Sometimes, when you try to launch a website on Safari, you can’t get in. This is usually because of web filtering and geo-restrictions. Safari blocks access to sites that have been reported for malware or phishing. Geo-restrictions occur when you try to access web content from a location where it isn’t available or hasn’t been released yet.
To unblock websites on Safari for Mac, you can use the following approaches:
- Using VPN service
- Using Parental Controls
- Using iPhone Settings
VPN Service: If you're unable to access a website on Safari, it may be blocked by your ISP or it is geo-restricted. A VPN, like Private Internet Access, can help you unblock the site and access its content. Using this VPN, you can easily browse the web anonymously and avoid any geo-restrictions.
Private Internet Access supports different technologies, including WireGuard, OpenVPN, IPSec/L2TP, PPTP, and SOCKS5. It also doesn't store traffic logs, so you can browse anonymously.
Parental Controls: Next approach to access blocked websites in Safari is by checking Parental Controls on your Mac.
- Open the Apple icon and select System Preferences.
- Click Parental Controls.
- Select the Lock icon in the bottom left, and enter your password.
- Click Unlock
- Choose your user account from the left pane. Select Allow unrestricted access to websites and save your changes.
iPhone Settings: You can access blocked websites in Safari by changing iPhone Settings.
- Go to the Settings app and select Screen Time.
- Select Content Restrictions.
- Click Web Content and select Unrestricted Access.
You can also disable Content & Privacy Restrictions in the Screen Time section.
FAQs
Select the Lock icon in the bottom left, and enter your password. Choose your user account from the left pane. Select Allow unrestricted access to websites and save your changes.
How do I stop Safari from blocking websites on my Mac? ›
In the Safari app on your Mac, use Websites settings to customize how you browse individual websites. To change these settings, choose Safari > Settings, then click Websites. The settings you can customize (such as Reader and Content Blockers) are listed on the left.
Why is Safari not allowing certain websites? ›
Check Safari settings
The webpage might not be compatible with one or more browser settings, which you can turn on or off as needed. From the menu bar in Safari, choose Safari > Settings (or Preferences). Then click Websites, Privacy, or Security to access these settings: Privacy settings.
How do I block all websites except a few on Mac? ›
How to block everything and whitelist specific sites
- Go into Screen Time through your Mac's System Preferences.
- Choose Content and Privacy in the left sidebar.
- Click Allowed websites only and then hit Customize. Hit customize to whitelist specific sites on Safari. ...
- Add your allowed websites and then hit Ok.
Click Content & Privacy, then turn it on if it's not on already. To restrict web content, click Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content, then turn options on or off. See Change Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content settings in Screen Time.
How do I unblock restricted websites? ›
9 ways to unblock websites
- Use a VPN to unblock any site you want. ...
- Unblock sites with an open proxy. ...
- Install a VPN or proxy browser extension. ...
- Use an IP address instead of a URL. ...
- Use the Tor Browser to unblock banned sites. ...
- View blocked content with Google Translate. ...
- Take advantage of a dynamic IP.
Open the Settings app on your device. Select "Safari" Under “General”, locate “Block Pop-ups” and slide the button to the disabled position in order to allow pop-ups.
Why is my Safari restricted? ›
Apple's device controls are called Screen Time. A specific setting in Screen Time, Web Content, allows Apple to filter and block explicit websites on the device. When Web Content blocks a website, you'll see a You cannot browse this page at “___” because it is restricted message.
How do I turn off the content blocker in Safari? ›
Safari on iPhone / iPad
- Open iPhone / iPad Settings.
- Select Safari from the list of settings.
- Under the General section, select Content Blockers.
- Toggle off the ad blocker.
- Return to the video loaded in Safari, click Continue watching.
- If ad blocker is still detected, restart Safari and try again.
The website server may be busy, or the website may be unavailable temporarily. Contact your network administrator for help. If you connect to the internet using a corporate or enterprise network, the network may have a firewall that prevents you from opening the webpage.
How to reset Safari on Mac
- Open Safari and click on the Safari menu.
- Select History > Clear History…
- Click the menu next to clear and choose a time period — if you want to completely reset Safari, choose all history.
- Click Clear History.
Make sure cables are connected, and that your network devices (such as a router) are turned on. Check your internet connection. Try working in another app that uses the internet, such as Mail, to see if your Mac is connected to the internet.
How do I permanently block a website on Safari Mac? ›
Click on “Customize,” then navigate to the “Restricted” category: This is where you can add specific websites that you wish to block. 8. To block a specific website, tap the “+” icon, add the website URL (for instance, “example.com”) to your “Restricted” list, then click “o*k”.
Is there a way to block all websites except a few? ›
Use the URL blocklist and allowlist to:
- Allow access to all URLs except the ones you block—Use the blocklist to prevent users from visiting certain websites, while allowing them access to the rest of the web.
- Block access to all URLs except the ones you allow—Use the blocklist to block access to all URLs.
FILTER - the easy and elegant way to block apps and websites in Safari, Chrome, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Brave. Filter lets you block distracting websites and apps for a certain amount of time.
How do I force Safari to open a website? ›
Choose View > Reload Page. If the page still won't open, quit Safari, reopen it, then try again. Try again at a different time. The website server may be busy, or the website may be unavailable temporarily.
How do I pop-up blocked by Safari? ›
Select the “Safari” menu, and then select “Preferences” from the drop down menu. The preference pane will open and then select “Security” on the top row. Uncheck the checkbox "Block pop-up windows". Close the Preferences window.
How do I unblock private browsing on my Mac? ›
How to turn Locked Private Browsing on or off on Mac
- Open Safari.
- From the Safari menu, choose Settings.
- Click Privacy.
- Next to Private Browsing, select "Require Touch ID to view locked tabs." Or unselect it, if you don't want your private windows to lock.
