Does The Advanced Mac Cleaner Work ?

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How to remove Advanced Mac Cleaner from Mac?

What is Advanced Mac Cleaner?

Sep 02, 2016  Advanced Mac Cleaner is an unacceptable computer tool or program that every user wishes get rid from the Mac OS X system. It is deemed as invasive type of software that may be installed on the computer without user’s approval. How to uninstall Advanced Mac Cleaner from Mac? Uninstall now! Uninstall now! To uninstall these files, you have to purchase licensed version of Reimage Reimage uninstall software. The best way to carry out any virus elimination is by scanning the system with some powerful security utility, such as MacKeeper. Dec 01, 2017  Tap here quickly to optimize and speed up your mac for FREE MacRemover offers automatic uninstall and helps you save a lot of manual un. Sep 22, 2017  Advanced Mac Cleaner claims to be a cleaning software tool, which can detect various types of problems with the macOS X and eliminates them. This application has been developed by a group of experienced industry professionals and has been designed to enhance the performance of your Mac by removing junk data from it.

Advanced Mac Cleaner is a deceptive application that falsely claims to enhance computer performance by cleaning junk files, removing unwanted software, and providing other system optimization-related functionality. Judging on appearance alone, Advanced Mac Cleaner might seem legitimate, however, it is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that typically infiltrates systems without users' consent.

Immediately after infiltration, Advanced Mac Cleaner performs a fake computer scan and displays dozens of 'issues'. Users are encouraged to immediately remove these errors, however, a problem is introduced: Advanced Mac Cleaner's free version is supposedly 'unable' to carry out this task. To resolve this, users are encouraged to pay for the full version of this (PUP). In fact, this program is a scam and the claims and list of errors are false - your system is likely to be completely safe and optimized. Furthermore, cyber criminals use Advanced Mac Cleaner to generate fraudulent revenue. They attempt to scare and trick victims into paying for a full version of this potentially unwanted program. As mentioned above, Advanced Mac Cleaner is likely to infiltrate systems without permission, together with other PUPs. These programs (mostly, adware-type software) usually collect sensitive information, deliver intrusive advertisements (coupons, banners, pop-ups, etc.), and misuse system resources. For these reasons, we strongly advise you to uninstall Advanced Mac Cleaner and other potentially unwanted programs immediately.

Threat Summary:
NameAdvaned Mac Cleaner potentially unwanted program
Threat TypeMac malware, Mac virus
Detection Names (MacCleaner.pkg)
Avast (MacOS:AMC-EJ [PUP]), BitDefender (Gen:Variant.Application.MAC.OSX.AMCleanerCA.2), ESET-NOD32 (a variant of OSX/GT32SupportGeeks.V potentially unwanted), Full List Of Detections (VirusTotal)
SymptomsYour Mac became slower than normal, you see unwanted pop-up ads, you get redirected to shady websites.
Distribution methodsDeceptive pop-up ads, free software installers (bundling), fake flash player installers, torrent file downloads.
DamageInternet browsing tracking (potential privacy issues), displaying of unwanted ads, redirects to shady websites, loss of private information.
Removal

To eliminate Advaned Mac Cleaner potentially unwanted program our malware researchers recommend scanning your computer with Combo Cleaner.
▼ Download Combo Cleaner
Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.

There are hundreds of potentially unwanted programs similar to Advanced Mac Cleaner. For example, CompariShop, MacBright, TURBOMAC, and many others. As with Advanced Mac Cleaner, these other PUPs offer various 'useful features', however, these claims are merely attempts to trick users to install. The only purpose of potentially unwanted programs is to generate revenue for developers. Rather than providing any real value for regular users, they pose a direct threat to your privacy and Internet browsing safety.

How did Advanced Mac Cleaner install on my computer?

Advanced Mac Cleaner has an official download website, however, in most cases, this (and other similar PUPs) infiltrate systems without permission. Be aware that developers proliferate these programs by employing intrusive advertisements and a deceptive marketing method called 'bundling'. Intrusive advertisements usually redirect to infectious websites. Furthermore, some execute scripts that download and install malware. 'Bundling' is stealth installation of third party applications together with regular software/apps. Developers do not disclose these installations properly - they hide 'bundled' apps within 'Custom/Advanced' settings or other sections of the download/installation processes. Therefore, clicking various advertisements, rushing download/installation processes, and skipping steps, often leads to inadvertent installation of PUPs - users expose their systems to risk of various infections.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge and careless behavior. Therefore, be cautious when downloading/installing software and browsing the Internet in general. Select the 'Custom/Advanced' settings, carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogues, and cancel all additionally-included programs. In addition, avoid using any third party download/installation tools, since criminals monetize them by promoting dubious applications (the 'bundling' method). Note that criminals invest many resources into the design of intrusive advertisements. Therefore, they look legitimate, however, these ads are distinguishable for their redirects - most lead to gambling, adult dating, and other dubious websites. As mentioned above, intrusive ads are delivered by adware-type applications. If you encounter them, uninstall all suspicious programs and browser extensions. The key to computer safety is caution.

