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Compared: Safari vs. Chrome vs. Firefox vs. Edge on macOS in 2022

Mike Peterson's Avatar

Safari vs. Chrome vs. Firefox vs. Edge on macOS, compared.

safari is slower than chrome

The truth is, the perfect browser doesn't exist. Each of the four most popular macOS browsers has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, just based on the engine that's used for web rendering, and what the developers of the big-four have prioritized.

While the best browser for the individual varies on use case, and which websites behave the best on any given browser, there are a series of benchmarking tools that can measure performance on synthetic tasks.

Browser benchmarks

We tested each browser on three different testing platforms: JetStream 2, Speedometer, and MotionMark.

JetStream 2 is a JavaScript-benchmark that scores browsers based on how quickly they can start and execute code, which translates to faster JavaScript performance. Since JavaScript is used on most web browsers, it's a good test of snappiness for code-intensive sites.

MotionMark is a graphical browser testing suite that measures the ability to render complex web pages. Think a page that has complicated graphics and animations. A higher score results in smoother transitions and animations.

Speedometer 2.0 determines the responsiveness of a browser when running web applications. Among the three, it's the truest option for testing real-world performance across many popular websites and online services. A good example is adding tasks to a to-do list in a web app.

JetStream 2 browser benchmarks

Chrome came out on top in JetStream 2 testing, while Safari took second place.

MotionMark browser benchmarks

Safari was the fastest in MotionMark benchmark testing.

Speedometer browser benchmarks

Speedometer testing showed off interesting results, with Firefox and Edge coming in first and second, and Safari in last place.

Different testing platforms result in different scores, so your own mileage may vary. Safari was the best for graphical performance, for example, but its responsiveness lagged behind others. Choose what specific metrics are most important to you.

For Mac users, Safari is an institution. It's the default browser on Apple platforms and is generally lightweight and efficient. As you'd expect for an Apple product, Safari also emphasizing privacy while you browser online.

From the very first boot on a new Mac, Safari is instantly available and configured for easy, private browsing. That makes it the best choice for the most non-technical among us, since you won't need to download and install anything. Safari "just works" out of the box.

It also features the tighest integration across Apple's other devices and systems. You can use Continuity to easy hand-off your browsing between your Mac and any iPhone or iPad you have around. If you need to buy something with Apple Pay , you can authenticate purchases with Face ID or Touch ID.

Apple Safari

Safari also features some strong privacy protections, including mechanisms aimed at mitigating cross-site tracking and ad targeting. It features a built-in password manager that allows you to save and store passwords — with easy autofill options — across your Apple devices.

As an Apple-made product, Safari is the most convenient option on this list for Mac users — particularly those who own multiple Apple devices. It's also a good choice for the privacy conscious, though it isn't the fastest and it doesn't yet have a strong extension marketplace.

  • Default Mac browser with effortless setup
  • Strong privacy protections
  • Integration with other Apple products
  • Not the fastest or most responsive browser in some testing
  • Lackluster support for add-ons and extensions

Google Chrome

Google Chrome is a massively popular browser, and a particular favorite of those who routinely use extensions to customize their web experience. It's the most-used web browser in the world, and it's faster and more RAM-efficient than it used to be. Chrome is even currently speedier than Safari on macOS.

The browser also has one of the world's most extensive list of add-ons, plug-ins, and extensions. From plugins focused on online privacy or to video content downloaders, there are around 190,000 extensions in total to choose from. You can also choose from a number of different themes and customization options.

Google Chrome

Intelligent Google-made features include automatic site translations and deep integration with the company's online tools and services — so it's great for those who rely on Gmail, Google Docs, or another Google service. Syncing between Google apps on different devices is also top-notch.

However, Google is a data company that relies on collecting information about its users. While the company has taken steps to bolster its privacy reputation, it's still a company that makes money on harvesting data. Those who are particularly privacy-conscious will probably want to look elsewhere.

It's hard to go wrong with the world's most popular web browser, particularly with its seamless workflow features and customization options. However, if you are even slightly concerned about online privacy, you may want to go with another option.

  • Simple to learn, fastest option in some cases
  • Syncs your Google account across other devices
  • Extensive list of extensions and add-ons
  • It's Google — so not that private
  • Is a RAM and CPU hog

Mozilla Firefox is one of the only popular and mainstream browsers to have started life as an open source project. It's still a free and open source browser with a hefty focus on privacy and security, which could make it a good fit for those who want a Google Chrome alternative.

Because of its open source nature, users are free to explore Firefox's code — and they do. The browser doesn't have any hidden secrets or data-harvesters. It also features some excellent built-in privacy and security protections, including Enhanced Tracking Protection and an extensive list of customizable permissions.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox was also the first browser to actually offer third-party extensions and add-ons. Although it might not have as many extensions as Google Chrome, you'll still find a hefty list of options ranging from privacy add-ons to customizable themes for your browser.

Although Firefox has some cross-platform integration between its app and built-in Pocket support, it isn't as seamless as Chrome or Safari. If speed if your primary concern, it's also important to note that Firefox isn't the fastest browser by most metrics.

Users who want an open source browser or are committed to Mozilla's mission of keeping the internet open and free will find a browser after their own hearts here. For the average user, however, another browser on this list might be a better fit.

  • Completely free and open source
  • Extremely customizable with extensions, themes, etc.
  • The best option for hardcore privacy
  • Not the fastest or most RAM efficient
  • Synchronicity isn't as robust

Microsoft Edge is the spiritual successor to Internet Explorer that was first released in 2015. Originally HTML-based, Microsoft overhauled the browser to be based on Chromium, which is the same underlying software used to make Google Chrome.

As such, Microsoft Edge is now much more competitive than it used to be. It's far from a Google Chrome clone, but you should expect a similar level of performance from it. Some users believe that Microsoft Edge even feels snappier than Chrome on a Mac.

Microsoft Edge

Because it's Chromium-based, Microsoft Edge also has a list of extensions similar to Chrome. It also sports a number of unique features, such as a "Collections" ability that lets you save information like text or webpages to a built-in notebook. There's also a vertical tab bar, a built-in read aloud feature, and an easy native screenshot tool.

It's a solid option for anyone that doesn't like Safari and wants an alternative to Google Chrome because of privacy reasons. If you use a Microsoft account like some use a Google account, then Edge might also be a solid option.

  • Snappy, lower RAM and CPU usage
  • Unique features like Read Aloud and Collections
  • Good performance in most metrics
  • Can be slower than Chrome in terms of pure performance
  • Syncing isn't as strong as Safari or Chrome

The perfect browser doesn't exist, but you can pick and choose what you need

There's no clear answer for what the "best" browser on macOS is. However, some browsers are better suited to specific tasks than others.

When it comes to smooth JavaScript execution, Chrome is in the top spot with Safari a close second. Safari, according to the MotionMark testing, handles complex web pages better than any other browser.

Firefox, interestingly enough, may be the fastest when it comes to general everyday web apps.

Of course, there's also the issues of extension support, privacy, and synchronization across other devices. Many of the browsers are evenly matched on these metrics, but some excel in specific areas like privacy or cross-platform integration.

