how to change safari preferences on mac

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Safari Browser

Simple Steps to Change Your General Preferences on Safari

Last Updated: June 13, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 223,939 times. Learn more...

Do you want to increase your privacy on Safari or maybe make it more useful for you? To change your Safari preferences on an iOS device, you'll need to use your device's Settings app instead of the Safari app. On macOS computers, you can change the settings from Safari's Preferences menu. Both the mobile and the desktop share some similar settings, but the desktop version has many more options available.

Things You Should Know

On an iPhone or iPad, go to your device's Settings app to change the general preferences of Safari.
On Mac, change your general preferences in "Safari > Settings > General."
Changing things like your search engine and preventing trackers will provide you with more privacy and increase your security.

Step 1 Tap the Settings app on your device.

This method works for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
Forgot your iPhone's password? You can reset it in 2 ways !

The "Search Engine Suggestions" toggle will provide search suggestions from your default search engine as you type.
The "Safari Suggestions" toggle provides search suggestions curated by Apple.

Use the Safari app instead of Settings to change how your Home page behaves .

You can enable or disable various search preferences underneath this menu, including using Safari Suggestions.

Step 8 Use the Security tab to enable or disable security settings.

Community Q&A

↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201265
↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/customize-your-safari-settings-iphb3100d149/ios
↑ http://www.macworld.com/article/2042451/exploring-safaris-preferences.html

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New to Mac? How to customize Safari settings

One of the things you want to do when get a new device or computer is customize it. And if you use Safari as your preferred web browser on Mac, it’s no different. You can set an image as your home page or customize the Safari toolbar . These sorts of personalization adjustments can make your experience more pleasant.

If you’re new to Mac and want to know which Safari options you can change to make it just the way you like it, we’re here to help. Here’s how to customize Safari on Mac.

Customizing Safari on Mac

Changing the window settings, working with websites, managing safari extensions, miscellaneous settings.

The simplest way to start with customizing Safari is with the general settings for what you see when you open Safari windows and tabs.

Open Safari and click Safari > Preferences from the menu bar. In the pop-up window, choose the General tab. You can then adjust each of these settings.

Safari opens with : When you open Safari, you can choose to open a new window or a private window. You can also open it with all windows from your last session or just non-private windows from your last session.
New windows open with : If you only open a new window in Safari, you can pick what displays from Favorites to your homepage to a specific folder.
New tabs open with : You can also choose what to see when you open a new tab from things like top sites to your homepage to an empty page.
Homepage : Pop in a URL or click the Set to Current Page button to determine your homepage.
Favorite shows : Choose which folder you want to see for your Favorites.
Top Sites shows : Pick how many top sites to show.

The other few settings on the General tab let you choose how often to remove history and download list items in addition to where you want to save your downloads and if you want to open them automatically.

Safari offers several features for how you want to work with the websites you visit regularly. To check out these options, open Safari , click Safari > Preferences from the menu bar, and choose the Websites tab.

On the left side, you’ll see your various options like Reader, Auto-Play, Notifications, and more. When you pick an option, you can then make your adjustments to the sites that display on the right. These settings let you decide how you want to handle specific items for different websites.

You can do things like:

Reader : Automatically open websites using Reader.
Auto-Play : Stop websites from automatically playing media.
Location : Allow or deny websites from accessing your location.
Downloads : Allow or deny downloads from sites.
Notifications : Show alerts from sites in your Notification Center.

To delete a website from the list, select it and click the Remove button.

After making your changes for those particular sites, you can select an overall setting for each option to apply to other websites that aren’t on the list. Just click the When visiting other websites drop-down box at the bottom and make your choice.

Extensions for Safari are just like add-ons for Firefox or Chrome. They’re third-party tools that you can install for extra features and functions. Those for Safari may not seem as plentiful as other browsers, but you can still find some useful ones.

Open Safari , click Safari > Preferences from the menu bar, and choose the Extensions tab. If you already have some installed, this is where you’ll manage them. You can enable, disable, or uninstall extensions.

To shop for others, click the More Extensions button at the bottom. This will take you directly to that section on the Mac App Store where you can browse the Safari extensions.

Here are settings that you’ll find on the other tabs in Safari Preferences that relate to customization.

Tabs tab : Show site icons on tabs and choose to open pages in tabs or windows when you click a link.

AutoFill tab : AutoFill forms and credit cards.

Passwords tab : View saved usernames and passwords and enable AutoFill for them.

Search tab : Pick your default search engine and Smart Search Field options.

Security tab : Identify fraudulent websites and enable JavaScript.

Privacy tab : Prevent cross-site tracking, block cookies, and enable Apple Pay and Apple Card.

Advanced tab : Show the full website address, enable the Reading List, and select a style sheet.

Wrapping it up

After you finish getting the basics of your Mac set up, you might want to spend a little time customizing the way that Safari looks and works. And since the settings are all in one spot, you can move through each tab and set everything the way you want it.

Are you going to customize Safari on your Mac? Or are there only certain settings that you want to change? Let us know!

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Customize Safari on Mac with this Ultimate Guide

For most Mac owners, Safari is the gateway to the World Wide Web. Given that it’s probably your most used application, knowing tips, tricks and new features is the best way to get the most out of it. While Safari does not have the extension libraries of Chrome, it still has a few tricks up its sleeve for Mac owners. Read on to learn how to customize Safari on your Mac.

1. Pin Tabs

You probably visit a couple of sites on a regular basis, and keeping them close can make it easy to refer back to them. When a tab is pinned in Safari, it stays docked as the farthest-left tab. Pinning a tab is incredibly easy: right-click on any open tab and select “Pin Tab.” Rearranging pinned tabs is as easy as dragging the tabs around one another until you have a setup you prefer.

2. Mute Tabs

We have all been there as you open a new tab expecting to read new content and are instead hit with an auto-play video. In Safari, when a new tab is opened with audio playing, you’ll see a little speaker icon in the tab. Click the speaker icon, and it will automatically mute the tab.

3. Rearrange Tabs

For anyone who has more than a few tabs open at a time, organization can become an issue. To help with this, Safari enables you to get at least some semblance of order.

1. Open the “Window” menu on the Mac bar.

2. Choose “Arrange Tabs By.”

3. You can now choose between “Title” and “Website.”

For many, choosing to sort by website will be the most useful. That way, if you have multiple tabs open, they will all be next to each other.

4. Customize Safari Toolbar

The Safari toolbar is where your most important buttons will go for daily use. That includes your Home button, Sidebar, Tab overview, and so on.

1. Right-click anywhere on the toolbar and select “Customize Toolbar.” You can then drag any item into the toolbar.

2. Once you have dragged all of the icons you want to use, click “Done.” Then, all of your changes will be saved.

5. Change Your Search Engine

Safari, like most browsers, will let you choose between a few different default search engines. Google is the default search engine in Safari, but it’s not your only available option.

1. Go to “Safari -> Preferences” and open the Preferences window.

2. Click the “Search” tab.

3. You will immediately see a drop-down that allows you to choose between Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ecosia, or DuckDuckGo.

At this time, there is no way to add your own search engine. For now, Safari has chosen to add the most popular options.

6. Save Pages as PDFs

If you ever need to export a website as a PDF, Safari makes it super simple. Head to the page you want to save, then click on File and “Export as PDF.”

The last remaining step is to choose where on your hard-drive you want to save the page. You can then refer to the PDF at any time, and it will automatically open in Safari, Preview or your PDF viewer of choice.

7. Handoff Continuity

As Safari is the default browser for iOS and Mac, Apple has long explored how to make it seamless between the two systems. Enter Handoff , Apple’s solution for starting an email on Mac and picking it up on iOS. This also works incredibly well with Safari.

1. Start by signing in to your iCloud account on both devices.

2. On your Mac computer, go to “System Preferences -> General,” and click on the box next to Handoff to allow it.

3. On iOS or iPad OS, go to “Settings -> Handoff” and move the switch so that it’s active.

4. Once activated, you can go about your regular browsing business on your Mac. When you want to pick up wherever you left off on your Mac on your iPhone or iPad, a little icon will appear above your Safari icon. Tap on Safari and it will allow you to select whatever page you want to continue browsing.

