What are trackers on Safari? How to stop websites from tracking you
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Kamso Oguejiofor-Abugu
Open Safari’s Privacy Report and you might see a line telling you how many trackers it’s prevented from profiling you in the last seven days. It’s natural to wonder if your Mac’s been infected, or if someone’s watching what you do online, but it’s almost always neither. What it means is that Safari has spotted and blocked some code trying to follow you from one site to the next.
Advertisers, analytics companies, and social media platforms use these trackers to piece together a picture of what you’re interested in, based on where you’ve been browsing.
Here’s how Safari’s privacy features work to limit tracking, and how to fine-tune them on your Mac and iPhone.
What Safari trackers actually are
Trackers are small digital tools embedded in websites to follow what you do online. They’re rarely built by the website you’re visiting. Instead, they’re usually provided by outside advertising networks, social media platforms, or analytics companies that have partnerships across thousands of different sites.
For instance, if you spend a few minutes looking at a specific laptop on an online store, you might notice ads for that exact laptop appearing on a news site you visit later. This happens because a shared tracker recognized your device on both pages and connected the dots to show you a targeted ad.
When Safari blocks a tracker, that doesn’t mean the site is unsafe. Most trackers belong to normal, everyday sites like your favorite local news outlet or a recipe blog. They’re not malware, and their presence is just an ordinary part of how the modern web is funded and measured.
What does “trackers prevented from profiling you” mean?
A line like “In the last seven days, Safari has prevented X trackers from profiling you” can read like a warning, but it’s just a status update.
The Privacy Report is letting you know that Safari noticed trackers trying to map out your interests, and blocked them from doing so. It means Safari’s built-in defenses are working as they should, not that your device is at risk.
The number of blocked trackers isn’t a danger score, it’s just a count. It reflects how many sites you’ve visited and how many trackers happened to be on them. Browse a lot in a week, and that number likely goes up, that’s all it means.
If you want to see this for yourself, open Safari on your Mac, then click Safari in the top left corner of your screen and choose Privacy Report. This shows you a list of websites that contacted trackers and the specific trackers Safari stopped on each one.
How Safari helps block trackers
Safari has a few built-in features that cut down on how much websites and outside companies can learn about your browsing.
The primary tool is a setting called Prevent Cross-Site Tracking. Some websites load pieces of content like videos, maps, or comment sections that are run by other companies. Normally, these outside providers can track you as you move between sites and use that activity to target you with ads.
This setting limits that kind of cross-site tracking. Unless you visit and interact with the third-party provider directly, Safari periodically deletes its cookies and website data.
Safari also defends against a more subtle method called browser fingerprinting. When websites can’t use cookies, they sometimes try to identify your device by looking at unique details like your screen size, the fonts you have installed, and your system settings.
To reduce this, Safari presents a simplified version of your device’s technical details, making it harder for trackers to uniquely identify your device.
Safari can also hide your IP address from trackers, so it’s harder for them to pin down your device or link your activity back to your location. It won’t stop every kind of tracking, but it closes off one more way sites can keep an eye on you. If you have an iCloud+ subscription, you can extend that same IP protection to websites (not just trackers) when you turn on iCloud Private Relay.
How to stop websites from tracking you in Safari on Mac
If you want to make sure these protections are turned on, you can find them in your browser’s settings by following these quick steps:
- Open Safari.
- In the menu bar at the top-left of your screen, click Safari, then choose Settings.
- Go to the Privacy tab.
- Make sure the box next to Prevent cross-site tracking is checked.
While you’re there, check Hide IP address and choose from Trackers only. If you use iCloud+ with iCloud Private Relay, you can choose from Trackers and Websites instead.
How to reduce Safari tracking on iPhone
Safari on iPhone has most of the same privacy features as the Mac version. Here’s where to find them:
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap Safari. On iOS 17 and earlier, scroll down and tap Safari directly.
- Scroll to the Privacy & Security section.
- Make sure Prevent Cross-Site Tracking is turned on. It’s on by default, so it probably already is.
