How to Speed up Safari on Your Mac

In this article you will find the following:

Safari is the fastest browser on the Mac, but it isn't immune from slowdowns and performance issues. If web pages take longer to load or site navigation doesn't feel responsive, read on to learn how to speed up Safari on Mac.

  • How to speed up Safari on Mac

Is Safari running slow on your MacBook, iMac, or Mac mini? Connectivity issues, unoptimized extensions, cache corruption, and a host of other reasons often cause that. Try the suggestions in our guide to get Safari running smoothly on Mac again.

Before you start   If you want to speed up Safari on Mac quickly, download MacKeeper . It's an Apple-notarized maintenance utility that helps prevent browser slowdowns and other Mac-related issues.     MacKeeper lets you free up the RAM, delete unwanted Safari extensions, get rid of junk files, and more with considerably less hassle than manual maintenance. You get one fix for free, so don't hesitate to check if it works for you.

Check if your internet's slow

If webpages in Safari take too long to load or fail, it's a good idea to begin by figuring out if it's just a matter of your internet being slow. The best way to do that is to use an online speed checker like Fast.com or SpeedTest.net .

A screenshot that shows the website to check internet speed in Safari

Restart your router if you find that your internet isn't uploading or downloading at a decent rate. If that doesn't speed it up, learn what else you can do to fix a slow internet connection on Mac .

Also, don't discount server-side issues. If the problem is limited to a specific site, use a website monitoring tool such as Downdetector to determine if you're dealing with a server outage.

  • Close unnecessary tabs in Safari

Although Safari is adept at handling dozens of tabs, having too many open simultaneously will eventually take its toll on your Mac's memory. That creates delays while loading new pages, and the performance hit could also result in erratic browser behavior.

Screenshot that shows opened tabs in Google Chrome that are needed to be closed to make Safari run faster.

The quickest way to speed up Safari on Mac is to shut down unnecessary tabs as soon as you notice any slowdowns. Getting used to moving between and closing tabs using the Ctrl + Tab and Command + W keyboard shortcuts can make the process even faster.

  • Shut down apps and resource-intensive processes

Tabs aside, Safari will run slowly on the Mac if you have too many applications open. Check your Mac's Dock and quit anything you aren't actively using. Try force-quitting troublesome programs if you can't close them normally.

On the other hand, various apps and related processes can spin out of control and consume too much processing power and memory. Use the Activity Monitor to locate and stop them.

  • Open the Launchpad and select Other > Activity Monitor
  • Sort your Mac's activity using the % CPU column and shut down any third-party processes that use a significant amount of CPU
  • Switch to the Memory tab and stop third-party items that use lots of RAM.

If you always end up pushing the hardware on your Mac to its limits, consider using MacKeeper's Memory Cleaner feature to keep things under control.

  • Disable unnecessary Safari extensions

Running Safari with multiple extensions increases the load on the CPU and RAM. That translates to slower browser performance, so review your list of browser add-ons and disable any items you don't regularly use.

  • Open Safari and select Safari > Preferences on the menu bar
  • Switch to the Extensions tab
  • Clear the boxes next to any extensions you want to disable.

Our team highly recommends you update Safari extensions periodically via the Mac's App Store to ensure they run in top shape. If you notice anything suspicious, learn how to remove malicious browser extensions and toolbars from your Mac.

  • Switch DNS servers for Wi-Fi and Ethernet

DNS (short for Domain Name System) is a cataloging system that matches domain names with IP addresses. Not all DNS providers are fast, so changing your Wi-Fi or Ethernet's DNS settings to a popular service like Google DNS can speed up Safari on Mac. For best results, clear the DNS cache on your Mac before you begin .

  • Open the Apple menu and select System Preferences
  • Select the Network category
  • Select Wi-Fi/Ethernet > Advanced
  • Switch to the DNS tab
  • Select OK > Apply to save your changes.
  • Clear the Safari cache and cookies

Like most web browsers, Safari caches various forms of site data — images, HTML files, and JavaScript code — to improve load times in subsequent visits. However, a bloated or corrupt cache can adversely impact performance and result in Safari running slow on the Mac. You can clear the Safari cache after activating its hidden Develop menu .

  • Switch to the Advanced tab and check the box next to Show Develop menu in menu bar
  • Select Develop on the menu bar and pick the Empty Caches option.

Corrupt, outdated, or privacy-invasive browser cookies can also slow down Safari. If deleting the Safari cache didn't make much difference, try deleting its cookies next.

  • Select Safari > Clear History on the menu bar
  • Set Clear to All history
  • Select Clear .

Update the Safari browser

Safari receives occasional bug fixes and performance enhancements from Apple, and these arrive alongside regular macOS updates .  

To update your Mac:

  • Select Software Update
  • Wait until the Software Update tool checks for newer macOS updates and select Update Now to install any pending updates.

To have your Safari browser updated, you need to update macOS to the latest version by going to Software Update from the System Preferences menu.

Even if a new macOS update doesn't include anything Safari-related, installing it will still improve general performance across native apps. Make it a point to install macOS updates as soon as possible.

  • Reset Safari to factory defaults

Corrupt browser preferences and other underlying issues can also play a factor, so sometimes, the only way to fix a slow instance of Safari on Mac is to reset it to factory defaults.

A Safari reset deactivates all extensions and reverts each browser setting to its defaults, allowing you to start over with a clean slate. You will not lose your bookmarks or passwords during the process.

  • Save your work and exit Safari
  • Open Finder, select Go > Go to Folder on the menu bar, and visit the ~/Library/Preferences/ directory
  • Search for com.apple.Safari.plist file and delete it
  • Reopen the Go to Folder box and visit ~/Library/Safari/ . Then, delete each item within the folder except the Bookmarks.plist file
  • Visit ~/Library/Containers/ , search for Safari, and delete all files and folders that appear among the search results
  • Open Safari and visit its Preferences pane to reactivate any essential extensions. Also, move between tabs and modify your browser settings the way you want.
  • Boot your Mac into Safe Mode

If none of the fixes above help speed up Safari, try booting your Mac into and out of Safe Mode. That helps flush out various forms of temporary data that can interfere with Apple's browser.

On an Intel Mac, you can get to Safe Mode while holding down the Shift key during the reboot phase. However, if you use an Apple Silicon Mac, you should:

  • Shut down your Mac
  • Turn it on but keep holding the Power button until you get to the Startup Options screen
  • Hold the Shift key and select Macintosh HD > Safe Mode .

To start M1-based Mac in Safe Mode, restart your Mac and hold the Shift key until you see the Startup Options screen.

In Safe Mode, repeat the fixes above if you could not complete them earlier. Then, restart your Mac normally. To delete additional forms of temporary data that can slow down Safari, learn how to delete your Mac's application and system caches .

  • Full steam ahead

Keeping Safari in top shape is crucial for a great web browsing experience. Avoiding too many open tabs, shutting down unwanted apps and processes, and cutting down on the number of active extensions can go a long way toward making that happen. Occasionally clearing the Safari cache and keeping your Mac up-to-date will significantly minimize browser slowdowns and other issues. If manual Mac maintenance feels like a drag, don't forget to download MacKeeper .

  • How to Clear Cookies on Mac in Safari, Chrome & Firefox
  • How to Easily Remove Bookmarks on Mac
  • How to Clear Purgeable Space on Mac

*You can download the app for free and try its functionality yourself before making a purchase.

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Why Is Safari Running Slow on Mac? 15 Ways to Fix

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Last updated: September 25, 2023

Expert verified

Safari may run slowly on Mac due to opening too many tabs, using too many extensions, cache build-up, outdated Safari version, outdated macOS, slow internet connection, hardware limitations, and malware or adware.

Fixing these issues through updating software, managing tabs, clearing cache, and removing unnecessary extensions can improve Safari’s speed and performance on a Mac.

  • Managing open tabs and removing unnecessary extensions can free up valuable resources and enhance Safari’s performance.
  • Regularly updating Safari and macOS ensures optimal compatibility and access to performance improvements.
  • Clearing accumulated cache, cookies, and browsing history can give Safari a fresh start and improve loading times.
  • Advanced solutions like switching DNS providers and booting in Safe Mode can address more complex issues affecting Safari’s speed.

Ever found yourself drumming your fingers in frustration as Safari lags on your Mac? A slow browser can turn even the most basic online tasks into a tedious affair.

If Safari is running slow on your Mac, I’ve got your back. Dive into this guide to uncover the mysteries behind Safari running slow on Mac and explore practical solutions to get you back in the fast lane. Ready to turbocharge your browsing experience? Let’s get started!

Before We Begin

If you want to make Safari run faster on your Mac, download MacKeeper. This tool clears up RAM, removes unnecessary Safari extensions, deletes unneeded files, and more. All these features help speed up a slow-running Safari.

Why Is Safari Running Slow on Mac?

Safari running slow on Mac can be due to various reasons. Below, I’ve shared the most common reasons for Safari’s sluggishness on your Mac:

  • 🖥️ Too Many Tabs or Windows Open : Having numerous tabs or windows open can consume a lot of memory and slow down Safari.
  • 🧩 Heavy Use of Extensions : Some Safari extensions can use a lot of resources, causing the browser to slow down.
  • 🍪 Cache and Browsing Data : Accumulated cache, cookies, and browsing history can impact Safari’s performance.
  • ⌛ Outdated Safari Version : Running an outdated version of Safari can lead to performance issues.
  • 🍎 Outdated macOS : An outdated operating system can cause compatibility issues and slow down Safari.
  • 🌐 Internet Connection Issues : An unstable or slow internet connection on Mac can affect browsing speed.
  • 💻 Hardware Limitations : Older Mac models with limited RAM and processing power may struggle to run Safari efficiently.
  • 🦠 Malware or Adware : Malicious software can significantly degrade the performance of Safari.

Addressing these issues through updating software, managing tabs, clearing cache, and removing unnecessary extensions can improve Safari’s speed and performance on a Mac.

How to Fix Safari Running Slow on Mac

A sluggish Safari on your Mac can be quite a bottleneck, especially during important online tasks. The good news is, there’s no need to let a slow browser rain on your parade. In this section, I’ll walk you through various solutions to bring Safari back to its optimal speed.

Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of boosting your Safari browser’s performance on your Mac.

1. Check Your Internet Speed

Before diving into more complex solutions, ensuring that your internet connection isn’t the culprit behind Safari’s sluggishness is essential. A slow or unstable internet connection can significantly impact your browsing experience.

To test your internet connection, follow these steps:

  • Open Safari on your Mac.

open safari on your mac

  • Navigate to an online speed test tool like Speedtest.net .
  • Click the Go button to start the test.

on the speed test website click the go button

  • This will give you an idea of your current internet speed.
  • Pay attention to the download and upload speeds. If they are significantly lower than what your Internet plan promises, there might be an issue with your connection.
  • If your internet speed is slow, reset your router. Unplug it from the power source, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. Wait for it to restart and retest your internet speed.
  • If resetting doesn’t help, try moving closer to the router or removing any obstacles interfering with the signal.
  • If the above steps don’t improve your internet speed, it might be time to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for further assistance.

2. Force Close and Relaunch Safari

At times, Safari or any of its tabs might encounter errors or issues that consume excessive system resources, leading to slowdowns. Force closing and re-launching Safari can terminate these problematic processes and give the browser a fresh start.

Here’s how to force quit Safari and relaunch it on your Mac:

  • Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select Force Quit from the drop-down menu.

click the apple icon and select force quit

  • In the new window, select Safari and click the Force Quit button.

select safari and click force quit

  • Click Force Quit on the pop-up.

click force quit on the pop up to close safari

  • After force-closing Safari, wait for a few moments to let the system properly terminate all processes related to the browser.
  • Find the Safari icon in your Dock and click it to re-launch the browser.
  • Check if the performance has improved.

3. Close Unwanted Tabs

Each open tab in Safari consumes your Mac’s memory and processing power. Having multiple tabs open, especially those with heavy content or active scripts, can significantly slow down the browser and even the entire system.

Closing unnecessary tabs can free up valuable resources and enhance Safari’s performance. Here’s how to go about it:

  • Take a look at all the tabs you have open in Safari. Identify which ones are not currently needed or are consuming significant resources.
  • Click the small x icon on the left of each tab you wish to close.

click the x to close a browser tab

  • Alternatively, you can close an active tab using a Mac keyboard shortcut : Command ⌘ + W .

macbook pro command w

  • You can also right-click a tab and select Close Tab from the context menu.
  • After closing unwanted tabs, check if Safari’s performance has improved.

4. Clear Safari History

Over time, Safari accumulates a history of the websites you’ve visited, cached files, and cookies. While these elements are designed to speed up page loading times, they can also clutter your browser and consume system resources, leading to slowdowns.

Clearing your browsing history can give Safari a fresh start and potentially improve its performance. Here’s how to delete Safari’s history on Mac :

  • If not already open, launch the Safari browser on your Mac.
  • Click the Safari menu item at the top left of your screen. From the drop-down menu, select Settings .

click safari in the top menu bar and select settings

  • Select the Advanced tab and check the box next to the Show Develop menu in menu bar if it is unchecked.

check the box next to the show develop menu in menu bar

  • Return to the menu bar, click Develop , and select Empty Caches from this drop-down list.

click develop and select empty caches

  • After clearing the history, navigate through various websites to check if there is an improvement in Safari’s speed and responsiveness.

5. Clear Safari Cache and Cookies

The cache stores temporary files from websites to help pages load faster in future visits, while cookies save small pieces of information like login details. Over time, these stored files can accumulate and cause Safari to slow down.

Clearing the browser cache on your Mac can free up storage and improve browser speed. Here’s how to clear Safari cache on your Mac :

  • Launch Safari and click Safari in the top menu bar, then select Settings from the drop-down menu.
  • In the Settings window, select the Privacy tab and click Manage Website Data .

select the privacy tab and tap the manage website data button

  • A new window will open, showing a list of websites storing data.
  • Click Remove All to clear all cookies and cached data. Confirm the action when prompted.

click remove all

  • After completing these steps, browse through different websites and assess whether Safari’s performance has improved.

6. Delete Unwanted Extensions

Extensions are additional features or functionalities added to Safari to enhance user experience. However, some extensions can be resource-intensive, causing the browser to slow down. Removing unnecessary or problematic extensions can help in optimizing Safari’s speed.

Here’s how you can delete unwanted extensions on Mac :

  • Open Safari on your Mac, click the Safari menu in the menu bar and select Settings .
  • Click the Extensions tab to view all the installed extensions.

click on the extensions tab to view all the installed extensions

  • Find the extension you want to remove and click it.

find the extension you want to remove and click on it

  • Click the Uninstall button to confirm that you want to remove the extension.

click the uninstall button to confirm that you want to remove

Alternatively, you can use MacKeeper to remove unwanted extensions from Safari. Here are the steps to follow:

  • Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
  • Open MacKeeper and click the Smart Uninstaller option in the left sidebar.

click smart uninstaller in the left sidebar

  • Click the Start Scan button to scan your computer for installed browser extensions.

click start scan in smart uninstaller

  • Once the scan is complete, click Browser Extensions in the left sidebar and locate the extension you want to remove from the list.

click browser extensions in the left sidebar

  • Click the checkbox next to the extension you want to remove and tap Remove Selected .

check the extension you want to delete and tap remove selected

  • Confirm the action by clicking the Remove button in the confirmation dialog box.

click remove on the pop up

  • Wait for the uninstallation process to complete.
  • Restart your browser to ensure the extension has been completely removed.

7. Disable Search Engine Suggestions

Search engine suggestions are generated in real-time as you type into the search bar, which can sometimes slow down Safari, especially on slower internet connections or older Mac models. Disabling this feature can reduce the load on Safari and potentially improve its speed.

Here’s how you can disable search engine suggestions on Safari:

  • Launch Safari, click Safari in the menu bar and select Settings from the drop-down menu.
  • In the Settings window, click the Search tab.
  • Uncheck the box next to Include search engine suggestions to disable the feature.

disable search engine suggestions in safari settings

  • Close the Settings window and test Safari by typing into the search bar to see if there is an improvement in responsiveness.

8. Disable Autofill

Autofill automatically completes forms using stored information, which, while convenient, can sometimes cause Safari to lag, especially if there’s a lot of data stored. Disabling this feature can help Safari run more smoothly.

Here’s how you can disable Autofill on Safari:

  • In the Settings window, click the Autofill tab.
  • You will see several options for different types of information that Safari can autofill. Uncheck the boxes next to the types of information you don’t want Safari to autofill.

disable autofill options in safari settings

  • After making the changes, close the window and restart Safari to apply the adjustments.
  • With Autofill disabled, navigate to various websites with forms and assess whether there’s an improvement in Safari’s speed and responsiveness.

9. Update Safari

Running an outdated version of Safari can lead to performance issues, as updates often include optimizations and fixes for known bugs. Ensuring Safari is up-to-date can help resolve slowdowns and enhance browser stability.

Here’s how you can update Safari on Mac:

  • Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select App Store from the drop-down menu.

click the apple menu and select app store

  • In the App Store, click the Updates tab to view available app updates.

click updates in the left sidebar

  • Scroll through the list of updates and look for Safari. If an update is available, it will be listed here.
  • Click the Update button next to Safari to download and install the latest version.

click the update button next to an app

  • Once the update is complete, close and restart Safari to apply the changes.
  • After updating Safari, navigate different websites and assess whether the browser’s performance has improved.

10. Disable DNS Prefetching

DNS prefetching is a feature that pre-resolves domain names before you click a link, aiming to improve page load times. However, this feature can cause Safari to slow down or become unresponsive on some networks. Disabling it can help alleviate these issues.

Here’s how you can disable DNS prefetching:

  • Navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal to open the Terminal application on your Mac.

launch terminal from utilities

  • In the Terminal window, type the following command and press Enter :

type a command to disable dns prefetching

  • Close open Safari windows and relaunch the browser to apply the changes.
  • Navigate through various websites and evaluate whether disabling DNS prefetching has improved Safari’s speed and responsiveness.

11. Switch DNS Provider

The Domain Name System (DNS) translates website names to IP addresses. Sometimes, the default DNS servers provided by your ISP may be slow or overloaded, affecting your browsing speed. Switching to a faster, more reliable DNS provider can enhance your internet speed and Safari’s performance.

Here’s how you can switch your DNS provider:

  • Click the Apple logo and select System Settings from the drop-down menu.

click the apple icon and select system settings

  • In the System Settings window, click Network to access your network settings.

click network from side bar

  • In the Network settings window, click Wi-Fi and tap the Details button next to your active Internet connection.

click on details in front of wifi causing issue

  • Click the DNS tab in the Advanced Settings window.

in the advanced wi fi settings window select the dns tab

  • Click the + button below the DNS Servers box.

click the button located below the dns servers box

  • IPv4 addresses: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
  • IPv6 addresses (if your network supports it): 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844
  • If there are existing DNS servers listed, make sure the Google DNS addresses are at the top of the list. You can click and drag the entries to reorder them.
  • Click the OK button in the DNS Servers window to save the changes.

click the ok button to save the changes

  • After switching the DNS provider, open Safari and browse through different websites to check if there’s an improvement in speed and responsiveness.

12. Kill Resource-intensive Processes

Some processes running on your Mac can consume a significant amount of system resources, affecting the overall performance of your computer and, consequently, Safari. Identifying and terminating these resource-intensive processes can free up system resources and improve Safari’s responsiveness.

