This Combo Cleaner review gives informative insights into the app’s Mac optimization and antivirus features while singling out its main pros and cons.
October 2019 update
Sep 02, 2019 Combo Cleaner is a dishonest product. I downloaded the free version and ran it. It ran for 2 days, slowing my system down significantly, and identified 24 potential virus threats. When I clicked on the link to list the threats, it informed me that I must upgrade to the premium version to view the threats. Sep 26, 2017 Just got email notification for an update to Piriform's CC Cleaner, and checked their site to see if there was one for the Mac. And there is! Checked here and don't see anything leaping out at me as to whether or not it is a good idea, functions, whatever. Anybody think CC Cleaner for Mac is a good thing?
Clutter-free and ever-secure Mac is wishful thinking rather than the objective reality. In fact, tons of duplicates, application leftovers, long-forgotten large files and browser cache can take up gigabytes of drive space and prevent the computer from performing at its peak. Plus, Mac malware is on the rise, scouring the Internet for new victims.
The Combo Cleaner utility by Lithuania-based RCS LT company purports to keep all of these problems at bay. It goes equipped with a disk cleanup feature, big files and duplicates finder, app uninstaller, antivirus, and privacy scanner. Such a fusion of services fine-tuned for Mac is definitely welcome these days. However, there are quite a few other solutions that make similar, if not identical, claims but hardly meet the challenge. Does Combo Cleaner actually do what it says? I’m going to put it through extensive testing to answer that question. So here we go.
Is Combo Cleaner safe and legitimate?
Of course, it is. It easily detects Mac viruses thrown at it, moreover, it was certified by OPSWAT Labs in the anti-malware category. It also boasts recognition by such reputable resources as CNET, Cult of Mac, and FileHorse.
Combo Cleaner supports OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) and later versions of the macOS platform (El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, It also boasts recognition by such reputable resources as CNET, Cult of Mac, and FileHorse.). Its stub installer can be downloaded from the vendor’s official site as well as the Mac App Store. Convert iso file to dmg on windows. It is a DMG file sized 4.9 MB that’s specifically tailored to make the setup process smooth and intuitive.
Before I proceed, let’s get one important aspect straight. Some users have a misconception that Combo Cleaner is freeware. In fact, it does go equipped with a few free features, such as the Disk Cleaner, Big Files Finder, and Duplicates Scanner. However, if you’d like to benefit from the app’s Antivirus, Privacy Scanner, and Uninstaller modules, you’ll have to upgrade to premium.
In other words, it won’t charge you for scanning your Mac for all kinds of viruses, malware and privacy issues, but the removal functionality will only become available on a paid subscription basis.
When it comes to the licensing, things are quite clear-cut. There are two plans: single user for 1 Mac ($39.95 for 6 months) and office / family for up to 5 Macs ($69.95 for semi-annual subscription). This isn’t the cheapest offer across the board, but the deal should be worth it as long as the application does a good job protecting and optimizing your Mac.
The installation routine is nothing out of the ordinary: you launch the setup assistant and click through a few garden-variety dialogs to get Combo Cleaner up and running. From where I stand, the app’s GUI makes a great first impression. It’s user-friendly and sleek, with every icon saying precisely what it does. The design and color scheme are undoubtedly on the plus side of the program.
From the get-go, Combo Cleaner performs an assessment of your Mac’s health and welcomes you with the dashboard whose upper section reflects the amount of available disk space, free memory, and current CPU load. Down below are the scan results for each one of the above-mentioned areas covered by the software. This pane is a one-stop system status information that includes both the security and performance essentials.
The solution runs fairly fast and has a moderate system footprint. The first full scan took less than 30 minutes to complete, and the app only added an extra couple of seconds to Mac startup time. Of course, the scan duration is a variable that depends on the size of your disk, but it won’t exceed any reasonable benchmarks whatsoever.
Combo Cleaner features
The feature set of this program aligns with the best practices of delivering Mac maintenance and security services. It should meet the average user’s expectations without encumbering the experience with anything redundant. Here’s the lowdown on the main features of Combo Cleaner.
