How to Block Porn on Safari (iPhone and Mac): 6 Ways

Key takeaways

• Fastest free method: Screen Time's Limit Adult Websites, on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
• Your own passcode: anyone who knows the Screen Time passcode, or can reset it with the Apple Account, can turn the filter off.
• Private Browsing: Safari turns extensions off in private windows until you allow them.
• DNS filters and Private Relay: iCloud Private Relay sends Safari's lookups through Apple, which can stop a DNS filter from working.
• Strongest option on a Mac: a website blocker whose blocks cannot be edited or removed.

Methods compared

1. Turn on Limit Adult Websites in Screen Time

Screen Time is built into iPhone, iPad and Mac. Its web content setting filters adult websites automatically, and you can add more sites to block yourself.

On iPhone or iPad (iOS 26)

1. 1.Open Settings, then Screen Time.
2. 2.Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
3. 3.Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games, then Web Content.
4. 4.Select Limit Adult Websites.
5. 5.Tap Add Website under Never Allow to block more sites.

On Mac

1. 1.Open System Settings, then Screen Time.
2. 2.Click Content & Privacy, then App Store, Media, Web, & Games.
3. 3.Under Safari, choose Limit Adult Websites.
4. 4.Click Customize to add sites to the Restricted list.

Allowed Websites Only is a stricter option that only opens sites you approve. It suits a young child's device more than an adult's.

In iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, Apple says the filter applies in Safari and other supported browser apps. Apple does not list which browsers count as supported.

Limits: the filter is automatic, so some adult sites get through until you add them yourself. Anyone with access to Screen Time settings can turn it off.

2. Protect Screen Time with a passcode

A Screen Time passcode stops the filter from being switched off without the code.

1. 1.On iPhone or iPad, open Settings, then Screen Time. In iOS 27, tap Manage Screen Time first.
2. 2.Tap Lock Screen Time Settings and enter a four digit passcode.
3. 3.On a Mac, open System Settings, then Screen Time, and turn on Lock Screen Time Settings.

The passcode is strongest when another person sets it and keeps it.

Limits: Apple lets you reset a forgotten Screen Time passcode with your Apple Account, so a passcode you set yourself can be reset by you.

3. Add a content blocker extension

Safari extensions from the App Store can block adult sites in Safari.

On iPhone or iPad

1. 1.Install a content blocker from the App Store.
2. 2.Open Settings, then Apps, Safari and Extensions.
3. 3.Tap the extension and turn on Allow Extension.

On Mac

1. 1.In Safari, choose Safari, then Safari Extensions, and install a blocker from the App Store.
2. 2.Choose Safari, then Settings, then Extensions, and select the extension's checkbox.
3. 3.Select Allow in Private Browsing.

Apple turns extensions that have access to browsing data off in Private Browsing automatically, so each one has to be allowed there.

Limits: it only works in Safari, and it can be switched off in Settings in a few taps.

4. Use a family DNS filter

A family DNS filter blocks adult sites in every browser and app on the device, or on every device on the network if you set it on the router.

On iPhone or iPad: open Settings, then Wi-Fi, tap the info button next to your network, then Configure DNS, and enter the two addresses. The setting applies to that Wi-Fi network only.

On Mac: open System Settings, then Network, choose your connection, click Details, then DNS, and add both addresses.

On a router: enter the two addresses in the router's DNS settings. Every phone, tablet and computer on the network then uses the filter.

iCloud Private Relay: Private Relay sends Safari's DNS lookups through Apple, and Apple says it can affect network filtering and parental controls. To keep the DNS filter working, turn Private Relay off in Settings, then your name, iCloud, Private Relay, or turn off Limit IP Address Tracking for the Wi-Fi network.

Limits: an iPhone on mobile data does not use a Wi-Fi DNS setting, and a VPN skips the filter.

5. Use Family Sharing for a child's device

Family Sharing lets a parent set the web filter on a child's iPhone, iPad or Mac, and only the parent can change it.

1. 1.On the parent's iPhone, open Settings, then Family, and select the child.
2. 2.Tap Apps & Websites, then Restrictions.
3. 3.Under Websites, tap Filtering and choose Limit Adult Websites or Approved Websites Only.
4. 4.To block a single site, select it and tap Block Website.

These are the iOS 27 menus. In iOS 26, the same settings are under Screen Time after you select the child.

Limits: it needs a parent's Apple Account in a family group, so it does not work for an adult blocking for themselves.

6. Use a website blocker

If you want to block porn on Safari with strong enforcement, the best alternative is a hard-to-bypass blocker that can't be removed or edited easily, such as Ascension.

1. 1.Install Ascension on your Mac.
2. 2.In Safari, choose Safari, then Settings, then Extensions, and turn on Ascension.
3. 3.Select Allow in Private Browsing, then click Edit Websites and set Other Websites to Allow.
4. 4.Load the premade Adult Content block list, or block a site or part of a site yourself.
5. 5.Choose the block type, such as Always block.
6. 6.Add a lock to the block to prevent it from being edited or deleted.

Key features

• Block variety: block entire adult websites, single sections such as an NSFW subreddit, and porn keywords and search terms in search engines.
• Block tampering: a block cannot be edited or deleted.
• Uninstall protection: Ascension cannot be uninstalled while a block is locked.
• Extension tampering: turning off the Safari extension does not lift a block, and Safari is closed while a block is active and the extension is off.
• Premade block lists: adult content, gambling and social media lists are ready to block in one step.

Cold Turkey Blocker also runs on Mac. It has a free version, and Pro costs $45 once.

Effectiveness: a block applies in Safari, Private Browsing and the other browsers on the Mac, and it cannot be edited or removed.

Limits: no phone app yet, supports Windows and macOS, so it does not cover Safari on an iPhone or iPad.

Which method should you use?

If you want a free filter on your iPhone, turn on Limit Adult Websites and let another person set the Screen Time passcode. If you want to block adult sites on every device at home, set a family DNS filter on the router and turn off Private Relay for that network. If you want to protect a child's device, use Family Sharing. If you want blocks on your Mac that you cannot switch off yourself, use Ascension.

Frequently asked questions