How to Remove Suspicious Browser Notifications on Mac

Browser Notifications are messages that come from a website. It allows you to get timely updates from sites you frequently visit. It lets website owners to send personalized messages to retain visitors.

However, some hackers may use these to send malicious or fake advertisements.

How do I know if it is fake?

• After closing the notification, the same one will pop up again.
• Pop up ads still appear on your Mac even when your browser is closed.

How do I get rid of it?

1. Use Trend Micro Antivirus One to check your device for any harmful web addresses that might be allowed to send notifications through your web browsers.
   
   

   NOTE: The Dangerous Notification Threats Scan is supported on the browsers Safari, Edge, and Chrome only.

2. After the scan is complete, you'll be prompted to either block or add the identified URL to exceptions. If you're unfamiliar with the website, choose to block it. You'll be prompted to close your browser in order to block the URL.

   

   NOTE: Browsers might still run in the background after you close them. Check the dock for a dot indicating it's active. Right-click and select 'Quit' to close it fully.

   

3. After blocking the dangerous link, restart your Mac for the changes to take effect.

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Submit a ticket to us by clicking Help. We'll get back to you within 24-48 hours via the email address you provide. You can also call or chat with us.

How to manually block dangerous notifications

To prevent dangerous notifications from popping up on your screen, turn off notifications for unfamiliar websites in the browser notification settings.

For Google Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Type chrome://settings/content/notifications in the address bar.
3. Click the ⋮ next to the unfamiliar website, then click Remove.

For Microsoft Edge

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Type edge://settings/content/notifications in the address bar.
3. Click the ... next to the unfamiliar website, then click Remove.

For Safari

1. Open Apple Safari.
2. Go to Safari > Preferences/Settings > Websites.
3. Choose Notifications in the left pane.
4. On the right pane, select the unfamiliar website, then click Remove.

How do I prevent this from happening?

Always check the website from where the pop up is displayed and allow notification ONLY if you want to receive them. Watch out for websites that ask for permission to show notifications before playing a video. This is a trick used by harmful websites to send bad notifications.