DiscoverResults Adware on Mac
DiscoverResults is a program that once installed on a Mac, causes significant changes that affect system performance. It is not malicious software that causes serious security issues but still exposes the affected system to the risk of malware attacks. The reason why this potentially unwanted program affects Mac operating systems is the realization of shady advertising schemes.
Its developers aim to flood the affected browsers with lots of ads so that users can visit sponsored pages and generate revenue by doing it. That’s why the program is categorized as adware. It’s quite disturbing that as long as this program is running on your Mac, it is able to spy on your online activities and harvest certain details about your interests, device, browser, and operating system.
In this article, you will find more important details about the unwanted DiscoverResults Mac adware, the issues it causes, and a complete guide on how to remove it from the affected browsers and Mac operating system.
DiscoverResults Adware Summary
| Name | DiscoverResults |
| Type | Adware, Browser Hijacker, PUP |
| Short Description | A questionable application that appears in the Applications list on your Mac. It performs browser modifications without your knowledge. The program may hijack Safari, Chrome and other browsers installed on your Mac. |
| Symptoms | The homepage, new tab page and search engine in preferred web browser may be set to display a hoax search engine. Browser slowdowns may occur due to increased number of online ads. The program may start every time you start the affected Mac. |
| Distribution Method | Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages, Corrupted Websites, Fake Flash Player Updates |
| Detection Tool | See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware Download Malware Removal Tool |
| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss DiscoverResults Adware. |
DiscoverResults Mac Adware – Delivery, Impact and Risk
Adware like DiscoverResults tend to mysteriously appear in the Applications list on Mac devices. Typically, the affected systems without displaying any notifications to users.
This issue occurs due to the fact that developers of adware like DiscoverResults spread their undesired programs via shady techniques like software packages, freeware, bogus websites and other undesired programs like Mac Cleanup Pro. Sometimes, such apps land on Macs by being disguised as Flash Update. Here is how the notification about this fake update may look like:
You can prevent unnoticed installations of undesired programs like DiscoverResults by choosing your download sources wisely. In addition, we recommend that you install new apps with the help of the Advanced/Custom configuration steps. Sometimes the details mentioned there, reveal the presence of additional extra apps that are going to be installed by default. Once you know about this, you can choose whether to continue with the installation process or not.
When executed on the system, DiscoverResults Mac adware creates specific files which it later runs by following a special pattern. By doing this the program becomes able to alter system and browser settings without your permission. Furthermore, the adware is likely to activate some kind of tracking technologies so that it can spy on certain details while you are browsing the web.
Why does DiscoverResults need to collect data? This action enables its owners to identify your online interests and present you with more relevant ads as a result. The moment you click an ad pushed by DiscoverResults adware, the owners of the program get paid for your click.
All these ads delivered by DiscoverResults may affect the speed of your browser. It may become sluggish or unresponsive sometimes. What’s more disturbing is that some of the annoying ads may be presenting “special” offers just in an attempt to make you visit poorly secured questionable websites. Such websites may be dangerous as they may host malicious software. That’s why you should better refrain from visiting questionable sponsored content and consider the immediate removal of DiscoverResults Mac adware.
How to Remove DiscoverResults Adware from macOS
In order to remove DiscoverResults adware along with all its entries on the system, you should complete several removal steps in a precise order. The guide below presents steps that contain manual and automatic approaches. In order to fully get rid of files installed by undesired programs and strengthen macOS security, we recommend that you combine the steps. Some of the files associated with the adware cannot be removed manually except you are an experienced computer user. So the manual adware removal might be quite a complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. If you don’t feel comfortable with the manual steps, navigate to the automatic part of the guide.
In case you have further questions or need additional help with the removal process, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has a bachelor's degree in Marketing. She has been with the STF team for five years, researching malware, reporting on the latest computer infections, and following digital marketing trends.
Follow Me:
- Guide 1: How to Remove DiscoverResults Adware from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of DiscoverResults Adware from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove DiscoverResults Adware from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase DiscoverResults Adware from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall DiscoverResults Adware from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove DiscoverResults Adware from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate DiscoverResults Adware from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove DiscoverResults Adware from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove DiscoverResults Adware
Step 2: Uninstall DiscoverResults Adware and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.Step 3: Clean any registries, created by DiscoverResults Adware on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by DiscoverResults Adware there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of DiscoverResults Adware from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall DiscoverResults Adware and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove DiscoverResults Adware via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove malware from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts, programs and malware, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. Combo Cleaner offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove DiscoverResults Adware from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase DiscoverResults Adware from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall DiscoverResults Adware from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove DiscoverResults Adware from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the DiscoverResults Adware will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate DiscoverResults Adware from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
