Stop Pop Ups on a Mac

This article teaches you how to configure your internet browser settings to block pop-up windows that appear when you open or close a web page, using a Mac.

Steps

Using Safari

  1. Open the Safari internet browser on your Mac. The Safari icon looks like a blue compass in your Applications folder.
  2. Click the menu. It's located on your menu bar in the upper-left corner of your screen. It will open a drop-down menu.
    • If you see a different app's name in the upper-left corner, click on the Safari icon again.
  3. Click on the drop-down menu. This will open your Safari browser settings in a new window.
    • Alternatively, press +, on your keyboard. When you press the Command and comma buttons at the same time, it will open Preferences.
  4. Click the tab. It looks like a lock icon at the top of the Preferences window.
  5. Check the box next to . Safari will now block all pop-up windows that appear when you open or close a web page. You can change it anytime by unchecking this box from Preferences.

Using Google Chrome

  1. Open the Google Chrome internet browser on your Mac. The Chrome icon looks like a small blue circle with yellow, green, and red components wrapped around it. You can find it in your Applications folder.
  2. Click the menu. It's located on your menu bar in the upper-left corner of your screen. It will open a drop-down menu.
    • If you see a different app's name in the upper-left corner, click on the Chrome icon again.
  3. Click on the drop-down menu. This will open your Chrome browser settings in a new tab.
    • Alternatively, type chrome://settings in Chrome's address bar, and hit Enter on your keyboard. It will open the same page.
    • You can also use the +, keyboard shortcut to open the Settings tab.
  4. Scroll down and click . This option is written in blue letters at the bottom of the Settings tab.
  5. Click the button under Privacy. It will open your content options in a new pop-up window.
  6. Scroll down to the Pop-ups section. This section is between Flash and Location.
  7. Select . Chrome will now block all pop-up windows that appear when you open or close a web page.
  8. Click under Pop-ups. This option will open a new window with a list of all your pop-up exceptions. Chrome will not block pop-ups from websites saved in your pop-up exceptions list.
  9. Click the button next to a website on the list. An "X" button will appear on the right-hand side of the exceptions box when you hover over a website on the list. Click on it to delete this website from your pop-up exceptions.
  10. Click . This will save your new exceptions settings, and close the pop-up window.
  11. Click again in the Content settings window. This will save your new pop-up preferences.

Using Mozilla Firefox

  1. Open the Mozilla Firefox internet browser on your Mac. The Firefox app looks like a blue world icon with a red fox wrapped around it. You can find it in your Applications folder.
  2. Click the menu. It's located on your menu bar in the upper-left corner of your screen. It will open a drop-down menu.
    • If you see a different app's name in the upper-left corner, click on the Firefox icon again.
  3. Click on the drop-down menu. This will open your Firefox browser settings in a new tab.
    • Alternatively, type about:preferences in Firefox's address bar, and hit Enter on your keyboard. It will open the same page.
    • You can also use the +, keyboard shortcut for Preferences.
  4. Click on the left panel. Firefox lets you navigate to different menus via a navigation panel on the left-hand side of the Preferences screen. The Content option is listed next to a page icon on the left panel.
  5. Check the box next to . It's under the Pop-ups heading in the Content menu. Firefox will now block all pop-up windows that appear when you open or close a web page.
  6. Click . This button is located next to the Pop-ups heading. It will open a new window with a list of all your pop-up exceptions. Firefox will not block pop-ups from websites saved in your pop-up exceptions list.
  7. Click . This button is located in the lower-left corner of the pop-up exceptions list. It will remove all items on the exceptions list.
  8. Click . It's in the lower-right corner of the Pop-ups window. Firefox will now have no pop-up exceptions, and block all pop-up windows from all web pages.