Unlike the process it uses for iOS applications - which are only available at the App Store, unless you've jailbroken your device - Apple allows developers to distribute Safari extensions freely on the Web. These vary depending on the extension and can involve anything from adding a username and password for a site to defining what information the extension displays and how it looks in Safari. You can also disable all extensions at once, leaving Safari in a clean state.įor many extensions, you can also specify preferences or settings. You can click a checkbox to simply disable it - leaving it installed for later use - or click the Uninstall button to get rid of it entirely. If you want to delete or disable an extension, simply open Safari's Preferences, click on the Extensions tab, and locate the extension in the list box. If an extension doesn't work for you right out of the gate, try quitting and restarting Safari, but in most cases you won't need a restart.

If the extension provides buttons, a toolbar or some other always-visible item, you'll see it immediately. Click the Install Now button below an extension you want to try, and the extension is automatically downloaded, installed and activated. Like the App Store, Extensions Gallery features a simple one-step installation process. Instead, they're all listed on a single gallery page, which is divided into several categories including News, Shopping, Productivity and Social Networking. Unlike the official Firefox and Chrome extension sites, the Safari Extensions Gallery doesn't have a separate page for each extension. Any developer can submit one, but if you look through Extensions Gallery, you'll notice many come from major media outlets or social networks. As in the App Store, Apple picks which extensions get listed in Extensions Gallery based on how well they perform and the functions they add to Safari. The gallery, a curated collection of extensions submitted by third-party developers, is similar to the company's App Store for iPhone and iPad software. The idea is to allow users to customize Safari in ways that make Web surfing more efficient and fun. Following in the footsteps of Firefox and Chrome, Apple this summer began allowing developers to create extensions for its Safari 5 Web browser and more recently launched its Extensions Gallery.

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