Whenever you visit a website, the server often saves tiny text files called “cookies” onto your Mac’s hard drive. While many cookies are perfectly harmless and essential for functionality (like keeping you logged into your email account or remembering your shopping cart), third-party advertising cookies are used extensively to track your browsing habits across the internet. If you are highly privacy-conscious, Apple Safari allows you to completely block all cookies from being saved to your machine, ensuring a much higher degree of anonymity.
The Risk of Blocking All Cookies
Before you proceed, it is critical to understand the consequences of a blanket ban on cookies. If you block all cookies, many websites will simply break. You will not be able to log into banking websites, social media accounts, or webmail clients, because the site relies on a session cookie to verify your identity after you enter your password. You will have to re-enter your username and password every single time you navigate to a new page. Use this feature only if you prioritize absolute privacy over usability.
How to Block All Cookies in Safari
You can manage your cookie preferences directly from Safari’s advanced privacy settings.
- Open the Safari web browser on your Mac.
- Click the word Safari in the top-left corner of your Apple menu bar (next to the Apple logo).
- Select Settings from the drop-down menu (or “Preferences” on older versions of macOS).
- When the Settings window opens, click on the Advanced tab (the icon looks like a slider switch or a gear).
- In the Advanced menu, look for the section labeled Privacy.
- Check the box labeled Block all cookies.
- A severe warning dialog box will instantly appear, warning you that “Websites may not work” and that blocking cookies may log you out of current sessions.
- Click the Block All button to confirm your decision.
An Alternative: Prevent Cross-Site Tracking
If you find that blocking all cookies makes the internet too difficult to use, you can compromise by using Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention instead.
- In the Safari Settings menu, click on the Privacy tab (the icon looks like a hand).
- Check the box labeled Prevent cross-site tracking.
This setting allows essential first-party cookies (so you can stay logged into your bank), but actively blocks the third-party marketing cookies that track you from site to site, offering a healthy balance between usability and privacy.