Safari preferences are in the Safari menu at the top of your screen, not in System Settings

On a Mac, open Safari and look at the menu bar at the very top of your screen. Click Safari (the word itself, not the icon in your dock), then select Settings from the dropdown menu. On an iPhone or iPad, you cannot access Safari's own settings this way — instead, go to the device's main Settings app, scroll down to find Safari, and tap it. The settings available on mobile are fewer and more limited than on Mac.

This matters because many people look for Safari settings in the wrong place. On Mac, the System Settings app (the gear icon) does not contain Safari preferences — that app is for your computer's general settings like display brightness and network. Safari keeps its own settings separate, inside the browser itself.

Key Takeaways

  • On Mac, click Safari in the menu bar at the top of your screen, then select Settings to open the preferences window.
  • On iPhone or iPad, open the main Settings app, scroll down to Safari, and tap it to see available options.
  • Common preferences you can change include your homepage, search engine, privacy settings, and which cookies to accept.
  • Some settings like autofill information and password management are stored in iCloud Keychain and synced across your Apple devices.

What you can change in Safari Settings on Mac

The Settings window has several tabs across the top. The General tab controls your homepage, what happens when you open a new tab, and which search engine Safari uses by default. The Tabs tab lets you decide whether links open in new tabs or new windows. The AutoFill tab manages whether Safari remembers your contact information, usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers.

The Privacy tab is where you control how Safari handles tracking and cookies. You can choose to block all cookies, allow only cookies from sites you visit, or allow all cookies. You can also turn on Prevent cross-site tracking, which stops advertisers from following you across different websites. The Security tab lets you decide whether to warn you about fraudulent websites and whether to allow JavaScript on pages you visit.

The Extensions tab shows any browser extensions you have installed and lets you turn them on or off. The Advanced tab contains less common settings like whether to show the full web address in the address bar and which file types Safari should open automatically.

What you can change in Safari Settings on iPhone and iPad

Mobile Safari has fewer options than the Mac version. In the Settings app under Safari, you can change your search engine, set a homepage, control whether Safari saves your browsing history, and manage AutoFill for passwords and contact information. You can also turn on Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement, which limits how much data advertisers collect about your browsing.

One important setting on mobile is Block All Cookies. If you turn this on, some websites may not work properly because they rely on cookies to remember you. A middle ground is to leave it off but use Prevent Cross-Site Tracking, which is turned on by default and stops advertisers from following you between sites.

Passwords and payment information on iPhone and iPad are managed through the main Settings app under Passwords and Wallet & Apple Pay, not inside Safari Settings itself. These sync across your Apple devices through iCloud Keychain.

How to change your default search engine

On Mac, open Safari Settings, click the General tab, and look for the dropdown menu labeled Search engine. Your options are Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia. Select whichever you prefer. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Safari, scroll to Search Engine, and tap your choice.

This setting only affects searches you type in the address bar when you have not entered a full web address. If you go directly to Google's website or use Google's search box on a webpage, Safari will not override that choice. Changing your default search engine does not affect which search results you see — it only changes which company's search tool Safari uses when you search from the address bar.

How to manage cookies and tracking

On Mac, go to Safari Settings > Privacy. The Cookies and website data section has three options: Always block, Allow only websites you visit, and Always allow. Most people use the middle option, which lets websites you intentionally visit store cookies but blocks third-party trackers. If you choose Always block, you may find that some websites do not work correctly or ask you to log in repeatedly.

Below that, turn on Prevent cross-site tracking. This tells websites not to share your browsing data with advertisers. It is on by default on iPhone and iPad. You can also turn on Hide IP address from trackers (Mac only), which masks your location from advertisers, though some websites may not load as quickly.

If you want to clear your browsing history and cookies, go to History in the Safari menu and select Clear History. You can choose to clear history from the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time. This also clears cookies and website data by default.

How to manage passwords and autofill

On Mac, Safari Settings > AutoFill lets you turn on or off automatic filling of contact information, usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers. Your passwords are stored in iCloud Keychain, which encrypts them and syncs them across your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. You do not see or manage them inside Safari Settings — instead, go to System Settings > Passwords on Mac, or Settings > Passwords on iPhone and iPad.

When you save a password in Safari, it goes into Keychain automatically. When you visit that website again, Safari offers to fill in your username and password. If you want to remove a saved password, open Keychain (on Mac, use Spotlight to search for it), find the website, and delete it. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Passwords, find the website, tap Edit, and delete it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Safari menu if I do not see it at the top of my screen?

On Mac, the menu bar appears at the very top of your screen. If you do not see it, move your cursor to the top edge of the screen and it should appear. If Safari is not running, open it first by clicking the Safari icon in your dock or Applications folder. The Safari menu only appears when Safari is the active application.

Can I sync my Safari settings across my devices?

Some settings sync automatically through iCloud if you are signed in with the same Apple ID on all your devices. Passwords, bookmarks, and reading list sync this way. However, general preferences like your homepage and search engine do not sync — you have to change them separately on each device.

What does "Prevent cross-site tracking" actually do?

It tells websites not to share data about your browsing with third-party advertisers and data brokers. Without it, an ad company can follow you from one website to another and build a profile of your interests. This setting does not make you anonymous — websites you visit directly still know you were there.

Why do some websites not work when I block all cookies?

Many websites use cookies to remember that you are logged in, to keep items in your shopping cart, or to remember your preferences. If you block all cookies, these features break. The middle option — allowing cookies only from sites you visit — blocks tracking while keeping websites functional.

How do I remove a website from my AutoFill history?

On Mac, go to Safari Settings > AutoFill, click the relevant section (Usernames and Passwords, Credit Cards, or Contacts), and click Edit. Find the entry you want to remove and click the minus sign next to it. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Passwords, find the entry, swipe left, and tap Delete.