Where Safari Preferences Are Located
On a Mac, open Safari and look at the menu bar at the top of your screen. Click Safari (the leftmost menu), then select Settings or Preferences depending on your macOS version. Newer versions of macOS call it Settings; older versions call it Preferences. The keyboard shortcut is Command + comma (⌘,) on any Mac running Safari.
On an iPhone or iPad, Safari preferences are scattered across the Settings app rather than in Safari itself. Open Settings, scroll down, and tap Safari. This screen holds most of the controls you would find in Safari's main preferences on a Mac — things like search engine choice, privacy settings, and autofill options.
If you use Safari on both Mac and iPad, the settings do not sync between them. Changing a preference on your Mac will not change it on your iPhone, so you may need to adjust both devices separately if you want them to match.
Key Takeaways
- On Mac, click Safari in the menu bar, then choose Settings or Preferences; the keyboard shortcut is Command + comma.
- On iPhone and iPad, open the Settings app, scroll down, and tap Safari to reach browser preferences.
- Mac and iPhone preferences do not sync, so you must change settings on each device separately.
- The exact menu name (Settings vs. Preferences) depends on your macOS version, but both lead to the same place.
What You Can Change in Safari Preferences on Mac
Safari's preferences on Mac are organized into tabs at the top of the window. The General tab controls what happens when you open Safari, which page loads as your homepage, and what to do with downloaded files. The Tabs tab lets you decide whether new links open in the same tab or a new one.
The AutoFill tab manages whether Safari remembers your contact information, usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers. The Security tab controls warnings about unsafe websites and whether to allow JavaScript. The Privacy tab shows you what data websites can collect and lets you manage cookies and tracking settings.
The Websites tab is where you grant or deny permission for individual sites to use your camera, microphone, location, or notifications. You can also set rules for which websites can autoplay video or audio. The Extensions tab shows any Safari extensions you have installed and lets you turn them on or off.
What You Can Change in Safari Preferences on iPhone
On iPhone, the Safari settings in the Settings app are fewer than on Mac but cover the most common choices. You can change your search engine, set a homepage, and control whether Safari remembers passwords and autofills credit card information. You can also turn on Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement, which limits how much data advertisers collect about your browsing.
The iPhone settings also include options for blocking pop-ups, enabling Do Not Track requests, and clearing your browsing history automatically when you close Safari. You can choose to clear history and website data every time you quit the app, or leave it alone. Some privacy settings like cookie management are less detailed on iPhone than on Mac.
Finding Extensions and Add-ons in Safari Preferences
On Mac, click the Extensions tab in Safari preferences to see all installed extensions. Each extension has a checkbox next to it — uncheck the box to turn it off without removing it, or click the extension name to see more detailed settings for that specific tool. Some extensions let you choose which websites they run on, or whether they can read your browsing history.
On iPhone, extensions are managed differently. Open Settings, tap Safari, then scroll down to Extensions. Tap any extension to see its settings or to turn it on and off. Not all Mac extensions are available for iPhone, so you may have different extensions on each device.
Resetting Safari to Default Settings
If Safari is behaving oddly or you want to start fresh, you can reset it to its default state. On Mac, open Safari preferences, click the Privacy tab, then click Manage Website Data. You can remove data for specific websites or click Remove All to clear everything. This removes stored passwords, cookies, and cached data but does not change your preference settings themselves.
To reset your actual preferences on Mac, you would need to change each setting back manually — there is no single "reset all" button. On iPhone, you can clear Safari data by opening Settings, tapping Safari, scrolling down, and tapping Clear History and Website Data. Choose whether to clear the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all time.
Common Preference Changes and Where to Find Them
If you want to change your search engine, go to the General tab on Mac or the main Safari settings screen on iPhone. The search engine dropdown is near the top. If you want to stop Safari from remembering passwords, go to AutoFill on Mac or the main Safari settings on iPhone and uncheck the passwords option.
To block cookies, go to Privacy on Mac and choose your cookie policy from the dropdown. On iPhone, this option is less granular — you can only turn cookie blocking on or off, not choose which types of cookies to allow. If you want to see which websites have permission to use your camera or location, click the Websites tab on Mac and select the permission type from the left sidebar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Safari on my Mac look different from my friend's Safari?
Different versions of macOS organize Safari preferences differently. Newer versions use tabs labeled Settings, General, Tabs, AutoFill, and so on. Older versions may have different tab names or organize settings into separate windows. Both versions contain the same controls, just in different places. Check your macOS version in System Settings to see which layout you should expect.
Can I sync my Safari preferences between my Mac and iPhone?
Safari preferences do not sync automatically, even if you use the same Apple ID on both devices. You must change each setting on each device separately. However, your Safari bookmarks, reading list, and browsing history do sync if you turn on iCloud Sync in your Apple ID settings.
Where do I find the option to block ads in Safari?
Safari does not have a built-in ad blocker in its main preferences. To block ads, you need to install an ad-blocking extension from the App Store. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar, select Settings, click the Extensions tab, then click App Store to browse available extensions.
How do I stop Safari from autofilling my credit card information?
On Mac, open Safari preferences, click AutoFill, and uncheck the box next to Credit cards. On iPhone, open Settings, tap Safari, scroll down, and toggle off Credit Cards. You can leave other autofill options like usernames and passwords turned on if you want.
What does "Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement" do?
This setting, available on iPhone and newer Macs, limits how much data advertisers can collect about your browsing behavior. When turned on, it prevents advertisers from building a detailed profile of your interests across different websites. It is turned on by default in newer Safari versions.