How to block pop-ups in Safari on Mac: per-site and all-website settings explained

Safari keeps its pop-up controls in one place. The same window that sets a rule for one website also sets the default for every other site. Once you know the path, you can change it in a few minutes. This page covers the three choices, the rule that makes conflicting entries matter, and what to do when pop-ups keep showing up anyway.

Where the pop-up setting lives

Apple's guide gives one path. You open Safari's Settings window, go to Websites, and pick Pop-up Windows from the left sidebar. The sidebar can run long, so if you can't see the item, scroll to the bottom of the list.

Apple's current pages say Safari > Settings. Some search results and older guides say Preferences. If your menu says Preferences, compare the labels on your screen with the ones here before you click. Apple's Safari 18.0 guide, written for macOS 15 Sequoia, uses the same labels as the current page.

The three choices, and what each one does

Every pop-up rule uses one of three choices. The pop-up menu beside a site and the menu for all other websites offer the same three. The table shows what each one does and when it makes sense.

Block and Notify is the choice most people miss. Blocked pop-ups stay hidden, but the Show button lets you display them. Apple describes that button only by its icon, so look for the icon, not a text label. With Block, there is no notice and no button to find.

Block pop-ups on one website only

A per-site rule beats the default. That makes it the right tool when most sites should stay quiet but one site needs its window. A bank site that opens a statement in a new window is one example. You can set that one site to Allow and leave the default alone.

Sites with a rule appear under Configured Websites. To change a rule, select the site, click Remove, then set the option you want. Apple's wording makes this two moves: remove the old rule, then set the new one. Doing it in that order keeps the list clean.

Here is a worked example. A news site opens a subscription window every time you load an article. Find that site under Configured Websites, set it to Block, and leave the default as it is. Every other site keeps the rule you chose for it.

Set the default for all other websites

The default applies to every site that has no rule of its own. It sits under the label When visiting other websites. Choose Allow, Block and Notify, or Block from that menu.

Order matters here. Apple says to remove conflicting entries under Configured Websites before you set the default. A site with its own Allow entry ignores the default, so a leftover entry keeps its pop-ups running. Clean the list first, change the default, then test.

Block and Notify is a practical default for most people. It stops pop-ups from opening, and the Show button gives you a way back to a window that a page actually needs. Allow only the few sites that need pop-ups for real work.

Why a site still shows pop-ups after you block it

If you set a site to Block and pop-ups still appear, something else is opening them. Apple gives three checks. Work through them in order, starting with the one you control.

1. Check Configured Websites for the site. Look for an Allow entry you forgot about, since it overrides the setting you chose.
2. Open Safari > Settings > Extensions and review what is installed. Turn off or remove any extension you don't recognize.
3. Open the Applications folder in Finder and look for apps you don't remember installing. Apple says unwanted software may cause pop-ups on a blocked site.

Go slowly with the third check. Remove only apps you can identify and trust. Deleting the wrong app can break something you use every day. If you're unsure about an app, search its name first.

Fake close buttons and pop-ups you can't escape

Some pop-up pages draw a fake close button. Clicking it can open another page or start a download. Apple advises closing the whole window or tab instead.

If a page traps you, use the Search field to go somewhere else. Apple suggests this before you try anything more involved.

Pop-ups can come back the next time Safari opens, because Safari may restore the windows you had open. Quit Safari, then hold Shift while you reopen it. Holding Shift skips restoring windows. Apple names Shift as the only key for this step, and it lists no shortcut for the settings themselves.

When blocking breaks a page you need

Apple warns that blocking pop-ups can also block content you want to see. Login windows, payment steps, and document viewers sometimes open in a new window. A blocked one can leave a page half loaded.

Fix it with a per-site Allow, not by changing the default. Keep the default on Block and Notify, then allow only the site that breaks. The rest of the web stays quiet.

Change one thing at a time. Set one site, reload the page, and see whether the content loads. If you change five settings at once, you won't know which one fixed or broke the page.

Pop-ups on iPhone and iPad

The iPhone and iPad path is different. Open Settings, tap Apps, tap Safari, then turn on the Block Pop-ups toggle. Apple calls this the iOS and iPadOS equivalent of the Mac steps.

The Mac gives you more control, because you can set rules site by site. The iPhone and iPad path in Apple's guide is a single toggle. If you use both devices, set your preference on each one.

How common ad blocking is

Ad blocking is common. eyeo, which makes an ad blocker, estimates that about 1.1 billion people ran ad blockers in Q4 2025. By its count, that is about 30% of internet users. eyeo counts people who took a deliberate step to install an ad-blocking product, so treat the figure as a vendor estimate, not an independent count.

Pop-up blocking and ad blocking are different controls. The pop-up setting handles pop-up windows. Ad blockers are separate tools that you add to Safari as extensions, and the Extensions tab in Safari's settings is where you review them.

Which Safari and macOS versions these steps cover

Apple's pop-up pages do not state a Safari or macOS version, so this page relies on what those pages show. The Safari 18.0 guide uses the same path and labels as the current guide. That is the strongest evidence available from Apple's pages.

The newest release is macOS 27 Golden Gate. According to 9to5Mac, its Safari changes are tab grouping by topic, Notify Me, Describe an Extension, and pull-to-refresh. None of those reports mention pop-up blocking.

If your Safari looks different, check the Apple guide for your version and compare labels. Trust what your screen shows over an older screenshot.

Mistakes people make with pop-up settings

• Changing the default without removing old site rules. The old rule keeps its own setting, so the change seems to fail.
• Choosing Allow for one site to fix a single window, then forgetting it. The rule stays until you remove it.
• Clicking a fake close button. Close the window or tab instead.
• Expecting Block to send a notice. Block hides pop-ups with no notification, so you may never know one was stopped.
• Treating Shift as a blocking key. Apple uses Shift only when you reopen Safari to skip restoring windows.

What to do next

Start with the default. Set it to Block and Notify, then browse your usual sites for a while. Add a per-site Allow only when a page needs it.

Review Configured Websites now and then. Remove sites you no longer visit, since their rules still apply. If pop-ups return after all of this, check Applications and the Extensions tab again.