How to Remove TaskFresh that Pops Up in Mac?

If you are a seasoned Mac user, you probably know that there is a growing number of fake system utilities and adware apps targeting Mac devices. One of the latest concerns being reported by users is that installation for TaskFresh pops up in Mac.

While TaskFresh may not be as malicious as viruses or malware programs such as Rootkits, Trojan Horse, Ransomware and Spyware, but it can be a bit aggressive and intrusive, especially regarding its ad-generating capabilities.

From the look of things, most users are unaware of this predicament. If you are like the majority of these Mac users, you are probably asking yourself, ‘What is TaskFresh?’

What is TaskFresh?

TaskFresh is the name of an adware application for Mac that appears to be helpful. However, the adware comes with a trick. It is associated with endless flashy ads, pesky page-redirects, intrusive promotional messages, and nagging pop-ups. The worst thing is that this intrusive app can get attached to any browser; the TaskFresh malware usually adds a dodgy extension to Chrome, Safari, and Firefox without your approval.

How Does TaskFresh Find Its Way onto Your Mac?

The most likely entry path of this malware to your Mac is via software bundling. In other words, TaskFresh is added to an installer of another app, mostly freeware. Besides bundling, the TaskFresh malware can also be added as a browser extension. You will probably think that it is a tool that will help you improve your Mac experience.

Whatever the case it may be, this malware will cause trouble once it gets into your system. It could direct you to phishing pages and scam sites, which can infect your Mac with dangerous viruses.

You will know that the TaskFresh malware has found its way onto your Mac when you get:

• Unexpected redirects.
• Ad-supported search results.
• Annoying pop-ups.
• Highlighted text ads.

How to Remove TaskFresh?

Since TaskFresh and other similar annoying software, including bloatware, junkware, and browser hijackers, are not viruses per se, your anti-virus software may not detect or flag them as dangerous. So you should be cautious when opening spam letters and sketchy messages, or when installing freeware. If you suspect that TaskFresh has got into your Mac or you are having trouble with it, we suggest that you follow these steps on how to remove TaskFresh.

Pro Tip: Back Up Your Data

Before you attempt any malware removal step, please back up your data. Use Time Machine to create a backup of your important data files. Follow this process:

• Go to System Preferences > Time Machine.
• Choose the Select Backup Disk option.
• Now select the disk for backups.
• Click Back Up Now.

Step 1: Force Quit Safari (Or the Browser You Are Using)

If you can’t close your browser, the remaining option is to Force Quit it. Please follow these simple instructions to Force Quit Safari:

Go to Apple menu > Force Quit.

Alternatively, press the Command + Option combination to launch the Force Quit Applications dialog box. From here, select your browser and hit the Quit button.

Step 2: Stop Suspicious Processes

• Open Finder and select Applications in the left panel.
• Identify unwanted applications and drag them to Trash.
• After that, select Finder > Empty Trash.

Sometimes, the above trick may not remove all the components of the TaskFresh malware. Please follow these steps to erase it from your Mac:

• Open Finder and select Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.
• Under Activity Monitor, look for anything that seems suspicious. If you spot TaskFresh, Task-Fresh, or Task Fresh, highlight it and hit the Quit Process
• If a dialog box pops up, choose the Force Quit
• Next, go to Apple Finder and expand the Go After that, choose Go to Folder.
• Type this string into the search field and click Go: /Library/LaunchAgents.
• Wait for the LaunchAgents directory to open, then find these entries: TaskFresh.agent.plist and com.TaskFresh.tfhlpr. Move these suspicious entries to Trash.
• Now navigate to the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder and look for the same entries as above, then move them to Trash.
• Likewise, look for the following entries in the ~Library/Application Support folder and move them to Trash: TaskFresh and hlprtaskfresh.
• Navigate to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Accounts.
• Hit the Login Items button and look for TaskFresh, Task-Fresh or Task Fresh, then click the remove (–) button.

Step 3: Clean Your Browser

Safari

Launch your Safari browser.

Click Safari > Preferences > Extensions.

Select all unwanted extensions and click the Uninstall button.

Besides removing suspicious extensions, also clean the browser. Follow these steps to clean Safari:

• After opening Safari, go to Preferences > Privacy.
• Choose Remove All Website Data, then hit Remove Now.
• Go back to Preferences and choose General.
• Check if there are suspicious changes in your Safari’s homepage. If that is the case, change it back to whatever you like.
• After that, select the History menu and click Clear History.

Google Chrome

• Launch Google Chrome.
• Open the main menu (Customize and Control Google Chrome).
• Now select More Tools > Extensions.
• Identify the extensions you want to remove and tap the Remove button next to each of the suspicious extensions.

After removing unfamiliar add-ons, move to Settings to reset and clean up the browser. Here is the process:

• Go to Settings, enter ‘Manage Search Engines’ in the search bar and press Enter
• Check the results that show up, then delete all unfamiliar search engines. Hit the three-dot icon next to the suspicious search engines and click Remove from list.
• Go back to Settings and enter ‘Reset and clean up’ in the search bar.
• Select the ‘Restore Settings to their original defaults’ option and click Reset Settings to complete the process.

Mozilla Firefox

• Launch Mozilla Firefox and open the main menu.
• Go to Add-ons and select the Extensions menu.
• Look for suspicious extensions and remove them. Just select each extension and click Remove it.
• After that, go to the main menu again and choose Help > Troubleshooting information.
• Wait for a window to open then click Refresh Firefox.

Opera Browser

• Launch the browser and go to Customize and Control Opera.
• Choose Extensions.
• Look for unfamiliar add-ons and press the Disable button.

Besides removing the add-ons, also change homepage settings:

• Open the browser and select the Customize and Control Opera option.
• After that, choose Settings > Startup.
• Open a specific page or several pages and press the Add a new page button.
• Now change the Homepage to your favorite page.

Automatically Remove the TaskFresh Malware from Your Mac

Some malicious programs can be persistent and difficult to remove manually. Outbyte macAries is a tool that claims to thoroughly remove such components. If you decide to use a third-party tool, make sure it is suitable for your needs.

To recap, having such an intrusive app on your Mac is not only annoying, but it also deteriorates your system’s performance. Its original goal may have been to promote website traffic, but the negative influence it brings is usually devastating. The issue of TaskFresh pop up in Mac is not something that any user would like to have on his or her computer. Therefore, removing it should be your top priority.

Hopefully, this guide helped you to get rid of TaskFresh on your Mac. If you have tried all the above manual steps and TaskFresh still pops up on your Mac, consider running our recommended anti-malware program. And you can always ask for help in the comments section.