Safari for Mac: Change search options using Safari

Change search options using Safari

Searching the web is a powerful way to find information, and in Safari you can choose which search engine you wish to use.

Choose a search engine: Delete all text in the Smart Search field, click the magnifying glass , then choose a search engine from the list.

When you search, you also give information about yourself to your search engine. For example, if you enter “Golden Retriever” in the Smart Search field, your search engine now knows you’re interested in information about Golden Retriever dogs, even if you don’t press Return to submit the search terms. Search engines have different policies for what they do with search data they collect from you.

Prevent search engine suggestions: Choose Safari > Preferences, click Search, then deselect “Include search engine suggestions.” Safari stops sending the search engine your partial search terms as you type them, and the search engine doesn’t send Safari search suggestions to show in the results list below the search and address field.

Prevent searching within a site from the Smart Search field: Choose Safari > Preferences, click Search, then deselect Enable Quick Website Search.

Stop getting Safari Suggestions from iTunes, Maps, news, and more: Choose Safari > Preferences, click Search, then deselect Include Safari Suggestions. Safari stops using Safari Suggestions.

Stop preloading the top search hit: Choose Safari > Preferences, click Search, then deselect “Preload Top Hit in the background.” While you’re typing in the Smart Search field, Safari no longer starts to load a page it determines to be the top hit based on your bookmarks and browsing history.

Stop showing icons for your favorite websites below the Smart Search field: Choose Safari > Preferences, click Search, then deselect Show Favorites.

Last Modified: Sep 22, 2016
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