But, unlike on iOS, you aren't effectively stuck with one browser core technology. These four browsers, and several more, are available on macOS, and can be run in parallel.

While we don't recommend running all four unless you're a web developer or unit case tester, two or three different browsers can be run at-will, if any given browser doesn't handle your work case well.

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

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Reviewed by

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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Safari’s slower than Chrome

  • Thread starter Ultra AleM
  • Start date May 13, 2023
  • Sort by reaction score

Ultra AleM

macrumors 6502a

  • May 13, 2023

Hey guys! I tried Safari. I usually use Chrome. It’s slower. Is it me? On YouTube in particular the player is frustrating. I also think the UI’s worse.  

macrumors member

Safari is the fastest browser on Mac to date. Maybe it's something running in the background or maybe you're running an extension that's lagging in safari?  

russell_314

russell_314

Macrumors 603.

Ultra AleM said: Hey guys! I tried Safari. I usually use Chrome. It’s slower. Is it me? On YouTube in particular the player is frustrating. I also think the UI’s worse. Click to expand...

macrumors regular

  • May 14, 2023
russell_314 said: Since YouTube and Chrome are both Google products, this does not surprise me. I suspect they would optimize their website for their browser. Also the past Google has made changes to the YouTube website that negatively effected performance on browsers other than Chrome. I don’t know if they’re still doing this. I don't have Chrome on my Mac, but YouTube might be slightly slower in Safari versus Firefox, but since both load almost instantly, it's really hard for me to tell. Neither one seems slow and it loads in a fraction of a second. I don't know a way to time it. If it's terribly slow, it might be some sort of cache issue. Maybe try clearing the cache of Safari Click to expand...
Dylan33x said: Yeah this is the only reason I have a chromium browser installed on my Mac, other than the occasional extension. I still refuse to install chrome though lol Click to expand...

Sigvard

  • May 16, 2023
NastyNatex said: Safari is the fastest browser on Mac to date. Maybe it's something running in the background or maybe you're running an extension that's lagging in safari? Click to expand...

ovbacon

Chrome on my mini M2 is way better than Safari.... But my preference is with Opera.  

  • May 17, 2023
russell_314 said: I hear some websites. Don't play nice with non-chromium browsers but I've never really had an issue. Maybe I've been lucky. When it comes to speed, I've never felt like I wish a page would load faster or it was taking too long. Maybe it's because I have a newer Apple silicon Mac, but everything loads up within a fraction of a second. It's not instant where it's just blinks and it's loaded but that could be partially due to my Internet connection. I don't have fiber Internet. The only other oddity I've noticed between browsers is when I watch YouTube videos in Safari full screen versus Firefox, the Safari has a slightly smaller black border. I don't know why, but Firefox can't completely utilize the entire screen. It's about 3 mm thicker black bar on each side. It's not significant in my opinion, but it is noticeable. I'm hesitant to put Google Chrome on my Mac just because I've heard so many stories about battery life even when the browser isn't in use because of background processes doing something. I don't think I want Google continuously running whatever background processes on my Mac. I was a big Google Chrome user, but now I've switched the Firefox on both Windows and my Mac. Sadly we've been reduced to three browsers on the Mac, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. If you're on a Windows PC you only have two browsers to choose from because Safari on Windows was discontinued a long time ago. Click to expand...

leroy.jenkins

Macrumors newbie.

  • Nov 12, 2023

On my 2019 macbook air running sonoma, safari pulls ahead in every benchmark in browserbench compared to chromium and firefox. In real world usage tho, safari loads webpages significantly slower compared to firefox and chromium, even when running without any extensions. It's so bad that i am basically forced to use a thrid-party browser, just because it can sometimes take an half a minute for a website to load, compared to what would've taken 5 seconds tops on firefox or chromium (with ublock origin and dark reader enabled.)  

leroy.jenkins said: It's so bad that i am basically forced to use a thrid-party browser, Click to expand...
  • Nov 13, 2023
zevrix said: I'm sorry but what's wrong with using a "third-party browser"? I, for one, never use Safari because any other browser is simply better (in my view). Click to expand...
leroy.jenkins said: There's nothing inherently wrong with it. It's just that other browsers lack some of Apple's ecosystem integration stuff, like if you use safari on an iphone and you can switch tabs back and forth between the devices etc. Also with only 128gb of storage, every mb counts Click to expand...

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.

safari is slower than chrome

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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BrendaJordan

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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thanks very helpful

safari is slower than chrome

Tips and guides for MacBook Pro users. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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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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  • Free up GBs of storage space
  • Easily find and delete duplicate files

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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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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

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safari is slower than chrome

Google says Chrome’s latest update is faster than Safari

The chrome team says its latest release is 43 percent faster than it was around a year and a half ago.

By Mitchell Clark

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Stock imagery of the Chrome logo.

Google has said that the latest Chrome update, version M99, is setting records on Apple’s own Speedometer web benchmark and is even faster and more responsive on Macs than Safari. A post on the Chromium Blog breaks down the improvements made to Chrome’s speed over the past year or so when compiling JavaScript and rendering graphics.

According to Google, this all adds up to its browser being the fastest on M1 Macs, benchmarking around 7 percent faster than Safari. Chrome M99 also apparently set a speed record with a score of 300 on a benchmark created by Apple’s WebKit team , according to the blog post. The Speedometer benchmark is meant to simulate what it’s like to use a web app running using various technologies to see how responsive the experience is.

On lower-end hardware, the performance gap between Chrome and Safari can be even greater

Google notes that it ran its tests on a 14-inch MacBook Pro with a 10-core M1 Max chip and 64 GB of RAM. Repeating it on my 13-inch M1-powered MacBook Pro with 16 GB of RAM, I got an even bigger performance delta: Chrome scored 252 runs per minute, plus or minus 8.6, and Safari got 185, plus or minus 46. That’s around a 30 percent difference on average, though obviously, there was a high amount of variability with Safari. With my computer’s weaker processor and less RAM, I didn’t hit the 300 mark the Google team says it achieved.

Performance is a big deal when it comes to general web browsing — you don’t want to wait around when using a web app. But for what it’s worth, most of the complaints I’ve heard from colleagues and strangers on the internet is that Chrome is a resource hog, not that it’s slow. While Chrome isn’t entirely to blame for heavy RAM usage (all those scripts it’s so fast at running take up space and resources of their own , and it can actually be tricky to measure system resource usage), it does have a reputation for being taking up a lot of space in memory.

In my opinion, it’s probably not worth basing your browser choice on benchmarks. I use both Chrome and Safari, and I don’t feel any marked speed differences between the two. There’s also more than just speed to take into consideration — one of my coworkers recently complained about Chrome being “a complete disaster” when it came to battery life on their M1 MacBook Air.

But on the flip side, if you’re perfectly happy with the features Chrome has, and it doesn’t seem to make your computer sluggish, I’d recommend just sticking with it. You can even brag about its impressive benchmark scores every once in a while.

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safari is slower than chrome

Safari Running Slow? – Here are Some Quick Fixes!

