Safari default stuck on searchword.news

Might be a corrupt .plist.

Do a backup, preferably 2 backups on 2 separate drives.

Quit the application.

Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J. When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Select Library. Then go to Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist. Move the .plist to your desktop.

Restart the computer, open the application, and test. If it works okay, delete the plist from the desktop.

If the application is the same, return the .plist to where you got it from, overwriting the newer one.

Thanks to leonie for some information contained in this.

If that doesn't work, try running this program in her normal account, then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by etresoft, a frequent contributor. Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. On the screen with Options, please open Options and check the bottom 2 boxes before running. Click “Share Report” button in the toolbar, select “Copy Report” and then paste into a reply. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown.

Etrecheck – System Information

1. Use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac to remove adware/malware.

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

Download, install , open, and run it by clicking “Scan” button to remove adware.

Once done, quit Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

2. Safari > Preferences > Extensions

If you find “Viewfinder” extension, select and uninstall it.

3. Safari > Preferences > Search > Search engine:

Select your preferred search engine.

4. Visit the site you want it to be the Home page

Safari > Preferences > General > Homepage

Click the button “Set to Current Page” button.

5. Restart your Mac.