Tighten Up Safari’s Security With One Click [100 Tips #52]

By

Safari security

Photo: Safari/Apple

You want your computer to be as secure as possible, right? Here’s one thing that newcomers to OS X might want to change pretty soon after getting their hands on their first Mac.

The OS X web browser, Safari, is a pretty good browser in almost every respect. But it has one default option that, personally speaking, I’ve never felt very comfortable about leaving switched on.

Look in the Safari preferences, under the General tab, and you’ll see it down there at the bottom:

“Open ‘safe’ files after downloading.”

What does it do, if you leave it checked? Well, when you download stuff from the web, that stuff gets opened, automatically.

It’s supposed to be convenient, I suppose. It’s supposed to make live easier and remove that hasslesome extra few clicks required to open files manually.

I’d rather be a little more circumspect, though, and keep an eye on what’s being download, where from, and make my own decision about what happens to it once it’s on my computer.

If you feel the same, I recommend you open Safari’s preferences and uncheck this checkbox. And leave it that way.

(You’re reading the 52nd post in our series, 100 Essential Mac Tips And Tricks For Windows Switchers. These posts explain to OS X beginners some of the most basic and fundamental concepts of using a Mac. Find out more, or Grab the RSS feed.)

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.