Kanika Modi Image

If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Full Disclosure Here…

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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VPNoverview.com Internet Safety Secure Browsing Safari vs. Chrome in 2024: Which is the Safest Web Browser for Mac?

Safari vs. Chrome in 2024: Which is the Safest Web Browser for Mac?

Chris Bluvshtein

Safari vs. Chrome are two of the most popular browsers in use today. The question is: which one values your privacy more ? To understand where each browser stands, our review team at VPNOverview tested both, specifically focusing on four key areas:

  • Performance
  • Ease of use
  • Data privacy

The results were tighter than you may have thought. While there’s obviously a very subjective element to this, we put each browser through its paces and tried to be as objective as possible.

Whether you prefer Safari or Chrome for daily use, using a VPN can make your browsing experience safer and more private. We recommend  NordVPN as the best VPN, and it works just as well with both Safari and Chrome.

For a full understanding of the tests we performed and the features we looked at, check out our Safari vs. Chrome comparison below!

In the age of digital warfare, where your every click and scroll can be a battleground, choosing the right web browser is more crucial than ever. Safari and Chrome are two of the most commonly used browsers today.

As privacy concerns mount and data breaches become increasingly common, we pit these two titans of the browsing world against each other, examining their strengths and weaknesses to help you confidently navigate the treacherous online landscape.

Which is the best browser for Mac? Which is the safest web browser between the two? The results might just surprise you.

Safari vs. Chrome: Functionality and Feature Comparison

Safari vs. chrome: which browser is more secure.

It’s important to have a browser that keeps you secure online. An unsecured browser can expose you to keyloggers, malware, and other online threats.

With this in mind, the first stop in our Safari vs. Chrome comparison was to look at security. We considered points including:

  • The frequency with which both Google and Apple fixed security flaws
  • Whether each browser can help you to detect and avoid security risks
  • How each browser managers your passwords and other credentials
  • Any other added functionality, such as dark web monitoring

So, let’s look at how each browser can help to keep you secure.

1. Malicious website detection

Safari and Chrome both make use of Google’s Safe Browsing database . Think of this database as a dictionary of malicious web resources. Safari and Chrome reference the database to check whether you visit a safe website.

If you navigate to a website listed in the database, you’ll see a warning . While you can choose to continue, we recommend you follow the recommendations and steer clear. These websites can use social engineering tactics, like phishing, or install keyloggers and other malware onto your device.

Both Safari and Chrome also indicate when a website is HTTPS secured. Look for the little padlock icon in your browser’s URL bar. With all of the above in mind, Safari and Chrome are essentially tied to security at this point .

2. Password management

Dedicated password managers are a great solution because they can be used on multiple devices. But both Safari and Chrome have a built-in way to manage your passwords. On Safari, you can access Apple’s Keychain, while on Chrome, you can use Google Password Manager.

Like the best password managers , Safari’s Keychain integration remembers and stores your passwords so that you don’t have to remember them all.

When you visit a website or app, Keychain suggests and auto-fills your credentials. Google Password Manager effectively has the same functionality offered by Keychain, so we’re still at a tie between Safari and Chrome .

3. Security and vulnerability updates

While browsers are designed to be secure, hackers routinely exploit security vulnerabilities that make it through the QA process while releasing a new update.

Thankfully, security researchers are usually quick to identify these issues and flag them to Apple or Google. Both Apple and Google also offer generous bug bounty programs, rewarding users for identifying security flaws.

While both Apple and Google regularly patch security vulnerabilities and update their browsers, Chrome tends to do so more frequently. Chrome pushes out updates, on average, every couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, Safari’s updates tend to come bundled with macOS or iOS updates, making them more infrequent. So, it’s Google Chrome that takes the crown here .

This is subjective because pushing out fewer security updates doesn’t always indicate better security. In some cases, it also reflects the overall security stack of Safari.

4. Support for security-focused extensions

Web extensions can completely personalize your experience with a browser. The best extensions for privacy and security significantly boost your privacy. These include VPN extensions, ad-blockers, anti-tracker tools, and cookie auto-delete software.

Bear in mind that certain extensions are only available on certain browsers. Thanks to the less-stringent rules around third-party applications, Chrome tends to have a broader selection of extensions, which may expose you to certain privacy risks of browser extensions .

Safari is the winner here , as Apple supports Safari extensions to iOS on mobile. Remember, we’re talking about using Chrome on iOS or macOS, and Apple doesn’t support Chrome extensions for its products.

5. Private browsing modes

Private browsing modes in internet browsers offer increased security compared to “regular” browser windows. Both Safari and Chrome offer a private browsing function, but you should know about the data collection policies between normal and private mode .

Safari Private Browsing is Apple’s private mode, which will not save your search or browsing history . That said, it has its limitations. Websites can still see your IP address , and your ISP (internet service provider) can still see your search history .

Chrome offers Incognito Mode , which has the same benefits and drawbacks as Safari’s private mode. Chrome sees your IP address, even in Incognito Mode.

However, even if you’re using a VPN , Chrome will also let web services see your activity and your identity if signed into a web service like an email account. Chrome also remembers your location .

In effect, if you want true privacy, you need to be using one of the best VPN services — but remember our warning about Chrome. While this was a close competition, Safari wins here owing to Chrome’s increased scrutiny of your online actions, even in private mode.

What is the most secure browser?

In terms of security and privacy, Safari tends to offer the most secure experience. This is partly why macOS users typically suffer fewer malware infections than their Windows counterparts.

Safari picked up an additional win over Chrome, with better private browsing, but Apple also generally ensures a pretty watertight product all-around due to development restrictions.

However, Safari and Chrome are both very much everyday consumer products. If you want maximum security, check out our list of the best web browsers for privacy .

Security winner banner, Safari browser

Safari vs. Chrome: Which Browser is Faster?

Speed is important when it comes to browsing. We compared Safari vs. Chrome in a speed and general performance test. This included looking at aspects like:

  • How each browser responds under heavy use
  • How each browser handles graphics-intensive websites

To test the performance between Safari and Chrome, we used three applications: JetStream 2, MotionMark, and Speedometer. We ran these applications on a MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and a 1.8 GHz Dual Core Intel Core i5 CPU. Our results are below.

1. Javascript performance testing with JetStream

Javascript is a programming language that handles most script processing behind the scenes on most webpages. This includes content changes, user interactions, mouse pointer movements, and more.

JetStream runs a suite of tests to see how well a browser performs during periods of high Javascript activity. In the JetStream test, a larger score means better performance. Here’s how the two tests measured up:

Chrome’s score of 96.774 puts it just slightly ahead of Safari, scoring 93.217. This suggests that Chrome should perform better when running sites or apps with complex Javascript functions, though the gap is only marginal.

2. Graphics performance with MotionMark

The more complex a webpage, the slower it loads, as your browser has to render every element on the page. MotionMark is a tool that checks how well your browser handles intense tasks that use your browser and the device’s graphics capabilities.

Chrome scored 357.01 in the graphics performance tests. Meanwhile, Safari managed to surprise us, scoring 425.67. Regarding user experience and the responsiveness of complex applications, Safari should provide a smoother experience.

