Over the past few years, Apple has positioned Safari as a privacy-first web browser. And it's one of the many reasons Apple users prefer it to popular alternatives like Google Chrome or Firefox.
The ability to block pop-ups in Safari automatically is one of the most praised features in the bunch. However, there are times when you need to allow pop-ups in Safari. So, we'll explain how you can allow pop-ups in Safari on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
How to Allow Pop-Ups in Safari on a Mac
You can allow pop-ups for all websites or a specific site in Safari. We'll show you how to do both, but if you use another browser, you may need an extensive guide on how to allow pop-ups on Mac in general.
How to Allow Pop-Ups for a Specific Website
Enabling pop-ups for a website you trust or visit frequently is pretty easy. Here's what you need to do.
- Visit the website for which you want to allow pop-ups in Safari.
- Control-click on the URL in the address bar and choose Settings for [Website URL] from the context menu.
- Then, click the dropdown next to Pop-up Windows and choose Allow.
From now on, Safari will allow pop-up windows on the specific website.
How to Allow Pop-Ups Across Safari
Likewise, you can enable pop-up windows for all sites you access in Safari. Follow these steps:
- Launch Safari and click Safari > Settings from the menu bar.
- Head to the Websites tab in the window that appears.
- Now, select Pop-up Windows from the left sidebar.
- Click the dropdown next to When visiting other websites at the bottom-right corner and choose Allow.
As you can see, it's pretty easy to allow pop-ups for all sites you visit in Safari. However, we recommend keeping the Block option unless you want to be bombarded with pop-ups.
How to Allow Pop-Ups in Safari on an iPhone or iPad
Allowing pop-ups in Safari on an iPhone or iPad is also pretty straightforward. Once again, you may need a more extensive guide to allow pop-ups on an iPhone or iPad if you use third-party browsers. Regardless, here's what you need to do.
- Launch the Settings app, scroll down, and tap on Safari.
- Scroll down to the General subsection.
- Toggle off& Block Pop-ups to enable pop-ups.
Unfortunately, there's no option to allow pop-ups for specific websites in iOS and iPadOS. So, you'll have to deal with pop-up windows across Safari when you disable this option.
When Should You Allow Pop-Ups in Safari?
Even though pop-ups are mostly used for annoying advertisements, some legitimate sites use pop-ups. For example, some websites use pop-up windows for payments so that the user can process the payment without leaving the current page. They're also used to facilitate customer service interactions.
You may also need pop-up windows to use specific features on some websites. This could be the case when using less modern websites. However, by default, you'll find that Safari blocks all pop-up windows. Regardless of how many times you click a button, the pop-up will not appear.
Fortunately, you now have better ways to control how pop-ups behave in Safari on an iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Nevertheless, you should only allow pop-ups in Safari when you're confident about the security and privacy of the website. Also, you should check the different aspects of allowing pop-ups in your browser before you proceed.
Change How Safari Handles Pop-Ups
While it has risks, allowing pop-up windows in Safari is an easy task. As we said, it will be useful when dealing with old websites or those with Google Sign-In options. If you're a developer, this option will also help you with testing.
However, considering how problematic they can be, pop-up windows should be enabled only in safe environments, and disabling pop-up blocking across your device may not be a good idea.