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404 DESK / PRACTICAL BROWSER PRIVACY

Safari Privacy Settings

Review Safari privacy settings step by step, with official documentation, compatibility tradeoffs, and instructions for undoing changes.

Keep cross-site tracking prevention on

Safari → Settings → Privacy

  1. Open Privacy.
  2. Select Prevent cross-site tracking.
  3. Leave normal first-party storage available for sites you use.

Limits cross-site tracking without blocking every cookie.

To undo: If something fails, troubleshoot that site before changing protection globally.

Official documentation

Extend advanced tracking protection

Safari → Settings → Advanced

  1. Find Use advanced tracking and fingerprinting protection.
  2. Choose All browsing, if available.
  3. Test an everyday website.

Applies the optional stronger mode outside private windows too.

To undo: Return to Private Browsing only if needed; labels depend on Safari/macOS version.

Official documentation

Review camera, microphone, and location

Safari → Settings → Websites

  1. Select Camera in the left list.
  2. Change unused site grants to Ask or Deny.
  3. Repeat for Microphone and Location; review the default for other websites.

Limits continuing access to sensitive device features.

To undo: Choose Allow for a trusted site again when its feature is needed.

Official documentation

Keep partial searches out of autocomplete services

Safari → Settings → Search

  1. Clear Include search engine suggestions.
  2. Clear Include Safari Suggestions if you do not want Apple’s suggestion service.
  3. You can still submit a normal search.

Reduces optional remote suggestion requests while typing.

To undo: Select either option again when you want its suggestions.

Official documentation

Review the tracker IP boundary

Safari → Settings → Privacy

  1. Find Hide IP address.
  2. Keep protection from trackers enabled where offered.
  3. Treat any iCloud Private Relay options as a separate service choice.

Hiding an address from known trackers is different from hiding it from every website.

To undo: Restore your previous option if a required service fails.

Official documentation

Choose pages before they load

Safari → Settings → Search

  1. Find Preload Top Hit in the background.
  2. Clear its checkbox.
  3. Check whether you notice the loading-speed tradeoff.

Stops automatic loading of a predicted top result.

To undo: Select the checkbox again to restore that feature.

Official documentation

Stop unnecessary notification invitations

Safari → Settings → Websites → Notifications

  1. Review websites already allowed to notify you.
  2. Change unwanted sites to Deny.
  3. Clear Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications if you want fewer requests.

Reduces website alerts and permission prompts.

To undo: Allow individual sites or re-enable requests when needed.

Official documentation

Review your Safari extensions

Safari → Settings → Extensions

  1. Select an installed extension.
  2. Turn it off if you do not need it.
  3. Review its website-access options, and uninstall only when you are sure.

Limits extra software that can access browsing content.

To undo: Re-enable a disabled extension, or reinstall it from its official source.

Official documentation