There are several reasons why your browser such as Safari keeps switching from Google to Yahoo. I’m sure you can’t wait to discover and fix the issue once and for all. This article cut across the reasons why Safari keeps switching from Google to Yahoo and also how to solve the problem.
Safari may keep changing to Yahoo because of the browser hijacker virus. Some hackers utilize the Yahoo search redirect virus to make revenue generated by clicks on Yahoo. To stop your browser from switching from Google to Yahoo, you may need to reset your browser settings.
There are other troubleshooting steps on how you can fix Safari keeps switching from Google to Yahoo which you will learn in the course of reading this article.
Why does Safari keeps Switching from Google to Yahoo?
Even though Yahoo is an authorized search engine, if it is not your preferred site, it can be very frustrating when it pops up continuously every time you open your internet browser.
If Safari keeps switching to Yahoo instead of Google while browsing, then there are possibilities that your Mac is most likely been affected by a potentially unwanted program.
However, the program causing automatic redirects to Yahoo in Safari may end up on your Mac in several ways. One of those ways could be if this software is distributed by being added to your Mac automatically with the installer of a different program. The method is popularly known as software bundling.
In other words, if your search engine keeps switching to Yahoo, it may be due to a browser hijacker virus. Although this may sound absurd, there’s a simple fix to get rid of it.
What happens when Safari keeps Switching to Yahoo?
Several negative consequences occur once Safari redirects to Yahoo after it gets installed on your Mac. This program may require different activity types that are related to changing a lot of different settings to your macOS as well as your web browsers.
Once it gets on your computer, Safari redirects to Yahoo may disguise to be a helpful browser extension or an app. At the same time, it may run an active process that may be discovered in the Activity Monitor of your Mac. Then, later change the default search of Safari from Google to Yahoo. This is as well known as a different type of similar threat (the Google Redirect Virus).
The primary purpose of this software is to display ads. It may show different types of promotions once it gets active on your Mac, such as:
- Ad-supported search results.
- Banners
- Browser redirects.
- Highlighted text ads.
- Pop-up ads.
- Push notifications.
The ads shown by this malware may be harmful in several ways. For instance, they may have trackers, which are objects dropped on your Mac and may also gather information on your online activities. Such information usually includes the following:
- What websites do you visit?
- Your bookmarks.
- Where you click.
- Your browsing history.
Is “Safari Redirects to Yahoo” a Virus?
Well, you may have been wondering as well as searching for answers to this question asked above. The answer is Safari Redirects to Yahoo is not a virus. However, the nature of the program responsible for these redirects could cause severe issues on your Mac.
Safari Vs Google and Yahoo
The Safari browser is default set to Google search, however, a malware or script injection could deceive and redirect to the Yahoo search engine.
Taking a first glance at it, it looks like a standard redirect that takes you to a different page than expected and is nothing serious. However, during this unexpected redirection, it loads several other pages that can be viewed in the status bar at the bottom of the browser if well observed.
Getting rid of the malware from the Safari browser is the only option to stop the search engine from redirecting. Every time you search for anything on the Safari browser, it simply redirects you to the home page of Yahoo. The sad part is that most users usually can’t come up with the appropriate conclusion on how this virus poses a threat to them.
Therefore in this article, we will walk you through how to remove the Yahoo redirect from your Safari browser. You can do this by clearing the browser data, removing suspicious apps and profiles, or uninstalling unknown extensions.
How to fix Safari Keeps Switching from Google to Yahoo
You can fix Safari keeps switching from Google to Yahoo by following any of the solutions below:
- Check the Login details.
- Change Homepage Settings.
- Check Activity Monitor.
- Clear History and Cache Data.
- Delete unknown profiles.
- Removing Suspicious Extensions.
- Removing Suspicious Apps.
- Reset Safari to default settings.
Change Homepage Settings
Each time you are redirected to Bing or Yahoo once you press a new tab, it’s because of your homepage settings in the Safari browser.
With the Safari browser, it’s possible to keep any web URL as a homepage. Although, some extensions can alter these settings by showing you particular prompts on your screen, and once you agree to their terms and conditions, extensions will change the homepage settings.
Follow the steps below to change homepage settings in Safari Mac:
- Open Safari browser on your Mac.
- Tap on the Safari menu and choose the Preferences sub-menu.
- It will open the Safari Preferences window.
- Change to the General tab, and set a preferred homepage for your Safari browser.
- Switch to the Search tab again, and set your default search engine.
- Finally, relaunch the Safari browser after making the necessary changes.
Clear History and Cache data
Another way is by clearing your browser cache and history to get the everyday experience. However, note that clearing browser history will delete all your previous activities from the browser.
Reset Safari settings to Default
Although Safari used to have a Reset Safari button in the settings, it requires you to go through several steps to achieve a similar result now. Follow the steps below:
- Open Safari and preferences by clicking Safari >> Preferences.
- Choose the “Advanced“ tab and check the box next to “Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar.”
- Select the “Develop” tab and click “Empty Caches.”
- Click “History” in the top taskbar and clear the search history(Though this step is not necessary for this issue, but still a good idea to do it).
- Go back to the Safari preferences and tap “Privacy >> Manage Website Data“ and then click “Remove All.”
- Tap on the “Extensions” tab and choose any extensions you are suspicious of to disable them.
- Finally, restart Safari to ensure that all your changes have been effected.
You must have fixed Safari keeps switching from Google to Yahoo issue now.
How to Protect Safari from Redirects to Yahoo
To avoid the Safari redirects to Yahoo next time or the installation of unwanted apps, you can build the user’s vigilance. Here are a few easy steps to follow to avoid installing PUPs and becoming a victim of unwanted redirects to Yahoo:
- Do not download programs from internet ads, pop-ups, torrent trackers, file-sharing sites, and other deceptive sources.
- Opt out of the setting hidden in the “Custom” or “Advanced” sections once you are installing a program. You can deselect most PUPs from there.
- Do not install programs you don’t need.
- Be mindful of any excessive or unusual Internet advertising.
- These ads can be brought on by PUPs and adware contained in your browser.
- Always read the terms and conditions of use once you install any programs.
- Check your installed software and macOS for regular updates.
- You can install an anti-malware program that is also capable of detecting and removing potentially unwanted programs.
With all the above stated in this article, you should have been able to fix Safari keeps switching from Google to Yahoo issue. Feel free to drop your questions and comments in the section below.