Removing Search Marquis from Mac

For an explanation and illustrations, read Removing "Search Marquis" / "Search Baron" / etc on your own - Apple Community

com.weather.report.plist is questionable too. It — may — be associated with CARROT Weather, a perfectly fine and hilariously entertaining app that I seem to recall evaluating at some point. If you installed that product, that file is almost certain to be ok. Just be aware that scams like "Search Marquis" et al often obscure their purpose through apparently legitimate names. No harm in removing it as long as you adhere to the above instructions (meaning, you can always put it back where it came from).

annameltz wrote:

I have tried on and off for years of various methods to remove it, buying antivirus softwares ...

Never install "anti-virus" products on Macs. Rule 1 of Macs is don't install junk.

Have complete and current backups

Time Machine or otherwise, as the starting point.

Always have backups.

Especially now.

I'd remove any added anti-malware apps, add-on cleaner apps, "pinky promise" VPN apps, add-on firewall alls, and other such.

For the files...

Red: remove.

Green: remove; some old and unnecessary and harmless Apple bits left over from long ago.

If you do have a McAfee app installed here as it might appear, I'd remove that app first using whatever uninstaller or documented manual procedure whatever McAfee version is in use here. Then look for and remove any remaining McAfee plist files.

There are a few of what might be very old versions of old apps installed here, and removing the plist — a mistaken deletion — means at most re-installing the app, or restoring the plist. Preferably reinstalling a current version.

annameltz wrote:

Hello! Thank you so much for going through the lists and letting me know what should be deleted. I deleted (almost) everything you suggested and search marquis still prevails. One plist file that did not want to delete is com.CompuServerforOSX.plist. Could that be the problem? Any idea why it would not want to delete? This is outside my realm. Thanks again!

Start up your Mac in Safe Mode first then delete the com.CompuServerforOSX.plist file.

https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mh21245/mac

Restart your computer and if you are still having the same problem with Search Marquis, post those same 3 screenshots again.

Hello! Thank you so much for going through the lists and letting me know what should be deleted. I deleted (almost) everything you suggested and search marquis still prevails. One plist file that did not want to delete is com.CompuServerforOSX.plist. Could that be the problem? Any idea why it would not want to delete? This is outside my realm. Thanks again!

THIS WORKED!!!!!! You are an absolute life saver. It's embarrassing, but I have had the search marquis problem since 2017. I have tried and gave up and tried and gave up I couldn't tell you how many times. What an absolute treat it is to finally persevere rid of this. Thank you times a million, I hope you have a great rest of your day / night!