser has been hijacked. That might not seem like the end of the world — perhaps even just a minor annoyance — but there are several reasons ‌the Yahoo Search redirect virus might negatively affect your Mac.

Although this virus may not look or feel like a particularly malicious brand of malware, it has the potential to continuously interfere with your search engine use—and therefore your browsing history—which directly correlates to what kind and how many advertisements get thrown your way. You could experience an influx of ads because of this adware existing on your Mac.

The latter possibility also means that the virus could redirect your searches to sites that look like Yahoo but aren’t. They may be imposter search engines that provide manipulated results geared to get you to click on links that lead to sites from which the hackers generate ad revenue.

A browser hijacker can also install a "helper object" that could thwart your ability to access your browser's settings.

In more grievous instances, a browser hijacker such as the Yahoo Search redirect virus can potentially expose you to more malware or risk identity theft. Browser hijackers can collect your personal information, such as geolocation or IP addresses, which may lead hackers to discover some of your personally identifiable information.

It’s important to note that this virus is unrelated to Yahoo. You could have unwittingly contracted it by installing free software or extensions that could have come from several software vendors. Or maybe you clicked on something to remove a pop-up on a website, which triggered the infection.

It's easy for anyone to download a browser hijacker accidentally because they disguise themselves as useful tools, such as weather widgets, navigation software, unit converters, coupon providers, and more. The catch is, once you've opted into the software, it likely won't work and will have already infected your computer with the malware.

Being redirected to search.yahoo.com is of no value to you because you can choose to access that site for free. Even if you enjoy searching on Yahoo, the virus violates your privacy, exposes you to identity and financial risk, and should be removed from your Mac.

How to get rid of the Yahoo Search redirect virus on a Mac

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to remove the virus and reset your browsers to their default search engines.

1. Scan with antivirus software

You were likely hoping that getting rid of the virus would be as simple as clicking a few things to reset your browser, but it’s a bit more involved than that. The malware might have infected multiple folders on your computer, so it’s essential to begin by running a scan with antivirus or anti-malware software.

Antivirus software is important because it runs a thorough scan of your hard drive, examining every file and program for out-of-the-ordinary behavior. Leaving no stone unturned, it ensures your computer isn’t harboring malicious code that pops up later to perform some unsavory activity.

Some of the best antivirus programs for macOS include:

• TotalAV: TotalAV is easy to use and has a complete range of features that includes malware scans. Its scans are fast, and it offers some useful bonus features.

  Get TotalAV | Read our TotalAV review

• McAfee+ Premium: McAfee is a long-standing antivirus program with a wide range of features and reliable scans for viruses and malware. You can select from several pricing tiers.

  Get McAfee+ Premium | Read our McAfee+ Premium review

• Bitdefender: Bitdefender has a free version, but its premium antivirus software is best for Windows users who don’t mind paying a little extra for premium features. It offers cross-platform malware detection and customizable scans.

  Get Bitdefender | Read our Bitdefender review

• Norton 360 Antivirus: Norton offers excellent malware detection and real-time defense against malicious code. Norton also offers additional services like identity protection and a VPN.

  Get Norton 360 Antivirus | Read our Norton 360 Antivirus review

2. Remove malicious programs

If your antivirus software discovers a problem, it will present you with options ‌of how to proceed. You can quarantine the infected files, which means you opt for the antivirus software to move the files to a place where they simply can’t infect other files. The location is managed by the antivirus software.

Or you can delete the infected files, which rids your computer of the virus, but it has the potential to delete files that affect the operation of your computer‌. Still, this is your preferred option.

3. Run a second full scan

After you’ve removed the infected files, run an additional full scan with your antivirus program. This is an important step because it ensures no bad code leaked during the removal process and no other files were infected.

4. Restart your computer

Restarting your computer is a best practice after removing malicious files so you can proceed to fix your search engines and browsers.

How to remove Yahoo Search as the default search engine

Below are step-by-step instructions on how you can reset your default search engines in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

How to reset your search engine on Google Chrome

1. Open Chrome

2. Locate the three vertical gray dots in the top right of your browser. Click on the three dots to open the drop-down menu.

