By Staff Start here: how to get help on a Mac

[Jack]

Start here: get help with a Mac

New help topics in this forum are opened with Get help. It takes a few minutes, and you can stop and come back later:

1. Answer a few questions about your Mac and what happens.
2. Attach your EtreCheckPro report and a few screenshots. Get help checks them on the spot. Only you and the helpers can open them.
3. A helper replies in your topic. You watch it automatically and get an alert when they answer.

Open Get help →

Good to know​

• You are helped by volunteers in their free time, at no cost to you. Please be patient.
• We don't help with work or school Macs managed by an organization. Contact your IT department instead.
• Pirated apps and "cracked" software are a common source of Mac malware. Tell us honestly what you installed. We will remove the malware, but we won't help keep or repair pirated software.
• Never paste a command into Terminal because a website, video, pop-up or "verification" page told you to, unless a helper in your own topic asked you to. That is one of the most common ways Macs get infected today.
• Only the moderating team and the authorized Malware Removal helpers give removal instructions here. Reply within 3 days, even if only to say you need more time. The forum rules apply.

Do this first​

• If you entered your Mac password into an unexpected window, or ran a Terminal command from a website, change your important passwords from another device you trust. Start with your email and Apple Account, then sign out other sessions and turn on two-factor authentication.
• Don't delete files or apps by hand yet. The report is more useful while everything is still in place.

Reference: the preparation steps​

Get help asks for exactly this. Helpers can link this part when a member needs the steps again.

Run EtreCheckPro​

1. Download EtreCheckPro (free download) from the official Etresoft site, open the ZIP and move EtreCheckPro to the Applications folder.
2. Open it and run a report. You don't need the paid upgrade.
3. When asked, give it Full Disk Access (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access), so the report can see startup items.
4. When the report is ready, save or copy it as text.

Notification spam? Check this too​

Most "update-macos", "virus found" or similar notifications come from a website that you once allowed to send notifications, not from malware.

• Safari: Safari → Settings → Websites → Notifications. Screenshot the list.
• Chrome: type chrome://settings/content/notifications in the address bar. Edge: edge://settings/content/notifications. Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Notifications. Screenshot the list of allowed sites.

Screenshots that help​

• The pop-up or notification itself.
• System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions: both the "Open at Login" and "Allow in the Background" lists.
• System Settings → Privacy & Security → Profiles (or System Settings → General → Device Management): only if any profile is listed.
• Your browser's extensions page.

Optional: if you already use Malwarebytes for Mac, update it, run a scan and include what it found. Before posting screenshots, cover any email address or account name in them.