How to disable the pop-up blocker on the Mac, iPad, and iPhone 2023

In iPhone Pop-ups can interfere with your browsing and are often annoying. But occasionally, you might need to test pop-up windows for a particular reason because certain websites depend on them for critical features. In order to give users a more enjoyable and uninterrupted surfing experience, browsers usually disable these pop-ups by default.

If you need to disable a pop-up blocker to interact with the site you’re browsing, you can easily change your browser’s settings on your device. Below, I’ll teach you how to unblock pop-ups on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac browser.

Should pop-up blockers be turned off in your browser?

Pop-ups on the web are often disliked, but they can be useful because they make it easier to interact with websites.

For instance, when you’re signing up for a new service and need to enter your credit card details, a pop-up window can help ensure you input your information accurately.

However, they can also be annoying and even harmful. Some might trick you into downloading unwanted software or take you to unsafe websites.

It’s up to you, but I recommend enabling pop-ups only for trusted websites. The good news is that browsers like Chrome allow you to decide which sites can show pop-ups and which ones to block.

How to allow pop-ups on an iPhone and iPad

By default, pop-ups are usually blocked when browsing on your iPhone. Here’s how to change this setting.

In Safari

Because Safari is the iPhone and iPad’s built-in browser, you’ll need to head to your device Settings to unblock pop-ups on Safari:

• Open Settings.
• Scroll down and tap Safari.
• Under General, toggle off Block Pop-ups.

Please note that in Safari on the iPhone and iPad, you can only enable all pop-ups, and there’s no option to selectively allow pop-ups from specific websites. As a workaround, you can allow all pop-ups and use a third-party adblocker for your iPhone or iPad that you can customize.

• Open the website whose pop-ups you want to allow.
• If the browser blocks a pop-up, you’ll see a notification below your address bar. Tap Always show.

How to disable pop-up blockers on a Mac

On your Mac, you have more freedom to choose which websites’ pop-ups you want to enable, unlike on your iPhone. I’ll now discuss the two most commonly used browsers on Mac: Safari and Chrome.

In Safari

• Open Safari.
• Click Preferences → select the Websites tab.Scroll to the bottom of the left-side pane and select Pop-up windows.
• Click the drop-down menu beside When visiting other websites. Choose Allow to enable all pop-ups.
• Alternatively, choose Block and Notify to keep blocking pop-ups but allow Safari to show them to you whenever you visit a website.

The websites listed under “Configured Websites” are sites where you’ve previously adjusted your pop-up blocking settings. If you want to change them, simply click on the website and then select “Remove.”

If you want to keep blocking all the pop-ups except certain websites, you can do so in Safari on Mac. Just do the following:

• Open Safari → go to the website.
• Click Safari → Preferences → select the Websites tab.On the left-side pane, scroll to the bottom and select Pop-up Windows.
• On the right, you’ll see all currently opened websites on Safari.
• Look for the website whose pop-ups you want to allow.
• On the drop-down menu, select Allow enabling all the site’s pop-ups to appear.
• You can also select Block and Notify if you still want Safari to block it but have the option to view it by clicking the Smart Search field.

In Chrome

• Open Chrome → Preferences.
• Choose Privacy and security → Site settings.
• Go to the bottom and click Pop-ups and redirects.
• Under Default behavior, tick Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects.

If you only want to unblock pop-ups from select sites, do the following:

• Launch Chrome → open the site that you want to allow pop-ups.
• Click the lock icon at the left-side corner of the address bar.
• If you see Pop-ups and redirects, toggle it on.
• Some sites do not reveal this option.
• If you do not see Pop-ups and redirects in the drop-down menu, click Site Settings instead.

Under Permissions, go to Pop-ups and redirects and click the drop-down arrow beside it. Select Allow.

Wrapping up…

You can also choose to unblock all pop-ups, but it’s essential to be cautious about the websites you visit and the links you click. As a language model AI, I don’t interact with pop-ups, but it’s generally a good practice to allow pop-ups only from trusted websites to enhance your online security and experience.