Disk Cleaner is exactly what it sounds like. It evaluates the contents of your hard disk and advises on the amount of memory that’s safe to remove. This module spots and obliterates unnecessary application caches, downloads, app logs, and allow for emptying the Trash folder in one click. This functionality is entirely free to use.
Big Files Finder is pretty self-explanatory, too. It checks your local and external storage media for items that take up much disk space and may no longer belong on your Mac. The default preset looks for files larger than 100 MB, but you can easily customize this parameter by indicating a smaller value.
It’s also quite handy that Combo Cleaner breaks down the detected objects by the following size criteria: up to 1 GB, 1 GB to 5 GB, and more than 5 GB. Furthermore, you can easily sort these likely-unneeded entities by date. Importantly, this feature doesn’t require any payment to use either.
Duplicate Files Finder is yet another feature falling into the disk cleanup category whose logic comes down to spotting identical copies or similar matches of the same file. This is particularly relevant for photos, audio files and videos – the types of data people often download repeatedly. The obvious action to take in regard to these items is removal, which is what the app can do in the blink of an eye. Moreover, the software won’t charge you a penny for this.
Antivirus is one of the fundamental components of Combo Cleaner. In fact, lots of users actually install this application to remove malicious code from their Macs in the first place. In case you still think Mac malware is a myth, just look up “Download Valley” on search engines. It is a huge syndicate coining adware that targets macOS alongside other platforms. The Genieo and Weknow.ac infections are some of the most notorious examples plaguing Apple computers for years.
Back to the point, this particular feature is definitely praiseworthy as it identifies Mac adware (including browser hijackers, popup viruses and ad-injecting threats) and other types of malware with an excellent detection rate. The virus database is updated on an hourly basis to ensure protection against new and emerging menaces. Keep in mind, though, that you need to purchase the product’s license to unlock the virus removal functionality. Meanwhile, the scan is free.
Another interesting hallmark is that although the module is tailored for Mac, it can also find Windows malware and therefore keeps you from accidentally or unknowingly sending any pests to other people who use PCs. That’s something I haven’t seen in any competing security solutions.
Privacy Scanner is one more feature that’s a prerogative of premium subscription only. It focuses on analyzing the installed web browsers and email clients for “breadcrumbs” that may disclose your personal data and thus pose risk to your identity. These verbose objects include cookies, browsing and search history logs, cache, saved forms, bookmarks, as well as potentially unwanted browser extensions.
At the end of the day, not only does this module take care of sneaky threats to your online privacy, but it also boosts browser performance by removing the above-mentioned junk.
At first sight, it may appear that the Uninstaller feature does the same as the Mac native app removal mechanism. However, it’s got a game-changing advantage over the latter. Here’s the thing – even after you remove a program from Mac the regular way, its leftovers may persevere in the system and take up disk space. Also, there are stubborn apps that simply prevent you from removing them.
Combo Cleaner can locate obfuscated fragments of previously uninstalled software and force-remove apps that exhibit adverse persistence. Plus it provides an all-in-one list of your installed applications with a quick preview option. The only caveat is that you cannot use this functionality unless you are premium user.
Support
Slider revolution activation code free. Tech support is probably the weakest link in the whole user experience chain delivered by Combo Cleaner. While the vendor does provide a way for customers to get assistance, the choice is pretty much restricted to submitting a ticket, period. There is no live chat with company reps, nor is there a phone number to dial. What’s more, I couldn’t find any product knowledgebase or FAQs on the publisher’s website.
The only offset for this scarceness of support channels is that the app actually runs smooth, detects and removes Mac malware, finds and wipes unnecessary files, and generally copes with the cleanup task immaculately. At least, I didn’t run into a single issue during the test. Furthermore, the support agents claim to be available 24/7 and respond to tickets quite fast. One way or another, I hope the vendor will expand the range of their support services in the near future.
