I still see ads in Safari on macOS

Follow the suggestions below if you still see ads after installing Adblock Plus for Safari on macOS.

Make sure Adblock Plus is turned on

  1. From the Mac menu bar, click Safari and select Preferences.
    The Preferences window opens.
  2. Select the Extensions tab.
  3. From the left menu, locate Adblock Plus and verify that the check box next to the ABP (Adblock Plus) icon and the check box next to the ABP Control Panel are both selected. 

ABP-safari-macOS-enabled.png

Verify that you are using the correct filter list

Adblock Plus requires filter lists to block ads. A default filter list based on your browser's language settings is automatically activated when you install Adblock Plus. It blocks ads from the most popular (often English language-based) websites. However, it does not block ads on less popular national websites. For example, if you live in Germany you should change the filter list to include German language websites.

  1. Open the Adblock Plus app. You can use the Launchpad to search for it.
  2. In the General tab, check the Language section of the app.
  3. Change the filter list to include an additional language.

ABP-safari-macOS-language-filters.png

Make sure the website is not whitelisted

  1. Open the Adblock Plus app. You can use the Launchpad to search for it.
  2. Select the Whitelisted Websites tab from the left menu.
  3. If a website that you do not want to view ads on appears in the box, click the Trash icon next to it.
  4. Close the app.

Turn off Acceptable Ads

Some nonintrusive ads are displayed by default. If you do not want to see these ads, this feature must be turned off. Please note that by turning off Acceptable Ads, website owners and content creators that abide by the Acceptable Ads criteria will lose ad revenue.

Safari

  1. Open the Adblock Plus app. You can use the Launchpad to search for it.
  2. Click on the General tab in the left menu. 
  3. Clear the check box labeled Allow Acceptable Ads.
  4. Close the app.

Check to see if your computer is infected with adware/malware

What is adware?

Adware is a type of malware, short for "malicious software." It's a term generally used for software installed on your computer that is designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without your consent. In many cases you obtained this software without knowing it, as these applications are often bundled in other software installers.

For information about detecting and removing malware, visit our adware information page.

But I still see ads!

If you tried everything above but still see ads, there might be an issue with the filter(s). You can reach out to us via email and we'll try to help!

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