How to Turn Off a Pop-Up Blocker on a Mac

This article teaches you how to turn off the pop-up blocker on popular Mac browsers including Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. It also looks at reasons why you may wish to do so and what it affects.

How to Allow Pop-Ups on a Mac

If you regularly use Safari on your Mac, you'll have noticed that the pop-up blocker is on by default. Sometimes, this isn't convenient as it can restrict your ability to use certain websites and services. Here's how to allow pop-ups on Safari.

1. In Safari, click Safari.

2. Click Preferences.

3. Click Websites.

4. Scroll down and click Pop-up Windows.

5. Click the drop down box next to When visiting other websites.

   If you just want to allow pop-up windows for certain sites, follow the next step for the site listed above.

6. Click Allow.

How to Allow Pop-Ups Using Chrome on Mac

If you're a regular user of Google Chrome on Mac, you need to follow specific steps to allow pop-up windows. Here's how to do so.

1. On Chrome, click Chrome.

2. Click Preferences.

3. Click Privacy and Security.

4. Click Site settings.

5. Scroll down and click Pop-ups and redirects.

6. Toggle the default behavior to Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects.

How to Allow Pop-Ups on Mac Using Firefox

If you use Firefox as your main browser on Mac, it's also possible to allow pop-ups on the service. Here's how to allow pop-ups on Mac using Firefox.

1. In Firefox, click the Firefox menu.

2. Click Preferences.

3. Click Privacy & Security.

4. Scroll down to Permissions and untick Block pop-up windows.

How to Allow Pop-Ups on Mac Using Edge

An increasing number of Mac owners use Microsoft Edge as their browser. If that's you, here's how to allow pop-ups on Mac using Edge.

1. On Edge, click Microsoft Edge.

2. Click Preferences.

3. Click Cookies and Site Permissions.

4. Click Pop-ups and redirects.

   You may need to scroll down to find it.

5. Toggle Block off.

Should I Disable My Pop-up Blocker?

Pop-ups have been a part of the internet for many years which can make it hard to know if they need to be disabled or not. Here's a look at the pros and cons of using a pop-up blocker.

• Blocking pop-ups is less irritating. Having a pop-up blocker enabled means you won't have pop-up windows appearing as you browse. Such windows can be irritating, so being free of them can be beneficial. 
• Pop-ups can be a security risk. Some less reputable websites can use pop-ups to effectively trick you into clicking something that you shouldn't. For safety-conscious users, it can be wiser to keep it enabled.
• Some websites use pop-ups for security purposes to help you log into services more easily. That's why it can be useful to selectively allow websites to disable pop-up windows. 
• Pop-ups can mean more ads. In many cases, ads are provided in pop-up form, so enabling them means you'll see more unwanted content.