10 Privacy Tips Every Mac User Should Know
Apple has a fairly good reputation when it comes to privacy. It implements a number of security measures in its operating systems to prevent your data from being shared or stolen. However, you can make your Apple devices even more secure. There are a variety of settings that make it even more difficult for anyone to track your device and activities. Here are the best ways to enhance privacy for your Mac.
Enable enhanced protection for all Safari browser activity to prevent fingerprint identification of your device.
Private Browsing mode in Safari provides some protection against tracking of your device and activity. For example, Safari won’t remember search queries or store information from form fields, and it will also remove link tracking and hide your IP address from known trackers. (Note that private browsing doesn’t make you completely anonymous online.) However, these protections don’t have to be limited to private browsing. You can also enable Enhanced Tracking Protection and Fingerprint Protection for regular browsing sessions, which minimizes tracking while keeping other features active. This includes saving your browsing and search history, allowing AutoFill, and staying logged in to sites that use cookies. You can enable this by going to Safari > Preferences > Advanced and selecting “Across all browsing sessions” from the drop-down next to “Use Enhanced Tracking Protection and Fingerprint Protection.”
Enable the firewall in stealth mode to make your device invisible to network scans.
Enabling the macOS firewall (which is disabled by default) adds a layer of protection from external devices on your Wi-Fi network, as well as from unauthorized applications attempting to connect to your device. Enabling Stealth Mode prevents your Mac from even responding to these requests, essentially making it invisible to anything scanning the network you’re connected to. This makes it difficult for hackers and malware to detect your device, let alone attack it. This may interfere with some important processes on your home network, but it’s a valuable security setting when using a public Wi-Fi network. You can leave the firewall enabled all the time and enable Stealth Mode only when needed. Go to Settings > Network > Firewall , toggle the switch, and then click Options to manage Stealth Mode.
Enable MAC address changing to prevent your Wi-Fi activity and location from being tracked.
Another way to ensure privacy on public networks is to enable MAC address rotation, which randomizes the identifier your device transmits when scanning and connecting to Wi-Fi. Using your real MAC address or a fixed (random but unchangeable) MAC address makes it easier to track your network activity, including your arrival time, length of stay, and departure time. Address rotation is best suited for public networks that you connect to temporarily and that don’t require portal authentication (such as hotel Wi-Fi). You can enable this feature for specific networks by going to Settings > Wi-Fi > [Network Name] > Details and changing the “Private Wi-Fi Address” setting to “Rotate.”
Use the Quick Image Transform feature to remove metadata from files before uploading.
Images and screenshots contain metadata, such as timestamps, device and hardware information, and, in the case of photos, their physical location. Most of this information is automatically removed when you share files on social media or through encrypted messaging apps, but if you send them via SMS or email, post to forums, or share via AirDrop, the metadata remains intact. You can easily remove metadata from images directly from your desktop. Select the file and Ctrl+click to open the options menu, then go to Quick Actions > Convert Image . Uncheck the box next to Preserve Metadata , then click Convert . (This is also useful for quickly converting HEIC to JPEG without opening a separate app.)
Turn off diagnostic and analytics data sharing to minimize the amount of information Apple can use and share with developers.
Apple collects information about your device for diagnostic purposes or to improve apps and services, some of which is shared with third-party app developers. This may include crash and usage data, as well as recordings and transcripts of Siri interactions and iCloud analytics. You can disable data sharing for some or all of these categories in Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements .
Audit and disable location services to prevent background tracking.
You might be surprised by the number of apps and system services using your device’s location in the background. You should definitely disable location services for third-party apps that don’t require location. You can find these toggles in Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services . You can also disable location permissions for some Apple apps and services if you don’t use them on your device, such as Weather and Maps. Finally, go to System Services and disable location services for all non-essential features—at a minimum, disable Mac Analytics and Significant Locations & Routes (which allows your Mac and other iCloud devices to remember your frequently used locations and routes).
Check and revoke camera and microphone permissions for inactive apps.
Third-party apps on your Mac that need access to your device’s camera and microphone must request permission, and it’s easy to grant it momentarily and then forget about it. Regularly review which apps have these permissions and revoke access from those that don’t need them in their daily work. Disabling permissions forces the app to request them again. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone or Camera to see a list of allowed apps and toggle the permissions off.
Restrict local access rights to prevent utilities or applications from exposing your network.
Another type of permission you may have granted without thinking is local network access. This allows third-party apps to discover and interact with other devices—printers, smart speakers, and IoT devices—on your home Wi-Fi network. While this can be useful for services like Spotify that stream content to connected devices, other utilities, media apps, and games likely don’t need to connect to your network in the background. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network to review these permissions and disable any you don’t need.
Audit and restrict full disk access to prevent applications from reading system files.
Another important permission to check concerns third-party apps that have access to your Mac’s entire disk, including data from Mail, Messages, Safari, Home, Time Machine, and administrator settings. If an app only works with files you explicitly open and save, it doesn’t need full disk access. Legitimate uses might include antivirus and malware programs, productivity tools, or reliable backup utilities. You can also check which apps have access to specific files and folders. This can be done in Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access or Files & Folders .
Enable Enhanced Data Protection for iCloud to ensure end-to-end encryption of your backups.
If you use iCloud to store photos, files, and device backups, your data is encrypted on Apple servers and in transit. Apple still stores the decryption key, which is useful if you ever get locked out of your account and need help recovering it. However, for sensitive data, including device backups, end-to-end encryption is the most secure way to ensure that no one but you can access it. Enhanced Data Protection is an iCloud setting that enables end-to-end encryption of your information. You will need to set up an alternative recovery method, such as a device password with two-factor authentication, a recovery contact, or a recovery key. Be careful: if you lose access to this recovery method, you will lose your data. You can enable Enhanced Data Protection on your Mac in System Preferences > [Your Name] > iCloud > Enhanced Data Protection > Turn On . Note that some iCloud data, including passwords and payment methods, is already encrypted with end-to-end encryption by default.