How to Fix Safari Not Working on Your Mac: 14 Solutions to Try

Is your Safari browser acting up on your Mac? Whether pages are loading slowly, crashing frequently, or not opening at all, it can be incredibly frustrating when Safari isn‘t working properly. As the default web browser on Mac, many of us rely on Safari daily for work, school, and personal use. So if it starts malfunctioning, it‘s important to diagnose and fix the issue as soon as possible.

Fortunately, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take to get Safari up and running smoothly again. In this guide, we‘ll go over the most common reasons for Safari problems on Mac and provide 14 solutions to resolve them. By the end, you‘ll be equipped with the knowledge to tackle Safari issues head-on. Let‘s dive in!

8 Common Causes of Safari Not Working on Mac

Before we jump into the fixes, it‘s helpful to understand some of the underlying issues that could be plaguing Safari. Here are the top 8 reasons you may be experiencing problems:

1. Poor internet connection. If your Wi-Fi signal is weak or keeps dropping, it could be preventing Safari from loading pages. The same goes for slow or unstable broadband connections.

2. Conflicting extensions or plugins. Third-party add-ons can enhance your browsing experience, but they can also cause conflicts that slow down or crash Safari. Out-of-date or poorly coded extensions are often the culprit.

3. Outdated software. Running an old version of Safari or macOS can lead to performance issues, security vulnerabilities, and incompatibility with certain websites. Apple regularly releases updates to patch bugs and introduce improvements.

4. Too much website data and cache. As you browse the web, Safari saves data like images, scripts and cookies to help load pages faster. But over time, this cache can balloon in size and actually slow things down, especially if it becomes corrupted.

5. Corrupted preference files. Preference files store your Safari settings, such as your homepage and bookmarks. If these become corrupted, possibly from a forced quit or power outage, it can cause Safari to misbehave.

6. Malware or adware infections. Malicious software can infiltrate your Mac and wreak havoc, including breaking Safari. Adware-infected pages may make Safari crash or redirect to spam sites.

7. Problems with startup items or login items. Programs that automatically launch when you boot up your Mac or log in can hog system resources or conflict with Safari. Buggy or incompatible startup items may interfere with the browser.

8. Low disk space or memory. If your hard drive or memory (RAM) is nearly full, your Mac may struggle to allocate resources to Safari, resulting in sluggish performance. Closing unused tabs can help, but a thorough cleanup may be necessary.

Now that you‘re familiar with some of the root causes, let‘s go through the steps to troubleshoot Safari. Feel free to try these solutions in order, or skip ahead to the methods most relevant to your situation.

14 Solutions to Fix Safari Not Working on Mac

1. Check Your Internet Connection

First, make sure your internet connection is stable and fast enough to load web pages. Open another browser like Chrome or Firefox and see if pages load normally there. If the problem only occurs in Safari, your connection likely isn‘t to blame, and you can move on to other solutions.

If web pages won‘t load in any browser, try these fixes:

• Turn your Wi-Fi off and on again to re-establish the connection
• Restart your router and modem
• Connect to a different Wi-Fi network or use Ethernet if possible
• Call your Internet provider if you suspect an outage in your area

2. Disable Extensions and Plugins

If you have Safari extensions or plugins installed, disable them to see if that fixes the issue. To do this:

1. Open Safari and go to Safari > Preferences in the menu bar
2. Click on the Extensions tab
3. Uncheck the box next to each extension to disable it
4. Relaunch Safari and test if it‘s working properly

If Safari works after disabling extensions, re-enable them one by one to pinpoint which one was causing the problem. You may need to uninstall the faulty extension and find an alternative.

3. Clear Website Data and Cache

Clearing Safari‘s website data and cache can solve many performance and loading issues. Here‘s how:

1. With Safari open, go to Safari > Clear History in the menu bar
2. Next to "Clear", select "all history" from the dropdown menu
3. Click Clear History
4. Now go to Safari > Preferences
5. Click the Advanced tab and enable "Show Develop menu in menu bar"
6. From the Develop menu, click Empty Caches
7. Restart Safari and see if your problem is fixed

Keep in mind that clearing your history will remove your browsing data and saved login info, so make sure to save any important details first. Clearing the cache will also temporarily slow down your browsing, but it should speed up again over time.

