About pop-up ads and windows in Safari

Learn how to block pop-up windows and handle persistent ads on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac.

Pop-ups can be ads, notices, offers, or alerts that open in your current browser window, in a new window, or in another tab. Some pop-ups are third-party ads that use phishing tactics—like warnings or prizes—to trick you into believing they’re from Apple or another trusted company, so you’ll share personal or financial information. Or they might claim to offer free downloads, software updates, or plugins, to try to trick you into installing unwanted software.

Unless you’re confident of an ad’s legitimacy, you should avoid interacting with pop-ups or webpages that seem to take over your screen. Here are additional tips that can help you manage pop-ups and other unwanted interruptions.

Check and update your software

Always make sure you install the latest software updates for all your Apple products. Many software releases have important security updates and may include improvements that help control pop-ups.

The safest place to download apps for your Mac is the App Store. If you need third-party software for your Mac, and it isn’t available in the App Store, get it directly from the developer or another reliable source, rather than through an ad or link.

Check Safari settings and security preferences

Make sure Safari security settings are turned on, particularly Block Pop-ups—for pop-up windows—and the Fraudulent Website Warning.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > Safari and turn on Block Pop-ups and Fraudulent Website Warning.

On your Mac, you can find these options in Safari > Preferences. The Websites tab includes options to block some or all pop-up windows, and you can turn on fraudulent site warnings in the Security tab.

Pop-ups and ads in Safari

If you see an annoying pop-up ad in Safari, you can go to the Search field and enter a new URL or search term to browse to a new site. If you don’t see the Search field on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap the top of the screen to make it appear.

Some pop-ups and ads have fake buttons that resemble the close button, so use caution if you try to close a pop-up or ad. If you’re unsure, avoid interacting with the pop-up or ad and close the Safari window or tab.

On your Mac, you can also update your settings to prevent windows from opening again after you close Safari, or just press and hold the Shift key when you open Safari.

If you might have installed adware or other unwanted software on your Mac

If you see pop-ups on your Mac that just won’t go away, you might have inadvertently downloaded and installed adware (advertising-supported software) or other unwanted software. Certain third-party download sites might include programs that you don’t want with the software that you install.

If you think that you might have malware or adware on your Mac, update to the latest version of macOS. If your Mac is already running the latest version, restart it. macOS includes a built-in tool that removes known malware when you restart your Mac.

Check your Applications folder to see if you have any apps that you didn’t expect and uninstall them. You can also check the Extensions tab in Safari preferences to check if you installed any unnecessary extensions that you’d prefer to turn off. If you continue to see advertising or other unwanted programs on your Mac, contact Apple.

Learn more

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Contact the vendor for additional information.

Configuring your web browser to allow pop-up windows

Most web browsers include a feature to block pop-up windows. While this may eliminate unwanted or bothersome pop-up windows, the feature sometimes can impede the functionality of legitimate or useful websites.

Some popular Penn-affiliated websites requiring pop-ups include U@Penn and the Penn Online Directory.

Follow the instructions below to configure your web browser to allow pop-up windows for your selected websites.

• Apple Safari (macOS)
• Google Chrome .current (Windows/macOS)
• Mozilla Firefox.current (Windows/macOS)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer (Windows)
• Microsoft Edge (Windows 10 only)

Note: If you have installed third party applications to block pop-ups (examples include the Google, MSN, and Yahoo! toolbars), be sure to consult the vendor documentation to allow pop-up windows for desired websites.

Safari (macOS)

Safari for macOS has no per-website control over blocking pop-up windows. Pop-ups are either blocked, or they are not. To allow pop-ups:

1. From the Safari menu, choose Preferences. and click the Security tab.
2. Ensure the Block pop-up windows option is not checked. Unchecking this option will allow pop-ups.
3. To block pop-ups once again, check the Block pop-up windows checkbox.