Combo Cleaner – pros and cons
Pros:
● Detects and removes Mac malware flawlessly
● Hourly virus definition updates
● Recovers disk space without deleting anything important
● Basic optimization features are free to use
● User-friendly GUI
● Effective privacy scanner built in
● Detects and removes Mac malware flawlessly
● Hourly virus definition updates
● Recovers disk space without deleting anything important
● Basic optimization features are free to use
● User-friendly GUI
● Effective privacy scanner built in
https://ritenew459.weebly.com/blog/live-home-3d-download-for-mac. Cons:
● Meager support options
● Quite expensive
● No startup optimization feature
● Meager support options
● Quite expensive
● No startup optimization feature
Summary
Combo Cleaner combines Mac maintenance and security features under the same hood. Whilst this is a common practice for quite a few software publishers out there, the efficiency of these modules is what really matters. Speaking of which, the app in question can take care of nearly any Mac malware issue – be it a browser redirect or popup ads virus, a rogue system optimizer, spyware, or ransomware. It also has enough optimization power to speed up your machine considerably.
The biggest quirk that makes me frown is the support section on the product’s website, which boils down to filling out a form. This is the tradeoff that will hopefully vanish sometime soon.
Overall, Combo Cleaner is a worthwhile application. It does all the tedious work for you to make your Mac experience hassle-free and secure.
FAQ
Absolutely. Its Mac optimization and antivirus capabilities have been verified by a number of authoritative software evaluation services, including OPSWAT and CNET. The former awarded the tool with bronze certification in the Mac anti-malware category. Furthermore, it got positive feedback and endorsements from Cult of Mac, FileHorse, and Soft32 portals. All in all, Combo Cleaner is definitely legit, and in our experience, it proved to be effective in identifying and removing all mainstream Mac viruses. Its performance boosting potential is commendable as well.
Combo Cleaner won’t charge you for scanning your Mac. Moreover, its optimization toolkit is completely free to use, so you can fully benefit from the Disk Cleaner, Big Files Finder, and Duplicates Finder modules without having to purchase a license. Keep in mind, though, that the security-related pool of features is paid. It means that the Antivirus, Privacy Scanner, and Uninstaller functions can be used without limitations on a subscription basis only. Again, you can have your Mac scanned for free, but in case Combo Cleaner detects malware or potential privacy risks and you would like to address them, then you will have to buy the full version of the program.
When Combo Cleaner is first launched, it runs a thorough scan of your Mac to assess the use of disk space and check the machine for known viruses. When the scan is completed, the app will provide the results on its Dashboard pane. You can additionally select any specific feature in the left-hand section of the GUI if you like. In order to fix the reported issues, all you need to do is click the appropriate button that says “Remove” or “Remove Selected Items” in the area of interest. Every scan report allows you to deselect the items you want to keep on your computer – make sure you do it prior to the cleanup. Be advised that the Antivirus, Privacy Scanner, and Uninstaller features are paid. The Antivirus module provides three scan options to choose from: Quick Scan (default one), Full Scan, and Custom Scan. The Quick mode is accurate enough to rely on for everyday protection. To the developers’ credit, all controls are intuitive and include concise explanations of what the features do.
Contrary to a common opinion, Macs aren’t flawless when it comes to self-optimization. You need to do quite a bit of the tedious cleaning work literally by hand to make sure the system runs smooth at all times. Therefore, a third-party app that automates the process of releasing disk space and boosting the Mac’s performance is more than welcome.
If you would like to uninstall Combo Cleaner from your Mac for whatever reason, the procedure is a no-brainer. In fact, the app is just like any other regular macOS software in this regard. Just open your Finder and select ‘Applications’ in the left-hand navigation menu. Scroll down the list of installed applications, find the Combo Cleaner icon, and drag it to the Trash. That’s it.
How to remove bing.com browser hijacker from Mac?
