How to Enable JavaScript on Opera

JavaScript is a client-side scripting language that web developers use to add dynamic interactions and functionality to websites. Modern web browsers - including Opera and Opera GX - ship with JavaScript enabled by default, so the rich, interactive web you experience every day works out of the box.

With JavaScript disabled, those interactions break. Sites like YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Gmail, online banking dashboards, and most modern web apps rely on JavaScript to load content, validate forms, and update in real time. Turn the toggle off and you'll see plain text, missing buttons, blank panels, or error messages instead of the experience you expect.

This guide covers every modern path to enable or disable JavaScript in Opera - on Windows 10 and 11, on macOS Sonoma, Sequoia and macOS 26, and on iPhone and iPad. All you need is a recent copy of Opera (Opera 105 or later, built on Chromium) and a couple of minutes.

Below you'll find platform-specific walkthroughs with current 2026 screenshots, plus the legacy Opera path preserved for users on older builds.

1. Start your Opera browser

Open the “Easy Setup” menu. It’s usually located in the top-right corner of your Opera browser.

2. The “Easy Setup” menu

Under the Easy Setup menu, scroll down to the very bottom to locate the “Go to browser settings” link, and then click on it.

3. Search for “javascript”

You will be directed to the Settings menu where you should see a search box. Input the name “javascript” into the Search Settings box.

4. Select “Site Settings”

Having searched for “javascript”, your screen will display highlighted sections. These sections are relevant to JavaScript. Scroll down the search results to locate the “Site Settings” tab, and then click it.

5. Select “JavaScript”

Under the Site Settings tab, find the section labeled “JavaScript” and select it. 

6. Activate JavaScript

Under the JavaScript section, toggle the “Allowed (recommended)” switch so that it turns blue.

The Opera JavaScript toggle is in the same place on Windows 10 and Windows 11 - the browser ships an identical Settings UI on both. Opera 105 and later (the modern Chromium-based release) follows these six steps:

Step 1: Open Opera

Launch Opera from your Start menu or taskbar.

Step 2: Open the Easy Setup menu

Click the red Opera "O" menu in the top-left corner, or open the Easy Setup panel in the top-right. Either entry point reaches the Settings page.

Step 3: Open Site settings

Inside Settings, click Privacy & security in the left sidebar (you may need to expand Advanced first), then choose Site Settings.

Step 4: Open the JavaScript permission

Scroll to the Content section and click JavaScript. The shortcut opera://settings/content/javascript jumps straight here.

Step 5: Select Sites can use JavaScript

Under Default behavior, choose Sites can use JavaScript. Opera saves the change instantly.

Step 6: Verify (optional) - and how to turn it off

To confirm, reload any interactive site (YouTube, Gmail, Facebook). If you ever need the opposite, pick Don't allow sites to use JavaScript on the same screen:

JavaScript is now enabled across every site you visit. The same flow works for Opera GX - the gaming-themed sibling shares the same Chromium settings UI. Add specific sites to the Not allowed list on the same page if you want to block scripts only on certain pages.

The macOS version of Opera - on macOS Sonoma, Sequoia, and macOS 26 - uses the same Chromium-based Settings UI as the Windows build. Follow these five steps:

Step 1: Open Opera

Launch Opera from your Dock, Launchpad, or Applications folder.

Step 2: Open Settings, then Site Settings

From the macOS menu bar choose Opera → Settings... (or press Cmd+,). In the Settings page sidebar, click Privacy & security, then choose Site Settings.

Step 3: Open the JavaScript permission

Scroll to the Content section and click JavaScript. The shortcut opera://settings/content/javascript jumps straight here.

Step 4: Select Sites can use JavaScript

Under Default behavior, choose Sites can use JavaScript. The change saves immediately.

Step 5: How to turn it back off

To disable JavaScript later, return to the same screen and pick Don't allow sites to use JavaScript:

That's it. Reload any interactive site (YouTube, Gmail, Google Docs) to confirm scripts now run as expected. The same flow works for Opera GX on macOS - the gaming-themed sibling shares the same Chromium settings UI.

On iPhone and iPad, every browser - including Opera, Opera GX, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, and DuckDuckGo - is required by Apple to use the system WebKit engine. That means there is no JavaScript toggle inside the Opera iOS app itself. The setting that controls JavaScript for Opera on iOS lives in the system Settings → Apps → Safari → Advanced screen, and it applies to every browser at once.

Step 1: Open the Settings app

Tap the gray gear icon on your home screen or App Library to launch iOS Settings.

Step 2: Open Apps

Scroll down and tap Apps. (On iOS 17 and earlier, Safari appears directly in the main Settings list - tap it instead.)

Step 3: Select Safari

Inside Apps, scroll to and tap Safari. This is where iOS controls the WebKit engine that Opera iOS uses behind the scenes.

Step 4: Tap Advanced

Scroll to the bottom of the Safari settings page and tap Advanced.

Step 5: Enable JavaScript

Toggle the JavaScript switch on (green). The change applies immediately to Opera, Safari, and every other iOS browser.

Step 6: How to turn it off again

To disable JavaScript later, flip the same switch off (gray). Note that almost every modern site will break without it.

Now switch back to Opera iOS and reload your tab - JavaScript is on (or off) for every browser on the device.