Charles Martin2

Q: Can I stop Google from changing my searches?

I don't know exactly when it started, but not too long ago I noticed that when I type a search in the Safari address bar to do a Google search, Google replaces what I type with encoding that makes it impossible to copy and paste the search terms, or to modify the search by replacing a word, etc. I found a Safari extension, Clean Links, that looks like just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately it does not work. And I have found no other extensions that deal with this inconsiderate hack by Google. Is there a solution out there that I just have not found?

 

Chuck

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2), 3.1 GHz, 8 GB

Posted on May 4, 2016 12:09 PM

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Q: Can I stop Google from changing my searches?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit May 4, 2016 12:43 PM in response to Charles Martin2
    Level 10 (122,107 points)
    Apple Music
    May 4, 2016 12:43 PM in response to Charles Martin2

    "Google replaces what I type with encoding that makes it impossible to copy and paste the search terms, or to modify the search by replacing a word, etc"

     

    You may have a Safari extension or third party plug-in installed that's causing a conflict.

     

     

    From the Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Extensions tab. Uninstall one extension at a time, quit and relaunch Safari to test.

     

     

    If it's not an extensions issue, try troubleshooting third party plug-ins.

     

    Back to Safari > Preferences. This time select the Security tab. Deselect:  Allow plug-ins. Quit and relaunch Safari to test.

     

    If that made a difference, instructions for troubleshooting plugins here.

  • by Charles Martin2,

    Charles Martin2 Charles Martin2 May 4, 2016 12:52 PM in response to Carolyn Samit
    Level 1 (44 points)
    Safari
    May 4, 2016 12:52 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

    Thanks for the ideas. Unfortunately, deleting the only other extension I had and disabling plug-ins did not change the behavior. I don't have a lot of stuff installed on my system, although I suppose it could be something outside Safari. I can't find any information about the CleanLinks extension, so I don't know if it is old or recent.

  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit May 4, 2016 12:54 PM in response to Charles Martin2
    Level 10 (122,107 points)
    Apple Music
    May 4, 2016 12:54 PM in response to Charles Martin2

    Just in case, check for malware...

     

    You can download the free malware removal utility here >  https://www.malwarebytes.org/

     

    Or, if you would rather not download MalwareBytes, follow the instructions removing malware manually here   >  Remove unwanted adware that displays pop-up ads and graphics on your Mac

  • by Charles Martin2,

    Charles Martin2 Charles Martin2 May 4, 2016 1:05 PM in response to Carolyn Samit
    Level 1 (44 points)
    Safari
    May 4, 2016 1:05 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

    Thanks for the pointer. The article you link to says to remove adware, install the newest version of El Capitan and restart. That did not fix the issue either, sad to say.

     

    I wonder, though, do other people also find that Google changes their search results? If not, then I need to look closer at my computer. My assumption from the existence of a Safari extension to solve the problem that it was universal, but no one has confirmed that.

     

    Just to illustrate, when I type in "Google changes searches" in the Safari address/search bar, it changes to:

     

    "https://www.google.com/?client=safari#q=google+changes+searches"

     

    Does that happen to you as well?

  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit May 4, 2016 1:14 PM in response to Charles Martin2
    Level 10 (122,107 points)
    Apple Music
    May 4, 2016 1:14 PM in response to Charles Martin2

    I posted two links. The first one offers a free Download of MalwareBytes that you can run to remove adware and malware. You should do that so you can rule out adware or malware as the problem.

     

    It only takes a minute.

  • by Charles Martin2,

    Charles Martin2 Charles Martin2 May 4, 2016 1:38 PM in response to Carolyn Samit
    Level 1 (44 points)
    Safari
    May 4, 2016 1:38 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

    Thanks for the link, but it found nothing. But does Safari behave the same on your Mac?

  • by pinkstones,

    pinkstones pinkstones May 4, 2016 1:52 PM in response to Charles Martin2
    Level 5 (4,209 points)
    Safari
    May 4, 2016 1:52 PM in response to Charles Martin2

    Please post the results of your EtreCheck report.  It's a diagnostics tool developed by a trusted and respected contributor here, and it will allow us to see what is installed on your hard drive in the way of applications, drivers, plugins, extensions, etc.  No sensitive issue is included in the report.

  • by Charles Martin2,

    Charles Martin2 Charles Martin2 May 5, 2016 6:45 AM in response to pinkstones
    Level 1 (44 points)
    Safari
    May 5, 2016 6:45 AM in response to pinkstones

    The EtreCheck report is below, but I still would like to have someone tell me whether they have this problem or not. If no one else has it, or not everyone does, then I know the cause is my computer, but if everyone has the same thing, it isn't a problem with my computer. Can someone please say that they do, or do not, have this problem?

