Safari preferences are in the Safari menu at the top of your screen, not in a separate settings app
On a Mac, open Safari and look at the menu bar at the very top of your screen. Click Safari (the word itself, not the icon in your dock). A dropdown menu appears. Near the top, you will see Preferences — click it. A window opens with tabs across the top: General, Tabs, AutoFill, Security, Privacy, Websites, Extensions, and Advanced. Each tab controls a different part of how Safari works.
On an iPhone or iPad, Safari preferences are scattered across the Settings app instead of in Safari itself. Open Settings, scroll down until you see Safari, and tap it. You will see options like search engine, privacy settings, and autofill — the same controls as on Mac, just in a different place.
The reason for this difference matters: Apple treats Mac and iPhone differently. On Mac, Safari is a full process with its own menu. On iPhone and iPad, Safari is simpler and shares settings with the rest of the system, so Apple put those controls in the main Settings app to keep everything in one place.
Key Takeaways
- On Mac, click Safari in the menu bar at the top of your screen, then click Preferences in the dropdown menu.
- On iPhone or iPad, open Settings, scroll to Safari, and tap it to find Safari controls.
- The Preferences window on Mac has eight tabs: General, Tabs, AutoFill, Security, Privacy, Websites, Extensions, and Advanced.
- Each tab controls a different part of Safari — what happens when you open a new tab, how passwords are saved, which websites can use your location, and more.
What each tab in Safari Preferences controls
General controls what happens when you open Safari and what your home page looks like. You can choose whether new windows open to your home page, a blank page, or the page you were last viewing. You can also set which search engine Safari uses — Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Yahoo.
Tabs controls how Safari handles multiple open tabs. You can choose whether links open in new tabs or new windows, and whether Safari shows your tab bar all the time or hides it when you are not using it.
AutoFill controls what information Safari remembers and fills in automatically. You can turn on or off autofill for usernames and passwords, credit cards, and contact information. This is where you tell Safari to stop suggesting your password on a shared computer.
Security controls what Safari allows websites to do. You can turn on or off features like JavaScript (which makes websites interactive) and plug-ins (older software that some old websites still use). Most people leave this alone unless a website tells them to change it.
Privacy controls what information Safari collects about your browsing. You can choose whether Safari tracks your activity across websites, whether it allows websites to track you, and how long Safari keeps your browsing history.
Websites is where you control what individual websites can do — whether they can use your camera, microphone, or location. When a website asks permission to use your location, Safari remembers your answer here. You can change it anytime by clicking the website name in this tab.
Extensions shows all the add-ons you have installed in Safari. You can turn them on or off, remove them, or change what each one is allowed to do. This is also where you manage permissions — for example, whether an extension can see what you are typing in password fields.
Advanced contains less common settings like developer tools (for people building websites) and how Safari handles certain file types. Most people never need to open this tab.
How to find a specific setting when you are not sure which tab it is in
If you know what you want to change but cannot remember which tab it is in, use the search box at the top of the Preferences window. Type a word — for example, "history" or "password" — and Safari highlights the matching setting and shows you which tab it is in. This is faster than clicking through all eight tabs.
The search box appears as a small magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the Preferences window. Click it and type. Safari narrows down the tabs and settings in real time as you type.
Resetting Safari to its default settings
If you have changed many settings and want to start over, Safari has a reset option. Go to Safari menu > Preferences > Privacy tab. At the bottom, click Manage Website Data, then click Remove All. This clears all the data Safari has stored about websites you have visited.
To reset other preferences back to Safari's defaults, there is no single "reset all" button. Instead, you have to change each setting back manually by going to the tab where it lives. Write down what you want to change, then go to each tab and adjust it. This is why it helps to know what each tab does.
Clearing your browsing history is different from resetting preferences. To clear history, go to History menu > Clear History. A window appears asking how far back you want to clear — the last hour, day, week, or all history. Choose what you want and click Clear History.
Preferences on iPhone and iPad work differently
On iPhone and iPad, you cannot open a Preferences window inside Safari itself. Instead, all Safari settings live in the main Settings app. Open Settings, scroll down, tap Safari, and you see options like Default Browser, Search Engine, Passwords, Privacy, and Website Settings.
The controls do the same thing as on Mac — you can change your search engine, manage saved passwords, control what websites can access, and clear your history. The difference is just where they are located. On iPhone and iPad, Apple groups all app settings in one place to keep the system simpler.
To clear history on iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. A menu appears asking what time period to clear. Choose your option and tap to confirm.
Common reasons to change Safari preferences
Most people change Safari preferences for one of a few reasons. You might want to change your search engine if you prefer DuckDuckGo for privacy or Bing for different results. You might turn off autofill if you share your computer and do not want Safari to remember your passwords. You might adjust privacy settings if you want to limit how much data websites collect about you.
If a website tells you to change a security setting — for example, to turn on JavaScript — that is where you do it. Go to Security and adjust what you need. If a website asks to use your camera or location and you want to say no permanently, go to Websites, find the website name, and change its permission.
Extensions are another common reason to visit Preferences. If you install a new extension and it is not working, go to the Extensions tab and check that it is turned on. If it is asking for permissions you do not want to give, you can adjust them there too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Safari menu if I cannot see it at the top of my screen?
On Mac, the menu bar is at the very top of your screen, above all your open windows. If you cannot see it, move your mouse to the top of the screen and it should appear. If Safari is in full-screen mode, move your mouse to the top and the menu bar slides down. You can also press Control and click anywhere in Safari to see a context menu with some options, though Preferences is not usually there.
Can I sync my Safari preferences across multiple Macs?
Yes, if you use iCloud. Go to Safari > Preferences > General and make sure you are signed into your Apple account. Safari syncs your bookmarks, reading list, and some preferences across all your devices. Not every setting syncs — extensions, for example, do not — but your search engine choice and most privacy settings do.
What does "Prevent cross-site tracking" do?
This setting, in the Privacy tab, stops websites from following you across the internet. Without it, a website you visit can track you on other websites too, which is how ads follow you around. Turning this on makes Safari block those trackers. Most people should leave this turned on.
Why does Safari keep asking for my password even though I saved it?
This usually means autofill is turned off, or Safari is set to require your password before filling in saved passwords. Go to Preferences > AutoFill and make sure Usernames and passwords is checked. If it is, go to Security and check whether Require password after 15 minutes of inactivity is on — if it is, Safari is asking you to confirm your identity before using a saved password.
How do I stop Safari from remembering passwords?
Go to Preferences > AutoFill and uncheck Usernames and passwords. From that point on, Safari will not offer to save new passwords. Passwords you already saved will stay in Safari until you remove them manually — go to Passwords in the AutoFill tab, find the password, and click the minus sign next to it.