Here’s how you can kill resource-intensive processes on your Mac :

  • Open Activity Monitor by going to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor .

open activity monitor in utilities

  • In Activity Monitor, you’ll see a list of active processes sorted by their usage of system resources such as CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk, Network, or Cache .
  • Identify the background process you want to terminate by browsing the list or using the search box at the top-right corner.

activity monitor search bar

  • Select the process you want to terminate to highlight it, and click the X button in the top toolbar.

click x in the top bar to close a program

  • Click the Quit button in the confirmation window to terminate the selected process.

click quit on the activity monitor pop up

Alternatively, you can use MacKeeper’s Memory Cleaner to free up RAM on your Mac and kill background processes. Here’s how:

  • Open MacKeeper and click Memory Cleaner under the Performance tab.

select memory cleaner under performance

  • Click Open .

click open in the memory cleaner

  • Click Clean Memory .

click clean memory

  • It will clean your Mac and free up available memory. You can see how much memory it freed under Last Cleanup .

memory cleaned after a cycle

13. Reset Safari to Factory Defaults

Resetting Safari to factory defaults will remove all your settings, history, bookmarks, and other data. It’s like starting fresh with Safari, which can be helpful if the browser’s performance is severely affected by configurations or corrupted data.

Here’s how you can reset Safari to factory defaults:

  • Before resetting, backup your bookmarks, saved passwords, and any other important data from Safari.
  • Navigate to the Extensions tab and uninstall all extensions.
  • Then, go to the Privacy tab and click Manage Website Data to remove all website data.
  • Close Safari.
  • Open Finder, click Go , and select Go to Folder .

click go in the menu bar and select go to folder

  • Type the following path and press Enter :

type library preferences directory in the box

  • Locate the file named com.apple.Safari.plist and move it to the Bin.

drag the com apple safari plist file to the bin

  • Open Safari again. It should now be reset to its factory defaults.

14. Scan Your Mac for Virus

Malware and viruses can significantly degrade the performance of your Mac and affect Safari’s functionality. Running a thorough virus scan can identify and remove malicious software, potentially resolving any slowdowns in Safari.

Here’s how to run a virus scan on your Mac using MacKeeper:

  • Download and install MacKeeper.
  • Launch MacKeeper and navigate to the Antivirus tab in the left sidebar.

click antivirus under the security section

  • Initiate an instant virus scan by clicking the Start Scan button.

click start scan in mackeeper antivirus

  • If any viruses are detected during the scan, click the Fix Items button to resolve the issues.
  • If your system is threat-free, you’ll see a No threats found message. You can tap the Restart button to run the scan again.

no threats found in mackeeper antivirus

  • Enable real-time antivirus protection to safeguard your Mac from future threats by clicking the Enable button.

click enable to allow real time protection

Once you have configured your security settings, MacKeeper will continue to operate in the background, diligently scanning for threats and actively blocking any malicious activity.

What Else Can MacKeeper Do?  

Besides removing browser extensions from Mac and scanning it for viruses, MacKeeper can remove junk files , uninstall applications , and optimize Mac storage . Check out my in-depth MacKeeper review to learn about all its features.

15. Boot Your Mac Into Safe Mode

Safe Mode starts your Mac in a basic state with only the essential system software. It checks for issues and deletes certain system caches, potentially resolving Safari’s performance problems.

Here’s how to boot your Mac in Safe Mode :

Apple Silicon Macs

  • Click the Apple icon and choose Shut Down from the drop-down menu.

click the apple icon and select shut down

  • Wait for your Mac to shut down completely, and press the Power button to turn it on.

macbook air touch id

  • Keep holding the Power button until you see the Loading startup options screen.

loading startup options screen on mac

  • Select a volume from the options.

select a volume

  • Press and hold the Shift ⇧ key and click Continue in Safe Mode .

macbook air shift key

  • Your Mac will restart automatically, and you will see Safe Boot in the menu bar when the login screen appears.

safe boot mode on mac

Intel-Based Macs

  • Restart or turn on your Mac and press and hold the Shift ⇧ key immediately.
  • Keep holding the Shift ⇧ key until you see the login screen.
  • Release the Shift ⇧ key and log in to your Mac.
  • You may be asked to log in again.
  • You’ll see Safe Boot in the menu bar on your first or second login window.

Open Safari and navigate through various websites to assess whether the browser’s performance has improved in Safe Mode. After checking Safari’s performance, restart your Mac normally without holding any keys. This will exit Safe Mode.

Speed Up Safari on Your Mac

Navigating through a sluggish Safari can be a test of patience, but armed with the solutions outlined in this guide, you’re well-equipped to tackle any slowdowns head-on. To improve your Safai experience further, here are some more tips for you:

  • If your Safari bookmarks disappeared on Mac , many ways exist to restore them without panicking.
  • If you don’t want Safari to keep your browsing history, go incognito on a Mac in Safari browser .
  • Some pop-ups can be a nuisance and slow down your browser. So, disable unnecessary pop-ups on Safari and improve its speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will i lose important data by resetting safari to factory defaults.

Yes, you will lose data by resetting Safari to factory defaults. It erases all your settings, history, bookmarks, and saved passwords, so back up important data like bookmarks and passwords before resetting to avoid losing valuable information. After the reset, you can restore the backed-up data as needed.

Is it safe to switch to a different DNS provider?

Yes, it is safe to switch to a different DNS provider like Google DNS or OpenDNS. It can even improve your internet speed and security. However, it’s crucial to ensure the DNS addresses are correct and from a trustworthy source to avoid any connectivity or security issues.

How often should I scan my Mac for viruses to maintain Safari’s performance?

You should regularly scan your Mac for viruses to maintain Safari’s performance. Ideally, once a week or monthly is advisable, but the frequency can vary based on your internet habits, the websites you frequent, and the types of files you download. Regular scans detect and remove malicious software promptly.

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I'm Hashir, a tech journalist with a decade of experience. My work has been featured in some of the top tech publications like MakeUseOf and MakeTechEasier. I have a bachelor's degree in IT, a master's in cybersecurity, and extensive knowledge of Apple hardware, specifically MacBooks. As the senior writer at MacBook Journal, I write in depth guides that help you solve any issues you have with your mac and unbiased reviews that help you make the right buying decisions.

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Hi there! I'm Ojash, a tech journalist with over a decade of experience in the industry. I've had the privilege of contributing to some of the world's largest tech publications, making my mark as a respected Mac expert. My passion lies in exploring, using, and writing about MacBooks, and I enjoy sharing my expertise to help others make informed decisions and get the most out of their MacBook experience. Join me as we delve into the fascinating world of MacBooks together!

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Top 7 Ways to Fix Slow Safari on Mac

Safari is one of the best browsers in the Mac ecosystem. With each iteration of macOS, the company is further improving Safari at a rapid pace. Safari Tab Groups is a recent example of that. However, users are still moving from Safari to Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge for a fast browsing experience. If Safari feels slow to you, read along to learn to speed up the Safari browser on Mac.

Fix slow safari browser on Mac

We have seen many users ditching Safari on Mac due to slow or laggy web browsing. It’s not entirely Safari’s fault. With relevant changes from the System Preferences and Safari menu, you can easily troubleshoot slow Safari on Mac.

1. Connect to 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi Frequency

Most users connect a 2.4 GHz frequency band of the Wi-Fi network. To enjoy better speeds, you can connect MacBooks to the 5 GHz band on dual-band Wi-Fi routers.

Connect to 5ghz frequency

You will definitely have faster internet speeds leading to an improved browsing experience in Safari.

2. Turn off iCloud Private Relay

This option is only applicable to those using Mac with macOS Monterey 12.0 or higher. With the macOS Monterey, Apple has introduced iCloud Private Relay for iCloud+ subscribers. Before you go ahead and make changes with iCloud Private Relay, let’s understand what it means and how it can lead to slow Safari on Mac.

iCloud Private Relay is designed to keep your IP address hidden from third-party trackers on the web. Apple is rerouting all the Safari browsing data through the company-branded server. While it helps you protect identity and location, you should disable it if you feel slow Safari following the Monterey update.

In that case, you should disable iCloud Private Relay from the System Preferences menu. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: Click on the little Apple icon in the menu bar.

Step 2: Go to the System Preferences menu.

System preferences menu

Step 3: Click on Apple ID.

Open apple ID menu

Step 4: Open the Private Relay menu.

Disable private relay

Step 5: Disable toggle from the following menu.

3. Disable iCloud Private Relay for Wi-Fi Connection

The solution above is suitable for those using Mac at home. You can trust your home Wi-Fi and not worry about any data theft.

If you are always on the move and use public Wi-Fi frequently, you shouldn’t disable iCloud Private Relay. In that case, you should only disable iCloud Private Relay for your home Wi-Fi to speed up Safari on Mac.

Step 1: Open the System Preferences menu on your Mac.

Step 2: Go to Network.

Open network menu

Step 3: Select your current Wi-Fi connection from the following menu.

Step 4: Disable Use iCloud Private Relay toggle as shown in the screenshot.

Disable icloud private relay

4. Remove Irrelevant Extensions

While Safari doesn’t carry a large number of extensions compared to Google Chrome or Firefox , it’s easy to fill up the browser with dozens of extensions. You may need to slow down with them as it can lead to slow Safari on Mac.

Follow the steps below to remove unwanted extensions from Safari on Mac.

Step 1: Open Safari browser on Mac.

Step 2: Click on Safari in the menu bar and open the Preferences menu.

Safari preferences

Step 3: Move to the Extensions.

Step 4: Select the extension that you want to remove from the left sidebar.

Uninstall extensions

Step 5: Click on Uninstall.

Repeat the steps for every extension that you want to remove, and you are good to go.

5. Remove Safari History

An absurd amount of Safari data on Mac may lead to slow performance. You need to clear your Safari history frequently. Here’s how.

Clear safari history

Open Safari browser on Mac and use command + Y keys to open Safari history. Select Clear History at the top, select all history and clear history.

6. Check RAM Usage

This is most applicable to MacBooks and Mac Mini with 8GB of RAM. With a few apps open in the background, you might run short on RAM on the Mac. The behavior may lead to slow Safari on Mac.

Use activity monitor

Open Activity Monitor and then carefully identify to close the unwanted apps that are running in the background.

7. Update macOS

Apple updates the Safari browser with new features and reliability improvements with each OS update. If you haven’t updated the macOS version on your Mac for a while, you can update it to make the best of the Safari’s performance and features. For that, you’ll need to open System Preferences and choose Software Update.

Speed Up Safari on Mac

With Safari Tab Groups, iCloud tabs, and tons of customization options, there is a lot to like about Safari on Mac. However, slow performance may push you to look for alternatives. Before you export bookmarks and history, follow the steps above and fix slow Safari on Mac.

Last updated on 07 February, 2022

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

Speed up Chrome on Mac

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why safari is slow

Parth Shah is an evergreen freelance writer covering how-tos, app guides, comparisons, listicles, and troubleshooting guides on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and smart TV platforms. He has over five years of experience and has covered 1,500+ articles on GuidingTech and Android Police. In his free time, you will see him binge-watching Netflix shows, reading books, and traveling.

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Why is Safari so Slow? 8 Possible Causes & Fixes

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Experiencing Safari slowdowns on your Mac? Whether it’s loading issues or post-Monterey update sluggishness, these common glitches can be frustrating. In this guide, we’ll explore why Safari is lagging and provide solutions for a smoother browsing experience.

Note: if Safari is not just slow, but keeps freezing and crashing, read this post instead for more troubleshooting tips.

Key Takeaways:

  • Clear Cache: Overloaded cache can slow Safari. Clear history and cache through Safari settings for a speed boost.
  • Extensions Check: Outdated or excessive extensions can drag Safari down. Remove unnecessary ones via Safari settings.
  • Update Safari: An outdated Safari version might cause slowness. Update it through the App Store.
  • Network Check: Slow Safari might be due to network issues. Test internet speed to rule this out.
  • User Account Check: A corrupted user account or macOS issues can affect Safari. Test on a new user account and run disk utility checks.
  • Tab Management: Too many open tabs strain Safari. Close unnecessary tabs for better performance.

Why is Safari so Slow?

Safari could be slow because you’re using an outdated version of Safari. The cache might be overworked, or you might be facing network issues. Additionally, you might have too many tabs open that are causing the app to slow down.

Important Tips

It’s normal for safari to run slow on certain websites.

By certain websites, we mean “heavy” sites that are loaded with flash or video ads on the pages you browse. Worse yet, some even auto-play without you clicking on. They tend to have your MacBook heat up quick.

The best option is to close those pages immediately when you finish reading the content on it, or you could install AdBlock Plus (Safari compatible) to block the ads from displaying.

Stop excessively multitasking

You’d be surprised how much better 90% of programs work when you don’t try and use them at the same time as a dozen other apps. It seems like a simple solution, but it is often the best one.

Take care of Safari

Some methods are a matter of habit, such as regularly clearing your cache or making sure the app is up to date. Imagine your computer as a car that needs regular maintenance to run well.

Don’t neglect the computer

Macs are not immune to viruses, despite the common perception. They also aren’t immune to file corruption or errors. Make sure you haven’t picked up anything unwanted while browsing that could be affecting Safari’s performance.

Slow Safari : 8 Possible Causes & Fixes

1. overworked cache.

The cache is a location on your Mac’s hard drive where Safari temporarily stores data that you use frequently. The cache allows Safari to reference this information quickly and therefore execute actions such as loading a specific page more quickly.

However, if the cache becomes full then Safari cannot add newer, more relevant material and is forced to use slower methods to respond to your demands.

Here’s how to erase the data in the cache so that Safari can work smarter rather than harder:

Start by erasing your history from Safari by navigating the menu bar along the top and choosing History > Clear History and Website Data .

 Clear History and Website Data

Once you click this, you’ll be shown a small pop-up window. Choose “All History” from the bottom of the drop-down, and then Clear History .

 Clear History

The next thing you can do is clear the cache using a more advanced method. First, go to the Safari menu and open Preferences.

Open Preferences

On the preferences panel, choose “Advanced” and then look for the checkbox at the bottom of the page that says “Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar”. Make sure this box is checked, then close Preferences.

Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar

You’ll notice a new tab has been added to your menu bar, called “Develop”. Click on this, and then choose “Empty Caches” from the list. You won’t be given any confirmation, but it will clear the cache and you can restart Safari and see if this has solved your problem.

Empty Cache

2. Bad Extensions

Most people are aware that Apple doesn’t play well with Flash, but this isn’t the only plugin that could be causing Safari to lag. Any extension or plugin that is outdated or not correctly optimized could be the “culprit”, and you should disable or remove as many as possible.

The easiest way to do this is to use CleanMyMac X , go to Extensions > Safari Extensions (the screenshot below), here you just select these unwanted plugins, and click the “Remove” button at the bottom to clean them all at once.

 Safari Extensions

Of course, you can also get this done manually, though the process will be a bit time-consuming if you have a list of extensions to disable or remove.

First, start by opening Safari, and then navigate to Safari > Preferences.

why safari is slow

In the preferences menu, choose the Extensions icon. You’ll be shown a list of all your extensions.

uninstall

If you don’t use an extension, you should uninstall it with the button on the right side. If you use it but infrequently, simply uncheck the “enable” box. This should significantly speed up Safari, especially if you have been running a lot of extensions in the background.

Check out this article by MacBook Pro Slow on how to take scrolling screenshots.

3: Outdated Version of Safari

Because Apple makes Safari, it usually receives updates when macOS has a new version released or when there is a necessary patch. If you’re running an old version of Safari, this could be part (or even all) of your problem.

If you aren’t on macOS Big Sur or higher, your Safari is definitely in need of an update. To check what you’re running, go to the Apple Menu in the top left corner and choose “About this Mac”.

If you’re on an older version, your window will look something like this, displaying the version of macOS you’re running:

 displaying the version of macOS

If you’re already on macOS BigSur, it will look like this instead:

bigsur system preference

If you aren’t on the latest macOS yet, open the App Store from Finder, and navigate to updates. There will be at least one software update available, which you can expand. This will show you the update for Safari, which you can update separately or with any other updates you may have available.

Safari Version

4: Your Network

You might argue that the problems inside Safari are simpler to deal with, but sometimes it’s surprising that Safari isn’t necessarily the “culprit”. Your network can have a significant impact on Safari’s performance.

To find out whether your Mac has network issues, check out our other post to learn more.

To test the Internet speed, you can also use Google Fiber .

  • First, open the link on your Safari browser, then press the blue “play” button, and watch as your internet speed is tested.
  • The site will first test your upload and then your download speed.
  • Once you have your results, you can compare them with this link , which contains charts detailing what you should expect based on the connection type.
  • If your results are below expected, it might be time to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP), especially if speeds fall far below what you’re paying for.

Note: if speed seems normal and falls in the expected ranges, then this probably isn’t your problem, and you should try some of our other solutions.

5: Your User Account or Mac Drive

Sometimes the issue runs a bit deeper than just a full cache. You could have a corrupted user account or your macOS version isn’t operating correctly. To determine if this is your problem, start by creating a second user account on your MacBook.

On the new user account, open Safari and try using it as you normally would. If Safari suddenly runs faster, it’s time to repair your normal user account.

Use spotlight (top right corner of the screen) to search “Disk Utility” and open it.

Disk Utility

Inside Disk Utility, select your account’s disk and make sure you’re on the “First Aid” tab. Then select “Repair Disk” from the bottom right corner (if this is unavailable, choose “Verify Disk” first).

Note: If your MacBook Pro is with macOS 10.10 Yosemite or earlier, you have two buttons to click on like below.

Repair Disk

However, if your MacBook Pro is with 10.11 El Capitan or later (you probably are), just click “First Aid” and run it to check and fix any issues it may find.

Running First Aid

The Disk Utility will repair any problems with your account. If it isn’t capable of fixing the problem, resetting your MacBook Pro is always an alternative if a bit tedious to do.

6: Close all extra tabs

The more tabs you have open on Safari, the slower your computer can run. If you don’t know what a tab is – it’s an open window. Even if you are only looking at a single tab at a time, the other open ones are using up the CPU, which puts a demand on your computer.

Newer MacBooks are capable of keeping multiple tabs open with relative ease. But if you have 10 or 20 or even more open simultaneously, you can run into performance issues that can slow down Safari significantly.

If you are experiencing slow performance, close any tabs you aren’t currently using, and you can see an increase in operating speed. 

7: Disable search suggestions

This is another quick fix that can often speed up Safari. Not many people know this one, so write it down or take a screenshot for future use.

To turn off search suggestions, complete the following steps: 

  • Click on Safari from the top of the window
  • Select Preferences
  • Select Search
  • In the Search settings window that appears, uncheck the box that says Include search engine suggestions

 turn off search suggestions

This can increase Safari speeds ever so slightly and help you see improved performance. 

8: Disable DNS prefetching

If you are running Safari version 5.0.1 or later, DNS prefetching might be slowing down your MacBook. This feature allows you to load a link on a page before you click on them, leading to faster browsing. But it can also slow down your computer with multiple pages trying to load and some website-related issues.

To disable DNS prefetching, follow these steps: 

  • Open the Terminal 
  • Enter this text: defaults write com.apple.safari WebKitDNSPrefetchingEnabled -boolean false
  • Quit Safari
  • Reopen Safari

DNS prefetching will now be disabled for another small boost to the speed of your MacBook

Curious about testing your MacBook’s Disk Speed in a flash? Dive into this article to find out how.