Note: If you are concerned about allowing pop-ups globally for all websites that you browse, consider using another web browser that allows website exceptions such as Chrome or Firefox.

Chrome .current (Windows/macOS)

1. Open Chrome, then go to the web page that you want to allow pop-ups.
2. In Chrome’s URL window, highlight the entire web address of the current page, then choose the Copy command from the Edit menu or right-click and choose the Copy command.
3. Click the icon with three horizontal bars in the upper right side of the browser toolbar.
4. Click Settings.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the Settings section and click Show advanced settings. .
6. In the Privacy section, click Content settings. . The Content settings window appears.
7. Scroll to the Pop-ups section, and then ensure the Do not allow any site to show pop-ups radio button is selected.
8. Click Manage exceptions. .
9. In the Hostname pattern field, choose the Paste command from the Edit menu or right-click and choose the Paste command, and ensure the Behavior dropdown menu is set to Allow.

Notes: Pasting the web address of a page you wish to allow pop-ups is recommended, rather than typing the generic main web address. For example, you might visit www.example.com/requirepopup.html, but the page is actually hosted at popup.example.com/forms/popupform.html. In this example, you must allow popup.example.com, not www.example.com. Note also that entire websites must be allowed, not individual directories or pages, so in this example Chrome will automatically add the top level popup.example.com to its Allowed sites.

Click Done.

Close any remaining dialog boxes.

Firefox .current (Windows/macOS)

1. Open Firefox, then go to the web page that you want to allow pop-ups.
2. In Firefox’s URL window, highlight the entire web address of the current page, then choose the Copy command from the Edit menu or right-click and choose the Copy command.
3. Click the icon with three horizontal bars in the upper right side of the browser toolbar.
4. Select Options (Windows) or Preferences (macOS).
5. In the left sidebar, click on the Content icon to display the Content section.
6. In the Pop-ups section, ensure the Block pop-up windows checkbox is selected, then click the adjacent Exceptions... button.
7. In the Address of web site: field, choose the Paste command from the Edit menu or right-click and choose the Paste command, and then click Allow.

Notes: Pasting the web address of a page you wish to allow pop-ups is recommended, rather than typing the generic main web address. For example, you might visit www.example.com/requirepopup.html, but the page is actually hosted at popup.example.com/forms/popupform.html. In this example, you must allow popup.example.com, not www.example.com. Note also that entire websites must be allowed, not individual directories or pages, so in this example Firefox will automatically add the top level popup.example.com to its Allowed sites.

Click Save Changes.

Close any remaining dialog boxes.

Internet Explorer (Windows)

When a website attempts to launch a new pop-up window, you may see dialog boxes alerting you of pop-up windows that have been blocked. Follow the instructions below to allow pop-up windows on a per-website basis.

1. Open Internet Explorer, then go to the web page that you want to allow pop-ups.
2. In Internet Explorer’s Address field, highlight the entire web address of the current page, then right-click and choose the Copy command.
3. From the Tools menu (the gear icon on the far right), select Internet options. The Internet Options dialog box opens.
4. Click on the Privacy tab.
5. Under Pop-up Blocker ensure the Turn on Pop-up Blocker checkbox is checked, and then click Settings. The Pop-up Blocker Settings dialog box opens.
6. Right-click in the Address of website to allow: field, then choose the Paste command.

Notes: Pasting the web address of a page you wish to allow pop-ups is recommended, rather than typing the generic main web address. For example, you might visit www.example.com/requirepopup.html, but the page is actually hosted at popup.example.com/forms/popupform.html. In this example, you must allow popup.example.com, not www.example.com. Note also that entire websites must be allowed, not individual directories or pages, so in this example Internet Explorer will automatically add the top level popup.example.com to its Allowed sites.

For more information about pop-ups, see Learn more about Pop-up Blocker, located at the bottom of the dialog box.

Click Add.

Close any remaining dialog boxes.

