You’ve tried everything. But the Safari Browser on your Mac is running painfully slow. The truth is, the Safari browser generally provides the fastest and most efficient browsing experience on Mac.
It’s one of the best browsers out there, as Apple puts a lot of work into optimizing its performance.
But like other browsers you use on Mac, Safari can slow down over time for various reasons. This may not happen suddenly, but when it does, you’ll notice a delay in loading web pages, and certain websites will even fail to load on your device.
Need help with a sluggish browsing experience? In this tutorial, we’ll equip you with tips you can use to speed up your Safari and enhance the browsing experience.
Tips to speed up Safari on your Mac
If your Safari Browser is running slow, you should be able to speed it up using the steps below.
1. Update Safari and macOS
Updating your Safari browser and macOS is crucial for optimal performance and security. Apple releases updates that include bug fixes, performance enhancements, and new features.
To check for software updates:
Go to the Apple menu
Select System Preferences
Click Software Update
Click Update Now to install any available updates. Updating Safari and macOS improves speed and provides the latest security patches, protecting you from potential vulnerabilities and online threats.
2. Clear cache and cookies
As you browse the web, Safari keeps a cache of data from all the websites you visit. While it helps speed up future visits to similar websites, it takes up disk space, which can contribute to performance issues.
That’s why it’s always recommended to clear Safari’s cobwebs occasionally by emptying the cache. This is crucial to free up the available disk space and improve the browser’s performance.
To clear cache:
Go to Safari
Select Preferences
Go to Privacy
Click Manage Website Data.
Here, you’ll find a list of websites with stored data. Remove All to clear all cache and cookies. This will speed up Safari and help you secure your Mac by removing traces of your browsing history from your Mac.
3. Disable extensions
As a Mac user, you’re probably aware of numerous Safari extensions available to install on your browser. These extensions enhance your browsing experience by providing useful features and functionalities to Safari.
But beware—sometimes they do more harm than good by slowing your browser. This mostly applies to extensions that directly affect the browsing experience. One of the best ways to deal with these extensions is to review them together and disable the ones you don’t need.
Here’s how to do it:
Go to Safari
Select Preferences
Click on Extensions.
Evaluate each extension’s usefulness and disable or remove any that you no longer need. Keeping only essential extensions active can significantly improve Safari’s speed and responsiveness.
4. Reduce open tabs
Having many Safari tabs open may appear to be convenient, but it might tax your Mac’s memory and processing capacity. And compared to others, some might use more memory. This explains why you may have noticed a “This webpage is using significant energy” indication when surfing.
Keep in mind that each open tab requires resources; having too many open at once might result in poor performance. Even those you are not presently using take CPU resources and may cause Safari on your Mac to slow down.
So, if Safari isn’t as fast you’d like, check your open tabs and remove any that you no longer need. You may also group similar tabs and collapse them when not in use. This will clear out the clutter and improve Safari’s speed.
5. Limit plugins
Over time, Apple has sought to remove plugins from its default browser. However, they will still affect your browsing experience by slowing down Safari on rare occasions.
For example, plugins like Adobe Flash are resource-intensive and are no longer supported by many websites owing to security concerns.
If you have any plugins installed, you should disable or uninstall them from Safari.
Alternatively, you may use more efficient and secure web technologies such as HTML5. Most websites have moved away from depending on plugins, allowing you to enjoy a quicker and more secure surfing experience.
6. Reset Safari
If you’ve tried all the above steps and still wondering why is my Mac so slow, you probably need to reset the browser. Sometimes using Safari for a long-time can slow it down and make it unresponsive on several occasions.
So, if your Safari is slow and nothing seems to fix it, close the app and reset it to fix the issue. This will change it back to its default settings, removing accumulated data that might be causing slowdowns.
To do this:
Go to Safari
Click Reset Safari.
Review the options and customize the reset process based on your preferences. Remember that resetting Safari will clear your browsing history, website data, and extensions, so it’s essential to back up any critical data beforehand.
Final thoughts
Browsers, especially Safari, are probably the most-used apps on any MacBook. As such, you can’t afford a slow one that affects your browsing experience whenever you visit a website on your device.
So, it’s up to you to ensure that Safari runs at its best on your Mac. Regularly updating Safari and macOS, clearing cache and cookies, managing extensions, and limiting open tabs are effective ways to speed up Safari.
Remember, a fast and optimized Safari saves you time and ensures a secure and enjoyable online journey. Make these practices a habit, and you’ll reap the benefits of a smooth and efficient web browsing experience on your Mac.
