How to Add Extensions to Safari on Mac and iPhone

How to Add an Extension to Safari (Quick Steps)

Every Safari extension, on Mac or iPhone, goes through the App Store first and gets turned on in Safari's own settings second. There's no separate web store to browse, unlike Chrome.

1. Open Safari and choose Safari Extensions from the Safari menu in the menu bar to jump straight to the App Store's extensions section.
2. In the App Store, search or browse, then click Get (or the price button) on the extension you want.
3. Click Open once it installs, and follow any onscreen instructions the extension shows you.
4. Back in Safari, open the Safari menu and choose Settings (or Preferences on older macOS).
5. Select Extensions in the sidebar and select the checkbox next to the extension's name to turn it on.

How Do I Get Extensions for Safari on My Mac?

You get Safari extensions on a Mac exclusively through the App Store, where every listing is reviewed, signed and hosted by Apple and kept up to date automatically once installed.

Before you start, install the latest macOS updates so Safari itself is current; you need Safari 12 or later to get extensions from the App Store at all. Older Macs stuck on an unsupported macOS version won't see the same extension catalog.

If you'd rather build something simple yourself instead of installing someone else's extension, Apple also offers Describe an Extension, a feature for creating a basic custom extension from a plain-language description, without touching Xcode or writing code.

How Do I Turn On and Manage Extensions in Safari on Mac?

Turning an extension on and controlling exactly where it runs are two different settings, both inside the same Extensions pane in Safari's settings.

• Open Safari, choose Settings (or Preferences) from the Safari menu, and click Extensions in the sidebar.
• Select the checkbox next to an extension's name to turn it on, or deselect it to turn it off without uninstalling it.
• Click Edit Websites to open per-site controls for that extension, rather than leaving it running everywhere by default.
• If you use Safari profiles, remember each profile manages its own extensions independently, and new profiles start with every extension turned off.
• In a private browsing window on recent macOS, extensions that need website access are turned off automatically; enable one deliberately if you need it there.

Per-site access uses three states rather than a single on/off switch, which is worth understanding before you assume an extension is broken.

Ask

Safari prompts you every time the extension wants to run on a particular website, so you approve it visit by visit.

Allow

The extension can run automatically on that website going forward, without asking again each time.

Deny

The extension is blocked from running on that website even though it's turned on elsewhere in Safari.

Can I Install Extensions on Safari on iPhone or iPad?

Yes. Extensions on iPhone and iPad follow the same App Store install path as Mac, then get switched on in the Settings app rather than inside Safari's own menu.

1. Open the App Store app, search for Safari extensions or a specific extension name, and tap Get (or the price).
2. After it installs, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
3. Scroll down and tap Safari, then tap Extensions.
4. Turn on the switch next to the extension you just installed.
5. Back inside Safari, tap the aA icon at the left of the address bar, then Manage Extensions to control it for the page you're currently viewing.

Why Can't I Add Extensions to Safari?

If Safari won't let you add or enable an extension, the cause is almost always a version, permissions, or device-management issue rather than a broken app.

• Your macOS or iOS version is too old; Mac needs Safari 12 or later, and very old iPhones or iPads may not support the current extension model at all.
• Screen Time's Content & Privacy Restrictions can block installing or enabling extensions on a device where that setting has been turned on.
• A managed device profile, common on work or school Macs and iPhones, can prevent extensions from being installed or turned on entirely.
• The checkbox for a newly installed extension won't select at all in some cases; if that happens, Apple's own support guidance for that exact situation is worth checking before you reinstall anything.
• An extension built for an older Safari version may not appear as compatible until its developer updates it for the current release.

Work through these in order: confirm your OS version first, since that rules out half the list immediately, then check Screen Time and device management settings before assuming the extension itself is at fault.

Can I Install a Safari Extension Without Using the App Store?

Not for everyday use. Apple requires Safari extensions distributed to regular users to go through the signed, reviewed App Store, which is also what keeps them updated automatically.

There are two narrow exceptions. Describe an Extension lets you generate a simple custom extension from a plain-language description directly in Safari, without publishing it anywhere. The other route is building one with Apple's developer tools and running it from Xcode during development, which requires an Apple Developer Program membership and generally only works for testing on your own signed-in devices, not as a way to distribute a finished extension to other people.

In practice, if you find an extension that isn't in the App Store, treat that as a sign it isn't meant for general distribution rather than looking for a workaround to sideload it.

Safari Extensions vs Chrome Extensions: What's Different

The biggest difference is distribution: Safari extensions only come from the App Store, while Chrome extensions come from an open web store with a lighter review process and no requirement to be bundled with a Mac or iOS app.

• Safari extensions are packaged inside a regular Mac or iOS app, so you install an app first and the extension activates from it, rather than installing the extension directly.
• Chrome extensions install standalone from the Chrome Web Store, with no host app required.
• Safari's App Store review and code-signing requirement generally means a smaller extension catalog than Chrome's.
• Extensions installed through the App Store can sync availability across your Apple devices signed into the same Apple ID, though each device still needs to turn the extension on separately in its own Settings.
• Uninstalling differs too: removing a Safari extension usually means deleting its host app, not just clicking Remove the way you would in chrome://extensions.

If you're deciding which browser to build your extension habits around, read the full comparison in Safari extensions vs Chrome extensions, and see how to remove a Safari extension if you're cleaning up an old install rather than adding a new one.

Also Use Chrome? Extensions That Do the Same Jobs There

If you split your browsing between Safari and Chrome, or you're moving from a Mac to a Windows PC or Chromebook, Chrome has direct equivalents for the most common Safari extension categories, from highlighting tools like Web Highlighter to quick note-taking with Sticky Notes.

Browse the full extensions directory if none of these match what you had in Safari.