Final Words

No one enjoys staring at the colorful loading pinwheel when they just want to browse the web or access an important page for work. Hopefully, you won’t be experiencing the Safari slow issue anytime soon with our solution guide.

Still not able to solve your problems even after using the methods we’ve outlined? A good resource is the Apple Community forum, where you can get advice from fellow Mac fans. You may also find bug reports and similar questions from other users.

Alternatively, if you’ve already fixed the Safari problem, write a comment and tell us about it below.

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‘All of these behaviors are typical symptoms related to Apple’s signature Internet browser. While Safari is a light-weighted browser optimized for use on all Mac machines, issues like above might force you to resort to third-party browsers (perhaps Chrome, stay away from Firefox) that tend to be faster.”

Chrome is developed by Google. When you use Chrome, not just your searches but EVERYTHING YOU TYPE and EVERYWHERE YOU GO is sent to and tracked by Google.

Don’t be a sheep. Don’t use Chrome.

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Why do I have the message that Safari is updating on my MacBook Pro?

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Realize your situation up for grabs, that is noticed by discovering the obtain when the cards are being dealt.

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Safari Running Slow? – Here are Some Quick Fixes!

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Apple’s Safari is known to be amongst the best browsers due to its fast performance and simple interface. However, it can still run into performance issues that can be frustrating. There could be a multitude of reasons for Safari running slower than usual. So, we tried a few simple methods that might be able to fix the issue and get back on track.

Some possible reasons for this issue are the build-up of cache or cookies, outdated browsers, extensions, or plug-ins that are not being used. Once you are able to identify the issue, you can simply follow the steps to remove cache and extensions or even update the browser.

Well, let us look at everything we need to know in detail and figure out all the methods that might work best for you.

Why Is Safari So Slow?

1. build-up cache and cookies, 2. software update, 3. extensions and plug-ins issue, 4. large number of open tabs, 5. network issues, 6. limited storage space, 7. contact apple support, frequently asked questions.

Your Safari browser is running slow because of the build-up of cache and cookies. Or it could even be because you are using an outdated version of the browser, and it needs an immediate update. Furthermore, this could be simply because too many tabs are open on the system, and thus it is eventually slowing down the entire software.

As we said, this could be because of any underlying cause. You can fix all of it by simply restarting the system or the browser itself. Or you might need to try other methods that can take a few more steps. Here are some fixes you can try that worked for us too.

7 Reasons Why Safari is Running Slow + Fixes

We all know the basic idea behind using cache and cookies. They are used by websites or the system to speed up your browsing experience. However, the more you are active on the internet, the more these files are piled up over time.

Hence, there isn’t enough space for the browser or the system to store any more of these small files. So, we need to eliminate these to fix your Safari issues. Here is how you can do it.

  • Open Safari Browser.
  • Now, click on History on the top taskbar and choose Clear History in the drop-down menu.

Build-Up Cache and Cookies

  • Select the time duration besides the Clear option, then click on Clear History.

Clear History

The above steps will clear the history and the cookies from the site. Now close Safari and start again to check if the issue is fixed.

Here is another way you can empty caches on the Safari browser.

  • Open the Safari browser and click on Develop on the top taskbar.

Safari browser

  • Now, from the drop-down menu option, select Empty Caches or press Option + Command + E.

Empty Caches

Another method you can try is updating the Safari browser by updating your macOS . Since Safari is an in-built software developed by the tech giant itself, they often release updates to fix such errors.

Here is how you can check for updates and update your Safari app when needed.

  • Go to the Apple menu and then choose System Settings .
  • Then click on Software Update.
  • Wait a few seconds for the system to check for an available update. Install the update if available.

Software Update

Once you update your macOS, your Safari app will also be updated. You can then wait for the system to restart and check if the app works fine.

Some extensions or plug-ins might be outdated and cause your Safari to slow down and cause performance issues. Hence, you can update or uninstall these extensions from your system.

You can follow the steps below to check which extensions you are currently using and then uninstall the ones you are not using anymore.

  • Open Safari browser.
  • Go to the Safari option on the taskbar and choose Settings.

Extensions and Plug-ins Issue

  • Now, click on the Extensions option on the menu bar.
  • Next, choose the Extension you want to remove and select Uninstall.

Unistall Extension

You can keep doing this for all the extensions you do not want to keep and uninstall them from your browser. This will eventually speed up the performance of Safari.

Have you been currently using too many tabs on your Safari browser? Well, this could be one of the biggest reasons your Safari browser has slowed down or even glitched overall. The best way to go from here is simply close some tabs and give your browser a breather.

If that does not work, you might have to close the browser and restart the system. For this, simply right-click the Safari icon in the dock below. Press Quit and the browser will close with all its tabs.

Before trying out any other solution, it is best to check your internet connection and ensure it works properly. Your network issues might be causing the website and other downloads to slow down. 

Ensure your router is properly connected or your MacBook receives a proper internet connection. For this, you can check your internet speed through multiple sites on the web. If everything looks fine, you can try the other methods listed below.

You might need to clear some storage space on your Mac . Some apps fail to function because your system does not have enough space to run the in-built apps such as Safari.

For this, you can check the current status of your storage on Mac and determine how you can make space for the system apps to run smoothly.

  • Go to the Apple menu and choose System Settings .
  • Scroll down to open General and then choose Storage.

Limited Storage Space

Here, you can check all the sections that have taken up the maximum space and then delete some of the files.

The last resort here is to contact Apple support for some guidance. Although you can also check for some hardware issues, it is best to speak to an executive from Apple support.

Simply visit the official Apple website and connect to an online executive where you can present your issues and try their suggested fixes.

Check our article on How to Add More Storage to MacBook’s?

You can start by updating the macOS, which will, in turn, update the Safari app as well. Moreever, you can also clear caches and cookies to help bring the safari to speed.

Safari is known to be faster on Apple devices such as your MacBook. At the same time, Google Chrome performs the best on all devices, including your smartphones. However, it depends largely on the operating system and the device’s hardware.

The fastest browser for Apple is indeed Safari. It is built for macOS and iOS devices, providing an optimized browsing experience.

The fixes to a slow-running Safari are simple. Clearing your cache, updating the app or your macOS, closing unwanted tabs, and clearing storage space are all excellent ways of ensuring your Apple search engine runs perfectly. 

If these do not work, you can check your internet connection and close the tabs you are working on. The more tabs you have opened, the slower it will work. Similarly, there are other methods too that are tried and tested to fix Safari issues, and you can try them as well before contacting Apple Support.

Kanika Modi

Kanika is a Tech Enthusiast who is looking to add meaning to what people read. She has been writing on Apple devices and products for 7 years now and continues to share the solution to your everyday issues with everything technology.

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Safari running slow on Mac? 18 Ways to fix it!

Safari is one of the fastest browsers for Macs, and it’s perfectly tuned to Apple’s ecosystem. Yet, it can encounter hiccups now and then. If you’ve found yourself facing the all-too-familiar colorful, spinning pinwheel more often than you’d like, looking for ways to fix Safari running slow on Mac is understandable. 

Despite being a great browser, it’s not immune to occasional lags. So, let’s dive into how to speed up Safari on Mac and get you back to browsing with the speed you need.

Why is Safari slow on Mac?

There’s a host of reasons why Safari might be lagging or running slower than usual on your Mac. It could be anything from overloading your system with multitasking to simply not maintaining your computer or the Safari app.

Regular upkeep and a few tweaks can make a world of difference in performance. But it’s also important to note that it’s also normal for Safari to run slow during certain situations, such as browsing sites loaded with ads and videos—especially those on auto-play.

How to fix Safari running slow on Mac

Let’s explore how to make Safari run faster on Mac with some strategies.

  • Check internet speed on your Mac
  • Force Quit Safari on Mac
  • Quit other apps
  • Close unwanted tabs and windows
  • Kill resource-intensive apps and processes
  • Remove unwanted Safari extensions from your Mac
  • Update Safari
  • Restart your Mac
  • Clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac
  • Create a new user account
  • Disable Search Suggestions in Safari on Mac
  • Switch DNS provider
  • Disable Autofill on Mac
  • Scan your Mac for malware
  • Update your Mac
  • Disable DNS Prefetching
  • Reset Safari to its factory default on Mac
  • Boot your Mac into Safe Mode

1. Check internet speed on your Mac

It’s essential to first rule out connectivity issues when Safari is running very slow on your Mac. Since internet speed is vital in how quickly pages load, why not check your connection before you start troubleshooting?

Speed Test

Head to online speed test sites like SpeedTest.net to gauge your internet speed.

2. Force Quit Safari on Mac

Occasionally, a page or app may overtax your system’s resources, leading Safari to freeze or run slow. A quick fix is to quit Safari and start it up again. This terminates any demanding processes and gives the browser a clean slate to work from.

  • To do this, go to the Dock and control-click Safari .
  • Press the  Option key  → Select  Force Quit .

Quit and relaunch Safari on Mac

3. Quit other apps

If a dozen apps run simultaneously in the background along with Safari, it’s not unusual for it to become sluggish.

  • Head to your Dock and quit apps you’re no longer using.
  • Just look at every app with a dot below it.
  • Control-click it and select  Quit .

4. Close unwanted tabs and windows

While Safari can handle dozens of tabs opened at a time, each open tab and window does tap into your Mac’s power and memory.

Excessive tabs can gradually impede your Mac’s performance, leading to longer page load times and unpredictable browser behavior.

5. Kill resource-intensive apps and processes

Aside from apps, having too many apps running can also affect Safari’s performance. Some of these apps tend to hog more resources than others. If Safari is acting up and you’re using several apps at a time, head to the Activity Monitor to see which ones consume too much power and memory. 

  • To do this,  open Launchpad  → click the  Other folder → Activity Monitor. 

Open Launchpad, click the Other folder, Activity Monitor

  • Additionally, if an app is too resource-intensive, consider  creating a web app for it  instead, which generally requires less power and memory.

6. Remove unwanted Safari extensions from your Mac

Extensions allow Safari to do more, but it does come with a cost—some tend to be resource-intensive and overload your CPU and RAM.

Go to Safari Settings

7. Update Safari

Updating Safari on your Mac  helps ensure the app has the necessary improvements and features to run faster and smoother. For newer Macs, Safari updates are bundled with macOS updates. However, you can apply just the updates related to Safari.

  • Go to System Settings , if there’s a software update available, you’ll see a Software Update Available under your Apple ID.
  • Otherwise, you can head to General  →  Software Update.

Go to more info icon for specific Safari update

8. Restart your Mac

This may sound cliché already, but sometimes, all your Mac needs is a quick reboot to fix any performance issues affecting it or any of your apps.

9. Clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac

Web browsers such as Safari enhance browsing by storing data like cookies and cache, which can speed up load times. Additionally, Safari keeps a record of your recently visited web pages.

Though helpful, these can accumulate over time, causing your Safari to run slower than usual. A quick tip to determine if the accumulated history, cookies, and caches are to blame is to try browsing in a private window. Since Private Browsing mode doesn’t retain browsing data, it can serve as a good benchmark for comparison.

Regularly  deleting Safari’s browsing history, cache, and cookies  is an important habit to keep Safari in tip-top shape.

  • If the method above doesn’t work, you can manually delete the cache by going to  Finder .
  • Go to the menu bar and click Go  →  Go to Folder .
  • Enter the command below, open the folder, and drag the . db file  to the Trash.

10. Create a new user account

It’s possible that the issue runs deeper and has seeped into your user account. To check, you can create another user account on your Mac and try using Safari on that account as you would typically do. If Safari runs faster on that account, you’ll need to repair your original account using Disk Utility.

  • Search for Disk Utility on Spotlight → Select your account’s disk .

Select your account disk and click first aid

  • If you can’t see this option, choose Verify Disk first.

This process will repair any problems within your account.

11. Disable Search Suggestions in Safari on Mac

Safari’s Smart Search Field simplifies browsing by allowing you to enter URLs or search terms directly into the address bar. The Safari Search Suggestions feature further enhances it.

It works like Google’s recommended search results, offering recommendations such as apps to refine and intuitively guide your search experience. To turn off Search Suggestions in Safari:

  • Open  Safari  → Click Safari in the menu bar → Pick Settings .

Disable Search Suggestions

12. Switch DNS provider

The Domain Name System (DSN) is a cataloging system that translates website names into IP addresses. By default, your DSN settings are provided by an ISP. Sometimes, this may be overloaded or slow, so changing to a faster DNS provider may boost your internet speed and, consequently, Safari’s performance.

  • To do this, go to  System Settings  →  Network .
  • Click  Details  beside the WiFi/Ethernet you’re currently connected to.
  • Select the  DNS tab.

Switch DNS provider

13. Disable Autofill on Mac

To provide a more intuitive experience, Safari has an Autofill function, which completes forms detected online using stored information on your Mac. The downside is that this may sometimes cause Safari to tag.

Disable Autofill on Mac

Deselect all the types of information you don’t want Safari to autofill. Deselect all to turn off the function entirely.

14. Scan your Mac for malware

While rare, your Mac can get infected with a virus, which can inadvertently affect your Mac’s performance. Check our guide on the  most common viruses affecting Mac and what you can do to remove them .

15. Update your Mac

If your Mac isn’t running on the latest macOS, it’s best to update it to the latest version available. This is because Apple sends bug fixes and other enhancements in every update so your Mac runs smoothly. To update your Mac:

  • Head to the  Apple menu  →  System Settings .
  • Go to General  →  Software Update .
  • If there’s an update available, click  Update Now .

16. Disable DNS Prefetching

Safari enhances your browsing experience by using DNS Prefetching to speed up webpage loading times. This process reduces the delay between when you click and when the webpage display appears because your browser already knows the address it needs to retrieve the page.

Ironically, this can slow down Safari or become unresponsive.

  • To turn this off, go to  Finder  →  Applications  →  Utilities →  Terminal .

Disable DNS Prefetching

  • Hit Enter and relaunch Safari .

17. Reset Safari to its factory default on Mac

If nothing seems else to work, underlying issues or corrupt browser preferences may be the culprit behind your Safari running very slow on your Mac. Resetting your Safari to its default state may fix the problem, as this reverts its browser settings to default and deactivates all the extensions. To do this:

  • Open  Finder .
  • Select  Go  →  Go to Folder . Then do the following, one after the other:
  • Type  ~/Library/Preferences/directory  in the text field → Search for the  com.apple.Safari.plist  file → Delete .
  • Type  ~/Library/Safari/  → Delete all the files in the folder except for the  Bookmarks/plist
  • Type  ~/Library/Containers/ , look for Safari → Delete all the files and folders.
  • Once done, open Safari. On the menu bar, click  Preferences  →  Privacy . Select  Remove All Website Data  and Reset Safari.
  • Head to the Extensions tab and reactivate only the essential extensions you need. Move between the other tabs and modify other browser settings to your preference.

18. Boot your Mac into Safe Mode

Another way to troubleshoot for errors is to  boot your Mac into Safe Mode . Safe Mode starts up your Mac without launching certain software and extensions, which can conflict with Safari. It also runs a check of your startup disk, so it can help resolve underlying issues that may be affecting Safari’s speed.

While booting your Mac in Safe Mode doesn’t really make Safari run faster during regular use, it’s a helpful tool that can help you find out why your Mac is so slow and give you an idea of how to make Safari run faster on Mac.

Wrapping up…

Experiencing a sluggish Safari can be frustrating, but many potential culprits can cause this. The suggestions listed above are designed to help you understand how to speed up Safari on Mac. Did you find these solutions effective? If so, feel free to share your experience in the comments below!

  • Safari vs. Chrome: Which browser is better for iPhone and Mac?
  • Safari not working on Mac after update? 10 Ways to fix it!
  • 14 Ways to fix YouTube videos not playing on Mac’s Safari

🗣️ Readers like you help support iGeeksBlog. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.  Read Disclaimer .

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Online Tech Tips logo

10 Fixes When Safari Running Slow on Your Mac

How to fix this annoying problem

Author avatar

Apple touts Safari as the fastest browser out there, which may be true on iOS, but I regularly use Chrome on my Mac because Safari is just too slow. Sometimes a webpage won’t load or I won’t be able to navigate back and forth between pages or I can’t scroll without lagging.

It’s extremely frustrating considering Safari comes included with OS X and you expect it to just work. When it does, it’s a great browser, but when it doesn’t, you literally have to switch to a new browser.

10 Fixes When Safari Running Slow on Your Mac image

In this article, I’ll mention all possible ways you can go about trying to speed up Safari on your Mac. If you have your own suggestions, feel free to let us know in the comments.

Also, be sure to check out our YouTube video where we cover a couple of other possible reasons for slow Internet that may have nothing to do with Safari:

How To Fix Slow Internet

Method 1 – Cache, History, Extensions

If you’re a heavy web user and you don’t have a lot of space left on your Mac, it might be worth emptying the cache, disabling extensions, and clearing up the history to ease the load on Safari. In order to do this, you first have to go to Safari and then Preferences .

safari preferences

Click on the Advanced tab and then check the Show Develop menu in menu bar box at the bottom of the dialog.

safari-advanced

Exit the Preferences dialog and click on Develop in the Safari menu. Go ahead and click on Empty Caches . Once the cache is empty, click again on Develop and choose Disable Extensions .

empty caches

Finally, click on Safari and instead of Preferences like we chose above, click on Clear History .

clear all history

In the drop-down box, make sure to choose all history and then click the Clear History button.

Method 2 – Manually Clear Cache.DB File

The above steps should clear the cache in Safari, but if something is not working properly, it may not do so properly. In this case, you can manually do it. Open Finder, then click on Go and Go To Folder at the bottom.

go to folder

Now copy and paste the following path into the text box and click Go .

safari cache

Finally, right-click on the Cache.db  file and choose Move to Trash . Make sure Safari is closed when you are doing this step.

move to trash

Method 3 – Install Latest OS X Version

I’ve noticed that quite a few people who purchase Macs simply do not update their systems to the latest version of OS X. Even though we are on El Capitan right now, I have friends running on Mountain Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, and even Snow Leopard!

If you don’t update OS X, you won’t get the latest version of Safari either. This means you could be stuck several versions behind and will be missing out on all the improvements and optimizations of the newest version.

The simplest way to upgrade is to go to the App Store and click on the link for the latest version of OS X, which is usually on the right-hand side.

os x el capitan

Method 4 – Turn Dashboard Off

If you’re still using an older Mac (2010 or earlier), you might have a graphics card issue. You can try something simple to see if it helps in Safari. I’m talking about disabling the Dashboard feature in Mission Control.

To do this, open System Preferences and then click on Mission Control. In the drop-down next to Dashboard , select Off .

turn dashboard off

This is not some surefire fix, but it has worked for some people, including myself. I have a Mid-2009 MacBook Pro and the dashboard was definitely slowing things down.

Method 5 – Change Search Settings

Another thing you can try is to change the search settings in Safari. Open Preferences  in Safari and then click on the Search tab.

safari search options

Try changing the search engine to Bing, restarting Safari, and see if there is any difference in the speed. Change it back to Google and then check again. You can also try unchecking all the options like search engine suggestions, Safari suggestions, a quick website search, preload top hit, etc. to see if that makes a difference.

Sometimes on a very slow Internet connection, all of these extra features may cause Safari to be even slower.

Method 6 – Change Network Service Order

If you have a machine that is connected to both WiFi and Ethernet, your issue could be caused by being connected to the network in two different ways. To see your connections, go to System Preferences and then click on Network .