3. Responsiveness with Speedometer

Speedometer simply measures the responsiveness of web applications. The tool simulates user interactions, timing how long these actions take to complete. In these tests, which cycle 480 times, the tool creates a to-do list, adds multiple items, checks them off, and loops back to the beginning.

We started with Chrome, which scored 91.4 with Speedometer. But when we moved over to Safari, it was immediately obvious that the test was struggling. Safari scored just 66.7 by comparison, with Chrome coming out on top.

Memory Saver in Chrome

If you’re running a lot of tabs, you may have noticed a performance dip. The browser consumes more RAM, eating more memory and slowing down your computer. In Google Chrome, a feature called Memory Saver can help you avoid this sluggish performance, even though Chrome is notorious for hogging RAM.

Screenshot of Memory Saver Chrome

If you leave a tab open but don’t interact with it for a while, Chrome puts it in a rest state. This frees up CPU memory to perform other tasks. But you can still return to that tab later and continue where you left off.

What is the fastest browser?

The results of our Safari vs. Chrome performance and speed tests speak for themselves. Chrome performed better than Safari when it came to performing complex, fast-paced actions and general responsiveness. Moreover, with features like Memory Saver, Chrome can help keep you working faster.

While Safari outshones Chrome with graphics performance, Chrome is the overall winner . This is why power users who use multiple different Google apps will often choose it over Safari.

Speed and performance winner banner, Chrome browser

Safari vs. Chrome: Which Delivers the Better User Experience?

Ease of use is difficult to analyze and compare, as it’s often quite subjective. Die-hard Apple fans will probably get on well with Safari, as it’s more familiar. The same applies to Chrome and Google fans.

To gauge user experience, we looked at the following points:

  • Multiple tab and window management
  • Cross-platform support from desktop to mobile
  • User settings and customizations

1. Working in multiple tabs

Opening multiple tabs is common when you need to do research or work. The problem is it can be easy to get lost when you’re using multiple windows. So, we looked at how tab management works in Safari and Chrome .

Tab management in Chrome using Tab Groups

When opening multiple tabs in Chrome, we found that things can get a bit messy . The more tabs you have open, the harder it becomes to find your place. Everything gets sort of squished together until you can only see the site’s logo.

Screenshot of open tabs, Chrome

However, you can add tabs to groups for better organization , which lets you cluster related tabs together. You can easily switch between groups to focus on one particular task simultaneously. This works differently depending on whether you’re using a computer or a mobile device.

On Chrome for desktop, set up tab groups by following the below steps:

  • Hold “ Ctrl ” and right-click on a tab.
  • Hover over “ Add tab to group ” and click “ New group .”
  • Name the group and choose a color.
  • Click “ Enter ” to save the group.
  • Click on the group to collapse or expand all tabs.

Screenshot of Chrome tab groups

If you want to group tabs on Chrome mobile , tap on the “Tabs” button in the upper-right corner of your screen. Long-press one tab and drag it on top of another to group them.

Tab management in Safari

Safari isn’t getting left behind by Chrome here. You can also group tabs on Safari for desktop — but only if you’re up to date with your operating system software.

This feature was introduced by macOS Monterey and released at the end of 2021. Upgrading to this version isn’t always possible for people with older devices or low memory .

  • Open Safari on a computer.
  • Click on “ File ” while you have Safari open.
  • Click “ New Tab Group with X Tabs ,” where X represents the number you currently have open.

You can follow the same logic on iPhones. On mobile, the latest version of iOS sees Safari stack all tabs like a deck of cards. Unless you set up Tab Groups, you’ll have to scroll through them all to find what you’re looking for.

  • Open Safari on the app.
  • Long-press a tab until a menu appears.
  • Select “ New Tab Group .”

Screenshot of mobile device view, VPNOverview tab group

  • Now, you can click the Tab Group name at the bottom to swap between groups .

Navigating between tabs

Both Safari and Chrome offer additional options for keeping on top of your tabs. In Safari, you can search through tabs by clicking “ View ” and then Tab Overview for a grid view with a search bar. In Chrome, type “@tabs” into your URL bar, click the “Search tabs” button and run your search.

All in all, both browsers offer useful ways to manage your various browser windows. So, we really had to look closely to pick a winner or draw a tie. In the end, Chrome takes the lead here .

Apple’s tab grouping functionality relies on you having the latest iOS software, plus you can’t set them up as quickly by simply Ctrl-clicking on a tab.

2. Working across multiple devices

Integration between devices is continuously improving, making it extremely easy to switch from your desktop to mobile and carry your work along. This is more evident when using other products in the Apple or Google ecosystems. With multiple Apple devices, you can quickly pick up and continue work on one device from another.

If you’re an iPhone user, then you’ll be right at home with Safari , as it integrates with the Apple ecosystem. If you’ve got an iPhone or iPad, you can easily pass your desktop Safari tabs to your mobile device and continue browsing.

Apple Pay can also be used cross-platform, and you can verify purchases made on a desktop with your mobile phone’s biometrics.

When you have multiple tabs open, passing tabs between devices is simple. Enable Handoff on your Mac and mobile device first to make sure this works:

  • Open “ Settings ,” then “ General ” on your mobile device.
  • Click “ Handoff ” and ensure it’s switched on.
  • Now, go to “ System Preferences ” and then “ General ” on your Mac.
  • Again, find the checkbox to “ Enable Handoff .”

Screenshot of iPhone, handoff tabs

  • You’ll see an option to pull the tabs from your Mac.
  • If you want to move tabs in the other direction, look for the mobile icon on the Safari app in your dock.

That said, there are benefits to Chrome that are lacking in Safari. While iPhones are hugely popular, more people own Google Home devices — and streaming devices like the Google Chromecast — than those who own Apple’s smart home device. Apple’s foray into the smart home market never really took off in the same way.

This is where Google Chrome shines. If you have a Chromecast or Google Nest, you can cast videos or entire webpages to your big screen by simply right-clicking anywhere within the window.

Cast from Chrome example screenshot

And it’s for all of these reasons that we have to declare a tie for this section . The best browser for Mac in this particular situation comes down to your existing devices or the ecosystem you use.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, you’ll find the experience on Safari far more seamless. If you use an Android smartphone or want to make the most of your Chromecast, Google Chrome is excellent.

3. Support for multiple languages

Sometimes, you might want or need to visit a website not intended for your country. Aside from potentially needing a VPN, there may well be a language barrier in these cases.

This is common among people who like to stream online with a VPN but can’t work out what anything on the website says. Remember, do check if streaming is legal or not before you access different sites.

We’re just going to say it outright: Google Chrome is generally superior in supporting multiple languages, thanks to the power of Google Translate. Both Safari and Chrome can translate webpages from one language to another. But Google is miles ahead in the translation space.

Screenshot of Chrome on Mac, Chinese translate

To put this to the test, we got a Chinese IP address with Intego Privacy Protection, one of the best VPNs for Mac . We then loaded up several popular Chinese shopping websites we had no hope of understanding. While Google Chrome offered to translate the page, Safari did not.

