AdGuardMiniForMac

AdGuard Mini for Mac v3.0 focuses on performance, a cleaner interface, and accessibility. It also brings an early, experimental version of System-wide protection, which blocks ads and trackers in apps beyond Safari.

Less RAM, more speed

We’ve been listening to your feedback on app performance, and decided a deeper change under the hood was in order. AdGuard Mini’s interface now runs on WKWebView, a built-in macOS component powered by WebKit, the same engine Safari is built on.

AdGuard Mini for Mac now loads much faster and uses less RAM and CPU, which also helps reduce occasional overheating.

Customizable stories

You can now choose which stories appear in the app tray. Click Hide on any story you no longer want to see.

Basic VoiceOver support

We’re working on adding full VoiceOver support across all AdGuard Mini for Mac elements in future releases. But we didn’t want to make you wait for all of it at once — that’s why we’re rolling out VoiceOver support in stages. This release already lets VoiceOver read headings and interactive elements aloud, with more accessibility support on the way.

System-wide protection (experimental)

Last year, Apple introduced its first URL-level system filtering API with built-in privacy. AdGuard Mini is among the first consumer apps to use it. With System-wide protection, AdGuard Mini can block ads and trackers not just in Safari, but in other apps on your Mac too. It is available to users with an AdGuard license on macOS 26 and later.

Apple’s filtering API uses Private Information Retrieval (PIR), so AdGuard never sees the URLs or domains you visit.

System-wide protection is an experimental feature, and it may not work for everyone yet due to an unresolved bug on Apple’s side.

For example, it currently does not work correctly on macOS 27.2. Once it is stable for everyone, we’ll make it a core part of AdGuard Mini.

System-wide protection is hidden by default in the release version. To show it, go to Settings → Miscellaneous and turn on Show System-wide protection (Experimental). The beta version always shows it.

How to set up System-wide protection

Once the toggle is on, go to Advanced protection → System-wide protection and switch it on.

You can then choose between three levels of protection:

Essential — blocks ads and trackers Safe — blocks ads, trackers, and phishing Family — blocks ads, trackers, phishing, and adult content

The extent of coverage depends on each app’s own API, so some apps may not be filtered. System-wide protection is currently available only for the first account you set up on your Mac, with the User ID of 501.

For more detailed instructions on how to set up System-wide protection, go to our Knowledge Base.

Changelog

Improvements

• Added URL Filter support (experimental) #1203
• Added an option to hide story cards in the app’s tray menu #1179
• Switched AdGuard Mini UI to WKWebView to improve performance #1212
• Added VoiceOver support for headings and interactive elements [#1247](https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdGuardMiniForMac/issues/1

AdGuard Mini for Mac started out as a Safari-focused ad blocker. Now we’ve taken a big step forward. This beta brings System-wide protection, blocking ads and trackers not just in Safari, but in other apps on your Mac too. The feature is available for users with an AdGuard license on macOS 26 and later.

We’ve also greatly improved performance, helping to reduce occasional overheating and high CPU usage. As part of this update, we moved AdGuard Mini for Mac to WebView.

One more thing: we’ve refined how stories appear in the app tray. Now you can choose which stories to show.

System-wide protection

Last year, Apple introduced its first official system filtering API. AdGuard Mini is among the first consumer apps to use it. What does this mean in practice?

For the first time ever, AdGuard Mini can block ads and trackers not just in Safari, but in other apps on your Mac. There are three levels of protection:

Essential — blocks ads and trackers Safe — blocks ads, trackers, and phishing Family — blocks ads, trackers, phishing, and adult content

You’ll find System-wide protection under Advanced protection in the AdGuard Mini app. To enable it, toggle the switch on.

When you first enable System-wide protection, you’ll get a request to install URL Filter on your computer. Click Install, after which the system can ask for your Touch ID or passcode. This is standard macOS behavior when adding a filter configuration. AdGuard does not see or store any of this data.

Note: The extent of coverage depends on each app’s own API, so some apps may not be filtered. System-wide protection is currently available only for the first account you set up on your Mac, with the User ID of 501.

One more important thing: Apple’s filtering API uses the Private Information Retrieval (PIR) technology. PIR uses advanced cryptographic protocols that allow a client to retrieve data from a server without the server learning which specific item was requested.

In simpler terms, this means that even with System-wide protection on, your browsing and app data stay anonymous. We simply do not have access to it.

Customizable stories

We’ve added an option to hide stories if you want to customize AdGuard Mini for Mac’s tray. Click Hide on any story you no longer want to see.

Less RAM, more speed

We’ve been listening to your feedback on app performance, and decided a deeper change under the hood was in order — we switched to WebView. The app now loads much faster while using less RAM and CPU.

Basic VoiceOver support

We’re working on adding full VoiceOver support across all AdGuard Mini for Mac elements in future releases. But we didn’t want to make you wait for all of it at once — that’s why we’re rolling out VoiceOver support in stages. This beta already lets VoiceOver read headings and interactive elements aloud, with more accessibility support on the way.

Changelog

Improvements

• Added URL Filter support #1203
• Added an option to hide story cards in the app’s tray menu #1179
• Switched AdGuard Mini UI to WebView to improve performance #1212

Fixes

• AdGuard Mini icon remains in the Dock while running and cannot be removed [#1207](https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdG

If filtering doesn’t work as expected or something in your setup is missing, you shouldn’t have to guess what went wrong.

In this release, we’ve added configuration checks and improved diagnostics. The app can now warn you about settings or system conditions that may prevent it from working properly — and suggest what to do next.

Configuration checks

AdGuard Mini now checks your setup and alerts you if something may interfere with filtering or app stability. These alerts appear in both the Safari popup and the tray menu, so you can notice them without opening settings.

There are two types of alerts: critical and standard.

Critical alerts are highlighted in orange. They point to issues that may prevent AdGuard Mini from working properly, such as missing permissions or disabled system settings. To fix the issue, click the action button in the alert and follow the instructions.

Standard alerts are grey. They point to less urgent issues that don’t necessarily prevent the app from working, but may affect the protection level. You can close these alerts, but we recommend following the suggested steps to keep AdGuard Mini working at its best.

Other changes

Some users reported high CPU or memory usage, especially on older Macs, including models with Intel processors. Others ran into filtering problems after system migration or configuration changes. The new diagnostics help the app detect these cases faster and make troubleshooting easier for both users and our support team.

Changelog

Fixes

• Extreme overheating on tracker-heavy websites #1200
• The filter update notification appears again after checking for updates #1193
• Excessive background wake-ups #1192
• Rule editor doesn’t save its window position and size #1159

Sciter (UI engine)

• Updated Sciter to v6.0.3.18

How to install AdGuard Mini

• TestFlight beta version
• Mac AppStore
• Standalone build, release channel
• Standalone build, beta channel

Every little fix matters. We took care of a few bugs here and there — nothing dramatic, but the app is better for it.

How to install AdGuard Mini beta

• TestFlight beta version
• Standalone build, beta channel