How to Allow Pop-Ups on Safari on Mac, iPhone & iPad

Key Takeaways
  • To enhance your browsing experience on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can allow pop-ups in Safari. This can be useful for accessing website features, getting extra information, and not missing important alerts.
  • On iPhone and iPad, toggle off "Block Pop-ups" in Safari settings. On Mac, you can allow pop-ups temporarily, adjust settings for specific websites, or change Safari preferences. Additionally, disable any pop-up blocker extensions.
  • While allowing pop-ups can be beneficial, it's important to balance this with security. Allowing pop-ups on all sites can lead to unwanted ads and security risks.

You might encounter pop-up windows when you use Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Some of these pop-ups can be helpful, while others are just plain annoying.

In this guide, let’s walkthrough and take a look at how to allow pop-ups on Safari for your iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. Whether you want to enable pop-ups for a specific website or for all websites, we’ve got you covered.

How to Allow Pop Ups in Safari

Why You May Want to Allow Pop-Ups on iPhone, iPad, and Mac:

Before we dive into the process of allowing pop-ups in Safari, it’s essential to take a moment to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.

  • Access Website Features: Sometimes, websites use pop-up windows for important features like login screens, search options, or interactive tools. Allowing pop-ups ensures you can use these features seamlessly.
  • Enhance Browsing Experience: Certain websites use pop-ups to display additional information or content. Allowing pop-ups enhances your overall experience by ensuring you see everything the website offers.
  • Avoid Missing Information: Some websites use pop-ups to show critical information, updates, or alerts. Allowing pop-ups ensures you don’t miss out on important messages or announcements.

While pop-ups can be handy, it’s important to be cautious. Allowing pop-ups on all websites can bring in lots of unwanted ads and sometimes make your browsing less enjoyable. Also, if you enable pop-ups on risky websites by mistake, you might face security problems.

READ MORE: 6 Safari Settings you NEED to Know (Safari Tips & Tricks) ➜

How to Allow Pop-Ups on Safari

There are several methods to enable pop-ups in Safari, and we’ve gathered a list of all the available options. Here’s how:

1. Allow Pop-Ups in Safari on iPhone and iPad

Enabling Pop-Ups on Safari for iPhone (iOS) and iPad (iPadOS) is straightforward and doesn’t offer much in terms of customization; it’s essentially an all-or-nothing setting. Here’s how to do it:

  1. On your iPhone or iPad, open your device’s Settings.
  2. Scroll down and select Safari.
    Open Safari Settings on iOS
    Open Safari Settings on iOS
  3. On this page, look for and toggle off the Block Pop-ups option.
    Block Pop Ups Option Safari
    Block Pop Ups Option Safari
  4. With this, the pop-ups are now enabled, now visit the website for which you want to enable pop-ups and continue browsing.


However, we recommend turning the Block Pop-ups setting back on to maintain your device’s security.


2. Show Blocked Pop-Up Windows in Safari on Mac:

We suggest choosing this option, which involves allowing Safari to display blocked pop-up windows temporarily. With this method, you can browse websites in your usual way, and if a pop-up gets blocked, you have the option to manually enable it. Here’s how to proceed:

Allow Pop Ups in Safari
Allow Pop Ups in Safari

On the page you’re browsing, if a button or action triggers a pop-up window, but your pop-up blocker is enabled, you’ll notice a small pop-up icon appearing next to the refresh button in the top search bar. Just click on this icon to open the blocked pop-up window.


3. Enabling Pop-Ups in Safari on Mac through Page Settings

You can also enable pop-ups for a specific website you’re currently visiting by adjusting the settings for that particular site. Here’s how:

  1. Right-click on the address bar for the website you’re viewing.
  2. From the dropdown, select Settings for This Website (this would typically be the domain you’re visiting).
    Right Click on Address Bar Safari
    Right Click on Address Bar Safari
  3. In the next small window that appears, locate Pop-up Windows.
  4. Finally, use the drop-down box to choose Allow, Block, or Block and Notify based on your preference.
    Allow Pop Ups in Safari Mac
    Allow Pop Ups in Safari Mac

READ MORE: 9 of the Most Fun Websites to Cure Boredom & Kill Time!


4. Enabling Pop-Ups in Safari on Mac through Preferences

Lastly, you can set up Safari Preferences to enable pop-ups in the browser. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Simply click Safari in the menu bar and select Preferences or Settings (based on your macOS version)
    Safari > Settings
    Safari > Settings
  2. Next, go to the Websites tab, scroll down, and select Pop-Up Windows.
  3. Configure your preferences for Currently Open Websites and previously Configured Websites by choosing Allow, Block, or Block and Notify.
    Allow Pop Ups in Safari
    Allow Pop Ups in Safari

5. Disable Pop-Up Blockers

Pop-up blockers, including ad blockers, can prevent pop-up windows from appearing while you browse the web. While these blockers can be beneficial for reducing intrusive ads, they may also interfere with legitimate pop-ups that you want to see.

If you’ve installed ad blockers or pop-up blocker extensions and want to allow pop-ups in Safari, follow these steps to disable them:

  1. Open Safari on your Mac.

  2. Click on Safari in the menu bar at the top left corner of your screen.

  3. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.

  4. Go to the Extensions tab in the Settings window.

    Extensions Tab Settings in Safari
    Extensions Tab Settings in Safari
  5. Locate the ad blocker extension in the list on the left-hand side.

  6. To disable the extension, uncheck the box next to its name.

    Disable Ad Blocker Extension in Safari
    Disable Ad Blocker Extension in Safari

You may need to restart Safari for the changes to take effect. To do this, close and reopen Safari.

READ MORE: The 7 Best Web Browsers For Every Kind of User ➜

Conclusion

Enabling pop-ups in Safari on your Apple devices, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, can improve your online experience. It allows you to access specific website features and ensures you don’t miss out on important information. However, it’s crucial to strike a balance between convenience and security.

FAQs

Why do some websites use pop-up windows?

Pop-ups serve multiple website functions, including presenting extra content, facilitating login procedures, offering live chat support, and delivering notifications to enhance the user experience.

Can I enable pop-ups for a particular website only on my iPhone or iPad?

Unfortunately, iOS and iPadOS lack the option to customize pop-up settings for individual websites. Instead, it’s a global setting that allows you to either enable or disable pop-ups across all websites.

What are the potential risks of allowing pop-ups on all websites?

Enabling pop-ups for all websites can expose you to an influx of unwanted ads and potential security threats, particularly when visiting potentially malicious websites.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kamil Anwar


Kamil is a certified MCITP, CCNA (W), CCNA (S) and a former British Computer Society Member with over 9 years of experience Configuring, Deploying and Managing Switches, Firewalls and Domain Controllers also an old-school still active on FreeNode.