List of files created by Advanced Mac Cleaner application:

  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.techyutils.cleaner.savedState/data.data
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.techyutils.cleaner.savedState/window_2.data
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.techyutils.cleaner.savedState/window_2.data
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.techyutils.cleaner.savedState/window_3.data
  • ~/Library/Saved Application State/com.techyutils.cleaner.savedState/windows.plist

Deceptive application installers promoting Advanced Mac Cleaner PUP:

Screenshot of official Advanced Mac Cleaner installation setup:

Screenshot of Advanced Mac Cleaner PUP:

Fake error message encouraging users to download Advanced Mac Cleaner:

Advanced Mac Cleaner asking for user's permission to modify various system settings:

IMPORTANT NOTE! Advanced Mac Cleaner adds itself to the list of applications that automatically run upon each user log in. Therefore, before commencing, perform these steps:

  • Go to System Preferences -> Users & Groups.
  • Click your account (also know as Current User).
  • Click Login Items.
  • Look for 'Advanced Mac Cleaner' entry. Select it, and click the '-' button to remove it.

Instant automatic removal of Advaned Mac Cleaner potentially unwanted program:Manual threat removal might be a lengthy and complicated process that requires advanced computer skills. Combo Cleaner is a professional automatic malware removal tool that is recommended to get rid of Advaned Mac Cleaner potentially unwanted program. Download it by clicking the button below:
▼ DOWNLOAD Combo Cleaner for MacBy downloading any software listed on this website you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.

Quick menu:

  • STEP 1. Remove Advanced Mac Cleaner related files and folders from OSX.
  • STEP 2. Remove Advanced Mac Cleaner ads from Safari.
  • STEP 3. Remove Advanced Mac Cleaner adware from Google Chrome.
  • STEP 4. Remove Advanced Mac Cleaner ads from Mozilla Firefox.

Video showing how to remove adware and browser hijackers from a Mac computer:

Does Advanced Mac Cleaner Work

Advanced Mac Cleaner PUP removal:

Remove Advanced Mac Cleaner-related potentially unwanted applications from your 'Applications' folder:

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select “Applications”. In the applications folder, look for “MPlayerX”,“NicePlayer”, or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.

Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Combo Cleaner.

Remove advaned mac cleaner potentially unwanted program related files and folders:

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar. Choose Go, and click Go to Folder..

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder.. bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents


In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder:

In the Go to Folder.. bar, type: /Library/Application Support


In the “Application Support” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, “MplayerX” or “NicePlayer”, and move these folders to the Trash.

Check for adware-generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder:

Minecraft dmg free download. Tap on the search bar and type “Minecraft”. Search result appears in a list.Step 3.


In the Go to Folder bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder:


In the Go to Folder.. bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons


In the “LaunchDaemons” folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example “com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist”, “com.myppes.net-preferences.plist”, 'com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist”, “com.avickUpd.plist”, etc., and move them to the Trash.

Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:

If you have followed all the steps in the correct order you Mac should be clean of infections. To be sure your system is not infected run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file double click combocleaner.dmg installer, in the opened window drag and drop Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates it's virus definition database and click 'Start Combo Scan' button.

Is Advanced Mac Cleaner Legit

Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays 'no threats found' - this means that you can continue with the removal guide, otherwise it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.

Does clean my mac work

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Advaned Mac Cleaner potentially unwanted program removal from Internet browsers:

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Remove advaned mac cleaner potentially unwanted program related Safari extensions:

Is advanced mac cleaner an apple product

Open Safari browser, from the menu bar, select 'Safari' and click 'Preferences..'.

In the preferences window, select 'Extensions' and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the 'Uninstall' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

  • If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Remove advaned mac cleaner potentially unwanted program related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:

Open your Mozilla Firefox browser. At the top right corner of the screen, click the 'Open Menu' (three horizontal lines) button. From the opened menu, choose 'Add-ons'.

Choose the 'Extensions' tab and look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Remove' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Mozilla Firefox browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

  • If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Remove advaned mac cleaner potentially unwanted program related Google Chrome add-ons:

Open Google Chrome and click the 'Chrome menu' (three horizontal lines) button located in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, choose 'More Tools' and select 'Extensions'.

