why removing adware on mac is such a pain?

What kind of web sites are you frequenting? I haven't seen any adware on my computer since I first started using Macs in 1991.

Aug. 2015 topic on adware detection and removal - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7184089

You may not be able to get rid of Mackeeper ads. They are legitimate in that they are part of the websites you may be visiting. For all other types of adware you might try this:

http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php

A secondary and probably less effective option is this Apple support article;

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203987

Ciao.

Sonic,

What you are describing as "adware" is, as others have noted, "normal" linking and redirecting from pages you are going to in your browser. Blame for these redirects are solely the fault of the owners of the websites you are visiting.

There are ways to combat the problem, but by no means, perfect ones. First you can complain to the owners of legitimate websites. But that is unlikely to yield much at all. Better is to use your browser to combat the situation. There are available certain browser extensions an add-ons (i.e. adblock) that place limits on what a website can perform in the way of pop-ups and page re-directs. Details for Safari are here; https://extensions.apple.com/

You must understand that using some of these add-ons have unintended consequences inasmuch as they might prevent a re-direct that is important for you to take advantage of the substance of some sites. Some add-ons have a measure of configuration that permit you to allow specific named sites to be ignored by the add-on.

Other browsers like Firefox have similar capabilities, and more robust add-ons & extensions to tailor the redirect-free and ad-free experience.

You may have installed ad-injection malware ("adware").

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.

Some of the most common types of adware can be removed by following Apple's instructions. If those instructions don't work for you, or if you have trouble following them, see below.

This easy procedure will detect any kind of adware that I know of. Deactivating it is a separate, and even easier, procedure that doesn't involve downloading anything.

Some legitimate software is ad-supported and may display ads in its own windows or in a web browser while it's running. That's not malware and it may not show up. Also, some websites carry intrusive popup ads that may be mistaken for adware.

If none of your web browsers is working well enough to carry out these instructions, restart the computer in safe mode. That will disable the malware temporarily.

Step 1

Please 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. Press return. Either a folder named "LaunchAgents" will open, or you'll get a notice that the folder can't be found. If the folder isn't found, go to the next step.

If the folder does open, press the key combination command-2 to select list view, if it's not already selected. Please don't skip this step.

There should be a column in the Finder window headed Date Modified. Click that heading twice to sort the contents by date with the newest at the top. If necessary, enlarge the window so that all of the contents are showing.

Follow the instructions in this support article under the heading "Take a screenshot of a window." An image file with a name beginning in "Screen Shot" should be saved to the Desktop. Open the screenshot and make sure it's readable. If not, capture a smaller part of the screen showing only what needs to be shown.

Start a reply to this message. Drag the image file into the editing window to upload it. You can also include text in the reply.

Leave the folder open for now.

Step 2

Do as in Step 1 with this line:

/Library/LaunchAgents

The folder that may open will have the same name, but is not the same, as the one in Step 1. As in that step, the folder may not exist.

Step 3

Repeat with this line:

/Library/LaunchDaemons

This time the folder will be named "LaunchDaemons."

Step 4

Open the Safari preferences window and select the Extensions tab. If any extensions are listed, post a screenshot. If there are no extensions, or if you can't launch Safari, skip this step.

Step 5

If you use the Firefox or Chrome browser, open its extension list and do as in Step 4.