3. Navigate to “Settings”



4. Navigate to the left side of the Chrome settings menu where you see “Advanced.” Open that menu by clicking on the arrow.



5. Click “Reset settings”

6. Click “Restore settings to their original defaults”

7. Click “Reset settings” in the pop-up message:



How to reset your search engine on Safari

1. Open Safari

2. From the “Safari” menu, open “Preferences”

3. In your Safari preferences menu, select “Privacy” and click “Manage Website Data”



4. Select “Remove All”



5. Select “Remove Now”

6. Navigate to “Advanced” in your preferences window: 



7. Select “Show Develop menu in menu bar”

8. Navigate to “Develop” at the top of your Safari menu, and select “Empty Caches” 



How to reset your search engine on Firefox

1. Open Firefox

2. Navigate to the top right of the browser to find three horizontal lines. Click on those.

3. Select "Help"



4. Select "More troubleshooting information"

5. Select "Refresh Firefox" under "Give Firefox a tune up"



6. Select "Refresh Firefox" from the pop-up

Yahoo Search redirect virus FAQs

Below we answer some commonly asked questions about the Yahoo Search redirect virus on Mac.

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Why does my Mac keep searching with Yahoo?

If you’re using Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or another browser on your Mac and your browser produces search results in Yahoo without your consent, your computer has likely been infected with the Yahoo Search redirect virus.

If you have not set your default search engine to be Yahoo, then your default search engine should be Google on all three ‌browsers.

If you are constantly being redirected to Yahoo, ‌take steps to rid your Mac of this virus that could track your browsing history, targeting you with spammy ads, and possibly stealing your personally identifiable information.

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How do I stop Yahoo from hijacking my browser?

To get rid of the browser hijacker Yahoo Search redirect virus, there are a few simple steps you should take.

• First, run an antivirus scan so the software can examine every file on your computer
• Next, remove the malicious files
• Run a second scan and restart your computer
• Finally, restore the settings on your web browser to Google search, Bing, or another preferred search engine

The details involved in these steps are described in-depth above.

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How do I get rid of the Yahoo virus?

You can easily remove the Yahoo Search redirect virus from your Macbook by following a few steps.

1. Scan your computer using antivirus. This is important to ensure you detect and remove any bad files lingering on your hard drive.
2. Remove any malicious files. Make sure you actually delete them instead of quarantining them.
3. Perform a second antivirus scan. Don’t skip this step.
4. Restart your computer. This prepares your computer for the final step.
5. Reset your search engines. Step-by-step instructions for how to do this on Chrome, Safari, and Firefox are above.

Bottom line

The Yahoo Search redirect virus is more than just an annoying problem that redirects your searches to search.yahoo.com instead of Google. 

It’s malware that might track what websites you visit, target you with illegitimate advertising, or even plan to steal information from you. It’s not associated with the Yahoo search engine itself, and you should follow the simple steps above to remove it from your computer.

The most important part of the instructions is to begin with running an antivirus scan. 

If you skip this step, there will be no point in resetting your browsers. Antivirus software ensures that malicious files aren’t lying latent in your computer—ready to make themselves known in damaging ways when their code prompts them to. 

And remember, always do a second scan after you’ve cleared the bad files from your computer in your first scan.

Although there is no specific way to ensure that your Mac avoids contracting the Yahoo Search redirect virus — other than researching tools and widgets before you download them — you can easily mitigate its negative effects by starting with the best antivirus programs.

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Save $105 on your first year of McAfee+ Premium

Learn More

On McAfee's website

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McAfee

• All-in-one protection for your personal info and privacy
• Excellent antivirus protection
• Additional features like a file shredder and parental controls
• Multiple pop-ups for text notifications can be annoying

Author Details

Juliana Kenny

About the Author

Juliana Kenny is a freelance writer with 13 years of experience specializing in cybersecurity topics. Her expertise includes endpoint security, cloud security, and networking technologies like secure access service edge (SASE). She has written for technology giants, including Oracle, Hitachi Vantara, and Comcast. When she's not diving deep into security news, you can find her bird-watching or baking.