What is bing.com?
bing.com is a well-known, legitimate search engine owned by Microsoft and is not associated with any viruses, malware, and so on. Despite this, many browser hijackers, potentially unwanted applications (PUAs), promote bing.com to give the impression of legitimacy. Typically, users install apps of this type unintentionally. Once installed, they modify browser settings, deliver ads, and collect data relating to users' browsing activity.
Most browser-hijacking apps target popular browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer. When installed, they stealthily assign the default search engine, homepage, and new tab URL to bing.com. Some unwanted apps even add a URL extension to the shortcut targets of each affected browser. These changes force users to visit bing.com when they open a browser/new tab and attempt to search. Another downside of having a browser hijacked by these unwanted apps is that they are often installed with so-called 'helper objects'. These are installed as extensions, plug-ins, or add-ons, and prevent users from changing the settings assigned by browser hijackers. Therefore, 'helper objects' reassign settings when attempts are made to change them. Redirects to bing.com pose no threats to browsing safety, privacy, etc., however, browser hijackers can cause issues, regardless of the legitimacy of the promoted search engine. Furthermore, PUAs often feed users with intrusive advertisements (pop-ups, banners, coupons, surveys, and so on) that usually conceal underlying content of any website. If clicked, they might redirect to untrustworthy, deceptive websites, thus potentially leading to installation of adware or even malware. Another downside of browser-hijacking PUAs is that most gather browsing-related data (IP addresses, search queries, URLs of visited websites, geo-locations, etc.). Developers share this information with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). Some of the collected data might include personal details. Therefore, data tracking apps can cause privacy or browsing safety issues. We recommend that you uninstall all unwanted, unknown apps from browsers immediately.
Name | browser-hijacking applications |
Threat Type | Mac malware, Mac virus |
Symptoms | Your Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you get redirected to shady websites. |
Distribution methods | Deceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads. |
Damage | Internet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites, loss of private information. |
Removal | To eliminate browser-hijacking applications our malware researchers recommend scanning your computer with Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner. |
Most PUAs of this type (browser hijackers) are promoted as providing 'useful' tools or features, however, these are merely attempts by their developers to trick people into downloading/installing them. Generally, these apps are designed only to generate revenue for and deliver no real value for regular users. Some examples of other websites promoted by browser hijackers include search.hogwarin.com, search-me.club, and mysearchency.com.
How did bing.com install on my computer?
In most cases, browser hijackers infiltrate systems without direct user permission - they are installed when software developers use a deceptive marketing method called 'bundling' or through other (clicked) intrusive advertisements. Bundling is used to trick users into installing unwanted apps (such as browser hijackers) together with regular software. Software developers hide these apps in 'Custom', 'Advanced' and other options/settings of the installation/download processes. They do not disclose information about additionally-included apps. Furthermore, many users skip installation/download steps without checking settings, thus leading to inadvertent installations.
How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?
Be careful when browsing the web and downloading/installing software, especially freeware (free software). Do not download apps from unofficial websites, using third party software downloaders/installers, or other similar sources. Check all available 'Custom', 'Advanced', and other settings/options when installing or downloading software. Deselect offers to download/install various apps, change browser settings, and so on, and only then complete the process. Be careful with ads displayed on dubious websites. Clicking them might cause redirects to other unwanted/untrustworthy sites. If you are continually redirected to pornography, gambling, adult dating, or other suspicious websites, check the list of installed applications/browser plug-ins, add-ons or extensions and remove any suspicious entries immediately. The same applies to programs installed on your operating system. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan withCombo Cleaner Antivirus for macOS to automatically eliminate them.
Example of a browser-hijacking software installer that promotes bing.com: https://treesex408.weebly.com/blog/opera-vpn-for-mac.
Instant automatic removal of browser-hijacking applications:Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of browser-hijacking applications. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for MacBy downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for MacBy downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.
Quick menu:
- STEP 1. Remove browser hijacker related files and folders from OSX.
- STEP 2. Remove bing.com redirect from Safari.
- STEP 3. Remove browser hijackers from Google Chrome.