You could try disconnecting one network source and seeing if that makes a difference or not. Switch to only the other one and test too. If you want to keep both connected, read on.

connected networks

By default, one connection will get priority over the other. As you can see above, my WiFi connection was getting higher priority than the Ethernet connection. You can change this by clicking on the little settings icon (gear) at the bottom of the list box.

set service order

Click on Set Service Order and another popup will appear where you can reorder the connections by dragging and dropping.

change service order

I moved Ethernet to the top and then clicked OK. After that, make sure you click Apply to on the System Preferences dialog.

Method 7 – Delete Preferences File

This probably won’t make much of a difference, but it’s worth a shot. Go to Finder , click on Go and then Go to Folder .  Type in the following path:

Scroll down the list till you see com.apple.Safari.plist and delete that file.

safari plist delete

Method 8 – Use Different DNS Settings

Sometimes it may not be Safari causing the issue, but your DNS settings. By default, you’ll be using the DNS provided by your ISP, which is fine most of the time. However, using a public DNS might result in faster browsing.

google public dns

My favorite is Google Public DNS, which I use on all my computers. Check out my article on the best public DNS servers you can use for free.  To change the DNS server for your connection on OS X, you need to open System Preferences , click on Network , select the connection and then click on Advanced .

dns servers

Go ahead and click on the little + icon and then type in the IP addresses of the new DNS servers. Using Google has sped up my browsing not only in Safari, but also in other browsers.

Method 9 – Log Into Another Account

Sometimes the problem is with the user account you are currently using. It’s worth creating another user account (takes 1 min), logging into that account, and then running Safari. If it’s suddenly faster, then there is a problem with your user account. You can try to fix the problem by using Disk Utility. You can go to Spotlight and type in Disk Utility to open the dialog quickly.

spotlight

Click on your hard drive in the left-hand pane and then click on the First Aid tab. You’ll be asked if you want to run First Aid on your hard drive, so click Run .

first aid

Method 10 – Reinstall OS X

This may sound a little extreme, but it’s kind of similar to how you have to reinstall Windows every year or so because it becomes so bloated. Unfortunately, OS X suffers from some of the same issues, especially if you have always kept upgrading to the latest version of OS X without doing a clean install.

I upgraded from Mountain Lion to Mavericks to Yosemite to El Capitan before doing a fresh install of El Capitan, which made things significantly faster. It’s definitely worth a shot because it also made every other app load a lot faster too.

Those are about all the possible solutions I could find to fix a slow Safari problem. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to let us know in the comments. Enjoy!

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Founder of Online Tech Tips and managing editor. He began blogging in 2007 and quit his job in 2010 to blog full-time. He has over 15 years of industry experience in IT and holds several technical certifications. Read Aseem's Full Bio

Read More Posts:

why safari is slow

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

cb_croydon

Safari has become very slow, lagging and not loading pages

In the past couple of months I've found Safari incredibly slow, either not loading or hanging on pages etc, and its getting worse. Mostly its a question of the blue line at the top just stopping a quarter or halfway in; occasionally the grey screen comes up to say it couldn't connect to the server. It seems to happen most on facebook but now it's happening almost every time I use my machine. If I reload the page a few times this often works so it appears to be a constant but temporary problem. I've tried other browsers but they seem to have the same issue. My internet speed tests show excellent speeds are available and the problem is the same whether I'm connected via ethernet or WiFi (same issue happens with my desktop Mac as well as my laptop). I've deleted cookies, emptied caches, even changed the DNS server and renewed the DCHP lease. etc. You can probably tell I have a limited understanding of such things so I'm at a loss what to do. Is it something to do with me not having enough memory on my Mac?

IMAC (RETINA 5K, 27-INCH, LATE 2015), macOS High Sierra (10.13.2)

Posted on Jan 27, 2018 8:17 AM

macjack

Posted on Jan 27, 2018 8:23 AM

It has nothing to do with memory.

Force Quit Safari ( command + option + esc keys). Then restart Safari holding the Shift key.

Turn off Safari extensions in Safari > Preferences > Extensions > un-checkmark all extensions.

Empty Caches. You can either choose Safari menu > Clear History Or, if you do not want to remove History go to Safari menu > Preferences > Advanced and check the “Show Develop Menu” in Menubar. Then, on that menu > “Empty Caches”.

See these Apple Support Topics for detailed advice:

If Safari is slow, stops responding, quits unexpectedly, or has other issues - Apple Support

If Safari doesn't load a page or webpage items are missing - Apple Support

Safari for Mac: If Safari can’t open a website

Loading page content

Page content loaded

Jan 27, 2018 8:23 AM in response to cb_croydon

Jan 27, 2018 8:38 AM in response to macjack

Hi, thanks for the response - I have done all these things and although re-starting always improves it for a time, it always begins to slow down again shortly afterwards. I've looked at those other links and beyond (which is where I got the advice re: DNS etc) and no luck either. I've just seen a site where they've advised deleting everything to do with Chrome so I've just tried that and restarted - so far, so good. If it solves anything I'll let you know.

Mar 3, 2018 1:08 AM in response to Eric Root

User uploaded file

The instructions to do so look a little scary to someone as technically challenged as me - but I'm guessing they're worth

doing? Any advice before I start??

User uploaded file

Jan 27, 2018 8:41 AM in response to cb_croydon

Some other suggestions If the above doesn't work.

Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J. When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Select Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db and move it to the trash.

Go to Safari Preferences/Extensions and turn all extensions off. Test. If okay, turn the extensions on one by one until you figure out what extension is causing the problem.

Safari Corruption See post by Linc Davis

If that doesn't work, try running this program in your normal user account , then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by etresoft, a frequent contributor. Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. On the screen with Options, please open Options and check the bottom 2 boxes before running. Click “Share Report” button in the toolbar, select “Copy Report” and then paste into a reply. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown.

Etrecheck – System Information

Jan 28, 2018 10:30 AM in response to Eric Root

EtreCheck version: 3.4.6 (460)

Report generated 2018-01-28 18:23:20

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 2:54

Performance: Excellent

Click the [Lookup] links for more information from Apple Support Communities.

Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

Click the [Clean up] link to delete unused files.

Problem: Other problem

Description:

Browsers very slow and not loading pages

Hardware Information: ⓘ

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015)

[Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]

iMac - model: iMac17,1

1 4 GHz Intel Core i7 (i7-6700K) CPU: 4-core

8 GB RAM Upgradeable - [Instructions]

BANK 0/DIMM0

4 GB DDR3 1867 MHz ok

BANK 0/DIMM1

BANK 1/DIMM0

BANK 1/DIMM1

Handoff/Airdrop2: supported

Wireless: en1: Unknown

Video Information: ⓘ

AMD Radeon R9 M395 - VRAM: 2 GB

iMac 5120 x 2880

Disk Information: ⓘ

APPLE SSD SM0512G disk0: (500.28 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

[Show SMART report]

EFI (disk0s1 - MS-DOS FAT32) <not mounted> [EFI]: 210 MB

(disk0s2) <not mounted> [APFS Container]: 500.07 GB

USB Information: ⓘ

VIA Labs, Inc. USB3.0 Hub

Broadcom Corp. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

G-TECH G-DRIVE

Disk disk2: (2 TB)

EFI (disk2s1 - MS-DOS FAT32) <not mounted> [EFI]: 210 MB

G-DRIVE (disk2s2 - Journaled HFS+) /Volumes/G-DRIVE : 2.00 TB (59.72 GB free)

VIA Labs, Inc. USB2.0 Hub

SanDisk Cruzer Blade

Cruzer Blade disk3: (31.33 GB)

NO NAME (disk3s1 - MS-DOS FAT32) /Volumes/NO NAME : 31.33 GB (3.15 GB free)

Thunderbolt Information: ⓘ

Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Virtual disks: ⓘ

Macintosh HD (disk1s1 - APFS) / [Startup]: 500.07 GB (169.03 GB free)

Physical disk: disk0s2 500.07 GB (169.03 GB free)

(disk1s2) <not mounted> [Preboot]: 500.07 GB

Physical disk: disk0s2 500.07 GB

(disk1s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 500.07 GB

(disk1s4) /private/var/vm [VM]: 500.07 GB

System Software: ⓘ

macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 (17C205) - Time since boot: about one day

Configuration files: ⓘ

/etc/hosts - Count: 46

Gatekeeper: ⓘ

Mac App Store and identified developers

Clean up: ⓘ

/Library/LaunchDaemons/jp.co.canon.MasterInstaller.plist

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/jp.co.canon.MasterInstaller

Executable not found!

~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.skype.skype.shareagent.plist

/Applications/Skype.app/Contents/Library/LaunchServices/com.skype.skype.shareag ent.bundle/Contents/MacOS/com.skype.skype.shareagent

2 orphan files found. [Clean up]

Kernel Extensions: ⓘ

/Library/Extensions

[not loaded] com.FTDI.driver.D2XXHelper (1.0 - SDK 10.11) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.sophos.kext.oas (9.7.0 - SDK 10.12) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.sophos.nke.swi (9.7.0 - SDK 10.12) [Lookup]

/System/Library/Extensions

[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.wacomtablet (Wacom Tablet 6.3.15-3 - SDK 10.11) [Lookup]

System Launch Agents: ⓘ

[not loaded] 8 Apple tasks

[loaded] 167 Apple tasks

[running] 115 Apple tasks

System Launch Daemons: ⓘ

[not loaded] 38 Apple tasks

[loaded] 175 Apple tasks

[running] 118 Apple tasks

Launch Agents: ⓘ

[failed] com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a2 3d420d.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-01-12) [Lookup]

[running] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-09-26) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2017-09-28) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.microsoft.update.agent.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-01-24) [Lookup]

[running] com.sophos.agent.plist (Sophos - installed 2018-01-27) [Lookup]

[running] com.sophos.home.ui.plist (Sophos - installed 2018-01-27) [Lookup]

[running] com.wacom.wacomtablet.plist (Wacom Technology Corp. - installed 2015-12-16) [Lookup]

[loaded] org.chromium.chromoting.plist (Shell Script 81572da9 - installed 2017-10-24) [Lookup]

Launch Daemons: ⓘ

[running] com.PEC.PowerOn.HelperTool.plist (? ? ? - installed 2016-06-14) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-01-12) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-01-12) [Lookup]

[running] com.adobe.acc.installer.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-09-26) [Lookup]

[running] com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-09-29) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-12-14) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2017-10-13) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Agent.plist (MacPaw Inc. - installed 2018-01-22) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-01-24) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2016-04-11) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.nordvpn.NordVPN.Helper.plist (TEFINKOM & CO S.A - installed 2016-11-19) [Lookup]

[running] com.sophos.common.servicemanager.plist (Sophos - installed 2018-01-27) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.wacom.displayhelper.plist (Apple, Inc. - installed 2017-12-01)

[loaded] jp.co.canon.MasterInstaller.plist (? d0637166 0 - installed 2017-01-11) [Lookup] - /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/jp.co.canon.MasterInstaller: Executable not found!

User Launch Agents: ⓘ

[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2017-10-30) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2017-08-10) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist (MacPaw Inc. - installed 2018-01-22) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.skype.skype.shareagent.plist (? 9e64636f 0 - installed 2017-11-19) [Lookup] - /Applications/Skype.app/Contents/Library/LaunchServices/com.skype.skype.shareag ent.bundle/Contents/MacOS/com.skype.skype.shareagent: Executable not found!

[running] com.spotify.webhelper.plist (Spotify - installed 2018-01-28) [Lookup]

User Login Items: ⓘ

Dropbox Application

(/Applications/Dropbox.app)

CIJSUAgent SMLoginItem - Hidden (Canon Inc. - installed 2017-01-11)

(/Applications/Canon Utilities/IJ Scan Utility/Canon IJ Scan Utility2.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/CIJSUAgent.app)

MemoryCleanHelper SMLoginItem - Hidden (Apple, Inc. - installed 2018-01-05)

(/Applications/Memory Clean.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/MemoryCleanHelper.app)

Internet Plug-ins: ⓘ

FlashPlayer-10.6: 28.0.0.137 (installed 2018-01-09) [Lookup]

Flash Player: 28.0.0.137 (installed 2018-01-09) [Lookup]

QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2017-12-16)

WacomTabletPlugin: WacomTabletPlugin 2.1.0.6 (installed 2015-12-16) [Lookup]

AdobeAAMDetect: 3.0.0.0 (installed 2017-09-26) [Lookup]

Safari Extensions: ⓘ

[enabled] AdBlock - BetaFish, Inc. - https://getadblock.com (installed 2017-11-16)

[enabled] Pin It Button - Pinterest, Inc. - http://www.pinterest.com/ (installed 2017-06-12)

[enabled] Save to Pocket - Read It Later, Inc. - http://getpocket.com/ (installed 2016-04-11)

3rd Party Preference Panes: ⓘ

Flash Player (installed 2017-12-14) [Lookup]

WacomTablet (installed 2015-12-16) [Lookup]

Time Machine: ⓘ

Auto backup: YES

Volumes being backed up:

Macintosh HD: Disk size: 500.07 GB Disk used: 331.04 GB

Destinations:

G-DRIVE [Local]

Total size: 2.00 TB

Total number of backups: 118

Oldest backup: 21/04/2016, 17:44

Last backup: 28/01/2018, 17:49

Size of backup disk: Excellent

Backup size 2.00 TB > (Disk size 500.07 GB X 3)

Top Processes by CPU: ⓘ

289% JavaApplicationStub

17% mdworker

12% mdworker

5% AppleSpell

3% WindowServer

Top Processes by Memory: ⓘ

1.17 GB kernel_task

482 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

410 MB Safari

366 MB JavaApplicationStub

263 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

Top Processes by Network Use: ⓘ

Input Output Process name

2.53 GB 1.87 GB JavaApplicationStub

4 MB 93 KB SophosWebIntelligence

1 MB 2 MB Dropbox

908 KB 65 KB mDNSResponder

218 KB 424 KB jp.co.canon.ij.scanutility2.CIJSUAgent

Top Processes by Energy Use: ⓘ

271.62 JavaApplicationStub

3.52 WindowServer

1.80 Adobe CEF Helper

0.82 com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

Virtual Memory Information: ⓘ

1.77 GB Available RAM

87 MB Free RAM

6.23 GB Used RAM

1.68 GB Cached files

845 MB Swap Used

Software installs (last 30 days): ⓘ

Microsoft AutoUpdate: (installed 2018-01-04)

Memory Clean: 6.3 (installed 2018-01-05)

Adobe Flash Player: (installed 2018-01-09)

Microsoft OneNote for Mac: (installed 2018-01-19)

Microsoft Word for Mac: (installed 2018-01-19)

Microsoft Excel for Mac: (installed 2018-01-19)

Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac: (installed 2018-01-19)

Microsoft Outlook for Mac: (installed 2018-01-19)

Microsoft AutoUpdate: (installed 2018-01-24)

Microsoft Word for Mac: (installed 2018-01-27)

Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac: (installed 2018-01-27)

Install information may not be complete.

Diagnostics Events (last 3 days for minor events): ⓘ

2018-01-27 19:09:05 Vuze.app High CPU use [Open] [Details]

2018-01-27 16:25:04 com.apple.WebKit.WebContent High CPU use [Open] [Details]

Jan 28, 2018 1:48 PM in response to cb_croydon

Clean up: ⓘ /Library/LaunchDaemons/jp.co.canon.MasterInstaller.plist /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/jp.co.canon.MasterInstaller Executable not found! ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.skype.skype.shareagent.plist /Applications/Skype.app/Contents/Library/LaunchServices/com.skype.skype.shareag ent.bundle/Contents/MacOS/com.skype.skype.shareagent Executable not found! 2 orphan files found. [Clean up]

Run the report again and click [Clean up].

I would uninstall Memory Clean. It tends to interfere with the computer's operation while providing minimal to no benefit.

Memory Clean Uninstall

I would uninstall Sophos. It tends to interfere with the computer's operation while providing minimal to no benefit unless you work with Windows files.

Sophos Un-install

Most posters recommend not using cleaning programs. They can destroy normal computer operations.

CleanMyMac Uninstall

CleanMyMac 2 uninstall

CleanMyMac3 Uninstall

Check for associated parts and pieces using these programs.

EasyFind – Spotlight Replacement

Find Any File

Feb 1, 2018 1:30 PM in response to Eric Root

Hi, I'm afraid I'm still having problems 😟 in fact, I had to reboot Safari just to get this page open... I have uninstalled everything you suggested (I think?) and used Easy Find to mop up, but please tell me if I missed anything.

Once again, thanks for your help!

Report generated 2018-02-01 21:30:17

Runtime: 2:19

G-DRIVE (disk2s2 - Journaled HFS+) /Volumes/G-DRIVE : 2.00 TB (81.00 GB free)

Macintosh HD (disk1s1 - APFS) / [Startup]: 500.07 GB (164.78 GB free)

Physical disk: disk0s2 500.07 GB (164.78 GB free)

macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 (17C205) - Time since boot: about 5 days

[loaded] 162 Apple tasks

[running] 120 Apple tasks

[loaded] 173 Apple tasks

[not loaded] com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-01-30) [Lookup]

[running] com.MacRemover.Remover.DaemonServer.plist (AngularTech Inc. - installed 2018-01-29) [Lookup]

[running] com.adobe.agsservice.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-01-30) [Lookup]

Macintosh HD: Disk size: 500.07 GB Disk used: 335.28 GB

Last backup: 28/01/2018, 18:49

560% JavaApplicationStub

15% com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

7% WindowServer

5% kernel_task

3% Adobe CEF Helper

1.22 GB kernel_task

826 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

555 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

438 MB Safari

300 MB JavaApplicationStub

6.71 GB 4.57 GB JavaApplicationStub

5 MB 10 MB Dropbox

7 MB 303 KB mDNSResponder

5 MB 392 KB com.apple.WebKit.Networking

908 KB 2 MB jp.co.canon.ij.scanutility2.CIJSUAgent

461.18 JavaApplicationStub

6.96 com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

6.72 WindowServer

2.74 Adobe CEF Helper

1.51 GB Available RAM

146 MB Free RAM

6.49 GB Used RAM

1.36 GB Cached files

1.66 GB Swap Used

EasyFind: 4.9.3 (installed 2018-02-01)

Files deleted by EtreCheck: ⓘ

2018-01-29 09:45:59 - ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.skype.skype.shareagent.plist - Unknown

2018-01-29 09:46:10 - /Library/LaunchDaemons/jp.co.canon.MasterInstaller.plist - Unknown

2018-01-29 19:06:01 - ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist - Unknown

Feb 1, 2018 2:20 PM in response to cb_croydon

Not that is probably the problem, but there is a CleanMyMac .plist in the hard drive level Library/Launch Daemons folder.

/etc/hosts file - Fixing a hacked

/etc/hosts File - How to Restore the Original Default

Mar 2, 2018 12:47 PM in response to Eric Root

Hi, its been a while but the issue persists! After removing all the 'cleaning' apps etc its been fine for a while but tonight Safari was barely usable - pages were not loading at all and I kept getting the grey screen saying it couldn't connect to the server. I'm at my wits end - I'm pasting one last EtreCheck, if you or anyone could tell me if there is anything else I could do I'd be really grateful!