4. Pop-up advert blockers

Pop-ups are not just annoying, but sometimes they can be malicious, too. Safari has native pop-up blocking built into the software. You can enable it by opening Settings or Preferences and then blocking some or all pop-up adverts.

Chrome is configured to block pop-up adverts by default. It’ll indicate when this happens with a small icon in the address bar. If, for any reason, you want to enable pop-up adverts, you can simply go into Settings , Permissions , then Pop-ups and redirects .

This is a fairly simple and standard feature, but it’s good to see that each developer has included it natively. So, it’s a tie in this section .

What is the most user-friendly browser?

For general ease of use, Chrome won over Safari in more sections . But as we mentioned, usability is subjective and largely influenced by the other devices you already own.

People who use Apple’s products may find Safari easier to get on with. Not to mention, you could miss out on features by using Chrome, including Handoff and Apple Pay integration.

User experience winner banner, Chrome browser

Safari vs. Chrome: Which Offers Better Data Privacy?

There’s big money in data, so companies will often collect as much user information as they can get away with. But giving away your data can come with privacy risks, which is why we’re huge advocates of using a VPN to encrypt your data .

With this in mind, we wanted to understand the following:

  • How much data Safari and Chrome gather
  • How they protect your data

1. Personal information collected by Chrome and Safari

Under the guise of “improving your future browsing experience,” Safari has been known to gather certain information about you and your habits. This includes:

  • Browsing history
  • Browser cache
  • Download history
  • Login credentials via cookies

Safari also offers a feature known as Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement. When enabled, this feature essentially supports advertising. Marketing agencies will be sent data relating to adverts you’ve interacted with, but all identifiable information is stripped out.

Chrome also has Do Not Track for tracking protection. But while Apple gathers limited data, we found Google tends to gather more specific data . Google is well-known for gathering a lot of data through its various services, and Chrome is one of its most prolific apps. Some of the data gathered by Chrome includes:

  • Your IP and location
  • Search and browsing history
  • User identifiers
  • Product interaction data

What’s more, unlike Safari, Firefox, and Edge, Chrome is said to tie this data to individuals and devices . As a result, we have to declare Safari the winner on this front .

2. Protection of your personal data

While Safari can see your IP address, even in Private Browsing mode, it isn’t shared. Safari has built-in Intelligent Tracking Prevention that uses machine learning to prevent trackers.

It also has a feature that prevents cross-site tracking and limits ad trackers from working. In their privacy policy, Apple says that they may share your personal data with Apple-affiliated companies, partners, developers, and publishers.

According to their privacy policy, Apple has never allowed government agency access to personal data and never will.

While Google follows data privacy legislation, your data does tend to be used more freely for advertising purposes. According to Google’s Safety Center, your data might be anonymized and used to drive targeted ads. This is partly why you’ll often see many online adverts for products you’ve recently discussed or looked at.

As a result, Safari wins here , though it’s partly a question of user experience and the annoyance that can come with ad bombardment.

What is the most private browser?

Both Google and Apple typically fight to retain user privacy. There have been numerous high-profile instances of these companies resisting requests for data from government and law enforcement agencies.

However, owing to Google’s reputation for data gathering and its use in targeted advertising, Safari wins overall on data privacy .

Privacy winner banner, Safari browser

Safari vs. Chrome: Final Thoughts

We looked at four main comparison areas in our Safari vs. Chrome review. In conclusion, each browser won on two sections, making for an overall tie.

This is reflective of our experience with Safari and Chrome. Both are good web browsers that offer a great user experience and strong privacy and security features.

That said, the caveat is that this is a highly subjective area . It also heavily depends on what devices you’re already using .

If you’ve got a Google Pixel, the full suite of Google smart home products, and a Chromecast, you might find Safari tough to get used to.

Similarly, if you’re a die-hard Apple fan with numerous Apple devices like a Mac, iPhone, and iPad, you’ll miss out on a load of cool features if you use Chrome as your main browser.

So, to summarize, we’ll leave you with this quick reference table that should help you make a choice. The table contains our browser recommendations depending on your situation.

Key Takeaways

  • Chrome generally performed better in our tests
  • Chrome offers superior multi-language support and device casting
  • Cross-platform use feels more seamless with Safari
  • Apple fans who use Chrome miss out on cool cross-platform features
  • Overall, Chrome beat Safari in more categories, making it the  best browser for Mac  in most scenarios

If you have questions about whether to choose Safari vs. Chrome, check out some of our previous answers below!

In our Safari vs. Chrome testing, Safari excelled in certain areas compared to Chrome. For example, Safari was better for general data privacy and processing activities with a high demand on graphics.

However, Chrome excelled in other areas, including user experience and overall performance.

You can use either browser on iPhone, but we recommend using Safari . One of the main reasons people choose Chrome is for its extensive extensions support.

However, Apple doesn’t allow you to install Chrome extensions on iOS . So, for an iPhone or iPad, Safari works best. There are other privacy-focused browsers you can pick too!

Safari and Chrome deliver a similar experience, with many shared features that lead to there being little different. Most of the differences come in the form of integrations with other Apple or Google products.

For example, if you use Safari, you can “Handoff” Safari tabs, passing them from one device to another. If you use Chrome, you can cast almost anything to a Chromecast.

Chris Bluvshtein

Chris Bluvshtein Author

Senior journalist.

Chris is a tech journalist with many years’ experience covering online privacy and cybersecurity. He’s also a published author and works as a Product Manager for some of the most innovative software development companies.

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Nothing against Safari other then its solely tied to Apple devices only. I am a multi-platform user so Chrome makes more sense seeing it can run on many different non Apple operating systems. WebKit is also going the way of Gecko with its own browser engine vs Chromium which is now the most used browser engine. If Apple didn't force IOS browsers to use WebKit and allow Chromium engine WebKit would be way less popular.

Hi John! Thank you for sharing. It's completely understandable that cross-platform users like yourself would choose Chrome over Safari. As you say, Safari is definitely great for Apple fans, but harder to use elsewhere.

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Why does safari slow down after few minutes of use and also why is safari significantly slower than chrome?

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 13.0

Posted on Dec 23, 2022 2:24 PM

KevTechSupport

Posted on Dec 23, 2022 2:25 PM

Hello, Bluejeans786

There could be a number of reasons why Safari might slow down after a few minutes of use. Here are a few potential causes:

  • Too many tabs open: If you have a lot of tabs open, your browser may start to slow down, especially if you have a lot of graphics-intensive tabs open.
  • Outdated or inefficient extensions: If you have a lot of extensions installed, they could be causing your browser to slow down. Some extensions may be outdated or inefficient, which could contribute to performance issues.
  • Your computer's hardware: If your computer is older or has low specs, it may not be able to handle the demands of modern web browsing, which could cause Safari to slow down.
  • Your internet connection: If your internet connection is slow or unstable, it could cause Safari to slow down as it struggles to load websites.

As for why Safari might be slower than Chrome, there could be a few reasons for this as well. For example, Chrome is often better optimized for modern web standards and technologies, which could make it faster in some cases. Additionally, Chrome is known for its extensive use of pre-loading and pre-rendering, which can help pages load faster. However, it's important to note that the performance of any browser can vary depending on a variety of factors, so it's possible that Safari may be faster in some cases and slower in others.

