Use Distraction Control in Safari to hide items on a web page
If a web page regularly shows one or more items that you find distracting, you can use the Distraction Control feature to hide those items until you choose to see them again.
Hide distracting items in Safari
Hide distracting items in Safari
Distraction Control works best with items that don’t regularly change. When you first use Distraction Control, an alert will remind you that this feature doesn’t permanently hide ads or other items that update frequently.
On Mac
Requires macOS Sequoia or later
From the Smart Search field in Safari, click the Page Menu button
, then choose Hide Distracting Items.
As you move the pointer around the page, Safari will show a border around each item you can hide.
Click an item to hide it. You can click to hide additional items as well.
Click Done in the Smart Search field to confirm your changes. Or click Cancel.
On iPhone or iPad
Requires iOS 18 or later, or iPadOS 18 or later
From the Smart Search field in Safari, tap the Page Menu button
, then tap Hide Distracting Items.Tap to select the item you want to hide. Safari will show a border around the selected item.
Tap anywhere within the item to hide it. You can tap to hide additional items as well.
Tap Done in the Smart Search field to confirm your changes. Or tap Cancel.
Show hidden items in Safari
When viewing a web page that has hidden items, an eye with a line through it
will appear next to the Page Menu button. Tap or click the Page Menu button, then select Show Hidden Items. If you’ve hidden more than one item on the page, you’ll be asked to confirm your choice before hidden items are shown.
Learn more
If other pages on the same website use the same items in the same way, they’ll be hidden on those pages as well. Items hidden in one Safari profile will also be hidden in other Safari profiles on the same device. Items hidden in a private browsing window will only be hidden in-private browsing windows and won’t remain hidden after quitting Safari.
On Mac, if you’ve installed a Safari extension that blocks content, Distraction Control may work best when the Content Blockers setting is turned on for the website. From the menu bar in Safari, choose Safari > Settings, click the Websites tab, then click Content Blockers in the sidebar. Find the website listed on the right and make sure the setting is turned on.
If you use Clear History on Mac or Clear History and Website Data on your iPhone or iPad when using the default Safari profile, you will also clear all hidden items on that device.
For a distraction-free experience when reading articles, use Reader on Mac or Reader on iPhone or Reader on iPad.
