Many websites offering financial services (such as banks and investment companies) allow you to connect your accounts to other software, such as Quicken. However, it is often not recommended to let a third party see your login credentials. The workaround is that you can start from the app, which switches to a browser where you connect directly to the site in question and authorize the conduit, then the site provides a token directly to your app to allow the data to flow .
I recently found that this process fails as often as it succeeds when I use Safari. Apple has added more privacy protections with each successive version of Safari, and version 18 for macOS (released as part of macOS 15 Sequoia and previous versions of macOS, like 14 Sonoma) appears to break permission loops of certain banking sites.
The problem is that the app’s authorization process to the browser doesn’t reveal a URL that you could copy and paste elsewhere: the app opens a web page in the browser. The solution is to replace your Mac’s default browser with one built differently, like Google Chrome or Firefox.
Here’s how to change your default browser on macOS:
- Go to > System Settings.
- Go to Desk and docking station.
- In the “Default Web Browser” pop-up menu, choose another browser.
- In Accounting or another application, start and complete the browser-based authentication process.
- Back Desk and docking station and change the default browser back to Safari.
Sometimes changing your default browser fixes an application permission issue to a website that Safari is blocking.
Foundry
Ask Mac 911
We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently, along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. Otherwise, we are always looking for new problems to solve! Send yours to [email protected], including screenshots where applicable and if you want your full name used. Not all questions will be answered; we do not respond to emails and cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice.
