How to Remove Search Marquis from Your Mac in 2026 — Complete Step-by-Step Guide

If your Mac's browser keeps redirecting searches through searchmarquis.com, Search Baron, or unexpected Bing pages you never set up — you are dealing with a browser hijacker. It is frustrating, it feels invasive, and the worst part is that simply changing your search engine back does nothing. A few minutes later, the redirect returns.
This guide explains exactly why that happens and how to fully remove Search Marquis from your Mac in 2026.

What Is Search Marquis and Why Is It Hard to Remove?
Search Marquis is classified as a browser hijacker or potentially unwanted program (PUP). It usually arrives bundled with free software downloads, fake Adobe Flash updates, or shady installer packages that quietly add extra components without making it obvious.

Common signs you are infected:

• Your browser redirects through searchmarquis.com or Search Baron before landing on Bing
• Your default search engine changes on its own
• Safari or Chrome opens an unwanted homepage or new tab page
• Chrome shows "Managed by your organization" on your personal Mac
• The problem keeps coming back after you manually fix your settings

The reason Search Marquis is so persistent is that the redirect you see in your browser is usually just the symptom. The real cause is hiding somewhere else — in a browser extension, a configuration profile, a login item, or a suspicious app still sitting in your Applications folder. Until you remove those, the hijacker will keep reapplying its settings no matter how many times you reset your browser.

Before You Start
A few important things before you begin:

• Save all open work and close your browsers completely
• If your Mac is managed by a workplace or school, check with your IT admin before deleting any profiles — legitimate management profiles look similar to malicious ones
• Work through the steps in order. Skipping ahead often means the problem returns

Step 1: Remove Suspicious Login Items
Search Marquis often survives restarts because it installs something that launches automatically when you log in.
On macOS Ventura and later: Go to Apple menu → System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions
On older macOS versions: Go to System Preferences → Users & Groups → Login Items
Look through the list carefully. Remove anything with a generic or random-looking name, anything you do not remember installing, and anything that was added around the time the redirects started. Do not stop here — this is only the first layer.

Step 2: Delete Unknown Configuration Profiles
This is the step most people skip, and it is usually the reason Search Marquis keeps coming back.
A configuration profile is a file that can lock browser settings or re-apply changes automatically. Browser hijackers use profiles specifically because most users never think to check for them.
On macOS Ventura and later: Go to Apple menu → System Settings → General → Device Management
On macOS Monterey and earlier: Go to Apple menu → System Preferences → Profiles
If you do not see a Profiles or Device Management section, that means no profiles are installed — you can move on.
If you do see profiles, remove any that you do not recognize or did not install yourself. Leave legitimate work, school, or VPN profiles alone.

Step 3: Remove Suspicious Apps
Browser hijackers almost always arrive through a bundled app. That app may still be sitting in your Applications folder, quietly running in the background.
Open Finder → Applications and sort by date added. Look for anything unfamiliar that appeared around the time the redirects started. Move suspicious apps to the Trash and empty it when you are done.
If you are unsure about an app, search its name online before removing it. Legitimate apps from software you actually use should be left alone.

Step 4: Clean Safari
Now it is time to clean the browsers directly, starting with Safari.
Remove suspicious extensions: Go to Safari → Settings → Extensions and uninstall anything you do not recognize or no longer use.
Clear website data and history: Go to Safari → Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data and remove suspicious entries, or click Remove All for a full reset. Then go to History → Clear History.
Check your search engine and homepage: Make sure Safari is set to the search engine you actually want. Reopen Safari and test a search to confirm the redirect is gone.

Step 5: Clean Chrome
Chrome needs its own cleanup because hijackers often install a separate extension or policy there.
Remove suspicious extensions: Open Chrome, click the three-dot menu, go to Extensions → Manage Extensions, and remove anything you did not install or do not trust.
Reset your search engine: Go to Chrome → Settings → Search engine → Manage search engines and delete any unknown entries. Set your preferred engine as the default.
Reset Chrome entirely if needed: Go to Chrome → Settings → Reset settings → Restore settings to their original defaults. This will restore your homepage, startup pages, and search engine without deleting your bookmarks or saved passwords.
If Chrome says "Managed by your organization": On a personal Mac, this message is a red flag. It usually means a profile or extension is forcing settings. Go back to Step 2, remove any suspicious profiles, and then return to Chrome after restarting.

Step 6: Restart Your Mac and Test
After completing all the steps above, restart your Mac fully. Open Safari and run a search. Open Chrome and run a search. Confirm that neither browser is redirecting through Search Marquis, Search Baron, or any other unexpected domain.
If one browser is clean and the other is not, focus your troubleshooting on the affected browser. If both still redirect, the most likely cause is a missed profile, a remaining extension, or a background item that is still loading at startup.

Step 7: Run an Anti-Malware Scan
If the redirects continue after you have completed all the manual steps, use a reputable Mac anti-malware tool. Update it before scanning, and run the scan after finishing the manual cleanup above — not instead of it.
A scan is especially useful if:

• The problem keeps returning after every restart
• You suspect more than one unwanted program is installed
• You removed the visible settings but the redirect persists

Common Mistakes That Make This Harder
Many people spend hours on this problem because they make one of these mistakes:

• Only changing the search engine — the hijacker just changes it back
• Skipping the profiles check — this is the most common reason it keeps returning
• Cleaning one browser but not the other — both Safari and Chrome need to be checked separately
• Not checking login items — the hijacker relaunches itself at startup if you skip this
• Ignoring repeat infections — if it keeps coming back, there is still something installed causing it

How to Prevent It From Coming Back
Once you have cleaned your Mac, take a few minutes to reduce the chance of this happening again:

• Only download software from the Mac App Store or trusted developer websites
• Never click through installer screens quickly — read each step
• Avoid fake "update Flash" or "clean your Mac" pop-ups
• Review your browser extensions every few months and remove ones you no longer use
• Keep macOS and your browsers up to date
• Be cautious with browser notification requests from unfamiliar websites

Final Thoughts
Search Marquis is persistent specifically because most people only fix the visible symptom. The full solution requires working through the system itself — login items, profiles, apps — before touching the browser. Once you remove the underlying cause, the browser settings stay fixed.
If you want the complete walkthrough with additional detail, FAQs, and a full prevention checklist, you can find the original guide here: 👉 https://unicornplatform.com/blog/search-marquis-cleanup-on-macos-in-2026/