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# General preferences

Use the General pane of Safari preferences to specify the page that should appear when you open a new Safari window, how Safari should handle downloaded files, and more.

Option
Description

Default web browser

Choose the web browser you want to open when you click a link in an email or other application.

Default search engine

Choose the search engine you want Safari to use when you do a web search. (You can also switch between search engines by clicking the triangle on the left side of the search field and choosing from the menu.)

New windows open with

New tabs open with

When you choose File > New Window or File > New Tab, Safari opens a new window or tab. These options specify what should be in that window or tab. (Choose Same Page to see the webpage you’ve most recently viewed.)

Homepage

You can specify any webpage as your homepage. 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 long to keep webpages in the history list.

Save downloaded files to

Choose a folder or other location for items you download.

Always prompt before downloading (Windows only)

Select to have Safari double-check with you before downloading files from the Internet.

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 (Mac only)

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

### Related Topics

Browsing in tabs