     

    EtreCheck version: 2.9.12 (265)

    Report generated 2016-05-05 09:08:42

    Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

    Runtime 1:36

    Performance: Excellent

     

    Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.

    Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

     

    Problem: Other problem

    Description:

    Google changing searches in Safari

     

    Hardware Information:

        MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

        [Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]

        MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro12,1

        1 3.1 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 2-core

        8 GB RAM Not upgradeable

            BANK 0/DIMM0

                4 GB DDR3 1867 MHz ok

            BANK 1/DIMM0

                4 GB DDR3 1867 MHz ok

        Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

        Wireless:  en0: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

        Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 21

     

    Video Information:

        Intel Iris Graphics 6100

            SyncMaster 2048 x 1152 @ 60 Hz

            DELL 2405FPW 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz

     

    System Software:

        OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 (15E65) - Time since boot: about 3 days

     

    Disk Information:

        APPLE SSD SM0512G disk0 : (500.28 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB

            Macintosh HD (disk1) / : 499.06 GB (272.39 GB free)

                Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked

                Core Storage: disk0s2 499.42 GB Online

     

    USB Information:

        VIA Labs, Inc.          USB3.0 Hub              4 TB

            VIA Labs, Inc.          USB3.0 Hub             

            Seagate BUP Fast HDD 4 TB

            EFI (disk2s1) <not mounted> : 315 MB

            Boot OS X (disk2s3) <not mounted> : 134 MB

            Roberta (disk4) /Volumes/Roberta : 4.00 TB (1.84 TB free)

                Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked

                Core Storage: disk2s2 4.00 TB Online

            Seagate Expansion Desk 4 TB

            EFI (disk3s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Boot OS X (disk3s3) <not mounted> : 134 MB

            Vidalia (disk5) /Volumes/Vidalia : 4.00 TB (1.84 TB free)

                Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked

                Core Storage: disk3s2 4.00 TB Online

        Broadcom Corp. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

        VIA Labs, Inc.          USB2.0 Hub             

            VIA Labs, Inc.          USB2.0 Hub             

                Kensington      Kensington USB/PS2 Orbit

                Apple Inc.       Apple USB Ethernet Adapter

     

    Thunderbolt Information:

        Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

     

    Gatekeeper:

        Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Kernel Extensions:

            /Applications/Tunnelblick.app

        [not loaded]    net.tunnelblick.tap (20141104 (Tunnelblick build 4558) - 2016-04-26) [Support]

        [loaded]    net.tunnelblick.tun (20141104 (Tunnelblick build 4558) - 2016-04-26) [Support]

     

            /Library/Application Support/VirtualBox

        [loaded]    org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxDrv (5.0.16 - 2016-03-10) [Support]

        [loaded]    org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetAdp (5.0.16 - 2016-03-10) [Support]

        [loaded]    org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxNetFlt (5.0.16 - 2016-03-10) [Support]

        [loaded]    org.virtualbox.kext.VBoxUSB (5.0.16 - 2016-03-10) [Support]

     

    System Launch Agents:

        [not loaded]    7 Apple tasks

        [loaded]    145 Apple tasks

        [running]    86 Apple tasks

     

    System Launch Daemons:

        [not loaded]    45 Apple tasks

        [loaded]    147 Apple tasks

        [running]    96 Apple tasks

     

    Launch Agents:

        [not loaded]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer.plist (2016-04-08) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer_desktop.plist (2016-04-08) [Support]

     

    Launch Daemons:

        [loaded]    com.barebones.authd.plist (2016-02-23) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.malwarebytes.MBAMHelperTool.plist (2016-05-04) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist (2015-06-04) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.teamviewer.Helper.plist (2016-02-01) [Support]

        [not loaded]    com.teamviewer.teamviewer_service.plist (2016-04-08) [Support]

        [loaded]    net.tunnelblick.tunnelblick.tunnelblickd.plist (2016-02-22) [Support]

        [not loaded]    org.virtualbox.startup.plist (2016-03-10) [Support]

     

    User Launch Agents:

        [loaded]    net.tunnelblick.tunnelblick.LaunchAtLogin.plist (2016-02-18) [Support]

        [not loaded]    org.virtualbox.vboxwebsrv.plist (2016-03-10) [Support]

     

    User Login Items:

        Quicksilver    Application  (/Applications/Quicksilver.app)

        iTunesHelper    Application  (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

        Dropbox    Application  (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

        aText    Application  (/Applications/aText.app)

        Box Sync    Application  (/Applications/Box Sync.app)

     

    Other Apps:

