Genieo is an application that offers the functionality of a search engine and, once installed in the system, changes the personal and default settings of your internet browser. Generally Genieo is not considered a virus or malware (although in the Mac way it is often classified as "Adware"), nevertheless it uses the keywords that are entered into the search engine to generate an excessive number of sponsored links and advertising banners that they are then placed in the list of results of your searches. Follow the steps described in this article to delete it from your computer and all installed internet browsers.
Steps
Method 1 of 8: Remove Genieo from Windows
Step 1. Access the "Start" menu, then select the "Control Panel" item
Step 2. Choose the "Uninstall a program" link available in the "Programs" category
Windows will show the complete list of all programs installed on your computer.
If you are using Windows XP, you need to select the "Add or Remove Programs" icon
Step 3. Scroll through the list of installed programs to locate and select "Genieo", then press the "Uninstall" button
At this point Windows will completely remove Genieo from the system.
Method 2 of 8: Remove Genieo from a Mac OS X
Attention: You will have to follow these instructions in detail, exactly as described, otherwise you could cause your computer to freeze and, most likely, not be able to restart it.
Step 1. Log into the system with an administrator account
It is very likely that the user you normally use is already the system administrator. Otherwise, log out and log in with an administrator account.
Step 2. Close the Genieo application
In order to proceed, the program in question should not be running. Remember that not all variants of Genieo also include the application.
Step 3. Move the "launchd.conf" file to the system recycle bin
In order to perform this operation, you will be asked to enter the password of the administrator account.
- The file in question is located in the following path "/private/etc/launchd.conf".
- If you cannot locate the file in question, do not remove any of the ".dylib" files listed in the next steps. Doing so could cause a complete freeze on the system preventing it from restarting.
- DO NOT empty the trash for now.
- In some cases, the "launchd.conf" file or some of the ".dylib" files will not be present. This is a completely normal scenario, so don't panic.
Step 4. Move all the following items to the trash
. Some of these files may not be present. Most of these operations will require you to enter the system administrator account login password. Again, don't empty the trash for now.
- / Applications / Genieo
- / Applications / Uninstall Genieo
- /Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieoinnovation.macextension.plist
- /Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieoinnovation.macextension.client.plist
- /Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieo.engine.plist
- /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.genieoinnovation.macextension.client
- /usr/lib/libgenkit.dylib
- /usr/lib/libgenkitsa.dylib
- /usr/lib/libimckit.dylib
- /usr/lib/libimckitsa.dylib
Step 5. Restart your computer when finished
To do this, choose the "Restart" option from the "Apple" menu. Wait for the computer to complete the restart phase, then log back into the system with the same account used in the previous steps.
Step 6. Move the following items to the trash
This operation will also require you to enter the login password of the system administrator account.
/Library/Frameworks/GenieoExtra.framework
Step 7. Now you can empty the trash
Step 8. If present, remove the "Omnibar" extension from your internet browser
- Safari: select the "Extensions" icon in the browser preferences window, then delete the "Omnibar" extension.
- Chrome: select the "Extensions" link on the browser settings page, then delete the "Omnibar" extension.
- Firefox: access the "Tools" menu, then choose "Add-ons". At this point, select the "Extensions" option and proceed to remove the "Omnibar" object.
Step 9. Restore the main page of the browser you set before installing "Genieo"
Method 3 of 8: Remove Genieo from a Mac OS X (Automatically)
Step 1. Download the free removal tool from the following website
Step 2. Start the program and follow the simple instructions that appear on the screen
This application automatically deletes all "Genieo" files present in the system, and also restores the default configuration of the Internet browsers Safari, Chrome and Firefox.
Step 3. When done, if prompted, restart your Mac
Method 4 of 8: Remove Genieo from Google Chrome
Step 1. Launch Google Chrome on your computer
Step 2. Access the Chrome main menu by pressing the relevant button in the upper right corner of the window
Step 3. Choose the "Settings" option, then hit the "Manage Search Engines" button
The "Search Engines" popup window will appear.
Step 4. Select the "Google" item, then press the corresponding "Set as default" button
Step 5. Find and select all search engines related to "Genieo", then press the corresponding "X" button to delete them
Step 6. Close the "Search Engines" window
Step 7. Choose the "Open New Tab page" option located in the "On startup" section of Chrome settings
Now "Genieo" is no longer available as a search engine for Google Chrome.
