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How to enable pop-ups?

To enable pop-ups, open your browser's pop-up setting and switch it from blocked to allowed. In Chrome and Edge this lives under Site settings, Pop-ups and redirects; in Firefox under Privacy & Security, Permissions; and in Safari under the Websites tab on Mac or the Safari section in iOS Settings. The safest option is to allow pop-ups only for the one trusted site that needs them rather than enabling them for every website.

Should You Enable Pop-ups Globally or Per Site?

Browsers block pop-ups by default because most of them are intrusive ads or scam windows. Some legitimate sites, however, rely on pop-ups for sign-in flows, payment confirmations, document previews, or print dialogs. When one of those breaks, you need to allow the pop-up.

You have two choices in every browser. A global setting allows pop-ups from all sites, and a per-site exception allows them only for one address you trust. Prefer the per-site method wherever possible. It keeps the default block active for the rest of the web while fixing the single site you care about.

Enable Pop-ups in Google Chrome (Desktop)

Use these steps to change the global pop-up rule in Chrome on Windows, macOS, or Linux.

Open Chrome, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and choose Settings.
Select Privacy and security from the left sidebar, then click Site settings.
Under the Content section, click Pop-ups and redirects. You can also paste chrome://settings/content/popups into the address bar to jump straight here.
Select Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects to allow them everywhere.

Per-site allow (recommended): visit the page that needs a pop-up, click the Pop-up blocked icon at the right of the address bar, then choose Always allow pop-ups and redirects from this site and click Done.

Enable Pop-ups in Chrome (Android)

Open the Chrome app and tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
Tap Settings, scroll down, and tap Site settings.
Tap Pop-ups and redirects.
Toggle the switch on so the label reads that the setting is allowed.

Enable Pop-ups in Microsoft Edge (Desktop)

Open Edge, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and choose Settings.
Select Cookies and site permissions from the left sidebar.
Scroll down and click Pop-ups and redirects, or paste edge://settings/content/popups into the address bar.
Turn the Block (recommended) toggle off to allow pop-ups everywhere, or click Add next to Allow and enter a single site's URL to allow it for that site only.

Enable Pop-ups in Mozilla Firefox (Desktop)

Open Firefox, click the hamburger menu in the top-right corner, and choose Settings.
Select Privacy & Security from the left sidebar and scroll to the Permissions section.
Uncheck Block pop-up windows to allow pop-ups from every site.
To allow a single site instead, leave the box checked, click Exceptions, enter the site address, click Allow, then Save Changes.

Enable Pop-ups in Safari (Mac)

Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar, then choose Settings (called Preferences on older macOS versions).
Go to the Websites tab and select Pop-up Windows from the left panel.
For a single site, find it under Currently Open Websites and set its dropdown to Allow.
To allow pop-ups everywhere, set the When visiting other websites dropdown at the bottom to Allow.

Enable Pop-ups in Safari (iPhone and iPad)

Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Apps, then tap Safari (on older iOS versions, scroll directly to Safari in the main list).
In the General section, turn the Block Pop-ups toggle off.

Safari on iOS uses one global switch and has no per-site exceptions, so turn the block back on once you have finished with the site that needed it.

Quick Reference: Pop-up Settings by Browser

Browser / Platform	Where to enable pop-ups
Chrome (Desktop)	Settings → Privacy and security → Site settings → Pop-ups and redirects
Chrome (Android)	Settings → Site settings → Pop-ups and redirects → toggle on
Microsoft Edge	Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Pop-ups and redirects
Mozilla Firefox	Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → uncheck Block pop-up windows
Safari (Mac)	Safari → Settings → Websites → Pop-up Windows → Allow
Safari (iOS)	Settings → Apps → Safari → turn off Block Pop-ups

Testing Pop-up Flows Across Browsers

If you build or test web apps, a pop-up that opens cleanly in Chrome can be silently blocked in Safari or behave differently in Firefox. Pop-up handling depends on the browser engine, the version, and whether the action was triggered by a genuine user gesture, so it needs to be checked on more than one configuration.

Maintaining a local matrix of every browser and OS is impractical. You can instead run your pop-up flows across thousands of real browser and OS combinations on TestMu AI (Formerly LambdaTest)'s , confirming that sign-in windows, payment dialogs, and redirects work consistently for every user. The same checks can be scripted with Selenium, Playwright, or Cypress, where pop-up behaviour is set through browser capabilities rather than the manual UI toggles above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to enable pop-ups in my browser?

Enabling pop-ups globally lets every site open new windows, which increases exposure to intrusive ads and scams. The safer approach is to allow pop-ups only for the specific trusted site that needs them, using the per-site option in each browser, and to leave the global block in place.

How do I allow pop-ups for just one website?

In Chrome and Edge, click the blocked-pop-up icon in the address bar after a site tries to open one, then choose to always allow pop-ups from that site. In Firefox use Permissions, Exceptions, and in Safari on Mac set the per-site rule to Allow under Websites, Pop-up Windows.

Why are my pop-ups still blocked after enabling them?

A browser extension such as an ad blocker, a security suite, or a managed policy on a work device can block pop-ups even when the browser setting allows them. Disable the relevant extension, check your antivirus settings, and confirm no organization policy is overriding your choice.

How do I enable pop-ups in Safari on my iPhone?

Open the Settings app, go to Apps and tap Safari, then turn off the Block Pop-ups toggle. Safari on iOS controls pop-ups with a single global switch rather than per-site rules.

Does enabling pop-ups affect automated browser tests?

Yes. Automation frameworks such as Selenium, Playwright, and Cypress launch browsers with their own profiles and capabilities, so manual UI settings do not carry over. Configure pop-up behaviour through browser options or capabilities in your test setup so the same behaviour is reproduced on every run.

What is the difference between a pop-up and a pop-up notification?

A pop-up is a new browser window or tab opened by a site, controlled under Pop-ups and redirects. A pop-up notification is a system-level alert requested through the Notifications permission. They are governed by separate browser settings, so allowing one does not affect the other.