Also read: Safari Not Working on Your iPhone? Here’s How to Fix It

8. Reading List

Bookmarks were yesterday’s news. Today, it’s all about Safari’s Reading List. We have all come across interesting articles that we want to read but don’t have time at the moment. Across all Apple devices, Reading List is enabled via the Sidebar icon on Safari on Mac or by using the book icon on Safari on iOS/iPadOS. You can choose the eyeglasses icon to view your entire article list. To add a new article, you have two options on Mac.

1. The first is to hit the “+” sign that appears next to the website URL. The article or site will automatically save itself to your reading list.

2. Alternatively, you can click on the Share Sheet icon, and the first option in the drop-down is “Add to Reading List.” Select that and the article will automatically save itself to your Reading List.

If you want to read these articles offline, say while you are on a plane, go to “Safari -> Preferences -> Advanced” and click on “Save articles for offline reading automatically.”

9. Safari Reader

Safari Reader strips away all of the distractions from any site where it’s available, allowing for an uninterrupted view of your chosen content. Note that it does not work on every website but definitely works on many.

1. To activate Reader, click on the four-line icon that appears next to the “+” button to the left of the URL.

2. A single press of that button will enable Reader view. Clicking on it again will take you out of reader view.

10. Set Custom Safari Icon

If you want to customize your Safari icon, doing so is surprisingly straightforward.

1. While holding down the Ctrl button, click the Safari logo and select “Options -> Show in Finder.”

2. When Finder loads, you’ll find yourself on the Applications page. Click the Safari logo again while holding Ctrl and choose “Get Info.”

to the top-left corner of the Get Info window, you’ll see a tiny Safari icon next to “Safari.app”. Click on it to highlight it, then drag your replacement icon image to replace it.

11. Customize Safari Theme

When you first use Safari on your Mac, you’ll see the standard white and grey interface. This is fine, but it can get a little boring for some users. Fortunately, you can customize your Safari theme in several ways.

Change to Dark Mode

For instance, you can change your browser to show dark mode.

1. Go to the Apple icon in the top left of your toolbar and choose “System Preferences … ” in the drop-down.

2. Select “General.”

At the top of the next window, you’ll see the “Appearance” option. Click on “Dark.”

Change Safari’s Background Image

Another way you can customize Safari’s theme is by tweaking the background image on your homepage.

1. Click on the “+” button in the top right of your Safari browser to open a new page.

2. Select the icon showing three lines with sliders in the bottom-right corner.

3. Make sure the box next to “Background Image” is ticked. Then, choose from one of the custom background images beneath it.

In addition to using the background images included with Safari, you can add your own. Click the “+” icon instead of one of the other images.

Choose the picture you want to have as your background image for Safari.

Once you’ve picked your image, you should see the changes take place immediately.

If you want to clear your background later, you can click on the screen while holding the Ctrl button and choose “Clear Background.”

12. Customize Safari Homepage

Once you’ve customized the theme of Safari, you can fine tune the homepage.

When you see your “Frequently Visited” section, all pages in this area will initially appear as smaller versions of the actual web pages. However, you can make them show up as icons again.

1. Click on one of the pages while holding down the Ctrl button.

2. Select “View as Icons.”

You can also remove some of your Favorites from view. As with changing the “Frequently Visited” pages to icons, click on one of the pages and simultaneously hold the Ctrl button. Select “Delete” from the dropdown menu, and your changes will take effect.

13. Create Custom Bookmark Folders

When customizing Safari on your Mac, you’ll want to think about productivity and not just aesthetics. One of the best ways to organize your most-visited pages is by creating custom bookmark folders to put all of them in.

1. Click on the icon in the top left that sits next to the red, yellow, and green circles.

2. On the bookmark tab, click anywhere while holding Ctrl .

3. Select New Folder and give it a name.

4. Drag to add pages to this folder.

14. Customize Safari Location

Like your iPhone, your Mac can easily track where you are in the world. It uses this for several reasons, such as changing the date and time on your device.

However, websites can also track you – and some users may want them to do so. If you don’t want specific sites knowing where you are in Safari, follow these steps:

1. Click on “Safari” next to the Apple logo and choose “Preferences … ” from the drop-down.

2. Go through your currently open websites and choose whether you want to allow or deny access.

You can also block future visited websites from tracking you. Go to the bottom where it says “When visiting other websites.” If you want to revoke permission, open the drop-down and select “Deny.”

Also read: How to Make Mobile Safari Save Your Passwords on iOS

Frequently Asked Questions

1. can i change the color of the safari browser.

Besides tweaking from light to dark mode, you can’t customize Safari’s color on your Mac without third-party software.

2. Can I change my Mac’s default browser?

Yes. To change your Mac’s default browser, go to “System Preferences -> General -> Default Web Browser.” Open the drop-down and change to the browser of your choice.

3. Why won’t my Safari icon change on my Mac?

In some cases, you may find that the Safari icon on your Mac doesn’t change. You may need to close and reopen the app. If that doesn’t work, try changing the “Read & Write” privileges on your device.

Wrapping Up

Safari is one of the most important native Apple apps, and customizing it will both let you show off your personality and improve productivity. The above tips to customize Safari are only the tip of the iceberg. Don’t forget that you can also add extensions to extend its functionality . Do you use Safari on your Mac or one of the strong alternatives ?

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Danny has been a professional writer for over five years. Now based in Copenhagen, Denmark, he plied his trade working for various companies in the UK — where he was born — before taking the leap into freelancing. He specializes in iOS and Mac.

We explain and teach technology, solve tech problems and help you make gadget buying decisions.

Top 6 Ways to Customize Safari on Mac

With macOS Big Sur and Monterey, Apple positions Safari as the true alternative to Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge . With each iteration of macOS, Apple adds a good amount of new features and customization options to Safari on Mac. Here are the top six ways to customize Safari like a pro on Mac.

Not everyone is a fan of Safari’s new tab management, boring white background, or a simple home screen. With Safari’s personalization options, you can easily tune the Safari experience to your liking. Follow the methods below and make necessary changes to the Safari browser to make it truly yours.

1. Try New Tab Design

With macOS Monterey, Apple is offering a different way to organize your tabs. You can either keep your tabs separate (the default option) or use the compact layout.

Step 1: Open Safari on Mac and click on Safari name in the menu bar.

Step 2: Go to Safari Preferences.

Step 3: From the Tabs menu, select Compact.

You will quickly see the current tabs changing the position to the top with extensions and other items. This is useful for those who want to utilize more space in Safari on Mac.

As for us, we find it quite a busy arrangement when dealing with dozens of tabs, so we moved back to the Separate option.

2. Enable Color in Tab Bar

This is yet another addition Apple added with the macOS Monterey update. You can now enable color in the tab bar. Safari will extract color from the website and show it across the tab bar.

Step 1: Open the Safari Preferences menu.

Step 2: Go to Tabs.

Step 3: Enable Show color in tab bar option.

Again, when you have multiple tabs opened in Safari and are switching among them, you might have a hard time constantly changing colors in Safari tabs. From the same menu, you can revert to the previous method.

3. Customize Toolbar

This is one of the oldest methods to customize the Safari experience on Mac. Open Safari and right-click on a space in the top space. Select Customize Toolbar, and it will open a dedicated toolbar menu.

You can use the toolbar menu to drag and drop relevant functions to the toolbar. Users can even add Flexible space to the Safari toolbar.

We mostly keep the extensions from the left side of the address bar and the Download, Share and Add Tab on the right side.

4. Apply Background Wallpaper

Introduced with macOS Big Sur, Apple allows you to change the default background in the Safari start page. Follow the steps below to change wallpaper in Safari on Mac.

Step 1: Open Safari and click on the hamburger menu at the bottom.

Step 2: Use the scroll bar at the bottom and glance over the default wallpapers to apply in Safari.

Step 3: If you are not satisfied with Apple’s built-in wallpapers, you can click on the + icon and apply a wallpaper from the Mac storage.

Make sure you don’t end up using a funky wallpaper that makes it difficult for you to read text on the Safari home page.