Method 5 of 8: Remove Genieo from Internet Explorer
Step 1. Launch Internet Explorer on your computer
Step 2. Select the gear icon in the upper right corner of the window, then select the "Internet Options" item
The "Internet Options" dialog box will appear.
If you are using Windows XP, to access the "Internet Options" you will need to use the "Tools" menu instead of the gear icon
Step 3. Go to the "Advanced Settings" tab, then press the "Reset Advanced Settings" button in the lower right part of the window (the exact wording of the button may vary depending on the version of Windows and Internet Explorer you are using)
A new dialog will appear.
Step 4. Select the "Delete personal settings" checkbox, then press the "Reset" button
Internet Explorer will be restored to its default configuration settings, thereby removing all changes made by Genieo.
Step 5. At the end of the restore process, press the "Close" button and then the "OK" button
Step 6. Close all open Internet Explorer windows, then start the browser again
Genieo will no longer be one of the search engines that Internet Explorer can use.
Method 6 of 8: Remove Genieo from Mozilla Firefox
Step 1. Launch Firefox on your computer
Step 2. Press the "Firefox" button at the top left of the window, then move the mouse cursor to the "Help" menu
Step 3. Choose the "Troubleshoot" option
A new browser window will appear containing information on the most common troubleshooting.
Step 4. Press the "Reset Firefox" button on the right
A confirmation window will be shown.
Step 5. Press the "Reset Firefox" button again
After restoring the default configuration settings, the browser will restart automatically.
Step 6. Press the "Finish" button
Now Genieo has been completely removed from Firefox and is no longer one of the search engines usable by Firefox.
Method 7 of 8: Remove Genieo from Safari
Step 1. Launch Safari from your computer
Step 2. Access the "Safari" menu, then choose the "Preferences" item
Step 3. Go to the "General" tab
Step 4. Delete the Genieo search engine URL from the "Home page" field
Step 5. Enter the URL of your favorite search engine
For example, if you want to use Google as your default search engine, enter the URL "https://www.google.com" (without the quotes).
Step 6. Select the "Extensions" tab
Step 7. From the left menu, select "My Personal Homepage", then press the "Uninstall" button
Genieo will be uninstalled from Safari.
Step 8. To confirm your wish to remove Genieo, press the "Uninstall" button again in the popup window that appeared
Step 9. Close all Safari windows, then restart your browser
Genieo will no longer be Safari's default search engine.
Method 8 of 8: Remove Genieo as Default Search Engine on Mac
If the methods described above don't work, try using the following.
Step 1. Open the Safari "Preferences" panel
Step 2. Go to the "Privacy" tab
The first section starting from the top should be the following: "Cookies and website data:".
Step 3. Press the relevant "Details" button
The list of all cookies stored by Safari will be shown. Delete all those related to Genieo.
Advice
- After deleting Genieo from your computer by following the steps in this article, run a full system scan using an updated antivirus program to make sure that no malware or viruses have also been installed.
- Mac OS X systems: if you are unable to move the Genieo application (found in the "Applications" folder) to the system recycle bin because it is in use, even if it is not listed in the "Force close applications" window, you can still perform this operation using the "Terminal" window. Start the "Terminal" application (found in the "Utilities" subfolder of the "Applications" folder), then type the command "mv / Applications / Genieo ~ /. Trash" (without quotes).
- When installing a third-party program on your computer, always choose the option for a custom installation to be able to disable those items that may allow the automatic download and installation of programs such as Genieo.
Warnings
- Genieo sneaks very deep inside your Mac OS X, using a very sneaky method. As a result, being able to remove it completely is a very complex process that requires special attention. You will need to follow the instructions in this article exactly as they are described. Otherwise your Mac may freeze without the ability to restart normally. Before proceeding, make sure you have several backups of your entire system available.
- In some cases Genieo may have been included in other programs and therefore been downloaded and installed without realizing it. Removing and uninstalling these applications will not remove Genieo as well. Follow the steps described in this article in detail to completely uninstall Genieo from your computer and internet browsers.
