We use our computers increasingly online, utilizing the web browser for more and more of our daily tasks.
When the browser isn't working right, it can become incredibly frustrating. This guide will take you through the steps to get Safari back working properly on your computer.
2. macOS: Safari: Quit and Restart
By default, Safari will run in the background to provide faster access. If it runs out of memory, though, this can end up causing a problem. Quitting and restarting Safari can often resolve these problems.
Select Safari on your Dock.
Select the Safari menu, then Quit Safari.
3. macOS: Restart
From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
Any unsaved work will be lost.
4. Safari Browser: Test Site
Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.
5. macOS: Safari: Clear Browser History
Open Safari.
Select the Safari menu, then select Clear History.
Select Clear all history, then select Clear History.
6. macOS: Safari: Quit and Restart
By default, Safari will run in the background to provide faster access. If it runs out of memory, though, this can end up causing a problem. Quitting and restarting Safari can often resolve these problems.
Select Safari on your Dock.
Select the Safari menu, then Quit Safari.
7. Safari Browser: Test Site
Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.
8. Mac OS: Safari: Remove Extensions
Extensions provide extra features to Safari. Sometimes, these Extensions are not coded well, break after an update, or they change the way Safari works in a malicious way to show you advertisements.
Disabling or removing unneeded or unwanted Extensions can help resolve these problems.
Some pop-ups are created from extensions/add-ons installed on your browser. We will be going over steps to remove the extension.
From the Safari menu, choose Preferences.
The following steps can be repeated to remove multiple browser extensions.
Click the Extensions tab. Click on Uninstall for any extensions you want to remove.
You will get a confirmation window. Click on Uninstall to confirm removal.
If a new tab opens up, you can close it by hitting the X.
Extensions are now gone, you may have to restart your browser for it to take effect. If you removed a malicious extension, it might have changed your homepage.
9. Safari Browser: Test Site
Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.
10. macOS: Safari: Manual Settings Removal Check
Our next step is to manually remove the settings, extensions, and cache of Safari.
In most cases, your bookmarks and saved passwords will be saved through this process, but they can be lost during this process if you haven't signed into an iCloud account with your Mac.
Any history, frequently used pages, cookies, and Extensions will be lost.
Any bookmarks, passwords, and extension settings will be lost if you have not signed into your iCloud account.
Some of the areas and files we will need to check are within folders that are crutal to your Mac functioning properly. While this guide will walk you through this, it is imperitive that the instructions be followed exactly, or your system could become unstable and require you to reinstall the macOS, or take the machine to an Apple service center to resolve the problem.
11. macOS: Safari: Quit and Restart
By default, Safari will run in the background to provide faster access. If it runs out of memory, though, this can end up causing a problem. Quitting and restarting Safari can often resolve these problems.
Select Safari on your Dock.
Select the Safari menu, then Quit Safari.
12. macOS: Safari: Manually Delete Plug-Ins
If a malicious or poorly-written Plug-In is causing Safari to crash, the only way to fix the problem is to remove it manually.
This guide will take you directly to the 2 locations Plug-Ins are stored on your Mac Hard Drive. Be extremely careful to select the right folder names throughout this process, as deleting the wrong files can cause severe problems with your Mac.
Trash System-Level Plug-Ins
Open Finder.
Select Go > Computer.
Select your macOS hard drive.
Select Library.
Select Internet Plug-Ins.
Trash any items in this folder.
Do not empty your Trash after doing this. If something does not work properly, the Trash will provide an easy way to restore the files.
Trash User-Level Plug-Ins
Open Finder.
Select Go > Home.
Select View > Show View Options.
Make sure Show Library Folder is checked, then close this dialog by clicking the red circle in the top-left corner.
Select Library.
Select Internet Plug-Ins.
Trash any items in this folder.
Do not empty your Trash after doing this. If something does not work properly, the Trash will provide an easy way to restore the files.
13. macOS: Safari: Manually Reset Settings
A bad or corrupt settings file can sometimes cause problems with Safari. Deleting the file is safe, as it will be rebuilt the next time Safari is opened.
Open Finder.
Select Go > Home.
Select View > Show View Options.
Make sure Show Library Folder is checked, then close this dialog by clicking the red circle in the top-left corner.
Select Library.
Select Preferences.
Locate the com.apple.Safari.plist file, and Trash it.
Be careful to choose the exact file com.apple.Safari.plist, there are other files with very similar names, do not remove them.
14. Safari Browser: Test Site
Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.
15. What's next?
16. macOS: Force Quit Safari
Select the Apple menu, then Force Quit.
Highlight Safari in the list, and select Force Quit.
You'll be prompted if you're sure, select Force Quit.
17. macOS: Force Quit Safari
Select the Apple menu, then Force Quit.
Highlight Safari in the list, and select Force Quit.
You'll be prompted if you're sure, select Force Quit.
18. Safari Browser: Test Site
Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.
19. macOS: Restart
From the menu bar across the top of the screen, select the Apple menu (1), then select Restart... (2).
Any unsaved work will be lost.
20. Safari Browser: Test Site
Open your browser, and visit the website you had problems with at the start.
Make sure the page loads properly, and try following a few of the links from the page.
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