5. Enable iCloud Tabs

This is useful for those switching between Apple devices frequently. If you have Safari tabs opened on iPhone or iPad, you can easily access them from the Safari home page on Mac without going into the History.

Step 1: Go to Safari and click on the hamburger menu at the bottom.

Step 2: Enable iCloud tabs, and you will see the Safari tabs appearing on the home.

From the same menu, you can enable Privacy Report as well. Privacy report states the amount of harmful trackers Safari is blocking during your browsing sessions.

6. Change Search Engine

By default, Safari uses Google to answer your queries. However, Safari isn’t limited to Google only. You can easily change it to Yahoo or DuckDuckGo from the Preferences menu. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open Safari on Mac.

Step 2: Use command + , keys and open the preferences menu.

Step 3: Go to Search.

Step 4: Select the Search engine.

Step 5: You can change from Google to Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Ecosia.

If you are not satisfied with the new search engine, you can always go back to Google from the same menu.

Personalize Safari Experience on Mac

Users can also go ahead and uninstall Safari extensions on Mac. Safari remains our top choice to browse the web on the Mac. If you miss your favorite Chromium extensions, you can consider checking out Chrome or Edge on the Mac . We recommend going with Safari and making relevant changes based on your preferences for the rest of the crowd.

Was this helpful?

Last updated on 07 February, 2022

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

DID YOU KNOW

Parth Shah is an evergreen freelance writer covering how-tos, app guides, comparisons, listicles, and troubleshooting guides on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and smart TV platforms. He has over five years of experience and has covered 1,500+ articles on GuidingTech and Android Police. In his free time, you will see him binge-watching Netflix shows, reading books, and traveling.

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How to use Safari on a Mac

Safari is the web browser app bundled with all Macs as part of macOS. You don’t have to use it – if you prefer to use Chrome or Firefox, for example, you can install those apps for your web surfing needs. But in our experience, Safari is a good option – and as you can see from our round-up of best web browser apps for the Mac , it’s pretty much the best you can get.

If you are new to Safari this article will help you find your way around the app. And if you are a seasoned Safari user we will reveal a few Safari tips and tricks that you might not know, including some of the fab new features in Safari 11, the latest version of Safari for Mac.

If you’d like to read about using Safari on the iPad or iPhone, read this .

How to get the latest version of Safari for Mac

First things first. You will want to make sure you have the latest version of Safari. At the time of writing the most up-to-date version is Safari 11.1.

Here’s how to find out which version of Safari you are running:

Open Safari.
Click on Safari > About Safari in the menu.
The resulting window will reveal the version number.

As long as your copy of MacOS – the Mac operating system – is up to date your copy of Safari should be because Safari is bundled as part of an operating system update.

However, you don’t have to be using the latest version of macOS to have the latest version of Safari. Apple is bundling Safari 11 with High Sierra, Sierra and El Capitan versions of the Mac OS. If you need to update your version of MacOS read this: how to update your Mac operating system software .

Now that you have the latest version of Safari you can start enjoying some of the new features that we will discuss below.

Safari basics

If you are a surfing novice you might want to familiarise yourself with these tips.

We’ll start off with the basics, such as how to get into Safari, how to search, and other useful pointers. You can skip this bit if you aren’t a Safari beginner, there are plenty of tips below that you might find useful.

You can find Safari in the Dock at the bottom of your Mac’s screen. Its icon looks like a compass.

How to use Safari

The big bar at the top of the Safari window is where you can enter a website URL or a search term to either take you directly to a website, or to a list of pages that match your query.

It will automatically search in Google (but you can change it so it defaults to another search engine).

You rarely have to enter a complete URL for a website. Once you have visited a site once you only need to type a few letters of its name and it will autofill the rest of the URL.

For example, type: ‘Face’ and it will autofill the rest of the URL and when you press enter it will take you straight to Facebook.

How to make it easy to find your favourite sites in Safari

There are lots of ways of making it easy to get to websites you frequently visit.

When you open a new tab (see below for details of how to do that) you will see your Favourites view including Frequently Visited Sites. You could also choose to see a Top Sites view, set a Homepage, just see an empty page, or have the Same Page show up. These are all options you can access in Safari > Preferences > General. Just click on the menu beside New tabs open with.

If you choose the Top Sites view you can adjust it to show 6, 12 or 24 sites. To add and remove Top Sites hover over the preview until you see an x and a pin icon. Pin those sites you wish to keep and click x on those you don’t image you will want to find again. The sites that appear in Top Sites tend to be those you visit most frequently.

You can choose one of these views for every time you open a new Safari window.

How to Pin a site in Safari

In Safari you can also ‘Pin’ favourite sites to the menu bar – a simple way of adding a shortcut to Facebook, YouTube or any site you visit frequently.

When you Pin a site you will see a small icon representing that site on the left of your tabs.

To Pin a particular web page right- or control-click on the tab and choose Pin Tab. Then it’s very easy to go straight to that site.

Using tabs in Safari

Back to tabs. You can open multiple tabs in a Safari window, this means that rather than having a different Safari window open for every website you are on, you can just have one Safari window open and multiple pages accessible through that.

To open a new tab press Command + T.

There are two ways that you can see a preview of the different tabs you have open:

You can see a short summary of the name of the web page on the tabs themselves. This might be sufficient if you only have one or two tabs open, but once you have more than eight you’ll probably find the summary is too short to be useful.
Or, you can click on the icon that looks like two boxes on the right of the search/URL box. This will show a thumbnail view of all the web pages you have open.

While we’re on the subject of Tabs, you can close a single tab just by hovering over the tab and clicking on the x that shows up in the corner of that tab.

It’s also possible to close all but one tab. Just hold down the Option/Alt key when you click on the x to get rid of all the other tabs that are open, except for the page on that tab.

How to tell which Safari tabs are playing audio

Not everyone wants to surf the web in silence though. There is lots of very worthy audio and video content available on the web and no doubt many surfers wouldn’t want to miss out on that.

The problem is when you have multiple web pages open and more than one of them is blaring out audio.

Luckily there is another Safari tip to fix that.

You can identify which of your open tabs is playing audio by the speaker symbol that appears in the far right of the Safari tab associated with that web page.

It’s possible to mute the audio with a single click on the speaker symbol without even opening the tab.

And if more than one Safari webpage is playing audio you can choose to mute them all at once. Just click on the speaker symbol in the URL bar and choose Mute all Tabs.

Alternatively, you can Option/Alt-click on the speaker icon of the tab you do wish to listen to and mute the audio on all the other tabs.

How to reopen all windows from the last session

Here’s another useful tip. You can easily reopen all the tabs you had open last time you were using Safari.

Click History > Reopen All Windows from Last Session to quickly recover all the windows you were recently looking at. You might also find this helpful: How to export bookmarks from Chrome to Safari

How to show the full URL in Safari

Another handy Safari tip. In Yosemite Safari stopped showing the whole URL – a feature designed to help avoid users being taken in by phishing scams, wherein the URL is obfuscated. In other words, if you’re visiting https://macworld.co.uk/this/page/that/page then all you’ll see in the address bar is macworld.co.uk.

If this isn’t what you want, perhaps you want to see the full URL of the article you are reading, you can change things so that the whole URL is shown.

Open Safari’s preferences dialog box (Cmd+,) then click the Advanced icon and put a check alongside Show Full Website Address.

How to change how you view websites in Safari

One of our favourite features in Safari 11 is the extra control we have over the web. You can tweak the settings of specific websites so that they suit you for example.

How to change the font size on a website

You can tweak your settings so that when you visit a specific site the images and text are bigger – perfect if you are frustrated to find that the text on a favourite website is a bit too small for your eyes.

Here’s how to enlarge (or reduce) the font size on a particular website so that it stays that size whether you visit:

Go to Safari > Preferences.
Click on the Websites tab.
Click on Page Zoom.
Find the site you want to customise (any site you have open or have recently visited will be listed here).
Choose a number bigger or smaller than 100% depending on how large you want the text and images to be.

You can do this on a per website basis, or if you frequently find that the text on websites is too small for you, you can choose to default to the percentage that suits you wherever you go on the web. Note that not all websites are created the same so some will naturally have larger type than others.

