How to Fix When Safari Gets Redirected to Bing on Your MacBook

The digital era brings with it immense conveniences, but not without its set of challenges. One such issue many MacBook users occasionally face is unexpected redirections in their browser. Imagine this: you’re all set for a research spree on Safari, Apple’s default web browser, but instead of delving into your preferred search engine’s results, you find yourself suddenly and repeatedly channeled to Bing.

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Not only can this be an interruption to your workflow, but it might also hint at underlying issues with your MacBook’s settings or security. This article offers a comprehensive guide to understand and resolve the puzzling phenomenon of Safari’s unsolicited redirection to Bing.

Why Does Safari Get Redirected to Bing?

Experiencing unexpected redirects in a browser can be both puzzling and frustrating. If you’ve found that Safari, Apple’s default web browser, is consistently redirecting your search queries or homepage to Bing rather than your chosen search engine, several reasons could be at play:

1. Browser Hijacking: This is one of the more common reasons. Malicious software or browser extensions can change your default search engine or manipulate your browser settings to redirect your searches. The motive behind such actions can range from revenue generation for the hijacker (via ad clicks) to more nefarious purposes.
2. Accidental Changes: You might have unintentionally changed your default search engine. Safari allows users to select their preferred search engine, and it’s possible to inadvertently switch it.
3. Software Updates: Sometimes, after an OS or browser update, settings may revert to defaults or undergo changes based on the update’s programming.
4. Installed Applications: Some applications, especially free ones bundled with additional software, might change your browser settings upon installation. This is often stated in the fine print of user agreements, which many overlook.
5. Malicious Profiles: On some iOS devices, malicious profiles can be installed which control certain aspects of the device, including redirecting web traffic.

It’s essential to approach browser redirects with caution. While Bing itself is a legitimate search engine, consistent, unwanted redirection to any site can indicate underlying issues that may compromise your device’s security and your digital privacy.

How to Fix When Safari Gets Redirected to Bing

Change Your Search Engine

Just like the iPad and iPhone, you can also change search engine in Safari on the Mac. Of course, you can use a different browser such as Chrome or Firefox, but Safari provides the most cohesive experience for Apple users. Here’s how you can switch up your search engine provider on the Mac:

1. Open the Safari app on your Mac.
2. In the Menu Bar, click the Safari button.
3. From the drop-down menu that appears, highlight and select Settings…
4. In the window that appears, click the Search button in the Menu Bar.
5. Click the drop-down box next to Search engine.
6. Select anything other than Bing. The default should be Google, unless you’ve manually changed it before.
7. Exit the Safari Settings window.
8. Close and restart Safari to see if the changes were successful.

You won’t need to restart your Mac or even Safari for the changes to take effect. As soon as you make the changes in the Preferences window, the default search engine will be changed. Just start typing in the Omnibox, hit Enter, and start using your newly-selected service.

Clear Safari Browser History and Cache

As you traverse the digital world via Safari, the browser diligently stores snippets of information, forming a cache, and remembers the websites you’ve visited in its history. While this facilitates quicker load times and easy revisits to previously explored pages, there might be occasions where you’d want to start afresh, be it for performance reasons, privacy concerns, or troubleshooting issues. This section delves deep into guiding you on how to clear both the browser history and cache, ensuring a clean slate for your Safari browsing experience.

1. Open Safari on your Mac.
2. Click History in your Menu Bar.
3. At the bottom of the drop down menu that appears, highlight and select Clear History…
4. From the window that appears in Safari, click the drop-down menu next to Clear.
5. Select one of the following:
   • Last Hour
   • Today
   • Today and Yesterday
   • All History
6. Click the Clear History button.
7. Once complete, close and restart the Safari app.
8. Click Safari in your Menu Bar.
9. From the drop down that appears, highlight and select Settings….
10. In the top menu, click Advanced.
11. At the bottom of the window, click the checkbox next to Show features for web developers.
12. Once enabled, click Develop from the Menu Bar on your Mac.
13. From the drop-down menu that appears, highlight and select Empty Caches.

Regularly clearing your Safari browser’s history and cache is a simple yet effective measure. Not only does it protect your privacy, especially if you share your device with others, but it also helps in resolving potential browser glitches and keeps Safari running smoothly.

