MacKeeper: Why you shouldn’t use it and how to remove it from your Mac

MacKeeper is a suite of software programs for macOS with cleaning, security and optimization utilities. For some people MacKeeper is the best; it protects and optimizes the system. For others, it is the worst; they say it blocks the computer and causes more problems than it solves. We will try to clarify some ideas about MacKeeper by giving a detailed description of the application, its myths and reality.

This application is already a few years old and has had many controversies. To begin with, they have used aggressive marketing techniques that make users install the application almost by deceiving them and using techniques that could be described as dishonest. The company that sells MacKeeper, called ZeoBIT, has a long history of false advertising claims. In addition, many lawsuits have been filed against them and they were found guilty. Some MacKeeper advertisements were presented as online malware scanners claiming to have found malware on the computer and then asking users to download the application. This technique is often used by dishonest software, also known as malware.

The class action lawsuit alleged that “neither the free trial nor the full registered versions of MacKeeper performed any credible diagnostic testing”. This lawsuit reported that a user’s Mac was in need of repair and at risk, so the user had to install the application, which made it difficult to uninstall it later. So the program was a trap, it worked as a Trojan horse adding advertisements, which slowed down the device. As far as we know, they have lost all the trials just because the accusations were not false. The application caused many more problems than it solved.

Why we don’t recommend installing MacKeeper

This application offers different services. It seems irresistible at first glance, a useful and free application in its trial version (or in its registered version):

• Cleaning your Mac: it is assumed that the program frees up space, deletes files from the trash, removes junk files, log files, cache, etc. However, macOS already runs periodic cleaning tasks in the background; these tasks remove system files that are no longer needed. This feature deletes old log files and removes certain temporary files; that means that the application is completely unnecessary.
• Improved performance: the program improves the performance of your Mac. However, it uses a huge quantity of resources, so it’s impossible that it actually speeds up your computer. Each time we used this application, we verified that it consumes a high amount of resources but does not improve the performance of other applications. The result is that the computer slows down and any existing problem gets even worse.
• Better security: the program improves the security of you Mac. However, there are many reports of the occurrence of advertisements and malware that negatively affect the performance of the computer. The Mac ends up having less security and you will have less control over it.

How to remove MacKeeper from your Mac

There are third-party applications that will help you uninstall malware and other programs that are extremely difficult to uninstall, such as MacKeeper. If the process is causing you more problems than usual, you can try other applications such as Ad-adware. However, once the system is damaged, it is better to start over from scratch. If you need help, we can reinstall the operating system on your computer and recover your data. The usual way to remove MacKeeper is as follows:

1. Close the MacKeeper application as you would close any other application.
2. Open “Activity Monitor”, search for the process “MacKeeper” and close it.
3. Next, go to “Finder>Applications” to remove the application as you would do with any other application.

Once this is done, you should verify that the uninstallation has finished successfully. You should search your computer and restart it to make sure that the application cannot be found in any folder or that it is still active on the “Activity Monitor”.

How to protect your Mac from malware

Mac operating system already incorporates multiple security features. In addition, each update adds new features to avoid new threats. Even if you don’t use Windows, good times for Macs have already passed and they have not been safe from malware for a long time. Nowadays there are many specific threats for Apple computers, in addition to the generic ones that install advertisements in browsers and others. That is why you should take some precautions:

• Don’t use pirated software: it is a problem if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, but in the long term it will be an excellent investment. You don’t know the modifications that have been made to the software. Pirated software can put your computer and your data at risk, and it will also slow down the device. You must only install software that you trust and from authorized developers.
• Download from official websites: always download from the Mac App Store, the official Adobe website or any other official website. Try to avoid websites that you don’t trust because some of them include malware (such as Softonic).
• Browser extensions: they can be from Safari, Firefox or Chrome. Extensions are programs that can be as tricky as any other program and they are a typical entry for malware.

Symptoms that your computer is infected with malware:

• Pop-ups or pop-ads appear frequently when browsing the Internet. They are usually low reputation websites.
• The browser home page and/or the default search engine have changed.
• Words with links that redirect to advertising sites appear.
• Advertisements on third-party websites. As the typical “You are the visitor 1 million and you have won a prize”.
• Your Mac runs very slowly and its processing power seems diminished.

To sum up, if you have installed MacKeeper and your computer slows down, the first thing you should do is uninstall it and clean it up from your computer (clear you browser’s cache, remove extensions of unknown origin, etc.). After that, update your Mac. If it still doesn’t work properly, contact us so we can guide you and help you with the problem that affects your computer.