To choose the zoom percentage for all websites, click in the drop down box beside “When visiting other websites”.

Another benefit of having access to these controls that allow you to change the way you view the web is that it enables you to stop seeing ads and auto-playing videos. We’ll look at that below.

How to stop ads and auto-playing videos in Safari

Another enticing feature of Safari is the way you can choose to adjust the settings so that you never see another ad or auto-playing video again. We’ll look at how to do that next.

How to stop autoplay audio and video in Safari

Perhaps you are frustrated by auto-playing video blaring out every time you visit a website.

With Safari 11 you can disable autoplay video, so you will never again have to hear voices while you are browsing the web. Here’s what to do:

Open the offending website.
Click on Safari > Settings for This Website (or right-click the URL box and select Settings for This Website).
Allow All Auto-Play
Stop Media with Sound
Never Auto-Play

Stop Media with Sounds is the default option, and it will essentially stop any video from starting if the sound is set to be on. If the video is set to play silently it will still run but you won’t hear it, unless you choose to.

If you would rather not let auto-playing video play, you can choose Never Auto-Play.

Remember that if you adjust the settings this way it will only apply to autoplay videos on that website. If you’d like to never see an autoplaying video again follow these steps:

Go to Safari > Preferences and click on Websites.

And there is an option below to choose the same settings “When visiting other websites”.

We have a complete tutorial that explains how to use this feature here: How to stop autoplay video in Safari & Chrome on Mac .

We also cover how to stop Safari asking to use your location data here .

How to stop seeing ads on websites in Safari

While ads pay a part of our wage, we realise that some ads can really reduce the enjoyment of web browsing. Usually these are ads that have something wrong with the way they have been coded and aren’t behaving as intended, or even worse they are spam ads that have crept onto the ad networks. We are honestly as frustrated as you are!

One of the big changes Apple bought to Safari 11 was the ability to really manage the ads that you see – this was part of Apple’s effort to make the web work better. Effectively, if Apple can remove ads that aren’t behaving as intended and are jamming up page loading times and the like, then Safari will perform quicker, which means that the surfer has a better time surfing.

There are a few ways you can take advantage of these anti-ad related features in Safari 11.

One way is to choose to surf the web – or certain pages – in Reader mode.

Reader mode is a way of viewing webpages that Apple introduced back in 2010 in Safari 5. Reader displays just the text and images from a webpage, without any of the other page furniture. We think it is a bit like reading a Word document or a PDF. The feature hasn’t changed much over the years, but in Safari 11 it’s became possible to choose for a site to always be viewed in Reader Mode.

First, here’s how to view a site in Reader mode:

Click on the stack of lines to the left of the URL bar.
This will automatically change the webpage to Reader view.
Click on the stack of lines to turn Reader view off.

It’s worth checking how a site appears in this mode before switching over to it because not all sites implement it particularly well (sometimes you will find that an article stops abruptly because only one page has been carried into Reader view). Some sites don’t have a Reader view at all (such as Apple, for example).

And here is how to customise your settings so that whenever you visit that site the pages are viewed in Reader mode:

Click on Reader.
Find the site you want to customise (any site you have open, or have recently visited will be listed here).
Toggle the drop-down menu beside that site to On.

A quicker way to do this is to right-click or control-click on the stack of lines beside the URL and choose Use Reader Automatically.

Or, as long as you are on the website you wish to change the setting for, you can click on Safari > Settings for this Website, and choose Use Reader When Available.

How to surf in private using Safari

Another useful feature in Safari is the option to use a private browsing window. This doesn’t just keep your browsing habits private from someone else who has access to your Mac, it also means that you are incognito – in other words even the websites you are visiting don’t have any information about you.

Go to Safari > File > New Private Window (or shift-cmd-n). You can tell if a window is private because the search bar will be grey. Any new tabs you open in this window will be private.

Alternatively, to open a Private Browsing window you can click shift, command and N.

You can tell it’s a private window because the URL field will be greyed out.

Hold down Option/Alt while picking Private Browsing to quickly switch it on and bypass the ‘Do you want to switch on Private Browsing?’ alert window if you happen to see it frequently. We have a complete guide to private browsing on Safari here .

For even more privacy, you can choose to always search with privacy-obsessed DuckDuckGo as your default search engine. Go to Safari > Preferences > Search, and click on the Search Engine. Then select Duck Duck Go from the Search Engine dropdown list. You can choose from Google, Bing, Yahoo or DuckDuckGo.

How to delete your histroy in Safari

If you didn’t search using a private browsing window you can still delete your history and evidence of what you were up to.

Click on History.
Scroll down and click on Clear History.
You can choose to clear history for Today, the last hour, today and yesterday, or all history.
You’ll see a warning that Clearing history will remove related cookies and other website data. Basically this is warning you that if you go ahead and Clear History you may find that you have to log onto websites, or shopping cart information may disappear.
If you are happy with that then click on Clear history.

We have a complete tutorial all about how to delete your browser history on a Mac here .

How to delete cookies in Safari

Another new feature that came in Safari 11 was the introduction of privacy protection, a feature that’ll stop those annoying Amazon adverts showing you products after you’ve bought them.

Safari actively tries to block the cross-site tracking data that powers targeted adverts. While it won’t completely stop it, it should have a noticeable effect when using the browser.

According to Apple this isn’t an attempt to block ads, but rather to protect your privacy.

This means that you should no longer need to delete cookies if you want to stop seeing targeted ads (cookies have also been known to affect the price for goods if you have previously shown an interest in a product so deleting cookies could avoid such practices).

If you want to go a step further regarding cookies in Safari 11 there are some preferences changes you can make.

Beside Website tracking click on Ask websites not to track me.
Beside Cookies and website data click on Block all cookies.

If you aren’t using Safari 11 you can still delete cookies.

Click on the Privacy tab.
Click on Remove All Website Data…

Here’s how to add your own background image to Safari.

Author: Karen Haslam , Editor

Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld two decades ago.

Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.

The Ultimate Guide to Customizing Safari on Mac

Make Safari an even better browser for your Mac by customizing it. Here's how to tweak it to your liking.

Safari can be a pleasure to use if you take the time to customize it and get rid of any potential annoyances. You don't need to spend a lot of time on this task.

As you'll see below, even a few simple tweaks can go a long way in polishing up Apple's native browser.

1. Tweak Tab and Window Behavior

Start by setting up Safari to restore windows from the previous session every time you open the app. To do this, under Safari > Preferences > General , select All windows from last session from the Safari opens with dropdown menu.

This tweak makes the homepage seem redundant, because it changes what you see when you first open Safari. Despite that, it's a good idea to set the homepage to your most-loved web page to keep it accessible with a click of the Home button on the toolbar.

From the same settings section, you can also choose what shows up in every new window and tab by default. A blank page, your homepage, and your most frequently opened pages are a few of your options here.

2. Clean Up the Toolbar

While Safari's toolbar is minimal to begin with, it gets cluttered up fast when you install extensions. That's because each extension automatically enables its own toolbar button.

Also, you'll find that you have no need for certain toolbar buttons. For example, if you know the shortcut for displaying the sidebar ( Cmd + Shift + L ), you don't need the corresponding button.

In any case, if you don't want to get distracted by the sight of unnecesary toolbar buttons, it's important to clean up the toolbar once in a while. To do that, first right-click on a blank space in the toolbar and then click on the Customize Toolbar option that appears.

From the toolbar button choices that show up in a box, drag the ones you need to the toolbar and the ones you don't off the toolbar. You can also rearrange buttons by dragging and dropping them into place. Click on the Done button once you're satisfied with the results.

(Pay attention to the default set of buttons at the bottom of the toolbar box. You can restore this set any time if you ever make a giant mess of your toolbar setup.)

If you simply want to rearrange or get rid of toolbar buttons, you can do that even without opening the Customize Toolbar box. Hold down the Cmd key and move the buttons around or drag them off the toolbar as needed.