Best regards,

KevTechSupport

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  • sometimes safari is very slow specially when I kept searching in the web the safari on my Mac sometimes is very slow specially when I kept searching in the web 163 1

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Enabling the Develop menu in Safari.

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Soon after realizing my MacBook Pro battery life was greately extended by using Safari, I realized that the download speeds for Apple’s browser were really, really, really bad. So bad that I’ll open up Chrome (a MacBook battery hog) to download larger files and then close it once the download is complete. Or, in cases where I can easily copy the download URL, I’ll open up a terminal window and use the wget command for really speedy downloads.

I am convinced this dogged speed was by design–in order to keep battery usage to a minimum. Even with that bit of conspiracy theory in check, there are things you can do to help Safari speed up the downloads. Although these tips won’t have you seeing magical results (with Safari downloading as quickly as either Chrome or Firefox), you will see some improvement.

With that said, let’s get to the tips.

Clear that cache

This is the biggest culprit. Why? Unlike other browsers, Safari doesn’t handle it well when a cache becomes too large. It’s a rarity that Chrome or Firefox will trip up, due to cache. Safari, on the other hand, not so much.

So how do you clear the Safari cache? It’s really easy, so long as you don’t mind clearing out your history as well. What if you don’t want to delete them all, in one fell swoop? To do that, you have to jump through a hoop. Here’s how:

  • Open Safari
  • Click Safari | Preferences
  • Click on the Advanced tab
  • Click to enable Show Develop menu in menu bar ( Figure A )

Now that you’ve enabled the Develop menu, close the Preferences window and click Develop | Empty Caches. That’s it. Your cache has been cleared (without taking down your history as well).

SEE: Wireless networking policy (Tech Pro Research)

Set static IP and DNS addresses

On any network you have control over (such as your home or company network), you can give your MacBook a boost by setting static IP addresses. To do this, follow these steps:

  • Click on the Network icon in the top bar
  • Click Open Network Preferences
  • Select the network to be configured
  • Click Advanced
  • In the resulting window, click the TCP/IP tab
  • Select Manually, from the Configure IPv4 drop-down
  • Fill out the necessary information ( Figure B )

safari is slower than chrome

Once you’ve added the static address, click on the DNS tab, click on the + button ( Figure C ), and add a new DNS address. Do this such that you have a primary and secondary DNS address (such as Google’s DNS addresses 8.8.4.4 and 8.8.8.8).

safari is slower than chrome

Click OK and you’re done.

Reset Safari

What if you’ve been using Safari for quite some time and neither of the above tips makes any difference? It could be that Safari simply needs a reset. Unfortunately, the latest iterations of Apple’s browser saw the Reset Safari entry removed from the Safari menu and the only really dependable way to do this is via the command line. To do this, close Safari, open up the terminal window, and issue the following commands:

rm ~/Library/Cookies/* rm ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/* rm ~/Library/Caches/Metadata/Safari/* rm ~/Library/Safari/Downloads.plist rm ~/Library/Safari/Form\ Values rm ~/Library/Safari/History.plist rm ~/Library/Safari/HistoryIndex.sk rm ~/Library/Safari/LastSession.plist rm -rf ~/Library/Safari/LocalStorage rm ~/Library/Safari/TopSites.plist rm ~/Library/Safari/WebpageIcons.db

That should do it. Understand, this resets Safari to factory defaults, so you’ll lose all saved data and any configurations. But sometimes a reset is the only way to get Safari to behave. Use this only as a last-ditch effort.

It may be in vain

I still believe that Safari suffers from slower download (and upload, for that matter) speeds by design (to save precious battery). Because of this, you might find that all is in vain, that nothing you can do will speed Safari’s download speeds sufficiently. So when I’m not connected to power, Safari is my browser of choice. When I need to download or upload a larger file, I tend to head over to Chrome.

safari is slower than chrome

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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

Nektony

Why is Mac browser running slow and how to fix it?

If in the past few months you’ve noticed that your web pages are loading slowly, it’s likely that your Mac is in need of some maintenance. In this article, you will learn why your browser is so slow, how to solve slow browser issues, as well as how to speed up Chrome, Safari, or Firefox on your Mac.

Speed up a browser

1. Top reasons why is Mac browser so slow 2. Why is Safari so slow and how to speed up Safari 3. Why is Chrome so slow and how to speed up Chrome 4. Why is Firefox slow and how to speed up Firefox

Before we start

App Cleaner & Uninstaller

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1. Why is my Mac Browser so slow

In short, the most common reason for slow browser performance is unnecessary plugins, extensions, and panels that are either automatically installed with other applications or are third-party add-ons. In addition to slow performance, other browser problems can result in Google Chrome and Firefox, as well as Safari. The most vulnerable point of modern computers is the hard drive. Most users have a classic HDD with rotating platters. Every browser has cache files, which are stored on the disk. Therefore, all problems with slow performance have a root just in it. If you have not cleared your browser’s cache for a while, you will notice a significant improvement in the speed after cleaning it. Some users notice this and choose to clear the cache frequently. Thus, first of all, you should find out what makes your browser speed slow and what causes it sometimes to quit unexpectedly .

Pay attention to the following points to find out the reasons why is your browser so slow and how to speed up the Chrome browser, Safari browser or Firefox browser on a Mac:

✓ Browser’s Extensions

A large number of tools installed in the browser’s toolbar is convenient for a user, but the cumulative effect slows the browser’s performance. When a user installs programs on a computer, various browser extensions are installed, too. In this case, they may not be needed, and the inexperienced user may not even notice that something else is being installed.

Typically, most users don’t use all panels, but they affect the browser’s loading time and performance speed. As soon as a user collects several such panels on his computer, the first launch of the browser may take a minute or so. Well, this annoys us a lot. Thus, if you have too many browser extensions, you should analyze them and remove unused ones. Read our previous article to learn how  to remove browser extensions .

By default, when you install a browser, many plugins that are not needed are installed and activated as well. Also, some programs installed on your Mac automatically add their plugins. To find a list of your Mac internet plugins, go to the following path ~/Library/Internet Plugins. You can check which plugins make your browser slow. For this, create a new folder in Finder and move all the third-party plugins into it. Then check your browser’s performance. If everything is working well, then we were right. Add back one extension after another and check the browser’s performance. In this way, you can find the problematic plugin. If a “bad” extension is found, you can disable it, or even better, delete it.

Most modern websites use Java components. If you have not updated Java on your Mac for a long time, this can cause your browser to work poorly. To update Java to the latest version follow these steps: go to the official Java page → click to download Java for free → open the downloaded installation file → follow the on-screen instruction to install Java.