Check Activity Monitor For Anything Suspicious

The macOS Activity Monitor acts as a window into your MacBook’s operations, offering a real-time overview of system processes, applications in use, memory management, and much more. While it’s a powerful tool for gauging performance, it’s also a crucial asset in identifying potential malicious or unwanted activities running in the background.

1. Open the Finder app on your Mac.
2. In the sidebar on the left, click Applications.
3. Scroll down and open the Utilities folder.
4. Double-click the Activity Monitor app to open it.
5. Wait a few moments. Go through the list of running processes.
6. If you notice something that you don’t recognize, select it to highlight it.
7. In the menu bar at the top of the Activity Monitor window, click the Stop button.
8. From the pop-up window that appears, click the Quit button.
9. If that doesn’t work and the process continues to appear, select it again, click the Stop button, then the Force Quit button.

Utilizing the Activity Monitor isn’t just for tech-savvy individuals; it’s a tool every MacBook user can harness for enhanced security and system insight. By routinely checking and understanding the processes running on your device, you can ensure optimal performance and, more importantly, a safer computing environment. Remember, staying proactive and informed is the first step to thwarting potential threats and system hiccups.

Remove Unwanted Login Items

Every time you boot up your computer, there are specific applications and services that automatically start up, potentially slowing down the startup process. These are known as ‘login items’. While some of these are crucial for your system’s functionality, others might be remnants from old software or unnecessary processes that simply consume resources. This section will guide you through the process of identifying and removing unwanted login items, streamlining your system’s startup.

1. Open the System Settings app on your Mac.
2. In the sidebar on the left, click General.
3. On the right side of the window, click Login Items.
4. Go through the list of applications under the Open at Login section.
5. If you notice something that you don’t recognize, click on the app name to highlight it.
6. Click the Delete button at the bottom of the section.

From this window, you can also go through the apps that have been approved to run in the background. If there’s an app that’s enabled which shouldn’t be, click the toggle to the Off position.

In some instances, you might notice that you went through the steps above to remove an app from starting up when you login, only to see that it still appears. This can be quite frustrating, but there’s another method for removing these pesky services.

1. Open the Finder app on your Mac.
2. In the Menu Bar, click the Go button.
3. Highlight and select the Go to Folder option.
4. Enter and navigate to the following path:
   • Users/[Your Username]/Library/LaunchAgents
5. Drag and drop anything that you don’t recognize to the Trash.
6. Click the Go button in the Menu Bar.
7. Enter and navigate to the following path:
   • Users/[Your Username]/Library/LaunchDaemons
8. Drag and drop anything that you don’t recognize to the Trash.
9. Restart your Mac.

Maintaining a curated list of login items is pivotal to ensuring a swift and smooth startup for your computer. By periodically reviewing and removing unnecessary entries, you not only boost the initial load time but also conserve precious system resources. Embrace this habit of digital hygiene to keep your machine running optimally and enjoy a faster, clutter-free startup experience.

Delete Unknown Safari Extensions

Extensions enhance Safari’s capabilities, allowing for personalized browsing experiences. However, unknown or unfamiliar extensions can sometimes find their way into your browser, potentially affecting performance or even posing security risks. Recognizing and removing such extensions is vital to ensure a safe and optimized browsing experience.

1. Open the Safari app on your Mac.
2. In the Menu Bar, click the Safari button.
3. From the drop-down menu that appears, highlight and select Settings…
4. In the window that appears, click the Extensions button in the Menu Bar.
5. Go through your list of installed extensions.
6. Click any of the installed extensions that you don’t recognize.
7. On the right side of the window, click the Uninstall button.
8. If you see a prompt that says “The [App Name] Safari Extension extension is part of the [App Name] application.”, click the Show in Finder button.
9. Drag and drop the app into the Trash.

Unfortunately, this won’t solve the problem for apps and related extensions that were installed outside of the Mac App Store. In the event that this happens to you, there’s another option for uninstalling apps and extensions.

However, it means that you’ll need to actually install a different application. This is definitely a backwards way of thinking, but unfortunately, it’s been one of the frustrations with macOS for years.

Nevertheless, if you need to find an app that can uninstall apps, we recommend AppCleaner for Mac. The app is free to download, and will not only remove the application or extension that you are trying to get rid of, but will also remove any related files and folders.