Persistent Per-Domain Content Blocker Settings in Safari

This article explains how the Safari web browser utilizes its built-in Website Settings feature to let users disable Content Blockers on a per-domain basis. It covers the underlying mechanism of how Safari remembers your preferences, as well as the step-by-step instructions to configure and manage these persistent exceptions on both macOS and iOS devices so that trusted websites always load without content restrictions.

How Safari's Per-Domain Persistence Works

Safari manages third-party ad blockers and privacy extensions through a native API called Content Blockers. Rather than letting the extensions read your browsing data directly, Safari compiles a list of rules provided by the extension and applies them itself.

Because Safari controls the blocking engine, it also controls where those rules are applied. When you alter the Website Settings for a specific site, Safari records the root domain (for example, example.com) in a local preference database.

When you disable Content Blockers using Website Settings, the following occurs:

  • Domain-Wide Application: The exception is tied to the domain, meaning the blocker remains off as you navigate to different pages within that same website.
  • Session Persistence: Unlike the temporary "Reload Without Content Blockers" option, changing the Website Setting writes a permanent rule. The setting survives tab closures, browser restarts, and device reboots.
  • iCloud Syncing: If you have Safari enabled in your iCloud settings, these per-domain exceptions will automatically sync across your other Apple devices signed into the same Apple ID.

Configuring Website Settings on macOS

You can persistently disable Content Blockers for a specific domain in Safari on a Mac using two different methods.

Method 1: Via the Address Bar (Quickest)

  1. Navigate to the website you want to whitelist.
  2. Right-click (or Control-click) the Smart Search Field (the address bar).
  3. Select Settings for [Website Name]... from the context menu.
  4. Uncheck the box next to Enable Content Blockers.
  5. Refresh the page. The browser will now remember this choice permanently for this domain.

Method 2: Via the Safari Settings Menu

  1. Keep the target website open in an active tab.
  2. In the top menu bar, click Safari and select Settings (or Preferences on older macOS versions).
  3. Click the Websites tab at the top of the window.
  4. Select Content Blockers from the left-hand sidebar.
  5. Locate the website under the "Currently Open Websites" section.
  6. Click the dropdown menu next to the website's name and change it from On to Off.

From this same menu, you can also view the "Configured Websites" list to manage, revert, or delete persistent rules you have set in the past.

Configuring Website Settings on iOS and iPadOS

On an iPhone or iPad, the per-domain settings are accessed directly through the address bar menu. Note that merely holding down the refresh button only disables the blocker temporarily for a single page load. For a persistent change, follow these steps:

  1. Open Safari and go to the website where you want to disable the blocker.
  2. Tap the Page Settings icon on the left side of the address bar (this looks like "aA" or a rectangle with two lines, depending on your iOS version).
  3. Tap Website Settings from the pop-up menu.
  4. Under the settings specific to that domain, toggle off the switch for Use Content Blockers.
  5. Tap Done in the top right corner.

Safari will immediately reload the webpage without applying any Content Blocker rules, and it will retain this configuration every time you return to the domain in the future.