Report generated 2018-03-02 20:36:26

Runtime: 1:57

Problem: Computer is too slow

G-DRIVE (disk2s2 - Journaled HFS+) /Volumes/G-DRIVE : 2.00 TB (796 MB free)

Tablet PTZ-630

Macintosh HD (disk1s1 - APFS) / [Startup]: 500.07 GB (125.78 GB free)

Physical disk: disk0s2 500.07 GB (125.78 GB free)

macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 (17D102) - Time since boot: about 12 hours

[loaded] 159 Apple tasks

[running] 123 Apple tasks

[not loaded] 39 Apple tasks

[loaded] 177 Apple tasks

[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-25) [Lookup]

[failed] com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a2 3d420d.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-13) [Lookup]

[running] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-24) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-01-30) [Lookup]

[loaded] org.chromium.chromoting.plist (Shell Script 81572da9 - installed 2018-02-01) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-13) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-13) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.adobe.acc.installer.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-24) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-01) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.wacom.displayhelper.plist (Apple, Inc. - installed 2018-01-19)

[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-25) [Lookup]

[loaded] com.adobe.GC.Invoker-1.0.plist (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2018-02-03) [Lookup]

FlashPlayer-10.6: 28.0.0.161 (installed 2018-02-07) [Lookup]

Flash Player: 28.0.0.161 (installed 2018-02-07) [Lookup]

QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2018-02-04)

AdobeAAMDetect: 3.0.0.0 (installed 2018-02-24) [Lookup]

Flash Player (installed 2018-02-01) [Lookup]

Macintosh HD: Disk size: 500.07 GB Disk used: 374.29 GB

Total number of backups: 123

Oldest backup: 18/05/2016, 00:25

Last backup: 02/03/2018, 20:16

84% com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

23% kernel_task

18% JavaApplicationStub

11% com.apple.WebKit.Networking

1.20 GB kernel_task

1.08 GB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

376 MB JavaApplicationStub

345 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

318 MB Safari

3.25 GB 193 MB JavaApplicationStub

21 MB 337 KB com.apple.WebKit.Networking

965 KB 679 KB Dropbox

326 KB 634 KB jp.co.canon.ij.scanutility2.CIJSUAgent

562 KB 34 KB mDNSResponder

34.70 JavaApplicationStub

9.48 WindowServer

6.06 Adobe Animate CC 2018

4.66 Safari

1.91 GB Available RAM

19 MB Free RAM

6.09 GB Used RAM

1.89 GB Cached files

1.80 GB Swap Used

Adobe Flash Player: (installed 2018-02-07)

ARMDC Agent Installer: (installed 2018-02-13)

Adobe Acrobat DC (18.011.20035): (installed 2018-02-13)

Microsoft Outlook for Mac: (installed 2018-02-14)

Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac: (installed 2018-02-14)

Microsoft OneNote for Mac: (installed 2018-02-14)

Microsoft Excel for Mac: (installed 2018-02-14)

Microsoft Word for Mac: (installed 2018-02-14)

Chrome Remote Desktop Host: (installed 2018-02-20)

Adobe Acrobat DC (18.011.20038): (installed 2018-02-25)

2018-02-28 09:49:27 com.apple.WebKit.WebContent High CPU use [Open] [Details]

Mar 2, 2018 5:40 PM in response to cb_croydon

If you are still using 10.13.2, try updating to 10.13.3, which will give you Safari 11.03.

Try running the combo update. It installs all previous updates plus the new one, which can replace any files that may have become corrupted.

Download macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 Combo Update - Apple Support

Jan 29, 2018 1:43 AM in response to Eric Root

Many thanks for the advice. I only installed memory clean, Sophos etc after experiencing these problems but it's good to know they might not be necessary. I'll do the clean up - is there any indication from the report why I might be having these issues? The issues with pages not loading/ lagging/ not connecting is just getting worse and the only thing that solves it temporarily is rebooting my machine....

tygb

Jan 28, 2018 5:30 AM in response to cb_croydon

See this article Safari troubleshooting on Mac - Apple Support

dominic23

Jan 28, 2018 5:52 AM in response to cb_croydon

For another option: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7841659

Jan 27, 2018 9:06 AM in response to Eric Root

Thanks - I've already tried the first two. Not seen the safari corruption post so will give that a go if all else fails! Thanks.

Jan 27, 2018 9:16 AM in response to cb_croydon

You are welcome.

Logo top

How to Troubleshoot Safari if It’s Running Slow on Mac

why safari is slow

This article shows how you can fix the Safari browser if it is slow on your Mac. The purpose is to help speed up Apple’s Safari or determine why it is running slow. If you are experiencing one of the following issues, you can use this article to address your problem:

  • Safari is so slow and seems frozen.
  • Websites are taking a lot of time to load or videos are lagging.
  • A spinning beach ball frequently keeps appearing when attempting to browse the Web.
  • Clicking the Safari options (history, bookmarks, etc) temporarily causes Safari to freeze or become sluggish.

Safari Slow

There could be many reasons why you experience this issue. Follow the steps below:

1. Is the Mac up to date?

Ensure that your Mac is running the latest versions of the macOS version . Safari is a built-in app and the macOS software includes Safari. This means that updating macOS will also update Safari. You can go to System Preferences > Software Update to check for updates. And if there is an update, click the Update Now button to update your Mac.

Update Mac

2. Is it your Internet connection?

You may feel that Safari is sluggish because you may have a poor or unstable connection to the Internet. Use another browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc) to visit a website. Or try using multiple devices in your home. Do you still experience that your browsing experience is slow? If your answer is yes, then the problem may be your connection. Is the slowness just with one website or with all of the websites you try to visit? If the problem is with just one website, then the problem is that website. However, if all of the websites appear to be slow on all devices and/or using different browsers, the problem may be, again, your connection. If this is the case, try:

  • Ensure that your Mac has the latest version of macOS (System Preferences > Software Update).
  • Turn off your Mac (Apple menu > Shut Down), do not turn it on yet.
  • Restart your modem/router. Simply unplug it from power, wait 30 seconds and then plug it back in.
  • Wait for your modem/router to fully function (ensure that all of the indicator lights are on).
  • Turn on your Mac by pressing the power button.
  • Mac Wi-Fi Connected But No Internet Access
  • My Mac Stopped Seeing My Wi-Fi Network, Fix
  • How To Forget Wi-Fi Networks On Mac
  • How To Fix Slow Wi-Fi Problems On Your Macbook
  • How To Reset Network Settings On Mac

3. Too much cache? Clear your cache on Safari on your Mac

As you use Safari to visit websites, cache data will accumulate and this can possibly slow the browser down. Clearing the cache on your Safari browser will ensure that it’s working smoothly and efficiently. The Safari cache is a pile of temporary website data. Here is how you can clear cache in Safari on your Mac:

  • Open Safari.
  • Click Safari > Preferences.
  • Click the Advanced tab.
  • Check the box next to the “Show Develop menu in menu bar” option. Now a new menu item called Develop will appear.
  • Now exit Preferences.
  • Click Develop and Empty Caches.

Safari Develop menu

4. Are your extensions causing this?

An extension or add-on may cause this problem. Do you have these installed? If your answer is yes, try the following:

We can turn off Safari Extensions temporarily to see if they are causing this:

  • In Safari, click Safari > Preferences.
  • Click Extensions.
  • You will see your installed extensions.
  • Turn all them off by deselecting the checkboxes.

Now check Safari. Is it faster now? If turning off extensions resolves the issue, now determine the problematic extension that is causing this issue. Turn them back on, one by one, until you find the problematic extension. After each extension, you turn it on, test to see if the problem has recurred before turning on the next extension.

Safari Extensions

5. Safe Mode

Restart your Mac in Safe Mode . Safe Mode will clear some system caches. This can improve Safari’s performance. The steps will differ depending on the Mac type you have: Apple silicon or Intel. If you do not know, go to the Apple menu > About this Mac.

Apple silicon:

  • Turn off your Mac.
  • Press and hold the power button until the startup options window appears.
  • Click your startup disk.
  • Press and hold the Shift key and click “Continue in Safe Mode.”
  • Turn on your Mac and quickly press and hold the Shift key.
  • Release the Shift key when you see the login window.

Your Mac is in Safe Mode . Test Safari. Then exit Safari (just restart your Mac). Then test Safari again.

  • Passwords on Safari: The Spinning Wheel – How to Fix the Lag
  • How to Use Split View in Safari on iPad
  • How to Create, View, Edit, and Restore Bookmarks in Safari on Mac
  • Safari Can’t Open The Page Because Safari Can’t Establish A Secure Connection To The Server, Fix
  • Quit Safari Is Grayed Out On Mac, Fix
  • Is Safari Not Working on Mac? How You Can Fix It
  • Safari Isn’t Responding, Keeps Crashing or Freezing, Fix
  • Safari Won’t Open On Mac, Fix

why safari is slow

Dr. Serhat Kurt worked as a Senior Technology Director specializing in Apple solutions for small and medium-sized educational institutions. He holds a doctoral degree (or doctorate) from the University of Illinois at Urbana / Champaign and a master’s degree from Purdue University. He is a former faculty member. Here is his LinkedIn profile and Google Scholar profile . Email Serhat Kurt .

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Categories:

Safari Too Slow on Your iPhone? 4 Ways to Speed It Up

Are webpages taking forever to load in Safari? Follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve your speed-related issues.

Safari is the native browser on Apple devices. While it's usually fast, sometimes Safari can be slow or laggy. When this happens, it can be bothersome, and some might even download another third-party browser.

If you're noticing that Safari is running slow on your iPhone, there are several things you can do to speed it up again. Give these tips a try, and hopefully, Safari will be at full speed in no time.

Check Your Internet Speed

Before passing the blame on Safari, it might be a good idea to check your internet speed. That way, you can make sure Safari is the issue and rule out anything else before continuing.

If you're connected to Wi-Fi, open another computer or device on the same Wi-Fi network, then head to Speedtest's site and check your internet speed. You won't want to do this on your iPhone, as Safari issues can slow your connection time, giving you a false negative.

If your internet speed is fast, then Safari is the issue, and it's time to fix it.

1. Close All Your Safari Tabs

Safari can usually handle a lot of bandwidth and keep many pages open. However, some websites drain Safari data. By closing all the currently open tabs, you can confirm if one of the open websites was using too much data.

To close all the tabs on Safari, open Safari and hold the Tab button in the bottom right-hand corner. A prompt will appear for you to close all the tabs. Once this appears, hit Close All Tabs . Then, give Safari a try again.

2. Clear Your Browsing History and Data

If clearing the tabs didn't fix the issue, you can reset Safari and clear up the cache, speeding it up in the process. To clear Safari, head to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Data .

Once you do this, relaunch Safari and see if it's loading up pages quickly enough. If it's faster for a little while but begins to slow down again, proceed to the next tip.

3. Check Your iPhone's Storage

If your iPhone storage is almost full, that means it can't handle much else. Safari, like most apps, uses device storage to store data from the app. And low storage means Safari won't have enough memory to work.

This is why some users find Safari temporarily faster once they clear their browsing history and data. However, some users might have used so much storage that Safari might not even speed up when you clear the cache.

Luckily, it's easy to check if this is an issue. All you need to do is head to Settings > General > Storage and see how much space your iPhone has used. And if it's almost full, you might have to delete some large files.

However, if you don't want to lose precious data, consider signing up for a paid iCloud plan .

4. Reset Network Settings

When all else fails, you can reset your iPhone's Network Settings. Doing this will reset all network-related connections on your iPhone, hopefully speeding up Safari in the process. Head to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings to do this.

Once you do this, you'll need to set up your network connections again. This means re-entering your Wi-Fi passwords. However, it can clear up a lot of bugs, so it is worth a try if all else fails. You can also reset your iPhone to factory settings as a last resort.

Browse Seamlessly in Safari

Safari comes pre-installed on all Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. And since it's the native browser, it works seamlessly across all your apps and Apple devices.

While switching to a third-party browser like Chrome might seem tempting when Safari is slow or lagging, you'll miss out on a seamless experience. So, it's worth taking the time to fix whatever issue you're facing.

HowToiSolve

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19 Fixes Safari Running Slow on Mac (Ventura, Sonoma)

In the article, Get Fixes on  Why Does Safari Take So Long to Open on Mac  after macOS Update? Apple user has one of the best web browsers, Safari. However, more users of Google Chrome are available in the market compared to Apple’s Safari. So, without losing privacy, let’s fix your Browser problem using the unique solutions below and Quickly load all types of web pages (Such as Facebook, Udemy, Linkedin, Twitter, ESPN, and Outlook..) on Safari Browser.

Instead, they should fix Safari complications like Safari running super slow compared to Chrome . Safari  won’t open, so Safari won’t load a page , browsers not working after updating safari not loading on MacBook,  and more. There is a way to get solutions to all these problems. So let’s start with them to Speed up a slow internet connection on Mac after resetting Safari to Default .

IN THIS ARTICLE

Hopefully, these all feasible solutions will help you to make Safari faster on Mac.

How Do I Fix Slow Safari on My Mac? The Complete Solutions

Get more: Fix Safari Error “Your Connection is Not Private”

  • 29 Best Tips for Chrome on iPhone (2024)
  • How to Change the Default Browser On Mac in macOS (Sonoma)
  • Outlook Search Not Working On Mac Sonoma, Ventura- Fix Quickly
  • 36 Best Apple Watch Complications Worth Using in 2024

is Safari Slow on MacOS? Follow this

several macOS Ventura users reported the issue with the Internet slow on Mac after the latest macOS update. The app adds because of too many privacy features. The main reason is that might be. Follow them one by one and check internet speed on speed test tools like fast.com

Turn off iCloud Private Relay from a network; You will get a huge change in speed based on my experience because Apple’s Proxy server might be slow or down sometimes.

Step 1: Click on Apple Logo on your Mac > Select System Settings.

Open Apple Logo Select System Settings on Mac

Step 2: Select Networks > Click on Wi-Fi.

Select Network Tap on Wi-Fi on Mac

Step 3: Tap on Details next to Connect Wi-Fi.

Tap on Details Next to the Connected wifi on Mac

Step 4: Disable Limit IP Address Tracking.

Disable Limit IP Address Tracking on Mac

Turn off Hiding IP Address from Trackers and Website in Safari Privacy Preferences.

Step 1: Launch Safari on your Mac.

Open Safari on Mac

Step 2: Click on Safari from the Top of the Mac Menu > Select Settings.

Select Safari from Mac Menu Select Settings on Mac

Step 3: Select Privacy Tab > Uncheck Hide IP Address. And That’s it. Get more details on Enable/Disable Hide IP Address on Mac, iPhone, and iPad .

Uncheck Hide IP Address on Mac

Solution #1. Make Sure the Automatic Proxy Detection is Unchecked

This setting is handy for privacy reasons, but the Proxy server and some configurations might create slow internet problems. Unchecking the Automatic Poxy dictation can help bypass the proxy server, or Mac users can get straight internet connectivity if the Proxy server is unavailable.

On macOS, Ventura, Sonoma,

Step 1: Open the Apple Logo from the top menu > Select System Settings .

Open Apple Logo Select System Settings on Mac

Step 2: Select WiFi from the left sidebar > Click on Details next to Connect WiFi.

Open Connected WiFi Network Details on Mac

Step 3: Choose Proxies > Disable the toggle Auto Proxy Discovery > Tap OK to Apply the changes.

Disable Automatic Proxy on Mac

On MacOS Monterey and earlier,

Step 1: Go to Apple Logo (appears on top Menubar) > Choose System Preferences > Select Network > Click on Wi-Fi > Tap Advanced.

Advanced WiFi option under System Preferences on Mac

Step 2: Select Proxies Tab > Now uncheck automatic proxy detection [Auto Proxy Discovery] > In the last Click on OK .

Turn off Auto Proxy Discovery on Mac for Slow Mac Browsing

That’s it. Hopefully, now, your Mac Safari in macOS runs at rocket speed.

Solution #2. Disable Search Suggestions Safari Mac

Search Suggestions improve the user’s experience as you connect with your Apple device. Search Suggestions Use Siri search running across all your Apple devices like iPhone, iPad, Homepod, or Apple Watch . According to your Favorite search, you can also quickly get the exact find on your Mac.

Sometimes this feature is useless; by turning off “Search Suggestions Safari,” as a result, you can get more benefits on a slow Safari or Mac system.

Step 1 : Launch Safari on your Mac > From the Top Mac Menu, Click on Safari > Select Settings/Preferences .

Open Safari Settings on Mac

Step 2: Click on Search Tab > Uncheck “Include safari suggestions “.

Turn off Safari Search Suggestions on Mac

Step 3: Here’s the below screen , that you miss after disabling this option.

Turn off Include safari suggestions on Mac Safari Browser

If you like this feature and don’t want to turn it off, then you should check the other Safari settings and get the exact solution Why is Safari on my Mac so slow?

Solution #3. Disable DNS Prefetching in Safari Mac

Is your Mac sending DNS Queries to the network via Router , and Your Router can’t handle such requests on time? As a result, you will get a slow response from the internet. If the DNS Prefetching is enabled, then your Safari browser on Mac sends a DNS Request to load the website the very first time. So, turning off DNS Prefetching on your Mac Safari is a Great solution if this happens with your System. Below I recommend trying Alternate methods for disabling DNS Prefetching on Mac or Macbook running on any macOS.

Change DNS Service Provider for Slow Safari

By default, our DNS settings are provided by the ISP. Instead, this time we will try to use public DNS, which might boost up Safari. The best DNS server is Google DNS; probably everyone, including me, is using Google DNS. This action does not only help Safari but also gets the solution for “How do I fix slow Internet on Mac?

Step 1: Go to the Apple Logo from the top Menu > Select System Settings .

Open Apple Logo Select System Settings on Mac

Step 2: Select Wi-Fi from the left side > Click on Details next to the connected WiFi Name.

Change DNS Address on Mac WiFi

Step 3: Select DNS > Click on ‘ + ‘ to add a new Public DNS Address on Mac . For Example, Google Public DNS, 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 > Click on OK to Apply the changes .

Add Public DNS to Mac WiFi Settings

On MacOS Monterey & Earlier

  • Step #1: Click to open the “ Apple Logo ” from the Top Mac menu and then open “ System Preferences ”.
  • Step #2: Open “ Network ”.
  • Step #3: Select the network on which your MacBook is connected.
  • Step #4: Click on “ Advanced ”.
  • Step #5: Now tap (+) and add a DNS server.

Change DNS Prefetching on Mac or Macbook

To Use Google DNS , Enter the Below Public DNS Address, Enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 are the Google DNS servers for you.

Or You Should Use OpenDNS

Enter 208.67. 222.222 and 208.67. 220.220 in the list. Click on OK to apply changes and test internet speed on Safari.

Alternate Method to Disable Prefetching in Safari Using Terminal

This method is also helpful to disable DNS Prefatcinhg on Mac Using Terminal, Open Terminal under the utility folder.

Step 1: Launch Finder on your Mac > Click on Go From the top Menu > Choose Applications.

Open Finder Select Go From Mac Menu Tap on Application on Mac

Step 2: Choose Utility Under the Applications folder.

Click on Utilities on Mac

Step 3: Select Terminal under the Utilities.

