Redirector Support
Last updated August 4, 2026
Fast version: enable Redirector in Safari, open its rule editor, declare every source and destination domain, request permission for those sites, then enable and save the rule.
Redirector changes top-level Safari page requests using rules stored on your device. It supports regular-expression matching, capture substitutions, ordered priorities, and stop rules for exceptions.
Enable the Safari extension
On Mac
- Open Redirector.
- Choose Open Safari Settings.
- In Safari, choose Extensions.
- Turn on Redirector.
On iPhone or iPad
- Open Redirector.
- Tap Enable Redirector.
- Turn on Redirector in the Settings page that opens.
- Return to Redirector and confirm that its status says enabled.
On older iOS versions, Settings may open at the app instead of the extension. Choose Apps, Safari, Extensions, then Redirector.
Open the rule editor
On iPhone and iPad, open Redirector and tap Add or Edit Rules. On the extension page that opens, tap Settings to open the rule editor.
On Mac, choose Redirector from Safari’s toolbar, then choose Open Rules in the extension popover.
Create a redirect rule
For a Reddit-to-old-Reddit rule, use:
- Action: Redirect
- Source domains:
reddit.com, www.reddit.com - Destination domains:
old.reddit.com - Match regex:
^https?://(www\.)?reddit\.com(/.*)?$ - Regex substitution:
https://old.reddit.com\2 - Test URL:
https://reddit.com/r/news
- Enter the rule and check its preview.
- Choose Save and Enable.
- Approve access to the declared source and destination sites when Safari asks.
Regex capture groups
Redirector uses WebExtensions declarative redirect syntax. Refer to capture
groups in a substitution as \1, \2, and so on. Do not
use JavaScript-style $1 or $2 substitutions.
Safari’s rule engine supports a limited regular-expression syntax. A regex that works in a general-purpose tester can still be too complex or unsupported for a Safari redirect rule.
Priority and Stop processing
Higher priority numbers are evaluated first. Use an Allow / Stop rule when a specific URL should bypass broader redirect rules. Give the exception a higher priority than the redirect it should stop.
Site permissions
Redirector asks only for the source and destination domains declared in a rule. An enabled redirect needs permission for every declared domain so Safari can evaluate the source request and complete the redirect.
Adding a new domain does not silently grant access. Update the domain fields, choose Save and Enable, then approve the updated request.
Stop Safari from asking on every website
Redirector can support rules for any domain, so Safari may initially ask whether the extension should have access when you visit a new website. To stop those prompts while keeping access limited to your redirect rules on Mac:
- Open Safari, then choose Safari > Settings > Extensions.
- Select Redirector and choose Edit Websites.
- Set Other Websites to Deny.
- Leave the source and destination domains used by your rules set to Allow.
You can make the same choice from Safari’s permission prompt by selecting Remember for other websites before choosing Deny. Redirector can still request access when you explicitly add and enable a rule for a new domain.
For the simplest setup with no per-site prompts, choose Always Allow on Every Website instead. This grants Redirector access to every website, rather than only the domains used by your rules.
Loop protection
The editor checks enabled rules for redirect loops before saving. Redirector also checks the complete local rule set before applying it. Rules involved in a detected loop are disabled and show a reason in the editor.
Troubleshooting
A rule saves but does not redirect
- Confirm Redirector is enabled in Safari’s extension settings.
- Confirm the rule itself is enabled.
- Choose Save and Enable and approve permission for every source and destination domain.
- Make sure the current hostname appears in Source domains.
- Paste the current address into Test URL and check the preview.
- Check whether a higher-priority Allow / Stop rule matches first.
- Reload the page after changing permissions or rules.
Safari rejected the regex
- Simplify nested groups, repetition, and alternation.
- Make sure the regex matches the full URL, including
https://. - Use numbered capture groups and backslash substitutions such as
\1. - Choose Save and Enable again after fixing the expression; Safari-rejected rules are disabled automatically.
The extension is missing from Safari Settings
- Open the installed Redirector app once.
- Quit and reopen Safari.
- On Mac, make sure you opened the built app rather than only running the extension target.
- During local development, Safari may require temporary extension development to be enabled.
Rules differ between devices
This version stores rules locally. Rules do not sync between your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, so create and grant permissions for them separately on each device.
Still stuck?
Send the Safari version, device type, source URL, match regex, and substitution to hello@borg.fyi. Remove any private URL details before sending them.