        [loaded]    com.adobe.Acrobat.Pro.70752

        [running]    com.blacktree.Quicksilver.129632

        [running]    com.box.sync.47072

        [running]    com.getdropbox.dropbox.19232

        [loaded]    com.microsoft.Word.53792

        [running]    com.microsoft.autoupdate.fba.81632

        [running]    com.producteev.Producteev.128032

        [loaded]    com.trankynam.aText.101472

        [running]    net.tunnelblick.tunnelblick.2272

        [loaded]    org.libreoffice.script.51232

        [loaded]    399 Apple tasks

        [running]    224 Apple tasks

     

    Internet Plug-ins:

        Default Browser: 601 - SDK 10.11 (2016-04-13)

        QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-04-13)

        SharePointBrowserPlugin: 14.6.3 - SDK 10.6 (2016-04-20) [Support]

     

    Safari Extensions:

        Clean Links for Google - Dennis Umetzu - http://www.umetzu.com (2016-05-04)

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes:

        None

     

    Time Machine:

        Mobile backups: OFF

        Auto backup: YES

        Volumes being backed up:

            Macintosh HD: Disk size: 499.06 GB Disk used: 226.66 GB

        Destinations:

            Roberta [Local]

            Total size: 4.00 TB

            Total number of backups: 139

            Oldest backup: 10/29/13, 9:37 AM

            Last backup: 5/5/16, 7:33 AM

            Size of backup disk: Excellent

                Backup size 4.00 TB > (Disk size 499.06 GB X 3)

     

            Vidalia [Local]

            Total size: 4.00 TB

            Total number of backups: 138

            Oldest backup: 10/29/13, 9:37 AM

            Last backup: 5/5/16, 8:35 AM

            Size of backup disk: Excellent

                Backup size 4.00 TB > (Disk size 499.06 GB X 3)

     

    Top Processes by CPU:

            10%    Producteev

             9%    WindowServer

             7%    launchd

             4%    kernel_task

             1%    Box Sync Monitor

     

    Top Processes by Memory:

        1.49 GB    com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(11)

        1.13 GB    kernel_task

        254 MB    Mail

        205 MB    Skype

        205 MB    mds_stores

     

    Virtual Memory Information:

        283 MB    Free RAM

        7.72 GB    Used RAM (1.83 GB Cached)

        610 MB    Swap Used

     

    Diagnostics Information:

        May 2, 2016, 10:31:36 AM    Self test - passed

     

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root May 5, 2016 6:50 AM in response to Charles Martin2
    Level 9 (71,467 points)
    iTunes
    May 5, 2016 6:50 AM in response to Charles Martin2

    Try going to Safari/Preferences/Search and uncheck the box Include search engine suggestions.

  • by pinkstones,

    pinkstones pinkstones May 5, 2016 8:38 AM in response to Charles Martin2
    Level 5 (4,209 points)
    Safari
    May 5, 2016 8:38 AM in response to Charles Martin2

    I've never experienced what you're experiencing, and I'm running 10.11.4 with Safari 9.1.  I don't see anything in your EtreCheck report in the way of adware or specious extensions that would be causing what you're describing.  Have you tried booting your computer into Safe Mode and opening Safari that way?  When you do, do you have the same issues?

  • by Charles Martin2,

    Charles Martin2 Charles Martin2 May 5, 2016 9:27 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (44 points)
    Safari
    May 5, 2016 9:27 AM in response to Eric Root

    Thanks for the promising suggestion, but unchecking it did not change the behavior, unfortunately.

  • by Charles Martin2,

    Charles Martin2 Charles Martin2 May 5, 2016 9:40 AM in response to pinkstones
    Level 1 (44 points)
    Safari
    May 5, 2016 9:40 AM in response to pinkstones

    Thanks for confirming that this is not universal behavior. That explains why numerous searches for the issue were not successful.

     

    And thanks for the save-mode idea. Unfortunately, the behavior remained in safe mode.

  • by pinkstones,

    pinkstones pinkstones May 5, 2016 9:45 AM in response to Charles Martin2
    Level 5 (4,209 points)
    Safari
    May 5, 2016 9:45 AM in response to Charles Martin2

    Charles Martin2 wrote:

     

    Thanks for confirming that this is not universal behavior. That explains why numerous searches for the issue were not successful.

     

    And thanks for the save-mode idea. Unfortunately, the behavior remained in safe mode.

     

    What are "aText" and "Producteev?"

  • by Charles Martin2,

    Charles Martin2 Charles Martin2 May 5, 2016 10:23 AM in response to pinkstones
    Level 1 (44 points)
    Safari
    May 5, 2016 10:23 AM in response to pinkstones

    aText is a partial replacement for SpellCatcher (my favorite software of all time). It is a text expander that lets me create abbreviations that it will replace when I type with the full text. So I could define "sy" to be replaced by "Sincerely yours."

     

    Producteev is a basic project manager program that allows assigning tasks to teams and vice versa. It was recommended to me by a consultant I work with. I'm just learning it, and don't use it much yet.