Control which windows Safari reopens on Mac

Each time Safari opens, it can reopen windows and tabs from the last session, or it can reopen one or more other windows or tabs.

Check settings

When Safari opens, it might automatically restore the same windows or tabs that were open when you last quit Safari.

If you want to change this behavior, take either of these steps:

After you configure the system setting, check Safari settings as well:

  1. From the menu bar in Safari, choose Safari > Settings (or Preferences).

  2. In the General pane, choose a setting from the “Safari opens with” menu.

  3. If you set Safari to open with a new window, use the “New windows open with” menu to define which window or tabs Safari should reopen.

If Safari keeps reopening other windows

After checking your settings, if Safari keeps reopening one or more unwanted windows or tabs, or keeps changing the search engine, a phishing site may have tricked you into installing unknown or suspicious software. If you think you might have malware or adware on your Mac:

  • Update macOS on your Mac. If it's already up to date, restart your Mac. macOS includes a built-in tool that removes known malware when you restart.

  • Remove any unknown or suspicious apps and Safari extensions.

  • Learn how to block pop-up ads and windows.

  • Remove any unknown or suspicious system configuration profiles, even if the profile doesn't seem related to the unwanted windows. However, if your Mac belongs to a school or other organization, check with its system administrator before removing a necessary profile.

    • macOS Ventura 13 or later: Choose Apple menu  > System Settings, click Privacy & Security in the sidebar, then scroll down and click Profiles on the right. To remove a profile, select it and click the remove button (–) below the list of profiles, then restart your Mac.

    • Earlier versions of macOS: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Profiles. To remove a profile, select it and click the remove button (–) below the list of profiles, then restart your Mac.

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