Where to find and delete Safari extensions
Safari extensions live in the Safari menu at the top of your screen, not in a separate folder or settings panel like some other browsers. To remove an extension, you open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar, then select Settings (or Preferences on older Macs). From there, the Extensions tab shows every extension you have installed, and you can delete any one in a single click.
The process is the same whether you installed the extension from the App Store or from a developer's website. Safari treats them all the same way once they are running. If you cannot find an extension you thought you had, it may have been disabled rather than removed — Safari sometimes disables extensions automatically if they cause crashes or slow performance.
Key Takeaways
- Open Safari, click the Safari menu, then Settings, then the Extensions tab to see all installed extensions in one place.
- Click the minus button next to any extension name to remove it permanently from Safari.
- Removing an extension from Safari does not uninstall it from your Mac if it came from the App Store — you may need to delete it from Applications separately.
- On iPhone and iPad, extensions are managed through Settings rather than through Safari itself.
- If an extension is grayed out or marked as "not installed," it has been disabled and will not run until you re-enable it.
Step-by-step removal on Mac
Open Safari and look at the menu bar at the very top of your screen. Click the word Safari (not the Safari icon in your dock). A dropdown menu appears. Near the top, you will see Settings on newer Macs, or Preferences if you are running an older version. Click whichever one appears.
A window opens with several tabs across the top. Click the tab labeled Extensions. You now see a list of every extension Safari has installed. Each one has a checkbox next to it (checked means it is running, unchecked means it is disabled) and a minus button on the right side. To remove an extension completely, click the minus button next to its name. Safari will ask you to confirm — click Uninstall and the extension is gone.
If you installed the extension from the App Store, removing it from Safari does not delete the app from your Mac. You will still see it in your Applications folder. If you want it completely gone, open Finder, click Applications in the sidebar, find the app, right-click it, and select Move to Trash. For extensions installed from a developer's website, removing it from Safari is usually all you need to do.
Disabling versus removing
Safari lets you turn an extension off without deleting it. When you uncheck the box next to an extension's name in the Extensions tab, Safari stops running it, but the extension stays installed. You can turn it back on later by checking the box again. This is useful if an extension is causing problems but you might want to use it again.
A disabled extension takes up almost no space and does not slow Safari down. If you are not sure whether you will need an extension again, disabling it is safer than removing it — you can always re-enable it with one click, whereas removing it means you have to reinstall it if you change your mind.
Removing extensions on iPhone and iPad
Safari extensions on iPhone and iPad are managed through the Settings app, not through Safari itself. Open Settings, scroll down and tap Safari, then tap Extensions. You see a list of all extensions you have installed. Tap the extension you want to remove, then tap Remove.
On iPhone, some extensions may appear under Settings > Safari > Extensions > Installed Extensions if they came from the App Store. The removal process is the same — tap the extension and select remove. If the extension came from a developer's website rather than the App Store, you may need to delete the app itself from your home screen to remove the extension.
What happens after you remove an extension
Once you remove an extension, Safari stops using it when ready. Any features it added to Safari disappear right away. If the extension was adding buttons to your toolbar, those buttons vanish. If it was blocking ads or changing how websites look, those changes stop happening. The next time you reload a webpage, you will see it the way it appears without the extension.
Removing an extension does not affect your browsing history, saved passwords, or bookmarks. It only removes the extension itself. If you removed an extension by mistake, you can reinstall it the same way you installed it the first time — either through the App Store or from the developer's website.
Troubleshooting extensions that will not remove
Occasionally the minus button next to an extension is grayed out or does not respond when you click it. This usually means the extension is managed by your organization if you are using a work computer, or it came with macOS itself. Safari's built-in extensions (like Savings, Translate, and Privacy Report) cannot be removed, only disabled.
If you are trying to remove an extension on a personal Mac and the button is still grayed out, try restarting Safari completely. Close Safari entirely, wait a few seconds, then open it again and go back to Settings > Extensions. If the button is still grayed out after a restart, the extension may be installed at the system level and you may need to remove it through Applications or System Settings instead.
Why you might want to remove an extension
Extensions can slow Safari down, especially if you have many installed at once. Each extension uses memory and can add time to page load. If Safari feels sluggish, removing extensions you no longer use is one of the fastest ways to speed it up. You can test this by disabling extensions one at a time and seeing if Safari feels faster.
Some extensions also request permission to see the websites you visit or access your passwords. If you no longer trust an extension or the company that made it, removing it stops it from collecting that information. Removing unused extensions is also a straightforward way to keep your browser clean and reduce the number of things that could potentially go wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I remove Safari's built-in extensions like Savings or Translate?
No, Safari's built-in extensions cannot be removed, only disabled. If you do not want to use them, uncheck the box next to their name in the Extensions tab. They will not run, but they will stay in your extension list.
If I remove an extension, can I reinstall it later?
Yes. If it came from the App Store, search for it in the App Store and install it again. If it came from a developer's website, go back to that website and follow their installation instructions. Your settings and data from before you removed it may or may not be saved, depending on how the extension works.
Will removing an extension delete my browsing history or saved passwords?
No. Removing an extension only removes the extension itself. Your history, passwords, bookmarks, and all other Safari data stay exactly as they were. The extension straightforward stops running.
Why is the minus button grayed out next to an extension?
This usually means the extension is built into Safari (like Savings or Translate) or is managed by your organization on a work computer. You can disable it by unchecking the box next to it, but you cannot remove it completely.
Do I need to restart Safari after removing an extension?
No, but restarting can help if an extension will not remove or if Safari is behaving strangely. Close Safari completely, wait a few seconds, then open it again. The extension will be gone without needing to restart your Mac.