How to block porn on an iMac
It’s easy with Safe Surfer to block harmful online content on a Mac device. On your first protection installation, it will take around 20 minutes for the full installation, or 30 minutes for the entire guide.
Step 1: Visit the Safe Surfer dashboard
On the device to be protected, visit the My Safe Surfer online dashboard (https://my.safesurfer.io), then click the Devices menu on the left-hand side. Click the "+ New device" option.
Click the "This device" option.
Click the "I'm protecting a Mac device" option.
Click the "Get the Mac app" option.
Step 2: Install protection
Click the "Download for Mac" button.
Inside the Downloads folder in Finder, double-click the Safe Surfer installer.
Proceed through the Safe Surfer installer until you get to the app. The Mac will soon ask for permission to record the screen and audio (which is for the Safe Surfer screen monitoring technology). When you see the Screen Recording prompt, click the Open System Settings button.
Turn on the switch found next to Safe Surfer Helper.
Back in the Safe Surfer app, click the Continue button.
The app will automatically retrieve for you the name of this device. Once you're ready, click the Next button.
Sign in with your account details.
Click the Finish button.
Once you reach the Protection menu, the Mac will ask for permission to directly access the screen and audio. These prompts will go away once you've finished the protection installation. Click the Allow button for now (and repeat this if needed).
On the Internet Protection section, click the Setup option.
Click the Enable Protection button.
Click the OK button on the prompt that appears.
Click the Open Profiles Settings button.
Double-click the pending profile to review the installation.
Click the Enrol button.
After a moment, you should see three profiles appear together, which means that the protection installation was successful.
Back in the Safe Surfer app, click the Done button.
Back on the My Safe Surfer dashboard, once you're finished, click the three-dot button at the upper-right corner of the dashboard > Log out.
Step 3: Stop uninstallation
Back in the System Settings app, click the Users & Groups menu on the left-hand sidebar.
Click the Add User button.
Enter the login details for this user account, then click the Unlock button.
Create a new administrator account using the following options:
- New User: Administrator
- Full Name: Admin
- Account Name: admin
Set a password and verify it, then click the Create User button.
Great work, we've now created a new administrator user account. Next we'll switch this user account (and any other applicable accounts) to Standard-level permissions, so that the protection can't be uninstalled.
Click the Apple logo at the upper-left corner of the screen, then click the Log Out option.
Click the Log Out button.
Sign in to the Admin user account (you can skip through all the account setup options when prompted), then open the System Settings app.
Click the Users & Groups menu on the left-hand sidebar.
Click the "i" icon found next to your child's user account. (We'll repeat this for any other applicable user accounts afterwards.)
Click the switch for the option labelled "Allow this user to administer this computer" to disable it.
Enter the password you used for the Admin user account, then click the Unlock button.
Click the OK button on the prompt that appears.
Click the OK button.
Click the Apple logo at the upper-left corner of the screen, then click the Restart option.
Click the Restart button.
Step 4: Change Apple content restrictions settings
Once the Mac has restarted, log in to your child's user account, then open the System Settings app.
Click the Screen Time menu on the left-hand sidebar.
Click the Communication Safety menu.
If it's not already turned on, click the switch found next to Communication Safety.
Click the back option.
Click the Content & Privacy menu.
If it's not already turned on, click the switch found next to Content & Privacy.
Click the Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content menu.
Apple content restrictions
We suggest using the following options:
- Access to Web Content: Limit Adult Websites
- Allow Explicit Language in Siri and Dictionary: Off
- Allow Web Search Content in Siri: Off
- Allow Music Profiles: Off
- Allow Music & TV Shared Libraries: Off
Once you're finished, click the Done button.
Click the Store Restrictions menu.
Apple store restrictions
We suggest using the following options:
- Movies: M (that is, PG-13 or the equivalent for your region) or Don't Allow
- TV Shows: M (that is, PG-13 or the equivalent for your region) or Don't Allow
- Apps: 12+
- Allow Explicit Books: Off
- Allow Explicit Music, Podcasts and News: Off
- Allow Music Videos: Off
Once you're finished, click the Done button.
Click the back option.
If it's not already turned on, click the switch found next to Lock Screen Time Settings.
Set a Screen Time passcode.
If you like, you can specify an Apple Account to use for Screen Time Passcode Recovery. If you don't want to do this, click the Skip button.
If you clicked the Skip button, click the following Skip button on the prompt that appears.
Step 5: Verify protection
Protection complete
Great work! This device is now fully protected. To start monitoring protected devices, visit our easy-to-use online dashboard.
If you have any other Apple Mac devices you would like to protect, simply start again from the top of the guide. If you would like to protect a different kind of device, visit our installation guides article.
Updated on: 05/06/2026
Thank you!