In macOS Sequoia and iOS/iPadOS 18, Apple will introduce a new Safari feature called Distraction Control, which lets users select an element on a website and make it disappear. This isn’t an ad blocker in the sense that it prevents ads from loading in the first place; the ads still load, but if you implement Distraction Control, you can make them disappear temporarily.
This feature isn’t just for ads: it can be used on any web page element, including actual content elements like headlines, paragraphs, images, video windows, etc. Anything you find distracting can be used with Distraction Control.
Distraction Control is part of the macOS Sequoia beta 5 that was released to developers earlier this week. A public beta is expected to be available soon. It is not part of the macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta that includes Apple Intelligence, and it is unclear whether it will be available in later versions of that beta. It is also unclear whether the feature will be available in Safari on macOS Sonoma or in other older versions of macOS. Here’s how to use Safari’s distraction control on macOS Sequoia:
Tools needed: macOS Sequoia beta 5 or later
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In Safari for macOS Sequoia, you’ll find a new Page menu icon on the left side of the address bar. It replaces the Add a page to the reading list (a circle with a “+” symbol) that appears when you move the cursor to that space.
Click on the Page menu and you will see a context menu. If the page can be formatted for Reader View, a Show player The button with the title of the web page appears at the top of the pop-up window. Below it (or at the top, if the Show Player option is not available, see the image above) you will find a Hide distracting elements option.
Click on Hide distracting elements. A pop-up window will appear telling you that “Hiding distracting elements will not permanently remove ads and other frequently updated content.” Click ALL RIGHT and then go to step 2.
Choose your distracting object
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After activation Hide distracting elementsWhenever you move the cursor over an element on a web page, you will see a blue frame surrounding it. This indicates which element will disappear if you click on it.
Make the object disappear
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When you want to make an element disappear, hover over it until the blue box appears, then click. You’ll see an animation of the element dissolving and then disappearing. (I like to call distraction control the Thanos feature.) When you remove an element, the web page rearranges itself to fill the gap, so you’re not left with distracting empty space.
In the macOS Sequoia beta, there don’t seem to be any restrictions on what you can make disappear. You can select the header at the very top of a webpage, the footer at the very bottom, and everything in between. You can make everything on a webpage disappear and end up with a blank page.
Elements are supposed to remain hidden across refreshes or page reloads unless something changes about that element. In my experience with macOS Sequoia beta 5, the behavior of elements remaining hidden across page reloads was inconsistent. This may change in future betas.
Cancel or Done
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In the address bar, you will see a count of the items you have deleted. You can click Cancerl to restore the articles or Do if you are satisfied.
Make objects reappear
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If you decide to do like Bruce Banner and bring back the items, here’s how to do it:
- Click the Page Menu icon in the address bar.
- A new one Show hidden items The option appears. Select it to display the items.
- A confirmation window will appear. Click on To show if you wish to continue or Cancel If you change your mind.
- The elements are reinserted into the web page. You can hide them again if you wish.
Since this feature is in beta, Apple wants to gather feedback to help us refine it. You can give us your feedback by selecting Report a distraction control issue in the Page menu. This will launch the Feedback Assistant app, where you will need to sign in with your Apple account.
iOS/iPadOS 18 beta 5 also updates Safari with distraction control. You can learn more about the macOS Sequoia and iOS 18 betas and how to install them in our superguides.
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