When one discusses the topic of MacKeeper removal, the ambivalent feelings surrounding all controversies begin to take hold. Is MacKeeper a software that is as useful as some of its counterparts for Windows? Is a Mac subject to the same dangers as a PC? Have the developers engaged in unethical promotion? Is it a scam, as a recent class-action lawsuit has hinted? How to perform a MacKeeper removal? Will a MacKeeper removal affect the computer, for good or for bad?
These are the questions we will struggle to answer in this post.
MacKeeper – Concept, History and Controversies
The program is essentially a utility suite meant to search for and repair problems in key areas of your system, in the vein of many such suites for Windows (such as the consecrated Norton Utilities). It performs in several areas:
- Data Recovery – it has features that allow the user to recover files that have been accidentally deleted;
- Backup Software;
- Security – incorporating software from a third-party developer, MacKeeper can also function as an antivirus;
- Optimization – automatically checks for updates for every installed application;
- Cleaning – useless bits and pieces of current and uninstalled applications clutter the hard drive, so this software permanently deletes them, with one instance of a user claiming to have more than 100 GB of such trash.
MacKeeper was launched back in 2010 by Zeobit, with a further two major refurbishments since then. Its reception has been mixed, and that’s putting it mildly. Currently available for $38.95/year, it has sparked numerous controversies, both in the blogger’s community and elsewhere.
Some claim it is a virus, some claim that it is a fraud as it really doesn’t perform any perceivable function, some claim that it has vastly improved their Mac experience and many users search for instructions on MacKeeper removal. Furthermore, some Apple devotees believe that Macs incorporate an advanced technology that renders this type of software redundant. Especially in OS X vs. Windows debates.
The zenith of controversy was reached in 2014-2015, when after an aggressive promotional campaign by MacKeepers distributors, a class-action lawsuit was filed. It has since reached a settlement, with every pre-2015 purchase of the software being subject to a complete refund.
Some have tried to keep their objectivity in this never-ending debate that resembles an overcrowded medieval market. What can be earnestly stated about MacKeeper is that while it is a useful application, your system can run just fine on a combination of personal order and a few free applications that perform almost the same functions as MacKeeper, albeit individually, not attractively bundled up in a suite.
MacKeeper Removal
If you have, accidentally or purposefully, purchased MacKeeper and are not awed by its performances, we will provide you with the steps you must undertake in order to perform a MacKeeper removal. The process is not unduly difficult, yet some versions are different than others, and this software has a knack for preserving some its traces in your computer:
- Open your “Applications” folder and the MacKeeper application.
- Launch it and then close it.
- Pending administrator’s rights, drag it to trash.
- A window will pop-up and ask you if you want to remove all the components of the application. Uninstall MacKeeper.
- Press the “Option” button, find your library, and in the library, you will find the remaining files and folders of MacKeeper. Depending on the version that you have purchased, they range from a sole “Help” folder to a multitude of files, so make sure to search in “Caches”, “Launch Agents” or “Application Support”. That’s all there is to MacKeeper removal!
Some users have complained about the pop-ups advertising the MacKeeper suite. It has been signaled that they appear in Safari, but also in Google Chrome and Mozilla. Keep in mind when installing free software that integrated malicious ad-software can also be present.
For removing these technological pests, you will usually need a software like adwaremedic. Install it and just follow the steps, and if you still have problems, there are numerous YouTube tutorials that deal with this type of problem. If you are still experiencing these problems, then most likely you will have to manually remove the vermin from the browser. This is done in Preferences-Extensions (for Safari), by resetting your settings for Google Chrome, the same being true for Firefox.
The controversies surrounding MacKeeper have spurred a great deal of commentary all over the web. Because we live in an adversarial society, it has even taken the path of the courthouse. Now that is a proper way of performing a MacKeeper removal.
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