Disable extensions in Safari on your Mac
To turn off a Safari extension on your Mac, open Safari and go to Safari > Settings (or Safari > Preferences on older versions). Click the Extensions tab on the left side. You'll see a list of all installed extensions with checkboxes next to each one. Uncheck the box next to any extension you want to disable — it stays installed but won't run.
If you want to remove an extension entirely instead of just disabling it, click the extension name to select it, then click the Uninstall button. The extension will be deleted from your Mac. You can always reinstall it later from the App Store if you change your mind.
Some extensions may ask for permission to access certain websites or your browsing data. If you disable an extension, those permissions are revoked immediately — the extension can't see your activity anymore.
Key Takeaways
- Disabling an extension in Safari Settings keeps it installed but stops it from running, while uninstalling removes it completely.
- On Mac, open Safari Settings, click Extensions, and uncheck the box next to the extension you want to turn off.
- On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > Safari > Extensions and toggle off the extensions you don't want active.
- Disabled extensions no longer have permission to access your browsing data or the websites they were designed for.
- You can disable extensions one at a time to find which one is causing a problem, then uninstall it if needed.
Disable extensions on iPhone and iPad
On iPhone or iPad, the process is slightly different because Safari settings live in the main Settings app, not in Safari itself. Open Settings, scroll down and tap Safari, then scroll down again to find Extensions. You'll see a list of extensions you've installed. Tap any extension name to open its settings.
Inside each extension's settings, you'll see a toggle switch at the top. Turn it off to disable that extension. The toggle shows whether the extension is currently on or off. If you want to remove it entirely, tap Remove at the bottom of the screen instead of just toggling it off.
Some extensions let you choose which websites they work on. If you tap Allow These Websites or Allowed Websites, you can uncheck specific sites to prevent the extension from running there while keeping it enabled everywhere else.
Find out which extension is causing problems
If Safari is running slowly, crashing, or behaving strangely, an extension is often the culprit. The fastest way to find out is to disable all extensions at once, then turn them back on one by one until the problem returns.
On Mac, open Safari Settings > Extensions and uncheck every box. Use Safari normally for a few minutes. If the problem disappears, you know an extension caused it. Then go back to Extensions and check one box at a time, testing Safari between each one. When the problem comes back, you've found the bad extension — uninstall it.
On iPhone, use the same method: turn off all extensions in Settings > Safari > Extensions, test Safari, then toggle extensions back on individually. This takes a few minutes but tells you exactly which extension to remove.
Extensions that need permission to run
Some extensions ask for permission to access specific websites or all websites you visit. When you first install an extension, Safari may show a popup asking you to allow it. You can change these permissions anytime in the extension settings.
On Mac, open Safari Settings > Extensions, click an extension name, and look for the Access section. You can choose to let it run on all websites, specific websites only, or no websites at all. On iPhone, tap the extension name in Settings > Safari > Extensions and tap Allow These Websites to pick which sites it can access.
If you don't want an extension to have any access, the safest option is to disable or uninstall it rather than leaving it installed with limited permissions.
Reinstall an extension you removed
If you uninstall an extension and later decide you want it back, you can reinstall it from the App Store. Open the App Store app on your Mac or iPhone, search for the extension by name, and click or tap Get. Safari will ask you to confirm that you want to add it back.
When you reinstall an extension, it starts with no permissions — you'll need to allow it to access websites again if it asks. Any settings you had configured in the extension before you uninstalled it will be gone, so you may need to set it up again.
Keep in mind that not all extensions are available in every region or on every device. If you can't find an extension you used before, it may no longer be offered in your country's App Store, or it may only work on Mac and not on iPhone.
Why you might want to disable instead of uninstall
Disabling an extension is useful when you want to keep it but don't need it right now. For example, you might disable a password manager while you're on a shared computer, or turn off a shopping extension when you're trying to avoid spending money. You can toggle it back on anytime without reinstalling.
Disabling is also the right first step when troubleshooting. If Safari starts working better after you disable an extension, you know that extension was the problem. You can then decide whether to uninstall it permanently or just leave it off.
Uninstalling makes sense when you know you won't use an extension again, or when it's causing problems you can't fix. Uninstalling frees up a tiny amount of storage space and removes all its permissions, which is slightly better for privacy if you're not using it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will disabling an extension speed up Safari?
It may. Extensions use some of Safari's memory and processing power, especially ones that scan every webpage you visit. If Safari feels slow, disabling extensions one at a time can show you which ones are the heaviest. Uninstalling the slowest ones usually helps more than disabling them.
Can I disable an extension just for certain websites?
On Mac, yes — open Safari Settings > Extensions, click the extension, and change the "Access" setting to "Specific websites" instead of "All websites." On iPhone, tap the extension in Settings > Safari > Extensions and choose which websites can use it. This keeps the extension installed but limits where it runs.
What happens to my saved data if I uninstall an extension?
Most extensions store their data separately from Safari, so uninstalling doesn't erase it. If you reinstall the same extension, your data usually comes back. However, some extensions store data locally on your device and may lose it if you uninstall. Check the extension's documentation if you're worried about losing saved information.
Do I need to restart Safari after disabling an extension?
No. Disabling an extension takes effect immediately — you don't need to close and reopen Safari. The extension stops running right away and won't load on new webpages you visit.
Can I disable extensions on Safari on Windows?
Safari is not available for Windows. If you're using a Windows computer, you're using a different browser like Chrome, Edge, or Firefox, which have their own extension management systems.