Charles had been scheduled to arrive in France on Sunday to celebrate France and Britain's renewed friendship.
But the protests and strikes against Macron's decision to raise France's retirement age from 62 to 64 promised to affect to his visit, with some workers refusing to roll out the red carpet for the King's arrival.
Violence soared during Thursday's ninth union-organised nationwide marches. More than 450 protesters were arrested in Paris and beyond, and hundreds of police and demonstrators were injured, as gatherings drew more than a million people.
There were scattered protests on Friday. Trains were slowed, rows of lorries blocked access to Marseille's port for several hours and rubbish littered the streets of Paris.
Macron has made the proposed pension changes the priority of his second term, saying they are needed to keep the pension system from diving into deficit as France, like many rich nations, faces lower birth rates and longer life expectancy.
Anger over the changes has increasingly turned into broader opposition to his leadership. His insistence this week that the retirement measure be implemented by the end of the year prompted critics to describe him as "self-satisfied" and "out of touch".
Macron's plan involves multiple adjustments to France's complex pension system. It would also require French people to work 43 years to earn a full pension, or wait until they turn 67, as the law now calls for.
Opponents have proposed other solutions, including higher taxes on the wealthy or companies.
The government refused to consider those, however, and forced the bill through parliament last week, using a constitutional power, and the text is being reviewed by France's Constitutional Council.
The forced passage further angered Macron's critics.
Macron condemned the violent behaviour at some protests, saying "violence has no place in a democracy".
He said "common sense and friendship" required delaying the King's visit, saying it could have become a protest target, creating a "detestable situation".
It would not be reasonable "to hold a state visit in the middle of protests", he told a news conference after a summit in Brussels.
He said he took the initiative to call Charles on Friday, and the visit would be rescheduled for the summer.
Charles and the Queen Consort planned to visit France and Germany during his first trip abroad as King. He still plans to go to Germany.
Charles had been scheduled to visit the city of Bordeaux on Tuesday, coinciding with the 10th round of nationwide strikes and protests.
The heavy wooden door of the Bordeaux City Hall was destroyed by fire on Thursday during an unauthorised demonstration.
French authorities blame radicals for the protests, but the human rights groups have raised concerns about violence by police against what has been a largely peaceful movement.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said investigations were under way into 11 complaints of excessive violence by police.
He said 1000 rubbish bins were set on fire in the French capital. Overflowing bins have become a symbol of the protests during a weeks-long strike by sanitation workers.
Oil refineries have been another target. On Friday, protesters blockaded the Fos-sur-Mer oil depot near Marseille to stop trucks entering and leaving.
Fuel supplies to Paris from the Gonfreville-L'Orcher refinery in Normandy resumed after police intervened.
