Q: search genius:  what is it?

You've probably installed some kind of adware. This might help. If it doesn't, report back.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/antimalware/mac/

Don't use any kind of "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" product on a Mac. There is never a need for it, and relying on it for protection makes you more vulnerable to attack, not less.

You may have installed the "Search Genius" malware. Please take the steps below to disable it. This procedure may leave a few small files behind, but they have no effect, and trying to remove them all would be more trouble than it's worth.

Malware is always changing to get around the defenses against it. This procedure works as of now, as far as I know. It may not work in the future. Anyone finding this comment a few days or more after it was posted should look for a more recent discussion, or start a new one.

Back up all data before continuing.

1. Triple-click the line below on this page to select it, then copy the text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:

~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the Finder, select

          Go ▹ Go to Folder...

from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You may not see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return. A folder named "LaunchAgents" will open.

2. Inside the folder you just opened, there may be one or more files with a name that begins as follows:

          com.mediahm

Move any such files to the Trash. There may not be anything else in the LaunchAgents folder; in that case, you can delete the folder, but otherwise don't delete it. Other files in the folder are not necessarily malicious (though they could be, if you also installed some other kind of malware.)

Log out or restart the computer.

3. From the Safari menu bar, select

          Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Extensions

Uninstall all extensions you don't know you need. If in doubt, remove all of them. None is required for normal operation. Do the equivalent in the Chrome and Firefox browsers, if you use either of those.

4. Reset the home page in each of your browsers, if it was changed. In Safari, first load the home page you want, then select

          Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ General

and click

          Set to Current Page

5. "Search Genius" is distributed in the form of a fake updater for "Adobe Flash Player." You may have been prompted by a popup on a website to update Flash. Never follow a prompt on any website to install any software, no matter what you think it is. Software should be downloaded only because you—not someone else—decided that you need it, and then only from the developer's website or from the Mac App Store. Some software, including Flash Player, has a buit-in updater that is safe enough to use, provided that the existing installation came from a reliable source.

6. Along with "Search Genius," you may have installed other malware, such as "Advanced Mac Cleaner," and/or the scam applications "MacKeeper" and "MegaBackup." If you still have problems after taking the above steps, ask for other instructions.

Don't attempt to remove adware manually on a Mac. There is never a need for it, it is more time-consuming, and an incomplete or incorrect removal can have dire consequences. Only do it if you feel very confident in your technological abilities.

Try clicking on the MalwareBytes app, and pressing Command + C to copy. Then open your Applications folder, and press Command + V to paste. If it was copied successfully, then you can remove the original copy, leaving the one in your Applications folder, and double-click to launch it.