Here’s how to allow pop-ups on a Mac in the main browsers, plus a few extra checks in case they’re still getting blocked.

Safari on Mac

Allow pop-ups for one site

  1. Open Safari.
  1. Go to the website that needs a pop-up (for example, a banking or school portal).
  1. In the top menu bar, click Safari > Settings (or Preferences on older macOS).
  1. Click the Websites tab.
  1. In the left sidebar, scroll down and select Pop-up Windows.
  1. You’ll see the current site in the list. Next to it, change the setting from Block and Notify or Block to Allow.

Now that specific site can open its pop-ups, but others stay blocked.

Allow pop-ups for all sites (not usually recommended)

  1. Open Safari > Settings > Websites > Pop-up Windows again.
  1. At the bottom, find When visiting other websites.
  1. Change that dropdown to Allow.

You can also remove any sites listed under “Configured Websites” if their setting keeps forcing Block.

Tip: Most people keep Safari set to block pop-ups by default and only Allow for specific sites that they trust (banks, university portals, government services).

Google Chrome on Mac

Allow pop-ups everywhere

  1. Open Chrome.
  1. Click the three dots in the top-right corner and choose Settings.
  1. Go to Privacy and security.
  1. Click Site settings.
  1. Scroll to Pop-ups and redirects.
  1. Turn on the option so that Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects.

This allows pop-ups on all sites in Chrome.

Allow pop-ups only for certain sites

  1. Follow steps 1–5 above to reach Pop-ups and redirects.
  1. Under Allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects , click Add.
  1. Enter the website address you want to allow (for example, https://example.com) and save.

This way, only those sites you add get pop-ups; everything else stays blocked.

Extra checks if pop-ups still don’t work

Even with browser settings correct, something else can quietly block pop-ups on your Mac.

  • Screen Time / Content & Privacy:
    • Open System Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy and review any web restrictions like “limit adult websites”; these filters can interfere with login or resource pop-ups.
  • Extensions / Add-ons :
    • In Safari, check Safari > Settings > Extensions; in Chrome, check extensions from the browser menu. Some ad blockers or security tools silently block pop-ups.
  • Security advice :
    • Pop-ups are often used for ads or malicious sites, so it’s safest to allow them only for specific, trusted websites instead of turning them on globally.

Quick HTML table reference

[7][5] [5][1] [7][3][5] [3][6][1] [6][3][1] [3][6]
Browser Path to pop-up settings Allow for one site Allow for all sites
Safari (Mac) Safari > Settings > Websites > Pop-up Windows Change the dropdown next to the current site to “Allow” Set “When visiting other websites” to “Allow”
Chrome (Mac) Menu > Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Pop-ups and redirects Add site under “Allowed to send pop-ups and use redirects” Select “Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects”
**TL;DR:** In Safari, go to **Safari > Settings > Websites > Pop-up Windows** and set your site (or all sites) to **Allow**. In Chrome, use **Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Pop-ups and redirects** and either enable pop-ups globally or add the site to the allowed list.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.