Safari extensions are powerful tools that enhance the functionality of your web browser by adding new features, improving productivity, or customizing your browsing experience.
Whether you’re looking to install a new extension, manage existing ones, or even create your own, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.
On this page
- How to install a Safari extension?
- How to enable a Safari extension?
- How to view or change permissions for an installed Safari extension?
- How to use and access an installed Safari extension?
- How to uninstall a Safari extension?
- How to create a Safari extension?
- Wrap Up
How to Install a Safari extension?
Safari Extensions are packaged together within an app from the App Store. So installing a Safari extension is only slightly more complex than installing any other App Store app.
Follow the steps below in order to install an app and its accompanying Safari extension:
- Open the App Store app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac
- Search to find the Safari extension app you are interested in.
- Tap on the “Get” or “Install” button next to the app that you want to install
- Once downloaded, you can open the app and follow the extension setup instructions contained within.
- All Safari extensions must be enabled before they can be used within the browser
While web extensions built for other browsers like Chrome or Firefox can be migrated to a Safari extension by the developer, they can’t be used directly without being specifically packaged for Safari and made available for download from the Apple App Store.
How to enable a Safari extension?
Once an app with a Safari extension is downloaded, the Safari extension is not automatically enabled. So before you can use the extension you will need to enable that extension to be active on your device.
How to enable a Safari extension on an iPhone or iPad
- Open the Apps > Safari > Extensions screen in the Settings app
- All installed extensions from apps on your device will be listed
- Tap into each extension and ensure “Allow Extension” is enabled
- Also enable “Allow in Private Browsing” if you want to be able to use the extension’s functionality while you are viewing a site in Private Browsing mode.
How to enable a Safari extension on a Mac
- In Safari, select the Settings… option from the Safari menu
- Tap to view the Extensions setting
- On the left pane of the Extensions setting are the list of all installed extensions from the apps on your device
- Enable any extension you want to be active by checking the box next to its name
- If you want to be able to use the extension’s functionality while you are viewing a site in Private Browsing mode, also tap onto the Extensions name and then check “Allow in Private Browsing”
Note that some apps include multiple extensions, so all of an app’s extensions may have to be enabled for it to work correctly.
For instance, Magic Lasso Adblock includes two Safari extensions named “Magic Lasso” and “Magic Lasso Pro” that need to be enabled for the app’s ad blocking to work correctly across all websites.
How to view or change permissions for an installed Safari extension?
Managing permissions for Safari extensions is crucial to ensure that they only have access to the information and sites they need.
While extensions can add powerful new functionality to your browser they may also have access to all the pages you visit, so it is crucial that you understand what permissions are given to an extension you have installed.
How to view Safari extension permissions on an iPhone or iPad
- Open the Apps > Safari > Extensions screen in the Settings app
- All installed extensions from apps on your device will be listed
- Tap into each extension to view its specific permissions details
How to view Safari extension permissions on a Mac
- In Safari, select the Settings… option from the Safari menu
- Tap to view the Extensions setting
- On the left pane of the Extensions setting are the list of all installed extensions from the apps on your device
- Tap the name of any extension to review specific extension permission details on the right side
Permissions that Safari extensions may request
It’s a good idea to review extension permissions to ensure that you understand and agree with the access and data that each Safari extension is granted.
Permissions that each extension may request include:
- Some extensions may request access to certain websites or data. You can enable or deny these permissions according to your preferences
- You may also be able to edit the specific websites the extension may have these permissions for and restrict the extension to only have access on certain sites such as youtube.com
- If the extension adds a new Safari toolbar button, then some extensions only have access to the current page’s data once the toolbar button has been tapped
- For each extension, you can also decide if it should also work when you are in Private browsing mode
- Some extensions have minimal permissions and do not have access to any Safari data or pages you browse. This is noted by the text “… does not have permission to read, alter or transmit content from any web pages”. The Magic Lasso extension is an example of an extension which has these minimal requirements
- You can also disable the extension entirely by unchecking the box next to its name or toggling “Allow Extension”
While using a Safari extension it may also request additional permissions to provide certain functions. Ensure you understand what permissions are being granted before accepting these additional permissions prompts.
