Quick Links

Key Takeaways

  • Pop-up blockers are enabled by default on popular browsers like Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
  • You can either enable pop-ups for a specific site you're visiting or head to your browser's options to manage your pop-up settings for all sites.
  • To disable the pop-up blocker, Safari users can Control-click on the URL, choose Settings for, and set the Pop-up Windows option to Allow.

Are you facing issues with a website because your browser is blocking its pop-ups? Luckily, most major browsers, like Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, allow you to turn off these pop-up blockers. We'll walk you through the steps.

When Should I Allow Pop-Ups?

pop-up blocker activated on Chrome

As the name suggests, a pop-up is a new browser window, tab, or a small interface inside the main window that "pops up" when you open a landing page, click a link, or submit a form. Most modern browsers block them by default because they're typically used for advertising (since they quickly grab the user's attention). Many are harmless annoyances, though some pop-ups can be unsafe for your Mac.

Most of the time, you can block pop-ups and not worry about it. However, some websites use them for legitimate purposes. These are often outdated pages used by banks, universities, and similar. You might not be able to access certain pages unless you allow them to open in a pop-up—that's when you should allow them for a given page.

Disabling pop-up blockers is easy regardless of the browser you use on your Mac. Here's how to allow pop-ups on the most popular and fastest browsers for macOS.

How to Allow Pop-Ups in Safari

Safari lets you disable its pop-up blocker for a specific website you're on quickly or allow pop-ups across all sites. To allow pop-ups in Safari for the current website:

  1. Control-click the website URL in the address bar and choose Settings for [Website URL] in the context menu.
  2. Set the Pop-up Windows option to Allow using the dropdown menu.
    temporarily disabling pop-up blocker on Safari

Here's how you can allow pop-ups for all websites you visit in Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu bar and choose Settings.
  2. Go to the Websites tab.
  3. Scroll down and select Pop-up Windows in the left sidebar.
  4. A list of currently open websites will show up on the right. You can set Allow for each of them individually and do the same for the When visiting other websites option at the bottom-right corner.
    permanently disabling pop-up blocker on Safari

How to Allow Pop-Ups in Chrome

If you've changed the default browser on your Mac to Chrome, unblocking pop-ups on it is also super easy. To quickly bypass the pop-up blocker for a website you're currently on:

  1. Hit the tune icon on the left side of the URL in the address bar.
  2. Choose Site settings to be redirected to a new window where you can manage your preferences for this particular website.
  3. Select Allow from the dropdown menu next to Pop-ups and redirects.
    temporarily allowing pop-ups on Chrome

To turn off the pop-up blocker for all sites you visit on Chrome for macOS, here's what you need to do:

  1. Click the three-dots icon in the top-right corner of the Chrome window and choose Settings.
  2. Select Privacy & Security on the left and click Site Settings from the right pane.
  3. Scroll to the bottom and click Pop-ups and redirects.
  4. Select the Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects option.
    permanently allowing pop-ups on Chrome

How to Allow Pop-Ups in Firefox

Unlike Safari and Chrome, Firefox doesn't let you turn off the pop-up blocker on your Mac for a site you're already on. However, you can follow these steps to adjust your pop-up settings:

  1. Click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner and select Settings from the dropdown.
  2. Select Privacy & Security on the left pane.
  3. Scroll down to the Permissions section and uncheck the box next to Block pop-up windows.
  4. You can also click Exceptions next to it and enter a specific website to allow pop-ups for it. Make sure to click Save Changes when you've added your desired websites here.
    disabling pop-up blocker on Firefox

How to Allow Pop-Ups in Microsoft Edge

Fortunately, Microsoft's Edge browser is more akin to Chrome than Firefox when it comes to allowing pop-ups quickly. Here's what you need to do:

  1. Click the Lock icon on the left side of the URL in the address bar.
  2. Choose Permissions for this site from the context menu.
  3. In the new window that opens, select Allow for Pop-ups and redirects.
    temporarily bypassing pop-up blocker on Edge

To allow pop-ups across all sites on Edge, follow these steps instead:

  1. Click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner and choose Settings from the dropdown.
  2. Select Cookies and site permissions on the left pane.
  3. Scroll down and click on Pop-ups and redirects.
  4. Toggle off Blocked (recommended) to allow all pop-ups across all sites. You can also add specific sites to the Block and Allow sections for finer control.
    permanently allowing pop-ups on Edge

By now, you've learned how to allow pop-ups no matter what browser you use. Even if your preferred browser is not on this list—say you use a private browser like Brave or Vivaldi—the steps you need to follow will be similar. You can either allow pop-ups for a specific website you're visiting or head to your browser settings and disable the pop-up blocker for all sites.