3. Set Up Bookmarks and the Reading List

Your Safari customization is incomplete without easy access to your favorite web pages. If you want to import your bookmarks from Chrome, Firefox, or an HTML file, you can do so via File > Import From . You can also create bookmarks from active tabs with the Bookmarks > Add Bookmark menu option or with the shortcut Cmd + D .

Read our guide to bookmarks and favorites in Safari to learn everything you need to know about managing your bookmarks.

Apart from bookmarks, Safari has another useful read-it-later feature called Reading List. It's ideal for temporary bookmarks, reading articles offline, and sharing them between your Apple devices.

To add a page to your Reading List, click on the tiny plus button that appears next to the URL in the address bar when you hover over it. Clicking on Bookmarks > Add to Reading List when you have the page open also works.

Your Reading List content shows up in the second tab in Safari's sidebar. You can access the list directly by clicking on View > Show Reading List Sidebar .

Want Safari to save your Reading List articles for offline use automatically? To make this happen, visit Safari > Preferences > Advanced and select the checkbox next to Reading List .

4. Customize Websites

Safari lets you configure a few settings on a per-website basis. These include camera and microphone access, push notifications, and auto-play settings. To tweak these, visit Safari > Preferences > Websites .

In the sidebar, you'll see the list of settings you can configure for individual websites. For each setting, notice the default behavior listed below the right-hand pane. You can leave that setting alone or pick a different option from the dropdown menu provided.

Above this setting, you'll see a list of currently open websites and can configure a specific setting for each of them. For example, in the Auto-Play pane, notice that the default Safari behavior is to stop auto-playing media.

Now, let's say you have YouTube open in the background. You can then program Safari to auto-play all content on YouTube in future. To do this, select the Allow All Auto-Play option from the dropdown menu next to YouTube in the list of active websites.

Related: Safari Can't Open the Page? Here's What to Do

5. Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts for Bookmarks

Did you know that you can set up shortcuts for your Safari bookmarks? It's one of those tiny but useful macOS features you'll definitely want to know about.

To create shortcuts for a bookmark, first visit System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > App Shortcuts . Now, click on the plus button below the right-hand pane to reveal the shortcut creation popup. Here, select Safari from the Application dropdown menu.

Next, switch to Safari and note the name of the bookmark you want to create the shortcut for, exactly as it appears under Bookmarks > Favorites . Type that name in the Menu Title field back in the macOS settings app you switched from.

(You can also copy the bookmark name from the Bookmarks Editor and paste it into the Menu Title field.)

Now, highlight the field next to Keyboard Shortcut and hit the key combination you want to use for the bookmark in question. Click on the Add button to wrap up.

The shortcut you set up should start working immediately in Safari, as long as the address bar isn't selected. Test it out and then set up shortcuts for the rest of your most-important websites.

Be sure to also check out our Safari shortcuts cheat sheet .

6. Add More Features With Extensions

Safari's extension gallery hasn't ever been as vast as that of Chrome and Firefox. It's a pity that now it has shrunk further thanks to Apple's decision to kill support for non-App Store extensions.

Despite that, you still have quite a few useful extensions to choose from. Here are a few of those we consider must-haves:

AutoPagerize : This auto-loads paginated webpages.
Shut Up : Will auto-hide comments on webpages.
Awesome Screenshot : Capture and annotate screenshots.

7. Enable Special Features With the Develop Menu

You'll notice that you can't inspect web pages in Safari to debug and tweak page content. That's because this advanced feature is available only via a hidden menu.

To reveal this---the Develop menu---first visit Safari > Preferences > Advanced . There, at the bottom of the pane, select the checkbox for Show Develop menu in the menu bar .

You'll then see the menu show up between the Bookmarks and Window menus. It lets you empty caches, tweak webpages on the fly, disable images, and so on.

With the Develop menu enabled, an Inspect Element option shows up in the right-click menu. Click on this item to reveal Safari's Web Inspector for the active page.

Make Safari Your Most Favorite Browser Yet

Safari is one of the best default Mac apps you don't need to replace . We consider it the optimal browser for Mac (and iOS) users . And we guarantee that with changes like the ones we discussed above, Safari will be a delight to use every day.

How to manage privacy and security settings in Safari on Mac

Apple continues to add new features to Safari on a regular basis to try to make our web browsing experience faster, easier, and—above all—more secure.

You can open up a private browser window anytime you want in Safari's file menu and Safari won't save your browsing history and will ask websites you visit not to track you. But there are a few more steps you might want to consider taking.

The place to go for most of these things is in Safari's preferences window, accessed from the Safari menu.

How to guard against unsafe files

How to identify fraudulent websites, how to disable javascript, how to prevent cross-site tracking, how to block all cookies in safari, how to remove website data, how to clear your browsing history, how to check for apple pay on websites, how to allow or deny camera, microphone, and location access, how to block pop-up windows.

As with all things related to security, there's a balancing act between convenience and safety. Safari will automatically open certain types of "safe" files you download from the web as a matter of convenience. But because a malicious file could be disguised as a "safe" file, it's a good idea to guard against unsafe files—and it's as easy as checking a box.

Launch Safari . If it's not in the Dock, you can find it in the Applications folder.
From the Safari menu, choose Preferences... .

Click the General button.
Uncheck the box to Open "safe" files after downloading .

Click General and uncheck Open Safe Files After Downloading

Downloads will occur as they usually do, and to the location you have chosen, but the files won't automatically open.

Safari already identifies websites that use encryption (indicated by a padlock icon in the address bar) and an EV certificate which indicates a more extensive identity verification of the website operator (indicated in green). Safari also uses Google Safe Browsing technology--which is simply a list of websites that may contain malware, unwanted software, or phishing scams.

If it's not already on, here's how to do so:

Master your iPhone in minutes

iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!

Click the Security button.
Check the box to Warn when visiting a fraudulent website .

From Safari preferences, click security and check the box to warn about fraudulent websites

If you happen to run across one of these sites, Safari will put up a full-screen warning about the site before you can proceed.

Many—if not all—webpages contain JavaScript, which enables certain functionality for web pages, such as displaying the time and date or displaying an image from a set of options.

You can disable JavaScript if you like, but it may impact the functioning of the web page.

Uncheck the box to disable JavaScript .

From Safari's Security preferences, disable JavaScript

If you've been using Safari and suddenly seen a plethora of lawnmower ads not long after doing some web research about lawnmowers, then congratulations: you've discovered crop-site tracking. It's a way of keeping track of your behavior on one part of the internet to show you ads while using a different part of the internet. If you prefer, you can turn it off.

Click the Privacy button.
Check the box to Prevent cross-site tracking and check the box to Ask websites not to track me .

From Safari's Privacy preferences, check boxes to prevent cross-site tracking and to ask websites not to track

Keep in mind that while you can ask websites not to track you, it's up to the website creator to honor your request.

Cookies are small text files a website may store on your Mac to help identify you or your Mac when you visit the website in the future. Examples of content stored in a cookie are your name, site browsing history, and preferences. If you don't want Safari to use cookies, you can shut it off.

Uncheck the box to Block all cookies .

From Safari's Privacy preferences, uncheck the box to block all cookies

If you ever decide to remove website data from your Mac, you can do it selectively for certain websites or remove all the data.

Choos Safari's preferences, then click Privacy

Click the Manage Website Data... button.
Select a website and click the Remove button to remove the site's cache, cookies, or local storage or click the Remove All button to delete data for all websites.

Click Manage Website Data and delete data for one site or all sites

Rather than root around through a set of checkboxes and pop-up menus, you can clear your browsing history, cookies, and website data with a menu command.

From the Safari menu, choose Clear History... .
From the Clear pop-up menu, choose how far back you want to go.
Click Clear History .

From the Safari menu, choose clear history, seta time frame, and click Clear History

In addition to the history of the website pages you've visited, you'll also give the heave-ho to recent searches, a list of items you have downloaded, the frequently visited site list, and other information.

If your Mac and other devices have Safari turned on in iCloud preferences, the clear history command will remove the browsing history from Safari on those other devices.

You can enable Safari on your Mac to show you websites that can accept payments via Apple Pay. You can then make the payments from your Apple Watch or iPhone, or using Touch ID if it's built into your Mac.

