Safari icon

Using Safari General preferences

Use the information here to set the Safari General preferences.

Preference

Explanation

Default Web Browser

The default browser opens when you click a link in an email or other application.

New windows open with

When you choose File > New Window, Safari opens a new window. This option specifies what should be in that window. (“Same Page” refers to the webpage you’ve most recently viewed.)

Home page

You can specify any webpage as your Home page. The easiest way is to go to the page you want to use and then click "Set to Current Page."

Remove history items

Use the menu to specify how often you want Safari to clear the history list.

Save downloaded files to

Choose Desktop, or if you want to download to another location, choose Other and select a folder.

Remove download list items

Safari keeps a list of the items you have downloaded. If you want this list cleared automatically, choose When Safari Quits or Upon Successful Download. Otherwise, to clear the list manually, choose Window > Downloads and click Clear.

Open “safe” files after downloading

If this is selected, Safari automatically opens files like the ones listed, but it won’t open software programs.

Open links from applications

Sometimes you open links you find in email, iChat sessions, or other applications. This option specifies whether the link should open in a new window or in a new tab in the current window.


Related Topics

Setting up tabbed browsing