Some users rarely need Java and prefer to remove it entirely because Java has a significant impact, not only on the browser’s performance and speed but also on its’ vulnerability to various Trojans and viruses from the Internet. Perhaps after that, your browser will maintain a more optimal speed.

jawa download page screenshot

✓ Flash Player

If you use Safari, you can try to remove Flash Player. Actually, the famous Flash Player plugin from Adobe is not pre-installed on Apple’s computers. Despite this, millions of users install Flash Player because many Internet resources still use it for media content. We recommend that you delete or disable this plugin. It not only causes Safari to work poorly but also puts your Mac at risk of being hacked.

When you visit websites day after day, your browser collects its’ own database of addresses, texts, pictures and other information about these resources. Despite the fact that the browser cache is designed to speed up its performance, in rare cases, when the size of the database is too large, it can cause a slower loading time. In this case, you should try to clear the cache of your browser .

✓ Browser’s Update

Neglecting to update the browser routinely is another possible reason for slow performance. Open your browser, go to the Menu bar and select “About browser…” You will see a window with information on what version of the browser you have. If it is needed, click to update your browser.

✓ Antiviruses

Another reason why the Internet is slow is using an antivirus and firewall on your Mac. Yes, antivirus programs are designed to protect your computer. Antivirus programs check the information on each website, and as a result, affect the connection speed. Of course, not all antivirus programs slow down your browser, but there are some which do so. So try to turn the antivirus programs off and check to see if it helped to speed up Firefox , Chrome, Safari or any other browser you use. If it is the real reason, then you should u ninstall your antivirus program or decide whether the security or page loading speed is more important to you.

If nothing from the previous points has helped you, then try to uninstall your browser completely and install it again. Here is a list of guides which will help you to uninstall apps correctly:

  • Uninstall Google Chrome on Mac .
  • Uninstall Mozilla Firefox on Mac .
  • Uninstall Opera on Mac.
  • Uninstall Safari on Mac.

*Please note, you can uninstall plugins, disable extensions, clear cache and even reset your browsers with a free software tool from Nektony App Cleaner & Uninstaller . This program is designed to remove apps and extensions on your Mac correctly so that no remaining files negatively affect the computer’s performance.

removing browser extensions with app cleaner

Also, you should pay attention to other reasons why you may experience a slow Safari (or another browser):

  • You have a lack of free disk space on your hard drive.
  • There are some viruses on your computer.
  • Your disk requires being defragmented .
  • There are too many apps running at Mac startup .
  • You use old versions of macOS and haven’t updated the system when it is required.

Now, we would like to take a deeper look at each browser and share tips on how to make them work faster.

2. Why is Safari so slow? How to speed up Safari

safari icon

Anyway, if Safari is slow and not working properly, you should try the following solutions to make the browser speed faster:

  • Check for software updates from Apple.
  • In Safari Preferences, choose to open tabs, not with the Top Sites but a blank page.
  • Clean the entire history (cache, cookies, …) or do a Safari reset .
  • Try to update Adobe Flash Player to the latest version or disable Flash . If you need to enable Flash, you can install a special extension for Safari, which allows you to watch the necessary video from Adobe Flash.
  • Clean up unnecessary Internet Plugins. The plugins are located in the Library folder. Some plugins can slow down Safari, especially the old ones which are not supported and do not work correctly with the latest version of the browser.

Safari preferences window showing extensions tab

  • Slow browser performance and freezing can occur because of the additionally installed applications, for example, 1Password .
  • Set up the browser history to be saved no more than necessary. Some users save history no more than a week.

Safari browser icon in iCLoud settings

  • Try to create a new Mac user profile and check how Safari works.

If nothing helps, we recommend that you use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

3. Why Google Chrome is so slow? How to speed up Chrome

chrome icon

  • Delete the unwanted start page in the shortcut properties. For this, go to the Chrome Preferences.
  • Update the software to the latest version. All software pre-installed on your Mac, including the Chrome browser, should be up-to-date. Automatically checking for new updates works with a fairly long delay, so we recommend checking them manually.

Chrome settings - updating page

4. Why is Firefox slow. How to speed up Firefox

firefox icon

The reasons why Firefox is running slow on Mac are mostly the same as we described above: too many extensions and plugins, caches, cookies, and so on. However, we would like to add some tips to quickly check which factor is primarily affecting the browser’s speed.

Firefox troubleshoot mode window

  • Finding the problematic add-ons. If in the previous step you found out that the reason why the browser is slow is related with Firefox extensions , then you need to find out which one. For this, open the browser → go to the page with the add-ons → disable each extension separately and check the performance of Firefox.

Add-ons manager page in Firefox

We have shared the top reasons why your Mac browser can become slow and how to fix slow browser speed. If you find that the reason is related to installed extensions and add-ons, you can use a free software tool App Cleaner & Uninstaller which allows you to easily manage Mac and user extensions.

We hope that at least one of all the solutions mentioned above will help you to make your browser work more effectively. If you still have any questions, then leave a comment below. We will be happy to assist you.

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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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Watch CBS News

Fulton County DA Fani Willis plans to take a lead role in trying Trump case

By Daniel Klaidman

Updated on: March 29, 2024 / 6:34 PM EDT / CBS News

Two weeks after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis survived a bid by defense lawyers to have her disqualified from the Georgia election interference case , she has all but taken over the case personally, focusing intensely on legal strategy and getting her team in fighting form for trial.

In a significant move along these lines, according to a source close to her, Willis has decided to play a leading courtroom role herself in the sprawling conspiracy case against Donald Trump and 14 co-defendants.

"I think there are efforts to slow down the train, but the train is coming," Willis said with characteristic bravado during impromptu remarks to CNN as she was leaving a Georgia Easter egg hunt on March 23.

"I guess my greatest crime is that I had a relationship with a man, but that's not something I find embarrassing in any way," she added.

Willis had just endured a lengthy legal soap opera after lawyers for one of the defendants filed a motion on Jan. 8 alleging that she had a clandestine romantic relationship with outside lawyer Nathan Wade, whom she had tapped to lead the case. Over two months of withering testimony and legal argument , Willis had intimate details of her private life publicly aired, her judgment and integrity questioned, and saw the most high-stakes prosecution of her career teeter on the brink of collapse because of an indiscretion in her personal life.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in court

In the end, Judge Scott McAfee ruled there was no actual conflict of interest that would have required disqualification of Willis and her entire office from the case. But he did conclude that Willis' conduct created an "appearance of impropriety" that needed to be "cured" for her to continue. The solution was for Wade to resign from the case, which he did a few hours after the judge's ruling. Trump and eight co-defendants  have appealed  the ruling.

Instead of replacing Wade with another lawyer from inside or outside the office, Willis is stepping up her own role in quarterbacking the case, CBS News has learned. She has already plunged into the nuts and bolts of trial strategy, including starting to lay out how evidence, including witnesses and documents, will be presented, a process known as "order of proof." 

At the same time, she is thinking about how to communicate the stakes of a case about protecting the democratic rights of Georgians — a far more abstract concept than typical murder or gang prosecutions — to a Fulton County jury. 

Moreover, according to one knowledgeable source, Willis will now be the primary point of contact for defense lawyers in any future plea negotiations, a role that Wade had previously played. "If defendants come to us and they decide that they want to resolve their case, I'm always open-minded and reasonable, and we will listen to those explanations," she told CNN last week. "Now those conversations will be with me and not Mr. Wade."