Tap on Terminal on mac

Type the below command, and Hit the Return to run command,

defaults write com.apple.safari WebKitDNSPrefetchingEnabl

Force Quit Safari and Re-open Safari browser to test it. If sometimes time is not working fine after disabling DNS Prefetcinhg, then turn it on again; using this command,

defaults write com.apple.safari WebKitDNSP

Also, you check internet speed using an online free Speed testing tool. www.fast.com by Netflix. Also,

Speed test on Mac or Macbook

Don’t miss out on other essential settings; these will improve your Safari Browsing speed without losing Privacy and switching to a third-party browser.

Solution #4. Open Empty Page on Safari: No More Load every time

Had issues with slow new tabs as well. We fixed it by opening an empty page instead of the starting screen. Safari Browser has too many hidden customizations that most Safari users don’t know.

Open Emply blank space is a great tip to start quick browsing and open on your Mac. Follow the below steps,

Step 1 : Launch Safari on your Mac.

Open Safari on Mac

Step 2: Click on Safari From the top Mac Menu > Select Settings/Preferences .

Select Safari from Mac Menu Select Settings on Mac

Step 3: Tap on General Tab > Select New Window opens with Empty Page and New Tab Open With Empty Page . Select these options from the dropdown.

Tap on General New Window opens with Empty Page Open With Empty page on Mac

That’s it. Now, your Safari page will not load any data on the New Tab or Window, but you should check What’s loading with the webpage when you open it. Along with page files, Installed Third-Party Plugins and Add-ons also check and gather details from the page. Sometimes that’s unnecessary, So disable or remove Unused Plugins or Add-Ons. Also, Keep all up-to-date.

Solution #5. Force Close and Re-Launch With the “Shift” Key

Your Safari Browser is slow because the affected website is opened in the background; some laggy websites consume more Memory than your Mac, and that’s the cause of slow down Safari performance. TO quickly get it out, Mac users must Force close Safari and Relauchc with Refresh Safari memory.

  • To Force close the Safari browser, Press Command + Q to force close the safari browser.
  • Press the Shift key from the keyboard. Click on Safari from the launchpad to relaunch it. So your Safari browser loads just like opening it the first time.
  • That’s it.

If Safari is not loading the image, Data [ Why are images not showing up in Safari on my Mac? ] for a specific website, then you should check with the Safari Private window.

Solution #6. Test With Private Window

Safari Saved lots of data from the internet in cache and cookies to load faster on the following visit to the same website. Private Browing mode, Doesn’t interest old data saved on Mac or Naver keep new data. So that’s a great way to test the Actual Speed of your Safari browser.

Step 1: Launch Safari on your Mac > From the Top Mac Menu, Click on File > Tap to New Private Window .

Open Safari Select File from Menubar Tap on New Private Window on Mac

Step 2: In the Next Screen, Open the Private Browsing Window on Safari.

Screen of Private Browsing on Mac

Start Doing a Safe search without loading extra Plugins or Safari Extensions installed on your Mac.

Solution #7. Test Other Safari Plugins and Add-ons

An outdated or unsupported Safari extension installed on your Mac gives a slow browsing experience. So, I recommend disabling Safari Extension or Update Pending update from the Mac App Store. Based on experience, some extensions cannot load websites like youtube on a standard browser, but Private browsing allows to open websites. Because the installed Extension will not load on Private browsing, that’s proven you have a problem with Extensions.

Open Safari on Mac

Step 2: Now, From the top Menu, Click on Safari > Choose Settings/Preference .

Select Safari from Mac Menu Select Settings on Mac

Step 3: Go to the Extensions tab and Select the Extension in front of the name from the first left panel, So the Extension will be disabled. Next, we can uninstall from there as well.

Open Extensions Tab Select installed Extensions Tap toUninstall on Mac

Update Safari Extension on Mac : Open App Store on Mac > Search Extension, then Click on the Update button to download and install New updates with the latest macOS.

is YouTube slow on Safari Mac?

It could have happened due to an unhealthy add-on run on your Mac for Safari. Some extension makes Safari YouTube fullscreen lag and Safari Weird behavior. Scroll through comments on YouTube on Safari, and it does animation is slow. for that, you will have to disable an extension that harmful to Safari,

let’s what to do about that,

  • On the Safari menu bar, click Safari > choose Preferences, then select the Extensions tab. Turn that OFF ,
  • Next, quit and relaunch Safari to test.

hopefully, this worked; after this,

  • Turn one extension on, then quit and re-open Safari to test until you navigate the incompatible extension for your Mac then click uninstall.

Your work is done.

Read more: Tips to Speed up Slow Mac after macOS update

Solution # 8. Clear Cache, Extension, History

Problems with Safari after an update ? Let’s see a solution- If your day begins and ends with Mac and Safari, you should probably clear cache, extensions, and history periodically. They eat your Mac’s storage and slow down the Safari. It is worth deleting all this and making some space.

Open Safari on Mac

Step 2: From the top of the Mac Menu, Click on Safari > Select Settings .

Select Safari from Mac Menu Select Settings on Mac

Step 3: Open Advanced Tab > At the bottom, Enable the Show Features For Web Developers.

Tap on Advance Tab Enable Show Features For Web developers on Mac

Step 4: Head over and click on Develop > Select Empty Caches .

Click on Develop Select Empty Caches on Mac

Step 5: Again, Select Extensions > Disable Extension from the Left Sidebar > Click on Safari From the Top Menubar > Tap on Clear History.

Disable Extensions Click on Safari Tap to Clear History on Mac

Solution #9. NVRAM Restart (cmd+opt+P+R) – And it Solved

NVRAM Store Mac startup data for a quick jump into work. We can clear up those corrupted or Outdated Mac system Data by Resetting it. Here are a few Keyboard shortcuts that we have to try on Restart your Mac. This process doesn’t wipe any files or Data from the Mac drive; this Process only Refreshes the startup date by Cleaning and Rebuilding the process.

  • From the Apple logo, click on Shut Down .
  • Immediately Press the [cmd+opt+P+R] Keys from a keyboard after pressing the power key,
  • Your Mac will only play startup sound but won’t turn on. Which means you have to perform NVRAM Restart. Leave all the keys and allow it to turn on your Mac itself.

M1 Macbook Mac Safari Slow:

To Boost Laggy Safari browsing, There are no more changes in settings. To perform each of the steps in the same way. But Resetting RAM is quite Different on your M1 MBA[Air] or M1 Macbook Pro & M1 MacMini.

  • M1 Silicon Mac stores data on RAM, and users don’t need to reset it. Because Mac reset it automatically while restarting your Mac. If you have to reset that, then simply restart the Mac .
Important : Mostly M1 Mac Users affected by Browser Extension installed on Mac, So I highly recommend Disable one by one and test the experiments. 

Solution # 10: Manually Clear Cache.DB file

The above solution must work properly, but if anything goes wrong or the cache isn’t deleted, try this one.

Step 1: Launch the Finder on your Mac > From the top Menu, Click Go and then Choose Go to Folder .

Open Finder Click on Go Select Go to Folder on Mac

Step 2: Enter the below command and click on the Go button ,

~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db

Enter the Below Command on Mac

/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db

Clear Safari Caches on Mac

  • Now, as soon as the folder opens, click on the .db file and move to trash.

Note: Before performing this action, close the Safari app.

Solution # 11: Remove Safari Preferences File

Auto-generated list files in the Mac file system save massive browsing data; some of the data is useful and needed in the future. So I recommend deleting those files after backup in a separate folder. Follow the below steps to find the safari plist file under the Mac preferences folder.

We can take our chances to fix Safari running slow on macOS Ventura with this solution.

Step 1: Launch the Finder and Tap on Go From the top Menubar > Next, Click on Go to Folder .

Open Finder Click on Go Select Go to Folder on Mac

Step 3: Enter the Below Command.

~/Library/Preferences

Enter the Command on Mac

Step 4: Now Locate and Select the com. apple. Safari……plist > Right -Click to Tap Move to Trash . Then restart your Mac so that after powering on, the file comes back automatically, and the browser will load fast.

Locate the com. apple. Safari..plist Tap Move to Trash on Mac

Solution #12. Change Network Service also works to Speed up the internet on Mac

If you have connected your Mac to Wi-Fi and Ethernet, then it can be a reason behind the slow performance of Safari . Remove one network connection and observe if it has any effect on it.

By default, Mac will give priority to only one network. But if you want, then you can change the order of the priority and switch connections.

Here’s how you can change the priority of the network service

Step 1: Open the Apple logo and click on System Settings.

Open Apple Logo Select System Settings on Mac

Step 2: Next, Choose Network and then open the Action pop-up menu > Tap to Set Service Order.

Choose Network Click on Action pop-up menu Select Set Service Order on Mac

Step 3: Drag Service to Change Order > Click on OK.

Drag Service to Change Order Click on OK on Mac

  • Step 3: Select “ Set Service Order ” and arrange the network service by dragging them.
  • Step 4: Click “ OK ” and “ Apply ” changes by clicking on it too.

Solution #13. Solution Use Safari Alternatives For Mac (Chrome or Firefox)

There are plenty of free Browsers for MacOS. Those are even faster than the Safari browser. Sometimes, the user has to switch to another browser because Safari is not working correctly with the Extension, Crashing, and other Serious problems; according to my Experience, Google Chrome for Mac works superfast even when the Extension is enabled.

Mac users can go with Trusted Desktop Browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Brave, Tor Browser, Vivaldi , and many more. In addition, you can get more ideas from shortlisted top Best Browsers for Mac .

  • Are you looking for how to set Google as the default browser on Mac? Get here How to change the default web browser on Mac?

Solution #14. Reverting back to Big Sur or Mojave as a Reliable solution

Are you interested only in Safari Browser on your Mac? Recent macOS updates or After macOS updates, you feel uncomfortable and not using it preciously, so I recommend switching back to earlier macOS. Here’s my video tutorial on how to move back to Earlier MacOS for Big Sur installed Mac.

Solution # 15: Reinstall macOS Big Sur/Catalina

Unfortunately, if none of the above works for you, you have to follow this extreme path. Other than Safari, if you face any problems with Mac or MacBook, it will be fixed with this troubleshooting. Get here how to Reinstall macOS 12 .

Solution # 16: Change the Login Account on Mac and repair the Disk

Another weird solution for this issue is to change the user account. Create a new account and try to use Safari to see if anything changes.

Besides, we will use Disk Utility to fix this issue.

Step 1: Search Disk Utility from the Spotlight.

Search Disk Utility from the Spotlight on Mac

Step 2: Once Disk Utility is on-screen, Tap on the Hard Drive of Mac > Click on the First Aid Tab .

Tap on Hard Drive Select First Aid on Mac

Step 3: Tap to Run for First Aid on Hard Drive.

Tap to Run on First Aid on Mac

Solution # 17: Update macOS to Speed up the internet on Mac

If you haven’t updated macOS, then you might face several issues. First, the new update probably contains all the bug fixes and will also include Safari. So update the MacBook to the latest version, if available.

Step 1: Go to Apple Logo on the top menu bar > Select System Settings.

Open Apple Logo Select System Settings on Mac

Step 2: Choose General > Tap on Software update .

Choose General Select Software Update on Mac

Step 3: Tap on Update Now. If any update is available – please download and install macOS.

Tap to Update Now on Mac

After doing it, Check for a Safari web browser . I hope now safari will give you an accelerated experience than ever before. Or go with the following solution.

Solution # 18: Optimize Search Settings in Safari on Mac

We always accuse Safari of being slow, but it isn’t possible every time. So there is a possibility that the search browser you are using is facing situations, so Safari is running slow on macOS . If this is the problem, then we can fix it by changing the search settings.

Step 1: Launch the Safari app on your Mac > Select Safari From the Top Menu > click on Settings .

Select Safari from Mac Menu Select Settings on Mac

Step 2: Click on the Search Tab > Try to change the search engine to Bing.

Select Search Tab change the search engine to Bing on Mac

Solution #19. Upgrade Your Mac: RAM, SSD Hard Drive

Upgrade Your Mac From Hardware

Any action is not helpful from the above solutions to fix burning questions: How can I speed up Safari on Mac? I recommend upgrading the internal hard drive. Have you any technicality and experience with upgrading computers? You can do it yourself. Get strict with the Apple store or Third-Party Service center or concern with your Friends. If none of the options helped you, then, share your comment for upgrade tips. Here are the top best SSD drives to upgrade your Mac machine

Bottom Line:

None of the above workarounds is helpful, so you should submit a feedback request to Apple . So, Apple catches your Problem correctly and Gets a chance to fix it with the new macOS update.

Is there any other trick to fix Safari running very slow on Mac after an update? Let me know in the comments!

Photo of author

5 thoughts on “19 Fixes Safari Running Slow on Mac (Ventura, Sonoma)”

“However, the reason behind this is, the person who have Mac or iPhone they face any problem in Safari, they move to Google Chrome.

Instead, they should try to fix Safari complications”

looool. No, they should use whatever works. Safari has no excuse, I’m sorry.

PS: Yes I miss the handover and shared ios macos tabs too… but, a non-functional browser is a non-functional browser…

PS2: I am still wasting time with relogins from your fist solution… So you say I should reinstall Mojave… when there are other browsers that work just fine… again: looool

With Windows 7, Google was fast downloading. I have recently switched to an iMac and have been driven mad by the slowness downloading web pages – sometimes it sticks part way through and I get nothing. I switched to Bing – that was as slow. In desperation I tried DuckDuckGo. Pages are downloaded instantly. I have no idea why, but it work, so I’ll stick with it.

Solution 10: how do you reinstall Mojave? Thanks

For your information, I have restored Safari normal speed on Catalina by deactivating my Intego Netbarrier suite

I upgraded my MacBook Pro to Catalina a couple of weeks ago and all was good. Today I upgraded my MacAir and I basically can’t connect to the internet using the wifi that I used before to download Catalina and the same wifi that I am using on the Pro to find your website and to send this message. I tried deleting the cache and reopening Safari and restarting but still nada.

What’s up with that?

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

why safari is slow

We do not use any AI writing tools. All our content is written by humans, not robots. See our editorial process .

Why is My Safari So Slow on Mac and How to Fix It

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Whether you use the Safari internet browser for your everyday work, school work, online shopping, or simple internet browsing, having it work slowly can be extremely frustrating. This is completely understandable, but don’t worry we are here to help!

As someone who frequently helps people fix up their slow Macs, I can say from experience that Safari can often be the cause of a lot of problems. But the good news is that you don’t have to put up with Safari running slowly—there are a few quick troubleshooting tips you can use to get back in business.

Let’s explore why Safari is running so slow on your Mac and how you can fix it.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

Solution #1: verify your internet connection, solution #2: force quit safari, solution #3: update macos, solution #4: close excessive tabs, solution #5: disable extensions, solution #6: turn off icloud private relay – icloud+ only, solution #7: disable search engine suggestions, solution #8: disable autofill, solution #9: update dns server, solution #10: run first aid on ssd , safe mode – intel mac, safe mode – apple silicon mac, solution #12: use a 3rd-party web browser cleaner, final thoughts.

  • Safari has many features that attempt to either help you as the user or make the experience faster. Unfortunately, Safari can sometimes get bogged down.
  • Your internet connection should be one of the first things you check. Make sure everything is functioning properly here.
  • You can get Safari out of a jam by Force Quitting , and reopening.
  • If that doesn’t work, you can check your extensions , your iCloud Private Relay , and Autofill to ensure that your Safari is running as fast as possible. 
  • The DNS server can sometimes cause issues with Safari running slowly, so make sure that it is updated. 
  • If none of that works, you can also check to make sure your boot drive and your startup options are working properly. Run First Aid on your SSD and boot into Safe Mode to finish troubleshooting.

While Safari is preinstalled on your Mac and is updated using macOS, this doesn’t mean that it will always work perfectly. When Safari runs slow on your Mac, it can put a damper on your whole experience. You end up waiting on your computer and getting frustrated. So, what is causing this? And how can you fix it?

Here are some ways that we can hopefully get your Safari speed up.

This may sound obvious, but you may be surprised how easy it is to overlook losing your internet connection or other connection problems. Safari may not be working or may be running extremely slowly because of a faulty internet connection. 

There are multiple items that could affect your internet connection. Be sure to verify all of the following: 

  • You have full internet connectivity from your internet provider (if you are able to reach it, speedtest.net is a good way to determine if your internet is working to its fullest capacity).
  • Your modem and/or router are in working condition (the lights on the device will help you determine this. Look at or find the owner’s manual for your device if you have questions)
  • There are not too many devices on your network (I would recommend taking off some that you may not think of and are not currently using, such as phones, tablets, gaming consoles, and smart home devices).

By force quitting the Safari application , we are forcing any processes that may be stuck to stop. This can help Safari fully restart and stop trying to load something that may not be properly loading. To force quit Safari, take the following steps:

Press the Command-Option-Esc keys simultaneously on your keyboard.

Choose Safari from the menu and choose Force Quit .

why safari is slow

Click on Force Quit to confirm.

why safari is slow

As we have briefly discussed earlier, Safari is an application that is fully managed by Apple and updated along with macOS. So, if there is a problem with the Safari application itself, it is likely that Apple already knows and has released a patch to address it. 

To ensure your Mac is up to date with the latest version, take the following steps:

Using the Apple Menu, choose System Settings from the drop-down.

why safari is slow

Navigate to General on the left, then Software Update on the right.

why safari is slow

If there is a software update available, choose Update Now and follow the onscreen prompts to update macOS.

why safari is slow

If you are someone who never closes your browser tabs and has dozens of pages open at once (like I am guilty of doing most of the time), then I would suggest closing a good amount of them to get Safari working at a better speed. 

Having a large amount of tabs open, even ones that are not currently in use, uses not only a lot of processing power but also a lot of Random Access Memory (RAM) . 

Both of these items have a large impact on how the applications on your Mac run and can cause the Safari application to slow down significantly. So, close all possible tabs.

Extensions, also known on some internet browsers as plug-ins can be very helpful features. The most popular of these are ad blockers, coupon finders, and grammar checkers. If you use any of these or others, it is possible that they could be slowing down your Safari. 

It is also possible that extensions could have been inadvertently downloaded from the internet and enabled themselves. Check to make sure that there are no unrecognized extensions or an excessive amount of extensions enabled. 

With Safari Open, click the Safari menu and Settings from the drop-down.

why safari is slow

On the top, choose Extensions .

why safari is slow

On the left, the blue check marks indicate that the extension is enabled. Click these to show the gray checkbox and disable the chosen extensions. 

If you find any extensions that you do not recognize, select them on the left (it will be shown in blue) and click uninstall on the right. Follow any onscreen instructions to finish uninstalling. 

While iCloud Private Relay is a convenient and easy safety feature, however, it requires that your internet browsing passes through Apple servers prior to reaching your computer. This means that it could slow down your internet speed. 

Click the Apple Menu and System Settings .

why safari is slow

On the left, click your name, and on the right click iCloud .

why safari is slow

Scroll down to the iCloud+ features and ensure that Private Relay is turned off. If it is not, click on it and click the slider to turn it off. You may be asked to confirm by clicking “ Turn off iCloud Relay .”

why safari is slow

Search engine suggestions are a predictive feature when you are using Safari. They are designed to predict what you may be searching for and help you to find it easier. However, it is possible that they can be slowing down your Safari. Take the following steps to check:

With Safari open, choose the Safari menu and Settings.

why safari is slow

In the Search tab at the top, deselect the “Include Search Engine Suggestions” check box. It will show as a gray box when it is deselected.

why safari is slow

Another Safari feature, while helpful when it works properly, can also slow down the application is the Autofill feature. Autofill sometimes has a hard time accessing the information and may cause Safari to freeze. 

