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Setup, importing, and common fixes.
Turn et al. on in Safari.
Safari extensions take a one-time setup. Follow the steps below on Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
Get et al.
Download et al. free on each Mac, iPhone, or iPad where you want to use it, then open the app once to finish setting up the Safari extension.
Turn it on in Safari
On Mac: open Safari, go to Settings, click Extensions, find et al., and check the box.
On iPhone or iPad: open Settings, tap Apps → Safari → Extensions, tap et al., and turn it on.
Let it run on websites
On Mac: open the et al. extension from the Safari toolbar and choose Always Allow on Every Website. On iPhone or iPad: open the extension from Safari’s page menu, then allow it on the websites where you want to use it.
Try your first highlight
Open the practice page in Safari and save a highlight, add a note, and copy a citation. It walks you through each step and marks them off as you go.
Want your library on more than one device? Once et al. is set up, open the app and turn on iCloud Sync. It’s off until you turn it on, and it uses the Apple Account you already have.
Move your highlights to et al.
Coming from Readwise, Hypothes.is, Obsidian, or another app? Open your Library and choose Import from other apps. See How to import from Readwise, Hypothes.is, and Obsidian for the steps.
Troubleshooting.
I don’t see et al. in Safari’s toolbar
Open Safari, go to Settings, click Extensions, and make sure the box next to et al. is checked. On iPhone or iPad, check Settings → Apps → Safari → Extensions. If et al. isn’t in the list, make sure the app is installed and launch it once.
Highlights aren’t appearing on a page
Click the et al. icon in the Safari toolbar and check that it’s on for the website you’re looking at. Some sites use layouts that et al. can’t read. When that happens, the popup will tell you the page isn’t supported.
A highlight from a previous visit is missing
et al. attaches highlights to the text on the page. If a site rewrites an article, et al. might not be able to put the highlight back. When that happens, the highlight stays in your Library with the text, your note, and the color. You just can’t see it on the page anymore.
Keyboard shortcuts aren’t working
Make sure no other Safari extension is using the same keys. To check or change et al.’s shortcuts, open Safari Settings, go to Extensions, and click et al.
How do I export my highlights and notes?
Open the Library from the popup, or in its own tab. Pick what you want to export. Choose Markdown, Obsidian, or CSV, print your highlights and notes, or keep a local backup. You can also copy or download an APA or MLA citation for one source at a time for free. Chicago and IEEE citations, BibTeX, RIS, and CSL-JSON exports, and all multi-source bibliographies are included with et al. Pro.
The smart features aren’t appearing
The smart features require a device that supports Apple’s on-device models. Ask is part of et al. Pro and needs Apple Intelligence on a supported iPhone, iPad, or Mac running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26 or later. On unsupported devices, the non-smart features and the rest of Pro still work.
Still stuck? Reach out to me directly.
Let me know what’s happening: which site, your device and OS version, and what you expected to see.
support@getetal.com