Having Safari freeze and become unresponsive on your Mac can be frustrating. Here are the top solutions to fix this issue.
Force Quit and Restart
If Safari on your Mac is not responding, a quick fix is to force quit the browser and then restart it. To force quit Safari, press Command + Option + Esc to bring up the Force Quit Applications window. Select Safari from the list and click on the “Force Quit” button.
After force quitting Safari, click on the Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen and select Restart to reboot your Mac. Once your Mac has restarted, open Safari again and see if the issue has been resolved.
If Safari continues to not respond, you may need to clear the cache and cookies. To do this, go to the Safari menu bar and select Clear History and Website Data. Choose the time range you want to clear and click on “Clear History”.
You can also try resetting Safari by going to the Safari menu bar, selecting Reset Safari, and checking the boxes for the items you want to reset. This can help fix any underlying issues that may be causing Safari to not respond.
Clear Cache, Cookies, and History
- Open Safari on your Mac.
- Go to the Safari menu and select Preferences.
- Click on the Privacy tab.
- Click on Manage Website Data.
- Select Remove All to clear all cookies and cache.
- Go back to the Safari menu and select Clear History.
- Choose the time range you want to clear and click Clear History.
Disable Extensions
1. Open Safari on your Mac.
2. Click on the Safari menu in the top-left corner of the screen.
3. Select “Preferences” from the drop-down menu.
4. Click on the “Extensions” tab.
5. Uncheck the box next to each extension to disable it.
6. Close the Preferences window.
7. Quit and re-open Safari to see if the issue is resolved.
Disabling extensions can help fix Safari not responding on your Mac by eliminating any potential conflicts or issues caused by the extensions. By following these steps, you can quickly identify if an extension is causing the problem and resolve it accordingly.
If Safari is still not responding after disabling extensions, you may want to consider clearing the cache and cookies, restarting your Mac, or updating Safari to the latest version. These additional steps can help improve the performance and responsiveness of Safari on your Mac.
Check Network Settings
Check your network connection by looking at the status next to “Connected.” If it says “Connected,” your network connection is working properly. If not, troubleshoot your network connection.
You can also check the Wi-Fi settings by selecting Wi-Fi from the list on the left side of the Network window. Make sure the Wi-Fi is turned on and connected to the correct network.
Check your DNS settings by clicking on the “Advanced” button in the Network window. Go to the DNS tab and make sure the DNS servers listed are correct. You can also add Google’s public DNS servers (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) to see if that resolves the issue.
If you’re still experiencing issues with Safari not responding, try clearing the cache and cookies. Open Safari, go to the Safari menu, and select “Clear History.” Choose the time range you want to clear and click “Clear History.”
Update and Reset
To update Safari on your Mac, click on the Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen. Select “App Store” and then click on “Updates” to check for any available updates for Safari. If there is an update, click on “Update” next to Safari to install it.
If Safari is still not responding after updating, you may need to reset it. To reset Safari, first close the browser. Then, hold down the Shift key and click on the Safari icon in the Dock to open it in Safe Mode. This will disable any extensions or plugins that may be causing the issue.
Once Safari is open in Safe Mode, go to the Safari menu and select “Clear History” to clear the cache and cookies. This can help resolve any issues with loading web pages. You can also try resetting Safari by going to the Safari menu and selecting “Reset Safari.” This will reset all settings and remove any saved data, so make sure to back up any important information before doing this.
After resetting Safari, try reopening the browser to see if the issue has been resolved. If Safari is still not responding, you may need to restart your Mac. To restart your Mac, click on the Apple menu and select “Restart.” This can help resolve any temporary issues that may be causing Safari to not respond.
Delete Preference Files
To fix Safari not responding on your Mac, one effective solution is to delete preference files. These files can sometimes become corrupted or outdated, causing issues with the browser’s performance. Here’s how you can do it:
1. Close Safari and any other open applications on your Mac.
2. Open a Finder window and navigate to the “Library” folder. You can access this folder by holding down the “Option” key on your keyboard and clicking on the “Go” menu in the Finder.
3. Locate the “Preferences” folder within the “Library” folder.
4. Look for files related to Safari, such as “com.apple.Safari.plist” or “com.apple.Safari.plist.lockfile.”
5. Select these files and move them to the trash. You may need to enter your administrator password to complete this action.
6. Empty the trash to permanently delete the preference files.
7. Restart your Mac and open Safari to see if the issue has been resolved.
By deleting these preference files, you are essentially resetting Safari to its default settings, which can often fix performance issues. If Safari is still not responding after deleting the preference files, you may need to consider other solutions such as clearing the cache or reinstalling the browser.
F.A.Q.
How do I fix unresponsive Safari on Mac?
To fix unresponsive Safari on Mac, you can force quit the application and then relaunch it. Go to the Apple logo, select Force Quit, choose Safari from the list of apps, and click Force Quit. Wait a moment before reopening Safari.
Why does my Mac keep saying application not responding?
Your Mac may be saying “application not responding” because the app is frequently unresponsive. Try reinstalling the app by uninstalling it and then reinstalling it or re-downloading it from the App Store. If it’s a built-in app like Finder, you can reinstall the operating system.
Why is my Mac saying the application Safari is not open anymore?
Your Mac may be saying the application Safari is not open anymore due to corrupted system files. To fix this error, try reinstalling or updating macOS. Connect to a strong Wi-Fi network, navigate to “System Preferences > Update Software”, and download/install any listed updates.
How do I fix corrupted Safari on my Mac?
To fix corrupted Safari on your Mac, you can try force quitting Safari, restarting your Mac, deleting Safari history, cache, and cookies, disabling Safari extensions, checking network settings, and deleting preference files.
