safari keep loading searchsymphony.com

Hello Mandy_madness,

This Apple Support article has some things to try hopefully leading you to discover the cause and removing it. If Safari on Mac doesn't open a webpage or isn’t working as expected - Apple Support

The private window solution is going to be me most likely solution in my opinion as, removing website data, will clear cache, cookies, local storage, and policy.

"Test with a private window 

A website can store cookies, caches, and other data on your Mac, and issues with that data can affect your use of the website. To prevent the website from using that data, view the website in a private window: Choose File > New Private Window.

If that works, use the following steps to remove the website's data from your Mac. The website can then create new data as needed. If it's a website that you sign in to, make sure that you know your sign-in information before continuing.

1. Choose Safari > Preferences, then click Privacy.
2. Click Manage Website Data.
3. Select the affected website from the list shown.
4. Click Remove.
5. Click Done.
6. Open the website again in a non-private browser window."

A Safari extension could also be the culprit and is mentioned in the linked article.

Also, if possible upgrading your OS X to the most recent possible would help protect against these type of situations. How to get old versions of macOS - Apple Support

I hope this is helpful.

Hello pinkscrub0,

Sorry I did not notice your replies until now. I am glad disabling extensions stoped the issue for you.

Change Extensions preferences in Safari on Mac - Apple Support

Since you now know a Safari extension is the culprit you will need to trouble shoot to discover which is the issue. This will also be a good time to remove old extensions you no longer use or want. This is a good security practice because an extension, in some cases, can be hijacked by a malicious attacker after the developer stops providing security updates.

"Note: To provide some features, extensions may access the content of the webpages you visit. It’s good practice to check which extensions you have installed and make sure you’re familiar with what they do."

To identify the problem extension one-by-one turn each on, closing and re-opening Safari after you turn it on You can then replicate a search with each. Then turn it back off and move to the next until you find the one causing it. Then, uninstall it or move its associated app to the trash then empty your trash, whichever option is available for the extension.

Something else you may want to consider is a malware detection service. I see Malwarebytes recommended here a lot and am tying them out using their free trial period. I cannot speak to how effective it is yet though.

I hope this helps.

The removal didn't work but turning off the extensions as described in the first link did.

thank you. I thought I was going crazy. is there any way to completely remove the search symphony and qsearch (both of them seem to have taken hold. )?

I have an older mac but have kept it up to date.

Thanks for your help!

You are welcome. I am glad this worked for you as many malicious files are much harder to successfully remove!

This didn't work for me. any other suggestions?