Imagine that you’re downloading a seemingly legitimate system optimizer directly from an official website. Of course, you expect that it’ll make your computer run flawlessly.

But what if, instead of a dedicated app, you get a malicious tool bombarding you with intrusive pop-ups? How should you react to this nasty surprise?

The best decision is to get rid of the parasite as soon as you can. Advanced Mac Tuneup is one such example. Today, let’s see how to remove it from your Mac for good.

What is Advanced Mac Tuneup?

Advanced Mac Tuneup disguises itself as useful software that claims to enhance system performance. The app offers a bunch of features aimed at cleaning up and speeding up your Mac with a few clicks. However, all these are empty promises given to trick you into downloading the impostor.

Once Advanced Mac Tuneup gets into your computer, you’ll start noticing pushy error alerts warning you about hazardous viruses and system issues. But all these warnings are fake. Scammers try to make you believe that your Mac is at stake and their software can fix the problem. All you need to do is purchase the full version right away.

Beyond that, Advanced Mac Tuneup promotes other shady apps. It displays tons of pop-up ads and generates money using a pay-per-click model.

How did it get into my computer?

If you didn’t remember downloading Advanced Mac Tuneup from the official website, then it may have come bundled with other software. Bundling software is a known way for malware to sneak into Mac’s system unnoticed.

Is Advanced Mac Tuneup safe to use?

Cybersecurity experts categorize Advanced Mac Tuneup both as a potentially unwanted program (PUP) and scareware because of its misleading distribution methods and deceitful behavior.

The app doesn’t keep its promises and is definitely not worth paying for. It may also jeopardize your data (payment details, contact info, passwords, etc.). Here’s what its Privacy Policy states:

The culprit might also install malicious extensions in your browsers and pave the way for more severe threats through suspicious ads. If you notice these behaviors on your Mac, you need to delete Advanced Mac Tuneup as soon as possible.

How to remove Advanced Mac Tuneup from MacBook

The quickest way to uninstall Advanced Mac Tuneup is to use a reliable anti-malware tool. My favorite one is CleanMyMac X. It features several powerful modules that help keep your Mac in good shape.

I’ve been using CleanMyMac X for a while, and it’s surely worth a try. Here’s how it works:

  1. Open CleanMyMac X (free version here).
  2. Go to Malware Removal.
  3. Click Scan to let the app check your Mac for threats.
  4. If anything suspicious is found, press Remove.

If you’d rather get rid of Advanced Mac Tuneup manually, here’s what you need to do.

Eliminate the malicious application

  1. Launch Activity Monitor and search for any suspicious processes.
  2. Select them and hit the X button in the upper-left corner. Choose Force Quit.

  3. Go to the Applications folder.
  4. Locate the Advanced Mac Tuneup app or any software you downloaded before noticing the problems.
  5. Move it to the Trash and empty it.

Remove any malware-related leftovers

  1. Head over to the Go menu > Go the Folder in the Finder.
  2. Paste ~/Library/LaunchAgents into the box and press Go.
  3. Look for any files associated with Advanced Mac Tuneup.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the following locations:
    /Library/LaunchDaemons
    /Library/Application Support
    ~/Library/Application Support
  5. If you find anything malicious, drag it to Trash. But be careful not to delete something crucial for your system performance.

    Check for shady browser extensions

    Safari

    1. Go to the Safari menu > Preferences.
    2. Select the Extensions tab.
    3. Identify any extensions you don’t remember installing.
    4. Select it and hit Uninstall.

    Chrome

    1. Navigate to chrome://extensions.
    2. Examine the list of installed extensions.
    3. If you catch anything suspicious, press Remove next to it.

    Firefox

    1. Paste about:addons into the address bar and hit Enter.
    2. Choose Extensions in the left sidebar.
    3. If there is a questionable extension, click the three-dot icon next to it and choose Remove.

    How to avoid getting Advanced Mac Tuneup again

    Advanced Mac Tuneup tricks you into buying a useless license and sharing personal data. It displays annoying pop-ups and might slow down your computer. Luckily, it’s easy to get rid of it by following the steps above.

    To protect your Mac from the scammer in the future:

    • Opt for the custom installation.
    • Use proven anti-malware tools.
    • Download files only from reliable sources.

    An even more effective way to protect your Mac is to enable the real-time malware monitoring tool. Lucky for you, it comes with CleanMyMac X. It reacts to active threats by scanning newly installed software. If anything malicious tries to sneak onto your Mac, the app notifies you right away. 

    To enable the feature: 

    1. Go to the CleanMyMac X Menu. 
    2. Choose Preferences by clicking the gear icon. 
    3. Navigate to Protection. 
    4. Select the “Enable Malware monitor” checkbox.
    Protection

    No matter how secure macOS seems, it does get viruses. The only way to avoid worms, spyware, PUPs, and other malware is to be vigilant about what you install. Read user testimonials and download apps only from official sources. Don’t ignore it when your Mac behaves weirdly: it’s slow and unresponsive, or you see lots of pop-ups and redirects in your browser. These signal that there can be intruders in your system. And the best way to catch those is to scan your Mac with an anti-malware tool like CleanMyMac X.