Adguard 2.18.0.2089 — Mac version

Version 2.18.0.2089 adds support for three AI-powered browsers, updates the system requirements, and sorts out a few stability niggles. That makes it a better fit for newer browsing habits without changing what it does best.

It filters non-browser apps too

No. It works with all browsers, and it filters ads inside other applications too.

Is the free version worth having on an older Mac?

It runs on macOS 10.15 and up, on both Intel 64-bit and Apple Silicon machines. If your Mac meets that bar, you get the same system-wide filtering.

What can I block besides adverts?

You can hide personal data from trackers and analytics systems, and the spyware filter catches known bad actors. You can also pick individual ads or page elements to block by hand.

Is it fiddly to use?

Fixing Adguard's out-of-the-box hiccups

Nothing's perfect out of the box. Here are a few hiccups people run into with Adguard 2.18.0.2089 and what to do about them.

"Websites look broken after I switch it on"

This usually means a filter list is being over-keen. Legit page elements — a cookie banner, a login popup, sometimes a whole sidebar — get caught in the net. Open the Adguard menu bar icon, click Filtering log, and reload the page. You'll see every request the site made and what got blocked. Find the rule that bit too hard, click the green tick next to it, and add an exception. Takes thirty seconds once you've done it once.

"It's fine in Chrome but does nothing in Firefox"

Adguard works at the network level, so browser shouldn't matter. But sometimes Firefox's own privacy settings trip over it. Check that Firefox's DNS-over-HTTPS isn't on — if it uses a different DNS from the system, some filtering doesn't reach the browser. Go to Firefox Settings → Privacy & Security → DNS over HTTPS and set it to Off or Default Protection. Restart the browser and things should line up.

"The menu bar icon shows it's on but I'm seeing ads"

Quick check: have you restarted your Mac since installing? It's boring advice but the network extension sometimes doesn't hook in properly until a reboot. If that's not it, go to Adguard → Settings → Network and toggle filtering off and on again. Still stuck? Head to System Settings → Network → Filters & Proxies and make sure Adguard's entry is present and ticked. No entry at all means the install didn't complete properly — re-run the installer and restart.

"Battery life took a dive"

System-wide filtering means Adguard inspects every packet. On older Intel Macs, that extra CPU work can show up in the battery menu. Turn off HTTPS filtering for apps that don't need it (under Settings → Network → Filtered applications). You can also ease up on the number of filter lists — the defaults are a solid balance. If you've added extra lists for specific regions or languages you don't use, untick them.

Turn on DNS protection first

A few toggles make a real difference, and they're not always obvious on first open.

• DNS protection. It's off by default. Turn it on under Settings → DNS protection and pick a DNS server — Adguard's own is fine, or use Quad9 if you want a different flavour. This catches trackers before they even resolve, so the request never leaves your machine. Works across every app, not just the browser.
• Stealth Mode. Buried under Settings → Stealth Mode, this strips tracking parameters from URLs, hides your search queries from sites, and spoofs your referrer. Great if you're tired of seeing ads for the thing you bought last Tuesday. Start with the Recommended preset; the full-fat version can confuse some shopping sites.
• Filtering log shortcut. In Settings → General, set the filtering log to open with a keyboard shortcut. When something goes wrong, you want that log fast, not after three menu clicks.
• Filter update interval. Filters rotate often — new tracking domains pop up daily. Under Settings → Filters, set updates to every 12 hours rather than the default 48. Your lists stay fresher and blocking rates climb a notch.

Workflow: stripping a news site back to readable

Here's a real task: a local news site that's more ads and cookie nag-screens than actual articles. You want to read it without the noise. Here's how, start to finish, with Adguard.

1. Open the site. Load it in any browser. You see the usual mess — autoplaying video, inline ads, a full-screen "subscribe" overlay.
2. Open the filtering log. Click the Adguard icon in the menu bar, choose Filtering log. A window opens showing every request the page made.
3. Reload the page. With the log open, hit refresh. Now you see everything in real time — scripts, images, third-party domains all flowing past.
4. Spot the overlay. Look for requests that loaded right as the overlay appeared. Often they come from a domain with "modal", "popup", or "subscribe" in the name. Click the row to see the full URL.
5. Block it permanently. Click the red hand icon next to that request. Choose Block by domain if the whole domain is dodgy, or Block exact URL if you want surgical precision. I go for domain — those overlay providers rarely host anything useful.
6. Repeat for the autoplay video. In the log, look for a media request — usually a .mp4 or a stream from a CDN. Same deal: red hand, block by domain. Reload. Video's gone.
7. Tidy the inline ads. Switch to manual element blocking. Right-click an ad placeholder on the page, choose Adguard → Block element. A selector tool appears; hover until the whole ad container lights up, click to confirm. The rule saves automatically.
8. Save and test. Reload the page. Clean text, no overlays, no video. The site loads in under a second now because it isn't pulling thirty tracker scripts.

That whole sequence takes maybe three minutes. Next time you visit, the rules fire automatically.

Three types of Mac user who need system-wide blocking

It's not for everyone. Some folk are fine with a Safari-only blocker and call it a day. But three types of Mac user really benefit from having Adguard running system-wide.

• People who use multiple browsers. If you switch between Safari, Firefox, and something Chromium-based every day, a browser extension means installing and tweaking three different blockers. Adguard covers them all with one set of rules.
• Anyone who wants ads gone inside apps. Free weather apps, RSS readers, some media players — they pull ads through web views that browser blockers never see. Adguard filters that traffic at the network level. You'll notice the difference in apps you didn't even realise were showing ads.
• Users who want the same blocklists across devices. If you also run adguard for mac free on a desktop, the filter lists and custom rules feel familiar. The DNS protection settings mirror what you'd set on other platforms, so your network-wide blocking is consistent. Some people grab an adguard mac torrent to test it on older hardware

  Not really. The interface keeps things simple, with dark mode if you prefer it.

• Support for three AI-powered browsers
• Updated system requirements
• Improved stability

• macOS 10.15 or later
• Works on Intel 64-bit and Apple Silicon