How to remove EssenceSkill (Mac)

What is EssenceSkill

EssenceSkill is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that targets Mac devices. It is a type of adware that injects advertisements into websites you visit and redirects your browser search queries. The adware can cause browser slowdowns, frequent crashes, and modify browser settings, such as changing the homepage and installing unwanted extensions. If you suspect that other extensions or unwanted programs may be installed on your Mac, you can use the removal guide provided by our team below. This guide will help you identify and remove any malicious files, adware, and browser hijackers related to EssenceSkill.

How EssenceSkill infected your Mac

EssenceSkill usually finds its way into your system by bundling itself with legitimate Mac software, being installed at the same time. Some of the most common ways for Mac users to acquire EssenceSkill are opening malicious email attachments, downloading fake Adobe Flash players, and accessing drive-by downloads websites.

1. Download EssenceSkill Removal Tool
2. Remove EssenceSkill from Login Items
3. Remove/Uninstall EssenceSkill from Applications
4. Remove EssenceSkill from browsers
5. Reset browser settings
6. Remove EssenceSkill files and folders
7. Block EssenceSkill ads and pop-ups
8. How to protect from threats, like EssenceSkill

Remove EssenceSkill manually for free

Note: EssenceSkill sets up to start on Mac OS startup. Therefore, before starting the removal, perform these steps:

1. Open System Preferences, choose Users & Groups.
2. Choose your account (set up as Current User).
3. Click Login Items tab.
4. Find “EssenceSkill” entry. Select it, and click the “-“ (minus) button to remove it.

Note 2: EssenceSkill won’t quit just by closing it, therefor use Force Quit to end the process.

1. Press 3 buttons at the same time: Option, Command, and Esc (Escape). This is similar to Control-Alt-Delete on a Windows PC.
2. Choose EssenceSkill in the list.
3. Click Force Quit button.

Here is a manual step-by-step tutorial for full EssenceSkill removal from your computer. This works 99% and was checked with the latest versions of EssenceSkill installer on operating systems with the latest updates and browser versions.

Remove EssenceSkill from Applications

Remove EssenceSkill from Mac:

1. In the Finder sidebar, click Applications.
2. EssenceSkill might have an Uninstaller. If you see Uninstall EssenceSkill or EssenceSkill Uninstaller, double-click it and follow the onscreen instructions.
3. Otherwise, drag EssenceSkill from the Applications folder to the Trash (located at the end of the Dock).
4. Then choose Finder > Empty Trash.

Cannot uninstall EssenceSkill

If you can’t uninstall EssenceSkill using instructions above, or it keeps coming back, you can use free AppCleaner for Mac to remove all residual data and libraries of EssenceSkill. Follow instructions below:

1. Download free AppCleaner.
2. Drag EssenceSkill from Applications folder to AppCleaner window.
3. Choose files and folders you want to remove along with EssenceSkill.
4. Click Delete button.

Remove EssenceSkill add-on from your browsers

Removing EssenceSkill from Applications often does not bring the desired effect. It is a browser extension and it may still be active in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Here are instructions on how to remove the EssenceSkill extension from your browsers manually.

Safari:

1. Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
2. Click Extensions tab.
3. Find EssenceSkill extension.
4. Click Uninstall button to remove it.

Google Chrome:

1. Start Google Chrome browser
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) chrome://extensions.
3. Find EssenceSkill extension.
4. Click the trash can icon to remove it.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) about:addons.
3. Choose EssenceSkill extension.
4. Click Disable or Remove button.

Reset browser settings

To finish EssenceSkill removal reset your browser settings to make sure, there are no leftover items in browser folders.

Reset Safari:

1. Start Safari on your Mac, click Safari to open drop-down menu and choose Preferences
2. Go to the Privacy section of Safari’s preferences.
3. Click Remove All Website Data button.
4. In opened window click Remove Now button to remove data stored by websites in Safari.
5. Go to the Advanced section of Safari’s preferences.
6. Click the Show Develop menu in menu bar option.
7. In the menu click Develop and select Empty Caches from this menu.
8. Again, go to Safari menu and choose Clear History….
9. Choose to clear all history and click Clear History button.

Reset Google Chrome:

1. Start Google Chrome browser
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) chrome://settings.
3. Scroll down and find Show advanced settings link.
4. Click on it and scroll down to the bottom again.
5. Click Reset settings button and click Reset to confirm.

Reset Mozilla Firefox:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox browser.
2. In address box type (or copy-paste) about:support.
3. Click Refresh Firefox… button.
4. Click Refresh Firefox to confirm.

Remove following files and folders of EssenceSkill


~/Library/Application Support/.[random_string]/Services/com.EssenceSkill.service.app
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.EssenceSkill.service.plist
/Library/Application Support/.[random_string]/System/com.EssenceSkill.system
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.EssenceSkill.system.plist


Download AdGuard for Mac to block malicious pop-ups, that promote EssenceSkill

AdGuard is the best ad-blocker, internet filtering, and internet security application for macOS. It can cut out unwanted banners from site pages, block pop-ups, stop redirects, and prevent users from visiting potentially dangerous resources. Use it to stop ads promoting EssenceSkill in browsers.

How to protect Mac OSX from adware, like EssenceSkill

Mac OSX is known to be one of the safest operating systems, and for a long time, there was no need for antivirus products for Mac. But with the growing popularity of Mac computers and notebooks and evolving technology, viruses, trojans, adware, toolbars, hijackers, and other malware paved the way for Mac users. We recommend you to use one of the best anti-malware for Mac available – Malwarebytes for Mac.