In the 'Extensions' window, look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the 'Trash' button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Google Chrome browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

You just have to make sure that iCloud Photos isn’t enabled. Click the Start button and open the Photos app. If it is, you’ll want to download the iCloud desktop app instead of using the method below.The exact process of transferring photos will also differ depending on your version of Windows. Select Import From a USB Device. How to download photos from my iphone to my mac. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll use Windows 10 as an example.

  • If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.

Remove Advanced Mac Cleaner rogue optimization tool from Mac OS X to stop its frustrating alerts and undo the concomitant bad effects it calls forth.

Update: October 2019

Advanced Mac Cleaner usually appears on Mac boxes out of the blue and floods the victim’s experience with annoying warning messages. Also known as Mac Cleaner, it dupes the user into thinking that their machine has got numerous problems hindering normal performance. According to the fake alerts, the operating system’s productivity is impacted by junk files, duplicate objects, unneeded login items, crammed up cache, trash and logs, as well as rogue apps that are claimed to occupy excessive hard disk space and thus reduce the processing speed as well as responsiveness to commands. The number of these wrongfully reported items is flagrant, going over 1000 even on a well-tuned or new Mac computer.

It’s not a commonplace distribution practice that’s leveraged by Advanced Mac Cleaner makers to promote their nasty brainchild. A great deal of infected users have caught this pseudo optimizer when installing free tools such as FileZilla or updating Adobe Flash Player via downloads from unofficial sources. In these cases, the setup wizard prompts you that an extra applet will be installed as a bonus to make the Mac run smoother. Some people are prudent enough to avoid such offers, which are generally known to deliver adware programs, but this caution doesn’t always help. Unless the bundle is manually unchecked and thus opted out of from the start, Advanced Mac Cleaner will still be installed in the background.

Furthermore, the culprit may additionally cross-promote affiliated scareware like Mac Adware Cleaner by means of prompts on its GUI. To add insult to injury, it may hijack the victim’s default web browser and redirect their traffic to landing pages pushing its licensed version or a copy of another rogue system utility, such as Mac Tonic or Mac Auto Fixer. The malware is also known to propagate alongside browser redirect viruses and persistent adware apps that affect the victim’s web surfing experience. One of the notorious campaigns pushing the scareware in question relies on sketchy browser alerts that report alleged infection with a combo of 3 viruses called Tapsnake, CronDNS, and Dubfishicv. The victims are redirected to phony web pages that mimic AppleCare and insist on urgent download of Advanced Mac Cleaner to sort out the problem that isn’t there in the first place. It appears that the gang behind the rogue program in question is deploying a well-orchestrated malicious marketing campaign with a distinct flavor of social engineering.

The user may be unaware of this forcible setup from the get-go, but not until a message like the one above pops up. It says that a huge number of issues have been found, specifying this information as follows “Issues may include duplicate files, system & internet junk, rogue software & recoverable drive space. Fix and enjoy a performance boost.” The ‘Start Repair’ button, if clicked, takes you to the junk application’s main interface that displays high improvement potential for each cluster of problems. Obviously, cleaning the purported bugs is a paid service. At that point, it’s reasonable to contemplate over what’s happening: you are being told to pay for rectifying issues that do not exist. It’s certainly the best move to get rid of the Advanced Mac Cleaner scam rather than follow the evildoers’ recommendations.

Another flavor of this scareware problem surfaced in October 2019. It was precipitated by a release of Apple’s macOS Catalina 10.15. After upgrading their operating system to the new version, numerous users started experiencing obnoxious popup activity with Advanced Mac Cleaner at its core. The annoying notifications say, “helperamc will damage your computer. You should move it to the Bin.” The process mentioned on these alerts is spawned by the rogue system tool under scrutiny and can be seen in the Activity Monitor, along with other related executables called “amcuninstall” and “hlpramc”.

Is Advanced Mac Cleaner Legitimate

Here is what’s happening: the latest macOS build, evidently, leverages an improved algorithm to identify potentially harmful apps. In particular, it will flag a program as a malicious one if it was installed on an unknown date, if its installer was downloaded from an unverified source, or in case some other telltale signs of sketchy activity are spotted. To let the users know about such suspicious objects, the system displays the above-mentioned popup dialogs. In this situation, the infection is probably in a dormant state and doesn’t manifest itself conspicuously. The Catalina update has simply unearthed the issue due to new security perks it delivers. Unfortunately, although the warnings include a “Move to Bin” button, it doesn’t work as intended. Therefore, the victims have to do their homework and find a way to remove Advanced Mac Cleaner despite its persistence.

Advanced Mac Cleaner manual removal for Mac

What Is Advanced Mac Cleaner

The steps listed below will walk you through the removal of this application. Be sure to follow the instructions in the order specified.