How to use and access an installed Safari extension?
Once installed and enabled, a Safari extension can expose its functionality in various locations within the Safari web browser.
This may include:
- Modifying or blocking content on the web pages you view
- Adding new toolbar buttons that provide new features when tapped
- Adding new tools directly on web pages
How to use and access extensions from Safari on iPhone?
For extensions which provide a toolbar button, these can be accessed by:
- In Safari, tap the page menu icon which is located at the left of the Safari website address bar
- All of your enabled extensions with toolbar functionality will be listed under the “Manage Extensions” option. Note that you can also enable or disable specific extensions by toggling them in the “Manage Extensions” menu.
- Tap the extension you wish to access and its toolbar popover will appear
How to use and access extensions from Safari on iPad?
The process to access Safari extensions with toolbar buttons on an iPad is similar to the iPhone. Here’s how:
- In Safari, tap the Extension jigsaw icon which is located at the right of the Safari website address bar
- All of your enabled extensions with toolbar functionality will be listed above the “Manage Extensions” option. Note that you can also enable or disable specific extensions by toggling them in the “Manage Extensions” menu.
- Tap the extension you wish to access and its toolbar popover will appear
How to use and access extensions from Safari on a Mac?
On a Mac, Safari extensions with toolbar buttons are easily accessible through the browser’s toolbar. Simply open a Safari window and any extensions which provide a toolbar button will be shown, by default, as an icon to the left space of the Safari website address bar.
How to uninstall a Safari extension?
If you no longer need an extension or want to free up some space, uninstalling it is easy.
If you still want to keep using the app that the extension was packaged with, but not its Safari extensions, you can simply disable the extensions by following a similar process to “How to enable a Safari extension”.
However, if you no longer wish to use the app at all, you can delete the app from the device which will also automatically remove all of its extensions.
- For iPhone or iPad, follow these steps to uninstall an app and all of its associated Safari extensions.
- For a Mac, follow these steps to uninstall an app and all of its associated Safari extensions.
How to create a Safari extension?
Creating a Safari extension is a rewarding way to enhance your web browsing experience and even share your creations with others.
Safari extensions can be built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. More advanced functionality may also require native coding in Swift.
Here’s a high level overview of how to get started:
- Set Up Developer Tools – To build a Safari extension, you’ll need a Mac with Xcode (Apple’s development software). You can download it from the Mac App Store.
- Create a New Project – Once Xcode is installed, you can start a new project:
- Open Xcode and select “Create a new Xcode project.”
- Choose “Multiplatform” as the platform and “Safari Extension App” as the template.
- Develop the Extension – You’ll be writing code (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) to define the functionality of your extension. The extension will have a background script, a content script (if you want it to interact with web pages), and a user interface. Follow Apple’s guidance on “Creating a Safari web extension”.
- Test Your Extension – Xcode allows you to run and test your extension within the Safari browser to make sure everything works as expected.
- Submit Your Extension – Once your extension is ready, you can submit it to the App Store to be able to share it with others. If you want to distribute it through the App Store, you’ll need an Apple Developer account.
Apple also provides a tool to convert an existing web extension that has been built using the standard WebExtensions API to a Safari web extension.
Wrap Up
Safari extensions are a fantastic way to boost your productivity, enhance your browsing experience, and add new features to Safari. Whether you’re looking to install, manage, or create your own extension, this guide has covered all the essentials you need to know.
So go ahead — explore the vast world of Safari extensions and make your browsing experience even better!
If you liked this guide to Safari extensions and are interested in improving your browsing speed and privacy, please considering giving Magic Lasso Adblock a try.
Magic Lasso is a fast, efficient and high performance ad blocker for the iPhone, iPad and Mac with native Safari integration. It doubles the speed at which pages view and load in Safari – making an already fast browser even faster.
