How to remove Omnatuor virus from Mac

Imagine what it would be like if you got in your car to go to work, but instead of driving to the office, your car automatically drove you to the store. That’d be frustrating, wouldn’t it?

That’s exactly what browser hijackers, such as the Omnatuor malware, do. When you try to go to a specific website or click on a link, instead of taking you where you think you’re going, your browser will take you to another website. This can make surfing the web take twice as long, as you actually end up making it to the sites you did not want at all.

But don’t worry. This article will answer the question of what is Omnatuor. It’ll also walk you through step-by-step instructions for how to remove the Omnatuor virus.

What is Omnatuor virus?

The first thing you’ll need to understand about this particular malware is its name. Omnatuor is part of an ad network. It generates revenue based on website views and clicks. So, the more people that see and click on their ads, the more money it makes.

But as you have probably presumed, it doesn’t always get these clicks in the most legitimate ways. There’s a browser hijacker that takes over peoples’ internet browsers and inundates them with intrusive ads with the hopes of the user accidentally clicking on them.

While the Omnatuor malware isn’t the most harmful to your Mac, it can leave the door open to other malware and viruses.

How did Omnatuor get on my Mac?

If you don’t remember installing Omnatuor, then how did it end up on your Mac? Well, there’s actually a handful of ways.

The first way is through browser notifications. A lot of pages for things like web-based email or news sites will use push notifications to send you an alert. In those instances, notifications are super helpful. However, hackers and scammers have learned how to exploit this feature to bombard your browser with ads.

Another method is deceptive ads. Scammers will create pop-up ads that either look like an app message or just a standard macOS error message and then prompt you to download a piece of software. In many cases, that software is malware or adware.

The third most likely way Omnatuor ended up on your Mac is through software bundling. Typically, this happens when you download a free app from a random site online. It will tell you it’s installing the app, but it will also install another piece of software, which is usually malware.

Manual steps for Omnatuor virus removal

Now that you know what Omnatuor is and how it got on your Mac, it’s time to tell you how to get rid of Omnatuor. It’s a multi-step process, but I promise it won’t take you more than a few minutes to actually complete.

First, you’ll need to remove Omnatuor. I know that probably sounds redundant, but what I mean is literally delete the app if there’s one installed on your Mac. Here’s how you do it:

1. Open a new Finder window.
2. Click Go > Applications.
3. Scroll down to the Omnatuor icon.
4. Drag it to the Trash in your dock.
5. Right-click or Option + click on the Trash and select Empty Trash.

Once you have deleted the app, the next step of the Omnatuor removal is to get rid of any browser extensions installed and turn off notifications. It’s important that you do this in each of the browsers you have on your Mac, not just your default one. Leaving any of them behind can result in it spreading through your computer again.

This is how to remove Omnatuor virus from the 3 most common browsers on Mac:

Safari

1. Open Safari and select Safari > Preferences/Settings > Extensions.
2. Then, click Omnatuor.
3. Click Uninstall.
4. Open the Websites tab in the top bar.
5. In the sidebar, click Notifications.
6. Next to Omnatuor, select Block from the drop-down menu.

Firefox

1. Open Firefox.
2. Click the three lines in the top right > Settings > Add-ons and themes.
3. Select the Omnatuor extension > … > Remove.
4. Now, go back to the Settings page.
5. Click Privacy & Security.
6. Scroll down to Permissions and click Settings… next to Notifications.
7. Select Omnatuor.com from the list and then click Remove Website.

Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click the three dots > Settings > Extensions.
3. Then, hit Remove for the Omnatuor extension.
4. Go back to the Settings page.
5. Click Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications.
6. Now, scroll down to the Not allowed to send notifications section and click Add.
7. Type in omnatuor.com
8. Quit Chrome and reopen it for the changes to take effect.

After you finish all the applicable steps for your Mac, go ahead and restart the entire computer. This will give all the software on your hard drive a good chance to shut down and start back up fresh — without any malware working things over time.

How to protect your Mac from other adware

It’s always a good idea to scan your Mac for malware, adware, and viruses. While they might not be as common in macOS as they are on Windows computers, Macs are still capable of being compromised.

Getting into the habit of scanning your Mac on a weekly basis can help you catch issues before they do any real harm. Plus, you can use CleanMyMac to help you scan and delete malicious software (free download here).

Installing CleanMyMac is so simple, but using it is even easier. Once you have it installed, you’ll just follow these steps:

1. Open CleanMyMac.
2. Click Malware Removal.
3. Then, hit the Scan button.

The app will run for a couple of minutes, and then when it’s done, all you have to do is click Remove. There’s nothing else you need to know or do. CleanMyMac does all the hard work for you.

Omnatuor may feel like more of a nuisance, but it’s definitely not something you should let go unchecked. For one, it’s likely degrading your Mac’s overall performance and doing it enough to cause you to search for a solution. Plus, it could be leaving a back door open for other hackers and scammers to potentially install something more harmful and malicious on your computer. But, hopefully, after reading this article, you’re feeling more empowered to go ahead and take Omnatuor head-on.