  1. Open up the Utilities folder as shown below
  2. Locate the Activity Monitor icon on the screen and double-click on it
  3. Under Activity Monitor, find the entry for Advanced Mac Cleaner, select it and click Quit Process
  4. A dialog should pop up, asking if you are sure you would like to quit the Advanced Mac Cleaner (it can be manifested as an object named helperamc) executable. Select the Force Quit option
  5. Expand the Go menu in Apple Finder and select Go to Folder
  6. Type or paste the following string in the folder search dialog: /Library/LaunchAgents
  7. Once the LaunchAgentsdirectory opens up, find the following entries in it and move them to Trash:
    • com.pcv.hlpramc.plist
    • com.pcv.helperamc.plist
    • com.pcv.amcuninstall.plist
    • com.PCvark.AdvancedMacCleaner.plist
  8. Use the Go to Folder lookup feature again to navigate to the folder named ~/Library/LaunchAgents. When this path opens, look for the same entries (see above) and send them to Trash
  9. Similarly, go to the ~Library/Application Support folder. Locate and move the following entries to Trash:
    • Advanced Mac Cleaner
    • amc
  10. Click the Go button again, but this time select Applications on the list. Find the entry for Advanced Mac Cleaner entry on the interface, right-click on it and select Move to Trash. If user password is required, go ahead and enter it
  11. Now go to Apple Menu and pick the System Preferences option
  12. Select Accounts and click the Login Items button. Mac OS will come up with the list of the items that launch when the box is started up. Locate Advanced Mac Cleaner there and click on the '-' button

Use automatic tool to completely uninstall Advanced Mac Cleaner from your Mac

  1. Download and install MacBooster application (read review). The tool provides both optimization and security features for your Mac. Before you get down to obliterating Advanced Mac Cleaner virus proper, consider checking your machine for other security risks and performance issues by hitting the Scan button. Download Now
  2. Proceed to the Uninstaller feature, find Advanced Mac Cleaner on the Applications list and have MacBooster completely eliminate all components of the app from your Mac by clicking Uninstall in the bottom part of the GUI. Doing so will ensure all components of the malware and its remainders, which may have not been removed in the manual way, will be thoroughly cleaned up.

FAQ

Unlike benign software, Advanced Mac Cleaner is a stubborn app that attempts to complicate the uninstall process. It means that you need to circumvent its hindrance before deleting the associated components and files. This adds an extra step to the removal logic. In most cases, the following workflow does the trick:

  • Open the Activity Monitor, find an entry named “helperamc”, “hlpramc” or another process with “amc” part in its name, and quit the malicious executable.
  • Look for related files (com.pcv.hlpramc.plist, com.pcv.helperamc.plist, com.pcv.amcuninstall.plist, com.PCvark.AdvancedMacCleaner.plist, Advanced Mac Cleaner, amc) in the LaunchAgents and Application Support folders. Remove these objects if found.
  • Go to the Finder and select Applications. Spot ‘Advanced Mac Cleaner’ app and move it to the Trash. Empty the Trash when done.

Ideally, this technique should eradicate the scareware, but with the caveat that the files may vary as new versions of Advanced Mac Cleaner appear in the wild. Stay tuned for updates in the guide above to make sure your removal efforts are effective.

Advanced Mac Cleaner is a rogue system utility that wrongfully purports to look for and fix Mac performance issues and privacy risks. Instead of carrying through with these promises, it reports non-existent problems and tries to pressure the user into buying its licensed version to unlock the repair features. This scareware is installed behind the user’s back, usually arriving with complex app bundles camouflaged as one useful program.

At first sight, it may seem that the impact of Advanced Mac Cleaner is restricted to annoying scan reports and scary-looking popup alerts. That’s a misconception. This fake optimizer isn’t safe to use, because it can harvest your sensitive information and send it to the cybercriminals in charge of the campaign. Your usernames and passwords, as well as credit card information, are potentially at risk as long as this pest is running on your Mac.

No, it’s not. The huge amount of negative feedback about this program speaks volumes about its dirty practices, not to mention the obvious elements of foul play in its modus operandi. Advanced Mac Cleaner is distributed via covert software bundles and fake virus alerts shown on numerous malicious websites. Once installed, it deluges the host system with deceptive scans and popup alerts reporting hundreds or even thousands of imaginary performance and security issues. The objective of this brainwashing is to coerce the victim to purchase the app’s license, which is supposedly a prerequisite of addressing the detected threats. Another shady quirk is that Advanced Mac Cleaner is harder to uninstall than regular Mac applications. All in all, this scareware is neither legit nor safe.