- STEP 4. Remove bing.com homepage and default search engine from Mozilla Firefox.
Video showing how to remove browser redirects to bing.com using Combo Cleaner:
bing.com redirect removal:
Remove bing.com-related potentially unwanted applications from your 'Applications' folder:
Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select 'Applications'. In the applications folder, look for 'MPlayerX', 'NicePlayer', or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.
Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.
Remove browser-hijacking applications related files and folders:
Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar, choose Go, and click Go to Folder.
Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder:
In the Go to Folder. bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents
In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.
Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder:
https://ahztxg.weebly.com/blog/how-do-you-download-word-on-a-mac. In the Go to Folder. bar, type: /Library/Application Support
In the “Application Support” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, “MplayerX” or “NicePlayer”, and move these folders to the Trash.
Check for adware-generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder:
In the Go to Folder bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents
In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.
Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder:
In the Go to Folder. bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons
In the “LaunchDaemons” folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example, “com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist”, “com.myppes.net-preferences.plist”, 'com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist”, “com.avickUpd.plist”, etc., and move them to the Trash.
Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:
If you have followed all the steps in the correct order you Mac should be clean of infections. To be sure your system is not infected run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file double click combocleaner.dmg installer, in the opened window drag and drop Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates it's virus definition database and click 'Start Combo Scan' button.
Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays 'no threats found' - this means that you can continue with the removal guide, otherwise it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.
After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.
browser-hijacking applications homepage and default Internet search engine removal from Internet browsers:
Remove malicious extensions from Safari:
Remove browser-hijacking applications related Safari extensions:
Open Safari browser. From the menu bar, select 'Safari' and click 'Preferences.'. Hanzo arrow dmg.
In the preferences window, select 'Extensions' and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the 'Uninstall' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.
Change your homepage:
In the 'Preferences' window, select the 'General' tab. To set your homepage, type the preferred website URL (for example: www.google.com) in the Homepage field. You can also click the “Set to Current Page” button if you wish to set your homepage to the website you are currently visiting.
Change your default search engine:
In the 'Preferences' window, select the 'Search' tab. Here you will find a drop-down menu labelled 'Search engine:' Simply select your preferred search engine from the drop-down list.
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.
Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:
Remove browser-hijacking applications related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:
Open your Mozilla Firefox browser. At the top right corner of the screen, click the 'Open Menu' (three horizontal lines) button. From the opened menu, choose 'Add-ons'.
Choose the 'Extensions' tab and look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Remove' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Mozilla Firefox browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.
Change your homepage:
To change your homepage, click the 'Open Menu' (three horizontal lines) button and choose 'Preferences' from the drop-down menu. To set your homepage, type the preferred website URL (for example: www.google.com) in the Homepage Page.
Combo Cleaner Mac Reddit 2017
Change default search engine:
In the URL address bar, type 'about:config' and click the 'I'll be careful, I promise!' button.
In the 'Search:' field, type the name of the browser hijacker. Right click on each of the found preferences and click 'Reset' from the drop-down menu.
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.
Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
Remove browser-hijacking applications related Google Chrome add-ons:
Open Google Chrome and click the 'Chrome menu' (three horizontal lines) button located in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, choose 'More Tools' and select 'Extensions'.
In the 'Extensions' window, look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Trash' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Google Chrome browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.
Change your homepage:
Click the 'Chrome menu' (three horizontal lines) button and choose 'Settings'. In the 'On Startup' section, click the 'Set pages' link near to the 'Open a specific page or set of pages' option. Winebottler. Remove the URL of the browser hijacker (for example trovi.com) and enter your preferred URL (for example, google.com).
Change default search engine:
Combo Cleaner Mac Reddit
Click the 'Chrome menu' (three horizontal lines) button and choose 'Settings'. In the 'Search' section, click the 'Manage search engines.' button. In the opened window, remove the unwanted Internet search engine by clicking the 'X' button next to it. Select your preferred Internet search engine from the list and click the 'Make default' button next to it.
Ccleaner
- If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.