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Table of Contents

Prevent websites from tracking you in Safari on Mac

Some websites use third-party content providers. You can stop third-party content providers from tracking you across websites to advertise products and services.

You can also ask individual websites—and others who provide those sites with content, including advertisers—not to track you.

Open Safari for me

Prevent third-party content providers from tracking you across websites

  1. In the Safari app on your Mac, choose Safari > Preferences, then click Privacy.

  2. Select “Prevent cross-site tracking.”

    Unless you visit the third-party content provider, their tracking data is periodically deleted.

    Social media sites often put Share, Like, or Comment buttons on other websites. If you’re logged in to one of those social media sites, the buttons can be used to track your web browsing—even if you don’t use them. Safari blocks that tracking. If you still want to use the buttons, you’ll be asked for your permission to allow the site to see your activities on the other websites.

Ask websites not to track you

  1. In the Safari app on your Mac, choose Safari > Preferences, then click Privacy.

  2. Select “Ask websites not to track me.”

    When you visit a website, a request is submitted not to track you, but it’s up to the website to honor this request.

Note: Every time you visit a website, it gathers data about your device—such as your system configuration—and uses that data to show you a webpage that works well on your device. Some companies use this data to try to uniquely identify your device—known as fingerprinting. Whenever you visit a webpage, Safari presents a simplified version of your system configuration. Your Mac looks more like everyone else’s Mac, which dramatically reduces the ability of trackers to uniquely identify your device.

See alsoManage cookies and website data in Safari on MacBrowse in private in Safari on Mac
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  3. Prevent websites from tracking you in Safari on Mac
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