You're trying to log into your bank. Or maybe you're just trying to download a boring tax form from a government site that looks like it was designed in 1998. You click the button. Nothing. You click it again, harder this time, as if the physical force on your trackpad matters. Still nothing. Then you see it—that tiny, judgmental icon in the address bar telling you that macOS just "protected" you from a window you actually asked for. Honestly, figuring out how to disable pop up blocker on mac shouldn't feel like deactivating a security system, but here we are.
Apple is obsessed with privacy. We get it. Safari is built like a fortress to keep out the garbage ads that plagued the internet in the early 2000s. But sometimes, that fortress is too effective. It doesn't know the difference between a malicious "You won a free iPad" scam and the actual PDF receipt you need for your expense report.
If you're staring at a frozen screen, don't worry. It's an easy fix. But there’s a nuance to it. You don't necessarily want to tear down the walls for the entire internet; you usually just want to let one specific site through the gates.
📖 Related: The Truth About Using a hide me vpn extension (and Why Your Browser Might Still Be Leaking)
The Quick Way to Toggle Safari's Settings
Most people think there’s just one giant "Off" switch for the whole computer. There isn’t. Since Safari is the default browser, that’s where 90% of the frustration lives.
Open Safari. Look at the top menu bar—the one next to the Apple logo—and click Safari, then Settings (or Preferences if you’re running an older version of macOS like Monterey or Big Sur). Now, head over to the Websites tab. This is where the magic happens. On the left-hand sidebar, scroll down until you see Pop-up Windows.
You'll see a list of websites currently open. To the right of each site name, there’s a dropdown menu. You can set it to Block and Notify, Block, or Allow. If you’re currently on the site that’s giving you grief, just switch it to Allow. Problem solved.
But what if you want to turn it off for everything? Look at the bottom right where it says When visiting other websites. Change that to Allow. Now, I wouldn't leave it like that forever. The internet is a weird place. If you leave your blocker off indefinitely, you’re basically inviting every sketchy streaming site to open twelve tabs for "Hot Singles in Your Area" the moment you click play.
Why Chrome and Firefox Handle This Differently
Not everyone uses Safari. Chrome is basically the king of RAM consumption, but many of us use it for work because of the extensions. Firefox is for the privacy nerds. Both have their own ways of hiding the toggle.
In Google Chrome, you’re looking for the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, and finally Site Settings. You have to scroll a bit to find Pop-ups and redirects. Chrome defaults to "Don't allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects." You can flip the switch to "Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects," but again, the better move is adding a specific URL to the "Allowed to send pop-ups" list. It’s cleaner. It’s safer.
Firefox is a little more direct. Click the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger" menu), go to Settings, and click Privacy & Security on the left. Scroll down to the Permissions section. There’s a checkbox that says Block pop-up windows. Uncheck it. Or, click Exceptions to white-list your favorite sites.
The "Invisible" Blockers You Forgot About
Here is the thing. Sometimes you disable the browser blocker and the pop-up still won't show up. It’s infuriating. You feel like you’re losing your mind.
Check your extensions. If you have AdBlock, uBlock Origin, or Ghostery installed, those apps are often more aggressive than the browser itself. They don't care about your browser settings. They see a script trying to open a new window and they kill it on sight. You might need to click the little puzzle piece icon in your toolbar and "Pause" the ad blocker for the specific site you're using.
Also, don't overlook macOS Focus modes. If you have "Do Not Disturb" or a custom "Work" focus turned on, sometimes system-level notifications or certain app behaviors get suppressed. It’s rare for this to stop a browser pop-up, but in the ecosystem of Apple, everything is connected.
When Pop-Ups Are Actually Malware
We need to talk about the elephant in the room. If you are looking for how to disable pop up blocker on mac because your computer is suddenly vomiting windows every time you move the mouse—stop. You don't have a blocker problem; you have a malware problem.
Standard macOS behavior doesn't involve random windows appearing when you're just sitting on the desktop. If that's happening, a rogue "Configuration Profile" might have been installed. Go to System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and scroll all the way down to Profiles. If you see something there that you didn't personally install (especially if it has a weird name like "AdminPrefs"), delete it immediately.
Malwarebytes for Mac is the industry standard here. Thomas Reed, a well-known security researcher and the Director of Mac & Mobile at Malwarebytes, has documented for years how "adware" masquerades as legitimate software. Often, these programs disable your blockers or add their own "allow" rules to push ads to your screen.
The Nuclear Option: System-Wide Changes
If you’re a developer or someone who just hates being told what to do by software, you might want to know if there's a terminal command. There usually is.
You can technically modify the com.apple.Safari plist file via the Terminal app, but honestly? It's overkill. For 99% of people, the GUI settings are plenty. Using Terminal to force-disable security features can sometimes lead to Safari behaving inconsistently after a macOS update. Apple has a habit of resetting "defaults" during major OS jumps (like moving from Sonoma to Sequoia), so the manual way is actually the most reliable way.
Practical Steps to Take Right Now
If you're stuck, follow this sequence to get it working in under 60 seconds:
- Check the URL Bar: Look for a small square icon on the far right of the address bar. In Chrome and Safari, clicking this often gives you a "One-time allow" option. This is the fastest fix.
- The Keyboard Shortcut: Sometimes, holding the Command (⌘) or Shift key while clicking a link will bypass a blocker. It depends on how the site is coded, but it's a great "secret" trick.
- Specific Site Permissions: Don't turn off the global blocker. Go to Safari Settings > Websites > Pop-up Windows and set the specific site to "Allow."
- Clear the Cache: If you changed the setting and it's still not working, the site might be remembering your old "blocked" state. Press Command + Option + E to empty the cache in Safari, then reload.
- Audit Your Extensions: Turn off uBlock or AdBlock for five minutes to see if they are the culprits.
Disabling your blocker is a temporary necessity, not a lifestyle. Once you've finished that bank transfer or downloaded that PDF, it's generally a good idea to head back into your settings and toggle "When visiting other websites" back to Block and Notify. It keeps the web from feeling like the wild west again.