4. Update Safari and macOS

Using an outdated version of Safari or macOS can cause the browser to malfunction. To check for updates:

1. Open the App Store on your Mac and click Updates in the left sidebar
2. If any Safari or macOS updates are available, click Update
3. Relaunch Safari after installing the updates

Alternatively, you can update macOS from the System Preferences:

1. Click the Apple menu icon and go to About This Mac
2. Click Software Update to check for OS and Safari updates
3. If updates are found, click Update Now and wait for them to install

Keeping your software up to date will help Safari run more smoothly and protect you from security threats. Enable automatic updates in System Preferences > Software Update to make this process easier in the future.

5. Disable Startup Items, Login Items and Fonts

Third-party software that launches automatically with your Mac could be conflicting with Safari. To prevent this:

1. Open System Preferences and click Users & Groups
2. Select your username on the left and click Login Items
3. Select a program you don‘t need at startup and click the "-" button to remove it
4. Repeat for other unnecessary programs and restart your Mac

You should also validate your font collections, as corrupt fonts can cause display issues in Safari:

1. Open the Font Book app (in Applications)
2. Click File > Validate Fonts
3. If any fonts are labeled "warning" or "error", select them and click Remove

After disabling startup items and removing bad fonts, restart Safari to see if it‘s working better.

6. Boot in Safe Mode

Safe mode disables extra software and runs a streamlined version of macOS, which can help pinpoint what‘s causing Safari issues. To boot in safe mode:

1. Shut down your Mac and wait 10 seconds
2. Press the power button and immediately hold the Shift key
3. Keep holding Shift until you see the login screen
4. Log in (you may have to log in twice)
5. You should see "Safe Boot" in the top right, indicating you‘re in safe mode

Now open Safari and test if it works normally. If it does, the issue is likely related to third-party software or login items that aren‘t loading in safe mode. You can then disable extensions and startup items one by one to find the culprit.

If Safari still doesn‘t work in safe mode, you may need to reinstall macOS or contact Apple Support for further assistance.

7. Scan for Malware

Malware and adware can infect your Mac through dubious websites or email attachments, causing Safari to misbehave. While Macs are generally less vulnerable than Windows PCs, they aren‘t immune to malicious software.

To check for malware, you can use the free Malwarebytes software:

1. Download and install Malwarebytes for Mac
2. Open the app and click Scan
3. If any threats are found, follow the prompts to quarantine them
4. Restart your Mac

You should also clear your Safari history (as explained above) after removing malware, in case any infected sites were visited. Be cautious about opening suspicious emails or clicking unfamiliar links to prevent malware in the first place.

8. Repair Disk Permissions

Disk permissions dictate which users and processes can access files on your Mac. Over time, these permissions can become faulty, potentially causing issues with Safari and other apps. While Disk Utility no longer includes a "verify/repair permissions" button, you can repair permissions via the Terminal.

To repair disk permissions with Terminal:

1. Go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal
2. Type: sudo diskutil resetUserPermissions / id -u
3. Press Enter and input your admin password
4. Wait for the process to finish and restart your Mac

This command will reset user permissions to defaults, which may fix any related issues with Safari.

9. Remove Problematic Preference Files

Corrupted Safari preference files can cause the browser to crash or freeze. To fix this:

1. Quit Safari if it‘s open
2. Open Finder and click Go > Go to Folder in the menu bar
3. Type ~/Library/Preferences/ and hit Go
4. Find and move these files to the Trash:
   • com.apple.Safari.plist
   • com.apple.SafariTechnologyPreview.plist (if present)
5. Go back a step and navigate to ~/Library/Caches/
6. Move the com.apple.Safari folder to the Trash
7. Relaunch Safari

This will reset Safari to its default settings, removing any wonky configurations. You may need to re-enter passwords and set your homepage again, but it should fix most serious Safari errors.