Check the box to Allow websites to check if Apple Pay is set up .

From Safari's Privacy preferences, check the box to allow Safari to show Apple Pay on websites

Safari includes the ability to determine whether or not websites ask can use your Mac's camera and microphone. Here's how to set it up.

Click the Websites button.

From the General section of the sidebar, click Camera .
Click the pop-up menu for "When visiting other websites" and choose Ask, Deny, or Allow , depending on your preference.

Click Camera, and choose either Ask, Deny, or Allow access

The settings work in exactly the same way for your Mac's microphone and your location. Simply click Microphone or Location in the sidebar. Similarly, you can change the setting for currently open websites to suit your preference.

Some web pages that you visit will automatically display a pop-up window that will block content—often with an ad—that you're trying to view. While this can be annoying, there are some sites that require pop-up windows to work properly. Fortunately, Safari provides fine-grained control of these pop-up windows.

From the General section of the sidebar, click Pop-up Windows .
Click the pop-up menu for "When visiting other websites" and choose Block and Notify, Block, or Allow , depending on your preference.

Click Pop-up Windows and choose Block and Notify, Block, or Allow

Similarly, you can change the setting for currently open websites to suit your preference.

If you choose Block and Notify, a small icon will appear on the right side of the Smart Search field. Click it to display the pop-up windows for the web page.

Great Mac accessories

Apple AirPods 2 (From $159 at Apple)

The best Apple accessory has gotten betting with AirPods 2. Now offering a wireless charger case, the popular earbuds feature the new Apple H1 headphone chip that delivers a faster wireless connection to your devices, as well as support for "Hey Siri."

Samsung T5 SSD (From $88 at Amazon)

This solid-state drive from Samsung is speedy, tiny, and portable. It also connects using USB-C, making it a perfect companion for your new Mac.

Let us know in the comments below.

Updated August 2019: Updated through macOS Mojave and the macOS Catalina beta.

Mike Matthews is a writer at iMore.com. He has used Apple products all the way back to the Apple II+. He appreciates no longer having to launch apps by loading them from a cassette tape recorder.

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How-To Geek

How to change the safari home page on a mac.

Tired of opening Safari and seeing Favorites? Here's how to set your homepage to your favorite website in Safari on Mac.

Traditionally, a homepage is the first website your browser loads when you start it. But by default, Safari on Mac opens up a window of Favorites instead. If you'd like Safari to start with a website of your choice, follow these simple steps.

First, open the Safari web browser by clicking its icon in the dock, by using Spotlight Search , or by selecting it from the macOS Applications folder . From there, navigate to the page you'd like to use as your home page. It can be any website you want.

In the menu bar at the top of the screen, select Safari > Preferences.

In Preferences > General, click the "Set to Current Page" button. This changes your home page to the current website Safari has open.

After clicking the button, the address in the "Homepage" field will change to the address of the current page.

Next, we'll make it so you see your home page when you open Safari. In Preferences > General, click the drop-down menu beside the "New Windows Open With" listing.

In the drop-down menu, select the "Homepage" option.

If desired, you can repeat the same step with the "New Tabs Open With" option. In that case, every time you open a new tab, you'll see your home page.

Related: How to Reopen Closed Tabs and Windows in Safari on a Mac

Manage cookies and website data

Websites often store cookies and other data on your Mac. This data may include information that you have provided, such as your name, email address, and preferences. This data helps websites identify you when you return so the site can provide services for you and show information that might be of interest to you.

By default, Safari accepts cookies and website data only from websites you visit. This helps prevent certain advertisers from storing data on your Mac. You can change options in Safari preferences so that Safari always accepts or always blocks cookies and other website data.

Open Safari for me

Important: Changing your cookie preferences or removing cookies and website data in Safari may change or remove them in other apps, including Dashboard.

Choose Safari > Preferences, click Privacy, then do any of the following:

Change which cookies and website data are accepted: Select a “Cookies and website data” option:

Always block: Safari doesn’t let any websites, third parties, or advertisers store cookies and other data on your Mac. This may prevent some websites from working properly.

Allow from current website only: Safari accepts cookies and website data only from the website you’re currently visiting. Websites often have embedded content from other sources. Safari does not allow these third parties to store or access cookies or other data.

Allow from websites I visit: Safari accepts cookies and website data only from websites you visit. Safari uses your existing cookies to determine whether you have visited a website before. Selecting this option helps prevent websites that have embedded content in other websites you browse from storing cookies and data on your Mac.

Always allow: Safari lets all websites, third parties, and advertisers store cookies and other data on your Mac.

Remove stored cookies and data: Click Remove All Website Data, or click Details, select one or more websites, then click Remove.

Removing the data may reduce tracking, but may also log you out of websites or change website behavior.

See which websites store cookies or data: Click Details.

Ask websites not to track you: Some websites keep track of your browsing activities when they serve you content, which enables them to tailor what they present to you. You can have Safari ask sites and their third party content providers (including advertisers) not to track you.

With this option turned on, each time Safari fetches content from a website, Safari adds a request not to track you, but it’s up to the website to honor this request.

How To Change Color Of Safari On Mac

Software & Applications
Browsers & Extensions

Introduction

Changing the color of your Safari browser on Mac can be a fun and personalized way to enhance your browsing experience. By customizing the color theme, you can add a touch of individuality to your browsing environment, making it more visually appealing and tailored to your preferences. Whether you prefer a vibrant and energetic color scheme or a more subdued and calming palette, Safari allows you to make these adjustments with ease.

In this article, we will explore the step-by-step process of changing the color of Safari on your Mac. From accessing the Safari preferences to selecting a new color theme and customizing the accent color, you will learn how to transform the appearance of your browser to reflect your unique style. By following these simple instructions, you can infuse your browsing sessions with a fresh and personalized look that resonates with your personality.

Let's dive into the exciting world of Safari customization and discover how a simple change in color can elevate your browsing experience. Whether you're a creative individual seeking inspiration from a vibrant color palette or someone who values a harmonious and soothing browsing environment, the ability to customize Safari's color theme empowers you to curate a digital space that aligns with your aesthetic preferences. So, grab your Mac, open Safari, and get ready to embark on a journey of visual transformation as we delve into the process of changing the color of Safari on your Mac.

Step 1: Open Safari Preferences

To begin the process of changing the color of Safari on your Mac, you need to access the Safari Preferences. This is where you can explore a range of customization options, including the ability to modify the color theme to suit your personal taste.

First, launch the Safari browser on your Mac. You can do this by clicking on the Safari icon in your dock or by searching for Safari in Spotlight and selecting it from the search results. Once Safari is open, navigate to the top-left corner of your screen and click on "Safari" in the menu bar. A drop-down menu will appear, and you should select "Preferences" from the options listed. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut "Command + ," to directly access the Preferences window.

Upon selecting "Preferences," a new window will open, presenting you with a range of customization settings for Safari. This is where you can fine-tune various aspects of the browser to align with your preferences. Within the Preferences window, you will find a series of tabs at the top, each representing different categories of settings. To change the color theme of Safari, you will need to navigate to the "General" tab, which is typically the first tab displayed in the Preferences window.

By accessing the General tab, you are one step closer to transforming the visual appearance of your Safari browser. This tab serves as a hub for fundamental settings that impact the overall browsing experience. Here, you can adjust settings related to the browser's homepage, default search engine, and more. However, for the purpose of changing the color theme, the General tab also houses the option to customize the appearance of Safari.

With the General tab now open, you are ready to proceed to the next step in the process of changing the color of Safari on your Mac. By accessing the Preferences window and navigating to the General tab, you have unlocked the gateway to a world of customization possibilities, setting the stage for the exciting journey of transforming the visual aesthetics of your Safari browser.

Step 2: Select the General Tab

Upon reaching the Preferences window in Safari, you will be presented with a series of tabs at the top, each offering a distinct category of settings. Among these tabs, the "General" tab holds the key to customizing the visual aspects of your browsing experience. By selecting the General tab, you gain access to a range of options that enable you to personalize the appearance of Safari according to your preferences.