In Safari Settings (described how to reach above), Choose the Autofill tab at the top. Deselect all the Autofill features below. The items are deselected when they show a gray box instead of a blue checkmark.

why safari is slow

A Domain Name System Server (DNS Server) is a program that tells your computer and the internet what IP Address your computer or a website is using. By updating your DNS server you can not only improve your internet speed (and therefore your Safari speed), you can also improve your security. 

Some of the most popular DNS Server IP Addresses are those for Google, 8.8.8.8, and 8.8.4.4. The DNS Server 1.1.1.1 is allegedly considered to be the fastest in the world (though I am not confident in how or when that was recently confirmed). 

To update your DNS server, take the following steps:

Choose the Apple Menu and System Settings .

why safari is slow

On the left, select Network , and on the right, select Details under the Wi-Fi section.

why safari is slow

On the left, choose DNS . On the right, use the + button to add any of the DNS Servers that we have discussed (or others you may have found in your search). 

Note : it is OK to have more than one DNS Server—if one is down, your computer will use another one in your list.

why safari is slow

Your Solid State Drive or SSD is a critical piece for the speed of your Mac. If all the other fixes up to this point did not work, it is possible that there may be an error on your SSD. First Aid will automatically check and fix most errors related to the formatting of your SSD. 

Open Disk Utility in Launchpad.

why safari is slow

Choose First Aid and follow the onscreen instructions.

why safari is slow

Solution #11: Boot in Safe Mode

Lastly, Safe Mode is a great way to determine if you are having further issues that are causing Safari to be extremely slow. Safe Mode disables your startup settings and features and any third-party items. If your Safari is running slowly for either of these reasons, you will be able to see using Safe Mode. 

Take the following steps to boot into safe mode, depending on which type of Mac you have:

  • Restart or turn on your Mac and press and hold the Shift key.
  • When the login window appears, you can release the key and login.
  • You may be asked to log in again, do so. You will see Safe Mode in the menu bar if this was successful.
  • Turn on your Mac and press and hold the power button until you see the Loading Startup Options screen.
  • If asked, select a volume.
  • Press and hold the shift key and click Continue in Safe Mode. Your Mac will automatically restart.
  • If successful, you will see Safe Mode in the menu bar.

Sometimes Safari doesn’t work properly when you have too much junk on your computer. A good 3rd-party application like CCleaner or CleanMyMac X can work wonders to optimize your system by getting rid of junk, including things like browser data and temp files.

CCleaner for Mac , for example, has a Browser clean-up tool that automatically scans and removes browsing data, caches, temporary files, cookies, and other tracking data.

why safari is slow

This can go a long way in speeding up Safari, and even helping out the rest of your computer too. While there is a paid version of the software, you can get quite far with the free version. So, it is worth a shot if you want an easy solution to Safari running slowly.

We have covered a lot of ground and talked about a lot of different options that could be causing your Safari Application to be slow. We first explored the more simple options, such as your internet connection being down, your Safari application needing to be updated, having a lot of tabs open, and clearing history. 

Your extensions possibly cause loading problems, your iCloud Private Relay, Search Engine Suggestions, and Autofill are also things you should check. If all else fails, you should look at two pieces of your Mac that could be affecting Safari as well, your SSD and the startup options.

If the rest of your Mac seems to be running fine enough to download another application, you could try a 3rd-party tool like CCleaner to clean up browsing data and other junk that could slow down Safari. 

What did you learn from this article? What worked for you? Let us know in the comments!

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GraspingTech

Why Is Safari So Slow? (5 Reason & What To Do)

Safari is one of the best Internet browsers that is currently available, and it’s known for its reliability. However, that doesn’t mean that it always runs smoothly. So, why is Safari so slow?

If Safari is so slow that it barely runs, close as many tabs and background apps as you can. Disable Safari extensions and clear the history and cache to remove corrupted data so it runs faster. Make sure that at least 15% of your Mac or iPhone’s storage space is open because full storage can slow down Safari’s performance.

Switch users on your Mac to see if Safari still runs slowly. It may simply be a problem with your user account having too much data. Follow along as we explore why Safari is so slow and see how you can fix it.

Table of Contents

Why Is Safari So Slow on Mac?

Poor wi-fi connection.

Your Wi-Fi connection is the first thing you should check if Safari is so slow on Mac that you can’t search anything. Safari will be slow even if you have Wi-Fi but the connection is weak. If your Wi-Fi keeps going in and out, simply unplug the router and modem for 30 seconds and plug them back in to reset them . 

Contact your Internet service provider or switch to cellular data if the problem continues.

why safari is slow

Corrupted Cache

Safari will run slow on your Mac if the cache is bloated and corrupted. Safari takes on plenty of data each day you use it, and some of it may be corrupted. Whether you have corrupted data or have simply gone years without clearing the cache, Safari will continue to run so slowly if you don’t clear it.

Once the Safari cache is full, the browser won’t be able to add and process new website information properly. Luckily, you can quickly clear the cache data on Safari under the History tab. Click the history tab to pull up the drop-down menu, then select Clear History and Clear Data.

Ideally, you should clear the cache on Safari once per month to ensure a smooth performance .

Safari is Outdated

If Safari is so slow that it’s a chore to browse, then it may be because the browser is outdated and needs an update. Apple typically releases updates for Safari up to 6 times per year . Safari updates are lumped in with the standard macOS updates that introduce and refine features on your Mac.

To install the latest macOS update, click the Apple icon on your Mac’s menu bar. Scroll down, select “System Settings”, and choose “System Update”. Make sure there is enough space on your Mac to install the update. This should improve your Mac’s performance and Safari’s performance speed.

User Account Error

Do you have multiple user accounts on your Mac? If so, you may want to check to see if Safari is so slow on the other users’ accounts. Much like how Safari’s cache can become corrupted, a specific user’s account on a Mac can become corrupted as well.

This happens over time when you browse Safari extensively and install extensions and apps that aren’t approved by Apple . Use another account to see if Safari runs smoothly. If so, return to the original user page with the slow Safari speed and open the Spotlight app.

Click the Disk Utility tab at the top of the page, scroll down, and select “First Aid”. Next, click “Repair Disk” and wait for your Mac to perform the repair. This should get rid of corrupted data and patch the user account so Safari won’t run as slowly.  

Extension Problems

Do you run Safari extensions on your Mac? If so, that could explain why Safari is slow, especially if the extensions aren’t optimized for a Mac . It’s hard to tell which extensions cause the problem unless you use an external app like CleanMyMac X and OS Mac Cleaner .

You can use these apps to cycle through apps and extensions to find out which ones are problematic. Refer to the information on the program to see which extension is causing the problem and delete it right away to boost Safari’s performance.

Too Many Open Tabs

Sure, Safari lets you open up to 500 tabs, but that doesn’t mean you should . The more tabs you leave open, the slower Safari will run on your Mac. Ideally, you should only leave a few tabs open at once if Safari is so slow that it’s hard to browse.

The advertisements and background activity from the tabs you leave open will slow down Safari’s performance. Close any tabs you are done with and continue to browse.

Excessive Background Activity

Just like how too many open tabs will slow down Safari, excessive background app activity can cause problems as well. Macs and iPhones must work extra hard to keep up with the processing demands when there is too much background activity. Close apps that you aren’t currently using so the processor can focus on Safari tabs and apps that you must use .

Search Suggestions Lag

The search suggestions Safari feature is useful when browsing the web, but it can also cause lags in some cases. If Safari runs slowly when search suggestions appear, you must disable the feature. Open Safari, click Settings, select Search , and tap the box beside “Include search engine suggestions” to disable the feature .

Low Storage

Whether it’s an iPhone, Mac, or MacBook, Apple devices cannot perform at their full capacity when the storage is too low. You should leave up to 15% of your Mac or iPhone’s storage open at all times to ensure quick operating performance and Safari speed . Remove apps that you don’t use often and delete old messages and pictures to free up as much space as possible.

So, Why Is Safari Running Slow?

Close as many tabs as possible and clear the cache and browser history if Safari is too slow. Disable extensions that aren’t approved by Apple and install the most recent macOS update to increase Safari’s speed. It also helps to close background apps and disable search suggestions if Safari is so slow that you can’t browse the web.

David Miller is a seasoned tech aficionado with a profound expertise in NGINX and Ubuntu. With a career spanning over a decade, David has honed his skills in optimizing web servers and enhancing server performance to perfection. His deep-rooted passion for open-source technologies has led him to become a go-to resource in the field. Whether it’s crafting intricate NGINX configurations or troubleshooting complex Ubuntu server issues, David’s problem-solving prowess shines through.

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Home » Tech Tips » iPhone » Slow Safari on iPhone? – 11 Ways to Fix

Slow Safari on iPhone? – 11 Ways to Fix

Safari is a browser app that comes with iPhone as part of iOS. This is a default browser iPhone to open links from Mails, Messages and other apps. Though Safari offers useful features like tab grouping, voice search and extensions, the problem comes with the loading speed of webpages. If you are stuck with slow Safari on iPhone, here are some options to improve the performance of the app.

Note: Similar to iPhone, MacBook also comes with a Safari browser app as part of macOS. If you are looking for improving Safari performance in Mac, then check this article .

Safari Settings Page in iPhone

iOS offers a backend page for each app where you can finetune available settings and optimize performance of the app. You can access the Safari browser’s settings page by tapping on “Settings” app and then navigating to “Safari” section. Most of the below explained fixes are available within Safari settings page, though few settings can be accessed within the app or from other locations. Hence, we recommend you going through the Safari settings page and understand the functions before tweaking.

1. Close All Open Tabs – Auto Schedule or Manual

Closing all open tabs is one of the first things to do when you notice the browser loads webpages slowly. Most smartphone users continue to open new tabs and access webpages without closing previously opened tabs. Though Safari will work fine with 20 to 30 open tabs, it will either crash or work slow when you have more than 30 tabs. Unfortunately, simply closing the app will not close open tabs and they will be in open state when you launch the browser again. The problem is that Safari will try to refresh the webpage on the open tab whenever you launch the app. This will not only slow down the performance but also waste your time in viewing same old page which you have already visited. You have the following two options to deal with open tabs:

  • Manually closing tabs – simply tap on the tabs icon in Safari and close all your open tabs.

Close Open Tabs in Safari

  • Scheduling automatic closure of tabs – go to Safari settings page and tap on “Close Tabs” option showing under “Tabs” section. Select one of the schedules from the list as “After One Day”, “After One Week” or “After One Month”. This will automatically close all your open tabs and keep the browser clean as per the selected schedule.

Schedule Closing Tabs in Safari iPhone

2. Restart the Browser and iPhone

Restarting is one of the unharmful solution that you can try with any software problems.

  • Restart Safari – when you are in Safari app, swipe up from the bottom to open App Switcher. Hold and move the Safari screen up to close the app. Remember, this will not close open tabs and you should follow the above-mentioned methods for closing your open tabs.

Close Safari App in iPhone

  • Restart iPhone – go to “Settings > General > Shut Down” and swipe the “Slide to power off” button to shut down your iPhone. After that, press and hold the side power button to restart .

3. Disable Experimental Features

Apple silently enables some experimental features with Safari app in iPhone. Though these are experimental features, most of them are enabled by default. Go to Safari settings page, scroll down to the bottom and tap on “Advanced” option. Tap on “Experimental Features” and disable all or the suspected items. Do not worry if it creates some problem, you can scroll down to bottom of the “Experimental WebKit Features” page and select “Reset All to Defaults” option. This will help to reset all the features like before.

Disable All Experimental Features in Safari iPhone

4. Disable Safari Suggestions and Preload

Getting automated suggestions can easily annoy when you type in Safari app. For example, preloading option will force Safari to check in your history and bookmarks whenever you try to open a website in the address bar. This will slow down the browser when you have huge list of reading list, bookmarks and history. You can try disabling the following automated suggestions from Safari settings page and check whether it helps to load pages faster.

  • Search Engine Suggestions
  • Safari Suggestions
  • Preload Top Hit

Disable Suggestions in Safari iPhone

5. Stop Processes Running in Background

The processes running in background can easily affect the entire performance of your iPhone. It could be an app download from other device, an app update or a content refresh in apps. For example, if an app with 1GB size is getting updated in the background, obviously it will affect the performance of other apps like Safari which you may be using in the frontend. You can disable automatic updates and background app refresh using the following instructions:

  • Automatic App Downloads – go to “Settings > App Store” and disable “Automatic Downloads” for apps and app updates. Also make sure this option is disabled for “Cellular Data” for saving your mobile data usage.

Disable Automatic App Updates in iPhone

  • Background App Refresh – go to “Settings > General > Background App Refresh ” section and choose “Off” for “Background App Refresh” option.

6. Delete Browsing History

Whenever you visit a webpage, Safari will cache its files in phone’s storage . The cached content includes all static files on the page like images, CSS and JavaScript which are required to load the page. In theory, this caching should help in speed up the loading when you visit the same page next time or other pages on the same website. However, the size of cached data will become huge thus affecting the overall performance of the browser. In addition, cached data can also create problems when the website owner changed its design, moved server to another location or redirected the page to another URL. Therefore, it necessary for you to clean up the cached website data in Safari in regular intervals.

  • When you are in Safari settings page, scroll down and tap on “Clear History and Website Data” option. You will see a pop-up from bottom and select “Clear History and Data” to confirm deleting all cached data from the browser.
  • Tap on “Advanced” option and then select “Website Data” to view all stored website data in Safari. Generally, clearing browsing history will delete all these data as well. Otherwise, you can tap on “Remove All Website Data” option to delete them manually.

Clear Safari Browsing History in iPhone

Remember, deleting history or website data will NOT delete your bookmarks, reading list or passwords. However, you may feel the websites are loading slower when opening first time as the browser needs to request all static files from the server without previously stored cache. This will come to normal when you start using the browser visiting your favorite pages. In addition, you can also use private browsing mode to speed up webpage loading time in Safari.

7. Run Software Update

As mentioned, Safari is part of iOS and gets the update along with the iOS updates. Sometimes, Apple will release bug fixes for Safari app as part of the iOS release. Go to “Settings > General > Software Update ” section and check whether you have any pending updates. You can read the release notes to understand if the release has any Safari related fixes. Tap on “Download and Install” option to get the latest iOS version and check if that helps to improve the performance of Safari app.

Install Latest iOS Update

Remember, it works other way round that sometimes an iOS update can affect the performance of Safari app. This is especially the case with the release of major iOS versions where the app will get new features. Make sure to disable automatic iOS update and always wait for a week time to get feedback from users whenever Apple releases new iOS versions. If there are any major problems, Apple will release a patch immediately and you can update the iOS after understanding there are no major glitches to default apps.

8. Reset Network Settings

Sometimes, resetting your network settings can help to speed up the browsing in Safari.

  • Go to “Settings > General” section.
  • Tap on “Transfer or Reset iPhone” option.
  • Select “Reset” option and then select “Reset Network Settings” from the list.
  • Enter your passcode and wait for the process to complete.

Reset Network Settings in iPhone

This will reset all your network related settings like Wi-Fi password . Therefore, make sure to keep the password ready for reconnecting again.

9. Change to Public DNS

Resetting network and deleting browsing history will help to fix the Safari problems from your side. However, this will not fix if your ISP filter the browsing or using corrupted DNS setup. Since iPhone by default uses DNS from your ISP, any problem at the ISP end will impact your browsing experience also. The best solution to overcome ISP related problems is to change the default ISP provided DNS and public DNS from Google or OpenDNS.

  • Open “Settings” app and tap on “WLAN” option.
  • Tap on your Wi-Fi network that is currently connected.
  • Scroll down on the page and select “Configure DNS” option.
  • By default, this should have “Automatic” setting and select “Manual” option.
  • Delete existing DNS servers and tap on “Add Server” option.
  • Add 8.8.8.8 and then 8.8.4.4 (these are Google Public DNS server IPs) and tap on “Save” option showing on top right corner of the screen.

Configure Manual DNS in iPhone

Now open Safari and check if the webpages are loading faster with new DNS servers. Similarly, you can tap on “Configure IP” and change to static IP address which you can obtain from your ISP.

10. Use Proxy or VPN

If your ISP really throttles or blocks websites or services, it could make Safari slower. For example, countries like China completely blocks services from Google, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. In this case, opening a page with a YouTube video will load forever till the time the request for video times out . The solution here is to use a proxy server or VPN app to unblock the free internet.

  • Proxy – when you are on the Wi-Fi settings page, scroll down to bottom and tap on “Configure Proxy” option. On the next screen, enter your proxy server details and save the changes.
  • VPN – you can find plenty of reliable VPN apps in App Store. For example, ExpressVPN is a premium app which you can try to unblock free internet. When you open the app, it will install the configuration profile and allow you to bypass the ISP connection.

11. Blocks Ads and Trackers with Content Blockers

Nowadays, almost all websites use advertisements, analytics and social tracking. The problem is that all these features will slow down the browser and affect the loading time, Fortunately, Safari app will automatically block trackers and show you the privacy report on the home page whenever you open app.

Safari Privacy Report in iPhone

If you want to block advertisements , then you can use reader mode or use ad block extensions from App Store. These extensions will use content blockers feature in Safari and help to block intruding ads on the pages thus speed up the browsing experience.

Final Words

We hope the above options helped to fix slow Safari on iPhone and speed up your browser. it is a good idea to schedule automatic closure of tabs and delete browsing history in regular intervals. If none of the above options work, then you can try resetting the iPhone as a last resort. This will delete all your customizations and reset the phone to factory settings. So, do this only if you are prepared to setup your iPhone from the scratch. Otherwise, you can always switch the default browser to Google Chrome, Firefox or Edge and remove the Safari app from your phone .

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If Safari doesn't open a page or work as expected on your Mac

If Safari doesn't load a webpage, stops responding, quits unexpectedly, or otherwise doesn't work as expected, these solutions might help.

These solutions are for issues that can affect Safari on Mac, including issues such as these:

A webpage is blank, doesn't load all of its content, or otherwise doesn't work as expected.

You can't sign in to a webpage, despite using the correct sign-in information.

A webpage asks you to remove or reset cookies.

Safari slows down, stops responding, or quits unexpectedly.

Reload the page

From the menu bar in Safari, choose View > Reload Page. Or press Command-R.

If Safari doesn't reload the page, quit Safari, then try again. If Safari doesn't quit, you can press Option-Command-Esc to force Safari to quit .

If Safari automatically reopens unwanted pages, quit Safari, then press and hold the Shift key while opening Safari. Learn how to control which windows Safari automatically reopens .

Install software updates and restart

Update macOS , which can include updates for Safari. If your Mac didn't restart automatically, choose Apple menu  > Restart. Some important background updates take effect only after restarting.

Check Safari extensions

If you installed any Safari extensions, turn extensions off. From the menu bar in Safari, choose Safari > Settings (or Preferences). Click Extensions, then deselect each extension to turn it off. Learn more about Safari extensions .

If you find that an extension is causing the issue, make sure that the extension is up to date.

Test with a private window

A website can store cookies, caches, and other data on your Mac, and issues with that data can affect your use of the website. To prevent the website from using that data, view it in a private window: From the menu bar in Safari, choose File > New Private Window, or press Shift-Command-N.

If that works, use the following steps to remove the website's data, including its caches and cookies. The website can then create new data as needed. If it's a website that you sign in to, make sure that you know your sign-in information before continuing.