Perhaps most consequentially, she is gaming out her own role in trying the case. Her appearance in the courtroom will not just be symbolic. Willis is seriously considering handling opening statements for the prosecution and examining key witnesses herself, according to sources familiar with her thinking, who requested anonymity to speak freely about her approach to the case. 

Those who know the pugnacious and competitive DA well say a star turn in the courtroom — in the only case against Trump that will be televised — may put the distracting disqualification drama fully behind her. They say she is intent on shifting the public's focus back onto Trump and his co-defendants for their alleged effort to overturn the 2020 election. It was a strategy she already showcased when she testified combatively in the disqualification hearing last month.  

"You're confused, you think I'm on trial," she told defense lawyer Ashley Merchant. "These people are on trial for trying to steal an election." 

Willis' stepped-up, high-profile public role in the case would also come as she runs for reelection in Fulton County. While it seems unlikely the trial would begin before the general election in November, she will likely have opportunities to argue pre-trial motions and procedural matters before then. 

Any remarks about the case she makes inside the courtroom carry far less risk than whatever she might be tempted to say in the public arena, where she feels less restrained. She has already been admonished by McAfee for making "unorthodox" public remarks. The judge has hinted that he might impose a gag order on the case.

"Given the fact that she just barely walked away legally unscathed and that there is an appeal, I think a little extra caution would pay off dividends," said Anthony Michael Kreis, a professor of law at Georgia State College of Law, who has been following the election interference case closely. But at the same time, Kreis said Willis has every "right and prerogative" to try the case herself and called doing so a potential "rehabilitation moment." 

Willis was always likely to play at least some public-facing role in the trial, if for no other reason than to show her constituents how seriously she was taking a case that she regards as core to their rights as Americans and Georgians, according to a close friend of Willis'. But it was only  after going through the searing two-month disqualification ordeal that she decided to play a leading, if not the leading trial role, sources tell CBS News. 

Willis earned a reputation as a courtroom practitioner over a two-decade career of trying and winning hundreds of murder, rape and gang cases, but also leading some of the most complex prosecutions ever brought in Georgia. Chief among them was the Atlanta Public Schools cheating case, a Georgia RICO prosecution — involving the same conspiracy statute under which Trump and his co-defendants were charged — against more than a dozen teachers, principals and administrators. All but one of the 12 defendants who went to trial were convicted in what still stands as the longest trial in Georgia history.

"She combines a level of preparation unmatched by any attorney I have ever seen, with a very rare ability to connect with a jury at that gut level," said Charlie Bailey, a former Fulton County senior assistant DA who has tried cases with Willis and is a close friend. 

  • Donald Trump
  • Fani Willis
  • Fulton County

Daniel Klaidman, an investigative reporter based in New York, is the former editor-in-chief of Yahoo News and former managing editor of Newsweek. He has over two decades of experience covering politics, foreign affairs, national security and law.

More from CBS News

Jeffrey Clark's actions related to 2020 election amount to "coup attempt," panel says

Supreme Court seems poised to reject abortion pill challenge

Trump allies hope to raise $33 million at Florida fundraiser

Ahmaud Arbery's killers seek to have hate crime convictions overturned

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COMMENTS

  1. Safari runs VERY slow compared to Google Chrome

    Safari runs VERY slow compared to Google Chrome. Hi, I'm having issues with Safari pretty much the same as in this post. I've tried everything suggested and nothing helped. I even read somewhere tha switching to compact mode helps but it didn't help me. The most lag that I am experiencing is on websites like Facebook, various web shops, YouTube ...

  2. Safari vs. Chrome vs. Firefox vs. Edge on macOS in 2022

    Chrome is even currently speedier than Safari on macOS. The browser also has one of the world's most extensive list of add-ons, plug-ins, and extensions. ... Can be slower than Chrome in terms of ...

  3. 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.

  4. Safari's slower than Chrome

    Nov 12, 2023. #9. On my 2019 macbook air running sonoma, safari pulls ahead in every benchmark in browserbench compared to chromium and firefox. In real world usage tho, safari loads webpages significantly slower compared to firefox and chromium, even when running without any extensions.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

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

    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.

  9. 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.

  10. Google says Chrome's latest update is faster than Safari

    Google has said that the latest Chrome update, version M99, is setting records on Apple's own Speedometer web benchmark and is even faster and more responsive on Macs than Safari. A post on the ...

  11. 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.

  12. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, or Safari: Which Browser Is Best ...

    Chrome maintains its longtime lead on this test with a score of 528. Edge, Opera, and other Chromium-based browsers hew closely to Chrome. Firefox and Safari bring up the rear, at 515 and 468 ...

  13. Safari vs. Chrome

    Under Settings > Appearance. On a new window/tab, click "Customize" on the bottom right of the window. Base on cpu, ram, and speed, yes, safari is better. But in terms of extension, chromium browser is still the dominant. Microsoft Edge has come a long way.

  14. Safari vs. Chrome in 2024: Which is the Best Browser for Mac?

    The best browser for Mac in this particular situation comes down to your existing devices or the ecosystem you use. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you'll find the experience on Safari far more seamless. If you use an Android smartphone or want to make the most of your Chromecast, Google Chrome is excellent. 3.

  15. Why does safari slow down after few minut…

    As for why Safari might be slower than Chrome, there could be a few reasons for this as well. For example, Chrome is often better optimized for modern web standards and technologies, which could make it faster in some cases. Additionally, Chrome is known for its extensive use of pre-loading and pre-rendering, which can help pages load faster.

  16. Why is Safari so much slower than Chrome? : r/apple

    Most of this is perception. If you do incremental rendering things feel faster. If you start incremental rendering sooner, it feels faster again. Safari is optimized for battery life, so it waits a bit longer in order to limit the re-rendering overhead. Chrome is optimized to show you the content as soon as possible, and it chews through ...

  17. Safari vs Google Chrome: Which browser is better in 2023?

    Click to open the app in the menu bar. Select Google Chrome. Check "Slow down this app if it uses more than". Choose the percentage (e.g. 10%) Verdict: Safari is definitely the speedier and more lightweight browser of the two. But if you need to use Chrome, its desire for more RAM and CPU can be mitigated with App Tamer.

  18. 3 ways to speed up slow Safari downloads

    Clear that cache. Set static IP and DNS addresses. Reset Safari. It may be in vain. Download speeds on your MacBook's Safari browser may be slower than in browsers like Chrome or Firefox. Here are ...

  19. 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.

  20. Why is my Browser Slow on Mac?

    In short, the most common reason for slow browser performance is unnecessary plugins, extensions, and panels that are either automatically installed with other applications or are third-party add-ons. In addition to slow performance, other browser problems can result in Google Chrome and Firefox, as well as Safari.

  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: Launch your Safari browser on your Mac. Then click on History in the menu bar. Choose the time span and then click on the Clear History button again.

  22. Fulton County DA Fani Willis plans to take a lead role in trying Trump

    Two weeks after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis survived a bid by defense lawyers to have her disqualified from the Georgia election interference case , she has all but taken over the ...