As you click on the General tab, a plethora of customization settings will unfold before you, inviting you to embark on a journey of visual transformation. This tab serves as a central hub for fundamental settings that shape the overall browsing environment, offering a seamless and intuitive interface for users to tailor their Safari experience.

Within the General tab, you will encounter various options that allow you to refine the aesthetics of Safari. One of the primary features housed within this tab is the ability to modify the browser's appearance, including the color theme. By delving into the settings available in the General tab, you can infuse your browsing environment with a new color palette that resonates with your personal style and preferences.

In addition to color customization, the General tab also presents options to configure the browser's homepage, set the default search engine, and manage the behavior of new windows and tabs. This comprehensive array of settings empowers you to craft a browsing environment that aligns with your unique preferences, ensuring that your Safari experience is tailored to suit your individual needs.

By selecting the General tab in Safari's Preferences window, you are poised to embark on a journey of personalization and visual enhancement. The options presented within this tab provide a gateway to a world of customization, enabling you to curate a browsing environment that reflects your personality and aesthetic sensibilities. With the General tab at your fingertips, you are ready to explore the next phase of the color customization process, where you will have the opportunity to select a new color theme that resonates with your unique style.

Step 3: Choose a New Color Theme

After navigating to the General tab in Safari's Preferences window, you are now ready to embark on the exciting process of selecting a new color theme for your browser. Within the General tab, you will find the option to modify the appearance of Safari, including the color scheme. By choosing a new color theme, you can infuse your browsing environment with a fresh and personalized aesthetic that resonates with your individual style.

To begin the process of selecting a new color theme, look for the "Appearance" section within the General tab. Here, you will find a dropdown menu labeled "Default web browser ." Clicking on this dropdown menu will reveal a selection of color themes, each offering a distinct visual palette for your Safari browser. These color themes are designed to cater to a variety of preferences, ranging from vibrant and energetic hues to more subdued and calming tones.

As you explore the available color themes, take a moment to consider the ambiance and visual impact that each option conveys. Whether you are drawn to bold and striking colors that exude dynamism or prefer a more tranquil and soothing color palette, Safari's selection of color themes provides a diverse array of options to suit your personal taste.

Once you have identified a color theme that resonates with your preferences, simply click on the corresponding option in the dropdown menu to apply it to your Safari browser. Instantly, you will witness the transformation of your browsing environment as the new color theme takes effect, imbuing Safari with a fresh and personalized visual identity.

By choosing a new color theme for Safari, you have the power to curate a browsing experience that aligns with your unique style and aesthetic sensibilities. Whether you opt for a vibrant and lively color scheme to invigorate your browsing sessions or a more subdued and harmonious palette to create a calming ambiance, the ability to select a new color theme empowers you to personalize your digital space with ease.

With the new color theme now adorning your Safari browser, you have successfully taken a significant step towards transforming the visual aesthetics of your browsing environment. The chosen color theme serves as a reflection of your individuality, infusing your browsing sessions with a touch of personal flair and visual distinction. As you revel in the newly customized appearance of Safari, you are poised to explore the next phase of the color customization process, where you will have the opportunity to further refine the visual aesthetics by customizing the accent color.

Step 4: Customize the Accent Color

Having selected a new color theme for your Safari browser, you now have the opportunity to further refine the visual aesthetics by customizing the accent color. This additional layer of customization allows you to fine-tune the details of your browsing environment, adding a personalized touch that complements the chosen color theme.

To customize the accent color in Safari, navigate to the General tab within the Preferences window. Within the Appearance section, you will find the option to modify the accent color, which is represented by a color swatch or a dropdown menu, depending on the version of Safari you are using.

Upon accessing the accent color settings, you will be presented with a spectrum of color options, ranging from vibrant hues to more muted tones. By exploring this selection, you can identify an accent color that harmonizes with the chosen color theme, enhancing the overall visual coherence of your browsing environment.

As you consider the accent color options, take into account the visual impact and the way in which the accent color complements the primary color theme. Whether you opt for a contrasting accent color to add a dynamic pop to your browsing interface or prefer a complementary shade that seamlessly integrates with the primary color theme, the customization of the accent color allows you to tailor the finer details of your Safari browser to your liking.

Once you have identified the perfect accent color, simply select it from the available options to apply it to your Safari browser. Instantly, you will witness the transformation of the accent elements within the browser, as the new accent color imbues your browsing environment with a heightened sense of visual cohesion and personalization.

By customizing the accent color in Safari, you have added a layer of individuality and refinement to your browsing experience. The carefully chosen accent color serves as a subtle yet impactful detail that elevates the overall visual aesthetics of your Safari browser, creating a cohesive and personalized environment that resonates with your unique style.

With the accent color now seamlessly integrated into your Safari browser, you have successfully fine-tuned the visual details of your browsing environment, culminating in a personalized and visually captivating interface that reflects your individual preferences. As you revel in the harmonious blend of the chosen color theme and accent color, you are ready to embrace the final step in the process of changing the color of Safari on your Mac.

Step 5: Enjoy Your New Safari Color

With the color theme and accent color meticulously customized to align with your personal style and aesthetic preferences, it's time to revel in the transformative impact of your new Safari color. As you navigate through your browsing sessions, you will be greeted by a visually captivating environment that reflects your individuality and enhances your overall digital experience.

The new color theme, infused with vibrant energy or soothing tranquility, sets the stage for an immersive browsing journey that resonates with your unique sensibilities. Every tab, toolbar, and interface element within Safari now bears the hallmark of your chosen color palette, creating a cohesive and visually engaging browsing environment.

As you interact with websites, conduct research, or indulge in leisurely browsing, the harmonious blend of the selected color theme and accent color imbues your browsing interface with a sense of personalization and refinement. The visual coherence achieved through the meticulous customization of Safari's color elements elevates the overall browsing experience, creating a space that feels distinctly yours.

The impact of your new Safari color extends beyond mere aesthetics, influencing the way you engage with digital content and interact with the browser interface. Whether you find inspiration in the vibrant hues that invigorate your browsing sessions or seek solace in the calming tones that create a serene ambiance, the personalized color theme enriches your digital interactions, infusing them with a touch of individuality.

As you navigate through your favorite websites, the visual harmony achieved through the customized color theme and accent color creates a seamless and immersive browsing experience. Every click, scroll, and interaction within Safari is accompanied by a visual backdrop that aligns with your unique style, enhancing the overall enjoyment and personal connection you feel with your browsing environment.

In essence, the process of changing the color of Safari on your Mac transcends mere customization; it is a journey of self-expression and personalization. By infusing your browsing environment with a new color palette that resonates with your individual preferences, you have curated a digital space that reflects your personality and enhances your overall browsing experience.

So, as you embark on your next browsing adventure, take a moment to appreciate the visual transformation that your new Safari color has brought to your digital world. Embrace the personalized browsing environment that reflects your unique style, and revel in the seamless integration of your chosen color theme and accent color as you navigate the digital landscape with a renewed sense of visual delight and personal connection.

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How Do I Change Safari Background on a Mac?

Changing the background image is one of the easy ways to customize the browsing experience with Safari on your Mac. This guide will tell you how to change the Safari background on Mac and even sync it with the other Apple devices you use.

How to Change the Safari Background on Mac

You can change the background image on the New Tab page of Safari on Mac. It allows you to personalize browsing experience.

Time needed: 3 minutes

The steps are pretty straightforward.

From now on, Safari on your Mac will show the Start Page with the selected background image whenever you open a new tab or a window. By the way, it is also possible to enable the Start Page for Private Browsing tabs and Windows on Safari.

As you may have noticed, you can also select the elements that appear on the Start Page. Furthermore, you can share the experience across devices.

How to Sync the Start Page Background across Devices

Enabling the option to use the same Start Page across devices will synchronize the background image as well. However, you have to keep in mind that the entire Start Page will be synced, not just the Safari background image.

Here’s how you can do it.

Open the Start Page in Safari on your Mac
Click on the Settings button on the page
Check Use Start Page on All Devices

Keep in mind that you may also have to turn on iCloud Tabs for this feature to work. Similarly, if you have already enabled Start Page sharing via iCloud, you will have to choose between the local edits or iCloud edits.