Choose Safari > Settings (or Preferences), then click Privacy.

Click Manage Website Data.

Select the affected website from the list shown.

Click Remove.

Click Done.

Open the website again in a non-private browser window.

Check Safari settings

The webpage might not be compatible with one or more browser settings, which you can turn on or off as needed. From the menu bar in Safari, choose Safari > Settings (or Preferences). Then click Websites, Privacy, or Security to access these settings:

Privacy settings . These settings apply to all websites. For example, a website might require that you allow cross-site tracking, show your IP address, or allow cookies.

Security settings . These settings apply to all websites. For example, a website might require that you enable JavaScript.

Websites settings . These settings can be configured for specific websites. For example, a website might require that you allow pop-up windows, allow downloads, allow access to your camera or microphone, or turn off content blockers.

Check iCloud Private Relay

If you subscribe to iCloud+ and are using its Private Relay feature, try reloading the page without Private Relay: From the menu bar in Safari, choose View > Reload and Show IP Address. This menu item appears only when Private Relay is turned on for your network. Learn more about iCloud Private Relay .

Check VPN or other security software

If you installed VPN or other software that monitors or interacts with your network connections, that software could affect your use of the website or the internet. Learn about network issues related to VPN and other software .

Check network settings

Certain network settings, such as custom proxy settings or custom DNS settings , can affect access to content on the internet. Even if you haven't changed these or other network settings yourself, you might have installed software that changed them for you.

To find out whether the issue is with the network settings on your Mac, try viewing the page from a different web browser or different device on the same network. Or reset your network settings by setting up a new network location on your Mac.

If the issue affects other devices and web browsers on the same network, the issue is probably with the website, and you should contact the website developer for help.

If the issue continues to affect only a particular webpage, contact the website developer for help.

Learn how to block pop-up ads and windows in Safari .

Learn what to do if your iCloud or Safari bookmarks aren't syncing .

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Why Is Safari So Slow? Top Fixes to Speed up Browsing!

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Written By Jordan Baldo

Last updated: January 6, 2024

Almighty writing expert who is proficient in analyzing Mac issues and providing efficient solutions.

Just like any other browsers, Safari also has a DNS prefetching which makes your browsing experience faster. Once that it is working well when you click on a website and your browser already knows the IP address then it is ready to load the web page. This actually means a fast response.

However, you may encounter the issue that Safari slow to load . There are instances that once that Safari loads a website, the page might appear ready. But then, when you try to move it up and down, you will just see a spinning cursor. It may be caused by your system running out of application memory , or other various reasons.

Also, you will be able to notice that the refresh button is also just spinning as well. If you are experiencing this on your Safari browser, then this only means that the page was rendered successfully but there is something that is preventing it to respond.

People Also Read: Top Solutions to Firefox Keeps Crashing on Mac

Contents: Part 1. Why Is Safari So Slow on Mac and How to Fix It? Part 2. What Can You Do If Safari Slow to Load? Part 3. In Conclusion

Part 1. Why Is Safari So Slow on Mac and How to Fix It?

It is not only MacBook would run slow as time goes by, but Safari would also be slower. As we also know, Safari is actually not the fastest browser and it can get sluggish.

This is because of several reasons as to why is safari so slow or sometimes it is freezing:

  • There are too much data and cache on Safari.
  • Corrupted preferences.
  • Extensions that have bugs.
  • Autofill data.
  • You have outdated plugins like Java and Flash.
  • Safari slow after Catalina update.

For you to know some of the reasons why you are experiencing this, we have listed below some of the main causes and as well as the fix for each of the causes listed below.

Safari Running Slow on Mac

Reason 1. There Are Too Much Data and Cache on Safari

Your safari browser actually stores information of all the website that you have visited so if you are an average type of user then there might be a lot of data stored in your Safari browser.

Aside from the stored website that you visited, there are also other aspects like HTML files, and images that are all saved in your cache which is actually another burden for the browser resulting in a slow response whenever you try to use it. Here is the fix for this.

How to Clear Your Browser’s History and Cache:

PowerMyMac's Privacy is one of the best browser cleaners today. This is the perfect tool that you can use for you to improve your online experience when using your Safari browser. It can clean up your junk files, cookies, and your history on your browser . It can also remove any deceleration reasons and can clear up privacy traces for you to help protect your confidential data.

Here is how to use the iMyMac PowerMyMac 's Privacy:

  • Download PowerMyMac then have it installed on your Mac.
  • Launch the program to choose Privacy and scan your browsing data.
  • Once that the scanning process is complete, you will see a list of browsers that you have on your Mac.
  • Choose Safari and select the browser cache, histories, browser cookies that you want to clean up .
  • Click on the CLEAN button and PowerMyMac will begin to clean up your Safari browser.

Choose Desired Browser Data to Clean

If you need the manual methods to fix Safari slow to load, we also provide:

Clear your Safari’s history:

  • Launch your Safari browser on your Mac.
  • Then click on History in the menu bar.
  • Choose the Clear History option
  • Choose the time span and then click on the Clear History button again.

Doing the steps above can help you clear out your history in your Safari browser. However, if in case you do not want to lose your browser’s history and you only want to get rid of your cache, then here is what you should do.

  • Launch your Safari browser on your Mac
  • Click on Safari in the menu bar.
  • Then, click on Preferences
  • Choose the Advanced tab.
  • Then put a checkmark on the Show Development menu in your menu bar.
  • Click on Develop from the menu bar.
  • After that, choose Empty Cache.

Tip: In case the Safari is quite slow and you want to uninstall it and then reinstall it again, you can also use this app uninstaller to completely remove it .

Reason 2. Corrupted Preferences

Once that you have assigned a homepage or search engine or if you choose where you would want to save all your downloads from your Safari browser, it is all stored in a preference file.

Because of this, once that this file becomes corrupted, then this will start an issue on your browser. If you are experiencing any issues in using your Safari browsers such as lags or freezing, then there is a tendency that the problem is with preference. Here is how you can fix this.

How to Remove Your Preference File?

Here, once that you have deleted those corrupted preference file, then your browser can easily generate a new one. Here is how you can do this.

  • Close your Safari browser.
  • Launch Finder on your Mac and use these keys: Command + Shift + G .
  • Then enter the following in the pop-up and press Enter: ~/Library/Preference/
  • Then, go ahead and look for the file name “ com.apple.Safari.SafeBrowsing.plist ” and then click Delete.

Reason 3. Extensions That HaveBugs

Your extension has a lot of extras in your Safari browser such as it stored passwords or it can translate words with just a single click. However, since it is a third-party add-on, then this could have an effect on the performance of your Safari browser.

How to Delete your extensions?

For you to be able to determine which is causing a problem to your Safari browser, go ahead and run a test. Here is how.

  • Choose Safari in your menu bar.
  • Choose Preferences.
  • And then, choose the Extension tab.
  • Uncheck all the extensions one by one and find out if the problem will be gone.
  • Once that you have determined the problem, just go ahead and click on the Uninstall button beside the extension in the Preference tab.

Reason 4. Autofill Data

Autofill is one of the handiest features especially when it comes to your passwords and phone number. But, if you have tons of data in your autofill, then there is a chance that your Safari might freeze up. For this, you can just simply turn it off or you can disable those that you do not need.

How to Remove Autofill History?

Here is how you can manage your autofill.

  • Launch the Safari browser on your Mac.
  • Then click on Preferences in the menu bar.
  • Then choose the Autofill tab.

From the autofill tab, you will be able to disable any user for your Autofill. Just go ahead and click on the Edit button and you will be able to see all the data that is stored in your autofill. From there, just go ahead and delete the autofill that you no longer want and need.

Reason 5. You have Outdated Plugins like Java and Flash

As what we all know, several websites actually require you to have a Flash or Java on your Safari browser for you to be able to play videos or any animated content on the website that you are visiting.

However, once you have an outdated plugin on our Safari, then this could affect the performance of your browser.

How to Update Your Java and Flash Player?

Now, this is a very simple solution. Since you have an outdated Flash or Java, then all you need to do is to have it updated. For you update your Flash player to the most recent version, then the best way to do this is by going to the Adobe’s website.

This is because once you visited their site, it will immediately identify if you have an updated or an outdated version of your Flash player.

For you to be able to update your Java, just go ahead and go to the Oracle’s website. From there, you will be able to see if you have the updated version. If you do not have the updated version, then the website will give you instructions on what you should do.

Safari Slow to Load

Part 2. What Can You Do If Safari Slow to Load?

You may be so confused about the slow loading problem of Safari. Don't worry, you can check how to quickly and securely solve Safari slow to load below:

  • Change your search setting.
  • Change your network service order.
  • Turn off your dashboard.

Change Your Search Setting

This is one of the things that you can try once that you are experiencing that Safari Slow to load. Here is how you can change your search settings.

  • Launch Safari on your Mac and then go to the Preference tab.
  • After that, click on the Search tab.
  • Then, change your search engine into Bing.
  • After changing your search engine, close Safari and launch it again.
  • Check if there is any difference between its performance.
  • After that, do the same steps and change your search engine into Google.
  • Then, try to check it again.

Here, you can also uncheck all the options such as your search engine suggestions, Safari suggestions, quick website search and more. This is for you to be able to see any difference that will happen.

Change Your Network Service Order

If in case that you have a machine that is connected to your Wi-Fi and your Ethernet, then there is a possibility that the cause if you are connected to two different ways.

All you have to do here for you to check is go to your System Preference and then choose Networks. From there, go ahead and try to disconnect one of your network sources and try to run your Safari browser for you to see any difference.

Turn off Your Dashboard

If you are still using a 2010 Mac or earlier, then this could mean that you have a graphics card issue. Because of this, you can go ahead and try to use other things and see if it will help improve the performance of your Safari browser.

This is by disabling your Dashboard feature in your Mission Control Settings. For you to do this, just go ahead and launch your System Preferences. After that, go ahead and click on Mission Control. From the drop-down box located beside Dashboard, go ahead and toggle it off.

Part 3. In Conclusion

As you can see, there are many reasons as to why your safari running slow. Keep in mind that the Safari browser is just like those other browsers that you have installed in your Mac. It can also get stuffed. Besides that, you may also encounter Safari loading slow on your iPhone.

Once that a browser is full of all the activities that you made using your browser, then they are actually stored there and those will greatly affect the performance of your browser. Because of this, it is advisable for any Mac users to have a browser cleaner installed on their Mac to maintain the speed and high performance of the Safari browser so that you won't suffer Safari Slow to load.

PowerMyMac is clearly the most recommended software that you must have to maintain everything on your browser. This software does not just work on your Safari browser but it can also work with any browsers that you have or help remove Apps on Mac.

In other words, once that you have removed everything that is not needed in your browser, then this could be a great help with its performance.

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (based on 88 ratings)

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Comment( 10 )

reviewer image

Clemilton 2023-02-15 04:06:29

Excelentes dicas. Melhorou o desempenho. Obrigado

reviewer image

JohnIL 2022-06-03 00:23:47

Safari in my experience has intermittent issues affecting loading of web sites. Is it a compatibility issue or something on the web sites that doesn’t play nice with Safari? That is possible since many say other browsers are not affected. This would rule out the OS or hardware or network. But would place the focus on Safari as the issue. Since Safari is purely a Apple OS boy browser. It could be a case that Apple is not following certain standards or adopting them as other browsers have.

reviewer image

Ro Gal 2020-11-05 22:04:40

Tried all the 5 steps and more to no avail. This is a new Macbook Air w/plenty of juice and the latest updates. Safari is just too slow on many sites, so back to Chrome and Brave.

reviewer image

Carl 2019-11-21 10:12:58

There are lots of data stored in my Safari browser, luckily, I have tried Mac Cleaner to clean up cookies and history on my browser, and it runs fast now. Thanks!

reviewer image

iMyMac 2019-11-21 10:55:08

Thanks for your support!

reviewer image

Larissa 2019-11-21 10:06:12

I suffered Safari running slow on my Mac for a long time, thanks for the tips, will try.

iMyMac 2019-11-21 11:02:06

Hope these tips do really help you.

Copyright © 2024 iMyMac. All rights reserved.

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IMAGES

  1. Safari Running Slow?

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  2. Why Is Safari So Slow? 5 Reasons Why Safari's Slowing Down

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  3. How to Fix Safari Running Slow on iPhone

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  4. Fix Safari Slow on Mac to Get the Ultrafast Loading Speed Again

    why safari is slow

  5. 10 Fixes Mac Safari Running Slow after macOS Catalina Update: speed up

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  6. How to Fix: Safari Running Slow on Mac

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COMMENTS

  1. Why Is Safari Running Slow on Mac? 9 Ways to Fix

    In this article you will find the following: How to speed up Safari on Mac. Check if your internet's slow. Close unnecessary tabs in Safari. Shut down apps and resource-intensive processes. Disable unnecessary Safari extensions. Switch DNS servers for Wi-Fi and Ethernet. Clear the Safari cache and cookies.

  2. Why Is Safari Running Slow on Mac? 15 Ways to Fix

    Click the Safari menu item at the top left of your screen. From the drop-down menu, select Settings. Select the Advanced tab and check the box next to the Show Develop menu in menu bar if it is unchecked. Return to the menu bar, click Develop, and select Empty Caches from this drop-down list.

  3. Safari Slow on iPhone and iPad? Here are 8 Solutions to Fix It

    3. Force Quit Safari and Restart It. On iPhone and iPad with Face ID, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold. On devices with Home button, quickly double press it. Now, drag the Safari app card up to force close the app. After a moment, relaunch Safari. 4.

  4. Why Is Safari So Slow? 5 Reasons Why Safari's Slowing Down.

    Fix broken preferences file with CleanMyMac X. Another way to check Safari's preferences file and delete it if necessary, is to try the following: Open CleanMyMac. Go to System Junk and hit Scan. Hit Review Details when the scan is over. Select the Broken Preferences tab. If the file is corrupted, it will be in this tab.

  5. Top 7 Ways to Fix Slow Safari on Mac

    Follow the steps below to remove unwanted extensions from Safari on Mac. Step 1: Open Safari browser on Mac. Step 2: Click on Safari in the menu bar and open the Preferences menu. Step 3: Move to ...

  6. Safari Running Slow on Mac? 8 Possible Causes and Fixes

    Key Takeaways: Clear Cache: Overloaded cache can slow Safari. Clear history and cache through Safari settings for a speed boost. Extensions Check: Outdated or excessive extensions can drag Safari down. Remove unnecessary ones via Safari settings. Update Safari: An outdated Safari version might cause slowness.

  7. Safari Running Slow?

    Here is another way you can empty caches on the Safari browser. Open the Safari browser and click on Develop on the top taskbar. Now, from the drop-down menu option, select Empty Caches or press Option + Command + E. 2. Software Update. Another method you can try is updating the Safari browser by updating your macOS.

  8. Safari running slow on Mac? 18 Ways to fix it!

    2. Force Quit Safari on Mac. Occasionally, a page or app may overtax your system's resources, leading Safari to freeze or run slow. A quick fix is to quit Safari and start it up again. This terminates any demanding processes and gives the browser a clean slate to work from. To do this, go to the Dock and control-click Safari.

  9. 10 Safari Mac Browser Tips to Boost Speed and Performance

    Launch Safari and click Safari > Preferences in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Click on the Advanced tab, then check Show Develop menu in menu bar at the bottom of the window. Close the Preferences window and click Develop > Empty Caches in the menu bar at the top of the screen. 4. Disable Thirsty Extensions.

  10. 10 Fixes When Safari Running Slow on Your Mac

    Method 7 - Delete Preferences File. Method 8 - Use Different DNS Settings. Method 9 - Log Into Another Account. Method 10 - Reinstall OS X. In this article, I'll mention all possible ways you can go about trying to speed up Safari on your Mac. If you have your own suggestions, feel free to let us know in the comments.

  11. Safari has become very slow, lagging and …

    If Safari is slow, stops responding, quits unexpectedly, or has other issues - Apple Support. If Safari doesn't load a page or webpage items are missing - Apple Support. Safari for Mac: If Safari can't open a website. Show more Less. Reply. Link. User profile for user: cb_croydon

  12. How to Troubleshoot Safari if It's Running Slow on Mac

    Apple silicon: Turn off your Mac. Press and hold the power button until the startup options window appears. Click your startup disk. Press and hold the Shift key and click "Continue in Safe Mode.". Login. Intel: Turn off your Mac. Turn on your Mac and quickly press and hold the Shift key.

  13. Safari Too Slow on Your iPhone? 4 Ways to Speed It Up

    Once this appears, hit Close All Tabs. Then, give Safari a try again. 2. Clear Your Browsing History and Data. If clearing the tabs didn't fix the issue, you can reset Safari and clear up the cache, speeding it up in the process. To clear Safari, head to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Data.

  14. 19 Fixes Safari Running Slow on Mac (Ventura, Sonoma)

    Follow the below steps to find the safari plist file under the Mac preferences folder. We can take our chances to fix Safari running slow on macOS Ventura with this solution. Step 1: Launch the Finder and Tap on Go From the top Menubar > Next, Click on Go to Folder. Step 3: Enter the Below Command.

  15. Safari Running So Slow on Mac? (12 Ways to Speed Up)

    Solution #5: Disable Extensions. Extensions, also known on some internet browsers as plug-ins can be very helpful features. The most popular of these are ad blockers, coupon finders, and grammar checkers. If you use any of these or others, it is possible that they could be slowing down your Safari.

  16. Why Is Safari So Slow? (5 Reason & What To Do)

    Safari is Outdated. If Safari is so slow that it's a chore to browse, then it may be because the browser is outdated and needs an update. Apple typically releases updates for Safari up to 6 times per year. Safari updates are lumped in with the standard macOS updates that introduce and refine features on your Mac.

  17. Slow Safari on iPhone?

    Restart iPhone - go to "Settings > General > Shut Down" and swipe the "Slide to power off" button to shut down your iPhone. After that, press and hold the side power button to restart. 3. Disable Experimental Features. Apple silently enables some experimental features with Safari app in iPhone.

  18. Why Is My Safari Browser So Slow or Crashing On iPad or iPhone?

    Make sure that the Safari app is closed. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Scroll down and tap Safari. Tap the Clear History and Website Data button. Under the Clear Timeframe section, tap All History. Under Additional Options, tap the toggle next to Close All Tabs. Tap the Clear History button. Swipe all the way to the bottom and ...

  19. Safari slow to load pages? Here are a few workarounds

    When Safari is slow to load pages on your Mac, it's time to jump into action and boost performance. We'll show you why Safari is slow and, more importantly, how to fix it — let's get started. Why is Safari slow to load? The native browser from Apple — Safari — is not immune to performance issues; let's take a look at some of the possible ...

  20. If Safari doesn't open a page or work as expected on your Mac

    Reload the page. From the menu bar in Safari, choose View > Reload Page. Or press Command-R. If Safari doesn't reload the page, quit Safari, then try again. If Safari doesn't quit, you can press Option-Command-Esc to force Safari to quit. If Safari automatically reopens unwanted pages, quit Safari, then press and hold the Shift key while ...

  21. Fix Safari Running Slow on Mac [Slow to Load Pages]

    Click on the CLEAN button and PowerMyMac will begin to clean up your Safari browser. If you need the manual methods to fix Safari slow to load, we also provide: Clear your Safari's history: Launch your Safari browser on your Mac. Then click on History in the menu bar. Choose the Clear History option.