How to remove Ribbon.app (Mac)

What is Ribbon.app

Ribbon.app is a type of adware designed to generate revenue for its developers through intrusive advertising practices. Often categorized under the Pirrit adware family, it operates by displaying various types of ads, such as pop-ups, banners, and overlays, on users’ browsers and desktops. This advertising-supported software can compromise user privacy by collecting sensitive information, including browsing history and personal details, which may be shared with third parties. While it may appear harmless at first glance, the presence of Ribbon.app poses significant risks, including system slowdowns and potential exposure to malicious content. Users may unknowingly install this adware through bundled software or deceptive online ads, emphasizing the need for vigilance during downloads. Removal of Ribbon.app is crucial to restoring normal system functionality and safeguarding personal information.

How Ribbon.app infects Mac computers

Ribbon.app infects Mac systems primarily through deceptive distribution methods, often bundled with legitimate software downloaded from unofficial or dubious sources. Users may inadvertently install adware by selecting “Quick” or “Easy” settings during software installation, which can allow Ribbon.app to bypass user consent. Additionally, it can be propagated via intrusive pop-up ads or misleading promotional pages that exploit rogue advertising networks. Once installed, Ribbon.app can generate unwanted advertisements and track user behavior, posing significant privacy risks. The adware’s ability to execute scripts through clicked advertisements can further facilitate its installation without the user’s knowledge. Awareness of these tactics is crucial for users to protect their devices from such intrusive malware.

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

Remove Ribbon.app manually for free

Note: Ribbon.app sets up to start on macOS 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 “Ribbon.app” entry. Select it, and click the “-“ (minus) button to remove it.

Note 2: Ribbon.app 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 Ribbon.app in the list.
3. Click Force Quit button.

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

Remove Ribbon.app from Applications

Remove Ribbon.app from Mac:

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

Cannot uninstall Ribbon.app

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

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

Remove Ribbon.app add-on from your browsers

Removing Ribbon.app 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 Ribbon.app 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 Ribbon.app 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 Ribbon.app 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 Ribbon.app extension.
4. Click Disable or Remove button.

Reset browser settings

To finish Ribbon.app 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 the 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 Ribbon.app


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


Download AdGuard for Mac to block malicious pop-ups, that promote Ribbon.app

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 Ribbon.app in browsers.

Download AdGuard for Mac

How to protect Mac OSX from adware, like Ribbon.app

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.

Download Malwarebytes for Mac