How To Update Safari On Your Mac: A Step-By-Step Guide

I t's no secret that Safari is the go-to browser for many Mac users . Sure, other browsers like Google Chrome have their advantages , especially if you're deep into Google's ecosystem, but using third-party browsers other than Safari on your Mac has downsides. Safari is optimized for macOS and integrates seamlessly with your other Apple devices like your iPhone and iPad by using Handoff.

If you've been a part of the Apple ecosystem for a while now, you're probably aware of Handoff, a very convenient Apple feature that allows you to begin a task on one of your devices, and pick up where you left off on another device.

Safari is no exception — Handoff allows you to start reading or watching something on your iPhone or iPad, and pick up where you left off on your Mac. This not only saves you the time of looking for a webpage but also makes jumping from one task to another extremely simple. Like any application, keeping Safari up to date is extremely important. Not only do new Safari updates come with newer features, but Apple also frequently rolls out updates to address security threats.

Now that you know it is a good idea to install Safari updates whenever they're rolled out, the real question is: How do you update Safari? Strangely enough, if your Apple device is updated to macOS Ventura or later , the only way to update Safari is to update your Mac itself.

Read more: The 20 Best Mac Apps That Will Improve Your Apple Experience

How To Update macOS

While you can't update Safari without updating macOS, you can check which version of Safari you're currently using. To do so, open the Safari app on your Mac and click on Safari from the menu bar. Now, select About Safari from the dropdown menu. Once you do so, a dialogue box will appear. The version of Safari you're currently using should be mentioned below the "Safari" text.

If you'd like to update Safari, follow the steps below to update macOS:

Click the Apple menu in the menu bar and select System Settings from the dropdown menu.

Select General from the sidebar on the left.

Click Software Update and wait for a few seconds.

Now, if a new update is available, click Update Now next to Updates Available.

If a Safari-specific update is available, you can click More Info and select Safari from the "Updates are available for your Mac" section.

To avoid having to update macOS manually to update Safari, we recommend enabling automatic updates. This way, you won't miss out on new features and can rest easy, knowing that Apple has fixed any known security threats . To do so, click the info icon next to Automatic updates and toggle on the switch next to Download new updates when available, Install macOS updates, and Install Security Responses and system files.

Read the original article on SlashGear

The buttons of the Apple internet browser app Safari

iPhone Users Can Use Chrome Or Firefox As Default Browser On iOS: Here's How

Published By : S Aadeetya

Trending Desk

Last Updated: April 15, 2024, 09:50 IST

Delhi, India

iOS now lets you change the default web browser from Safari to others

Apple has been forced to make a lot of changes in iOS after pressure from the EU and one of them includes the ability to change their default browsers

Most smartphones today come equipped with their pre-installed web browser, typically provided by the device manufacturer. On Android devices, Google Chrome often serves as the default browser, whereas iPhones, developed by Apple, feature their proprietary browser known as Safari. Safari enables users to browse the internet and offers a distinct set of features compared to alternatives like Google Chrome.

For iPhone users, links opened from Gmail or received via social media apps such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram will automatically launch in Safari. However, users have the option to change their default browser if they prefer an alternative to Safari.

How to Change the Default Browser on iOS

– Users will first have to open the settings option on their iPhone or iPad.

– The next step is to scroll through the applications of web browsers like Google Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Edge, etc.

– Click on the preferred browser, and the setting options of the application will appear.

– Once the setting option of the browser application opens, users can switch over to their preferred browser from their default browser, Safari.

– Tap and choose the browser of your preference. It's done. Users can now enjoy using their preferred web browser other than Safari.

Now that an iOS user has changed their default web browser from Safari to their preferred one, whenever they open a link from any other application, it will directly open in the newly selected browser.

In the new iOS 17, Apple will show a list of the most popular browsers in the user's region. Users can also select their default browser at that time. The user can select their preferred web browser from that list and download that application from the app store. Once it is downloaded, it will be set as the default browser and users will not have to open settings anymore.

Safari web browser

iPhone: How to change your 5G settings for better battery life or faster speeds

5G cellular service expanded significantly across the US carriers in the last couple of years and works with iPhone 12-15, and SE 3. Apple uses a “5G Auto” setting as the default that aims to give users a balance between network speed and battery life. But you can also manage the settings manually to optimize for what you need in a given moment. Follow along for how to turn 5G on/off on iPhone.

If you’re curious about what kind of 5G performance you’ll see with your iPhone , that will vary depending on where you live and your carrier. In the US, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile all have 5G available nationwide and top speeds can reach beyond 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps) however, that won’t be the norm for most.

That said, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are quite a bit faster for cellular speeds:

iPhone 15 Pro Max shows 96% faster download speeds vs 14 Pro Max

There are several types of 5G. mmWave offers the fastest speeds but has a quite limited range. Sub-6Ghz 5G has a better range but speeds closer to 4G LTE (only iPhone 12, 13, 14, and 15 support both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G).

If you’re considering switching carriers for better 5G coverage, we’ve got a full guide:

Best phone carriers: Verizon vs T-Mobile vs AT&T – is it worth making a switch?

However, one downside to 5G is it uses more battery than LTE. Some tests have shown iPhone lasting from 1-2.5 hours longer when sticking with 4G LTE vs 5G.

iPhone default 5G setting

5G is on by default with compatible iPhones, but won’t be used permanently (even if available). It uses what Apple calls “Smart Data mode” that tries to automatically strike the best balance between 5G/LTE and battery life. Apple even says it takes into account your data plan:

The default settings for 5G on iPhone are optimized for battery life and data usage based on your data plan. You can customize these options for when to use 5G and how much data to use in some apps.

However, inside the cellular settings, you can choose to turn 5G on/off on iPhone manually to optimize for speed or battery life.

How to turn 5G on/off on iPhone

Head to the Settings app on your iPhone (5G available on iPhone 12-15, and SE 3)
Tap Cellular
Choose Cellular Data Options
Tap Voice & Data
With 5G Auto as the default, you can choose 5G On to use it anytime it’s available for faster speeds
Alternatively, if you want to turn 5G off completely, tap LTE for better battery life

You can also tap Data Mode in the cellular settings and pick Allow More Data on 5G for higher quality video for streaming and things like FaceTime. And the opposite, Low Data Mode for when you want to conserve.

Here’s how this looks:

Turn 5G on/off: what’s this icon?

With the different types of 5G service (sub-6Ghz, mmWave, etc.) Apple has four different icons in the iPhone status bar to denote what you’re using (no matter if you turn 5G on manually or use the 5G Auto/Smart Data mode).

Verizon uses 5G UW to note mmWave and other high-frequency 5G connections, AT&T uses 5G+, and T-Mobile labels it 5G UC (ultra capacity). If you see the plain “5G’ in your status bar, that’s signaling you’re on the lower spectrum (greater range and coverage, slower speeds comparatively).

Note: iPhone SE 3 isn’t compatible with mmWave 5G service, just sub-6GHz. iPhone 12, 13, 14, and 15 support both mmWave and sub-6GHz.

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Safari User Guide

Change your home page
Import bookmarks, history and passwords
Make Safari your default web browser
Go to websites
Find what you’re looking for
Bookmark web pages that you want to revisit
See your favourite websites
Use tabs for web pages
Pin frequently visited websites
Play web videos
Mute audio in tabs
Pay with Apple Pay
Autofill credit card info
Autofill contact info
Keep a Reading List
Hide ads when reading articles
Translate a web page
Download items from the web
Share or post web pages
Add passes to Wallet
Save part or all of a web page
Print or create a PDF of a web page
Customise a start page
Customise the Safari window
Customise settings per website
Zoom in on web pages
Get extensions
Manage cookies and website data
Block pop-ups
Clear your browsing history
Browse privately
Autofill username and password info
Prevent cross-site tracking
View a Privacy Report
Change Safari preferences
Keyboard and other shortcuts
Troubleshooting

Change Websites preferences in Safari on Mac

The settings you can customise (such as Reader and Content Blockers) are listed on the left.

To apply a setting to a website on the right, first select the setting, then choose the option you want from the pop-menu next to the website.