Edge (Windows 10 only)

Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 has no per-website control over blocking pop-up windows. Pop-ups are either blocked, or they are not. To allow pop-ups:

1. Click the ellipsis icon (. ) in the upper right corner of your web browser, and then click Settings.
2. In the Advanced settings section, click View advanced settings.
3. In the Block pop-ups section, click the switch to Off. Pop-ups are now allowed.
4. To block pop-ups once again, click the switch to On.

Note: If you are concerned about allowing pop-ups globally for all websites that you browse, consider using another web browser that allows website exceptions such as Chrome or Firefox.

Pop-up blocker settings, exceptions and troubleshooting

This document explains all of the settings available in Mozilla Firefox for controlling pop-ups.

Table of Contents

What are pop-ups?

Pop-up windows, or pop-ups, are windows that appear automatically without your permission. They vary in size but usually don’t cover the whole screen. Some pop-ups open on top of the current Firefox window, while others appear underneath Firefox (pop-unders).

Firefox allows you to control both pop-ups and pop-unders in Firefox Options Preferences Settings Preferences . Pop-up blocking is turned on by default, so you don’t have to worry about enabling it to prevent pop-ups from appearing in Firefox.

When blocking a pop-up, Firefox displays an information bar (if it hasn’t been previously dismissed – see below), as well as an icon in the address bar.

When you click either the Options Preferences Settings Preferences button in the info bar or the icon in the address bar, a menu is displayed with the following choices:

• Allow/Block pop-ups for this site
• Edit Pop-up Blocker Options Preferences …
• Don’t show this message when pop-ups are blocked
• (show the blocked pop-up)

Pop-up blocker settings

To access the pop-up blocker settings:

1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and select Preferences . Click the menu button and select Options . Preferences . Settings .
2. Select the Privacy & Security panel.

• Under the Permissions section, uncheck the box next to Block pop-up windows to disable the pop-up blocker altogether.
• A click on Exceptions… opens a dialog box with a list of sites that you want to allow to display pop-ups.
• The dialog box offers you the following choices:
  

Allow: Click this to add a website to the exceptions list. Remove Website: Click this to remove a website from the exceptions list. Remove All Websites: Click this to remove all of the websites in the exceptions list.

Pop-ups not being blocked

Is the pop-up coming from Firefox?

The pop-up may not actually be coming from Firefox. You can determine where the pop-up is coming from by the appearance of the window.

• If you see the address bar with the Site Info button the Tracking Protection button and the Site Identity button (a shield and a padlock) in the pop-up window, the pop-up is coming from Firefox.
• If you don’t see the button these buttons , you may have malware on your computer that causes the pop-ups. For help, see Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware.

Is the pop-up blocker on and enabled for this site?

1. In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click Firefox and select Preferences . Click the menu button and select Options . Preferences . Settings .
2. Select the Privacy & Security panel and go to the Permissions section.
3. Make sure the Block pop-up windows checkbox is checked.
4. To the right of Block pop-up windows, click the Exceptions… button. A dialog box will open with a list of sites that are allowed to show pop-ups.
5. If the site that’s opening pop-ups is listed here, select it and press Remove Website .
6. Click on Save Changes to update your changes.
7. Close the about:preferences page. Any changes you’ve made will automatically be saved.

Is the pop-up shown after a mouse click or a key press?

Certain events, such as clicking or pressing a key, can spawn pop-ups regardless of if the pop-up blocker is on. This is intentional, so that Firefox doesn’t block pop-ups that websites need to work.

Is it a true pop-up window?

Sometimes ads are designed to look like windows, but really aren’t. Firefox’s pop-up blocker can’t stop these ads.

Mozilla surveys

When you visit a Mozilla website, sometimes you’ll see a pop-up asking you to participate in a survey. The only third-party that Mozilla ever uses for surveys is SurveyGizmo, which has been vetted by our legal and privacy teams. The Firefox pop-up blocker doesn’t block these pop-ups.

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