- If you’re using iOS 15 or later, check for the Hide IP Address setting and select From Trackers. If you have an iCloud+ subscription and have turned on iCloud Private Relay, you may see an option for Trackers and Websites, depending on where you’re located.
You’ll also see a switch for Fraudulent Website Warning. It’s a good idea to keep this active. Even though it doesn’t block tracking directly, it warns you if Safari suspects you’re visiting a phishing website.
Should you clear trackers, cookies, or website data?
Once you start thinking about trackers, the most logical next step is wanting to delete them. But it doesn’t work quite like that. Trackers aren’t actual files saved on your Mac or iPhone that you can track down and drag to the trash. Three different actions get mixed up here:
- Prevent Cross-Site Tracking stops trackers from following you between sites in the first place.
- Clearing cookies and website data removes locally stored site data, including some identifiers that may be used for tracking.
- Hide IP Address keeps trackers from using your IP address as a way to identify you.
Clearing your cookies and website data doesn’t get rid of trackers themselves, but it can remove locally stored identifiers that help websites recognize your browser. It doesn’t prevent account-based tracking, fingerprinting, or remove information that has already been sent to a company’s servers.
Just keep in mind that doing this makes your daily browsing a little more inconvenient for a while. Clearing this data will sign you out of most websites and reset your saved preferences, things like language settings, items left in shopping carts, or “remember me” logins.
It’s an effective privacy step, but not one you want to take casually if you’re in the middle of a project or working online.
What Safari tracking protection does not cover
While Safari does a lot of the heavy lifting to keep you private, it can’t block everything. For instance, the moment you log into an account like Google or Amazon, that website can see what you do on their platform, no matter your Safari settings. Safari also can’t stop you from voluntarily sharing personal information with a website.
Some websites use other ways to track you, like browser fingerprinting or your IP address, that don’t depend on cookies at all. Safari can cut down on some of this, but it won’t stop all of it.
It’s also worth noting that Safari’s protections only apply to Safari itself. They won’t protect what you do in other browsers, and they don’t stop apps you’ve downloaded from asking for permissions or collecting their own data.
Private Browsing also improves local privacy: Safari doesn’t remember the pages you visit, your search history, or your AutoFill information. It also blocks known trackers, removes tracking information from URLs, and adds advanced fingerprinting protection.
But it doesn’t make you anonymous online. Websites you sign in to can still know who you are, and network-level privacy depends on separate protections such as iCloud Private Relay or a VPN.
Safari’s privacy settings only cover part of your Mac’s security and privacy. Intego ONE adds broader protection with antivirus and firewall tools, while Intego ONE Complete also includes a VPN that encrypts your connection and masks your IP address. A VPN doesn’t stop account-, cookie-, or fingerprint-based website tracking, so Safari’s anti-tracking protections still matter.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean when Safari says trackers were prevented from profiling me?
This is just Safari letting you know it did its job. It spotted trackers trying to piece together a picture of your online habits and stopped them. It’s a reassurance that the browser’s built-in defenses are active, not a warning that there is anything wrong with your Mac.
Does Safari block all trackers?
No. Safari blocks known trackers and limits several other tracking techniques, including some fingerprinting and IP-based tracking. But it can’t prevent every form of tracking, particularly when you sign in to an account or voluntarily provide information to a website.
Should I turn on Prevent Cross-Site Tracking?
Yes. Keeping Prevent Cross-Site Tracking turned on helps stop third-party content providers from tracking you across websites. Safari enables this protection by default.
Is Private Browsing the same as blocking trackers?
Private Browsing blocks known trackers, but it does more than that. It also removes tracking information from URLs and adds advanced fingerprinting protection.
How do I hide my IP address from trackers on Safari?
On your Mac, open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar at the top-left of your screen, then choose Settings. Go to the Privacy tab and check the box next to Hide IP address and choose from Trackers. This is available on macOS Monterey or later.
On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Safari. In the Privacy & Security section, tap the Hide IP Address and select From Trackers. Keep in mind this setting is only available on iOS 15 or later.