10. Reinstall Safari

If Safari is still not cooperating, you can try reinstalling the application. Since Safari is packaged with macOS, you‘ll need to reinstall the OS itself.

Before reinstalling, back up your Mac with Time Machine in case anything goes wrong. Then follow these steps:

1. Restart your Mac and immediately press Command+R to enter Recovery mode
2. Select Reinstall macOS and click Continue
3. Follow the on-screen prompts to download and install the latest OS version
4. After installation, migrate your data back from the Time Machine backup

Reinstalling macOS will give you a clean version of Safari without affecting your personal files. If the issue persists after a reinstall, there may be a deeper software or hardware problem requiring professional support.

11. Downgrade Safari

Sometimes new Safari versions introduce bugs or incompatibilities that hamper the browsing experience. If you recently updated Safari and started having problems, you may want to downgrade to the previous version.

Since Apple doesn‘t offer official Safari downgrade methods, you‘ll need to manually uninstall Safari and download an older version. A reputable site for previous application versions is OldVersion.com.

Once you‘ve downloaded the older Safari version:

1. Open the installer and follow the prompts to replace the current version
2. If the installer doesn‘t work, delete the Safari app from your Applications folder first
3. Empty the Trash and then run the installer again

Note that downgrading Safari may expose you to security vulnerabilities patched in newer updates. Only downgrade as a temporary troubleshooting step, and upgrade again once the bugs are fixed.

12. Free Up Disk Space

A nearly full hard drive or SSD can slow down your entire Mac, Safari included. To check your available storage:

1. Click the Apple menu and select About This Mac
2. Click the Storage tab to see how much space is left on your drive

If you have less than 10 GB of free space, it‘s time to delete some files. Clean out your Downloads folder, trash unneeded apps, and move large media files to an external drive. For more advanced cleanup, use a tool like CleanMyMac X or DaisyDisk to find and purge space hogs.

13. Allocate More Memory to Safari

By default, macOS automatically manages how much memory is allocated to each application. But if you need Safari to run better, you can manually increase its RAM allowance.

To allocate more memory to Safari:

1. Quit Safari and open Terminal
2. Type the following command and press Enter:
   • defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitJavaScriptCanOpenWindowsAutomatically -bool false
3. Relaunch Safari and see if it‘s running faster

This command disables a Javascript feature that can consume memory and degrade performance. If you don‘t notice an improvement or encounter worse errors, undo the change with:

• defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitJavaScriptCanOpenWindowsAutomatically -bool true

14. Contact Apple Support

If none of the above solutions fix Safari, it‘s time to contact Apple Support.

Here are ways to get official Apple assistance:

• Visit support.apple.com and click on the Safari icon. You‘ll find a list of common troubleshooting articles and links to contact support.
• Go to Apple‘s support page and click "Start a support request". Fill out the form to set up a chat, phone call or email with a support representative.
• Make an appointment at your local Genius Bar for in-person help. You can schedule one online or through the Apple Support app.

If your Mac is under warranty or AppleCare protection, the support services will be free. Out-of-warranty support may incur fees, but it‘s worth it to get Safari running properly again.

Final Thoughts

Safari issues can be a major headache, especially when you rely on the browser for daily tasks. But with these 14 troubleshooting tips, you should be able to diagnose and resolve the most common causes of Safari woes. Whether it‘s a corrupted cache, an outdated plugin, or low disk space, there are concrete actions you can take to get Safari back in business.

Of course, prevention is the best medicine when it comes to browser health. Regularly clearing your cache, updating your software, and avoiding shady websites can go a long way in keeping Safari running smoothly. And if all else fails, remember that Apple‘s support team is there to assist you.

We hope this guide has been helpful for fixing your Safari problems. Here‘s to many more hours of hassle-free browsing on your Mac! If you have any other tips or questions, feel free to leave us a comment.