Safari is Apple’s web browser that is available on macOS, iPadOS, and iOS. Over the years, it has offered outstanding services to the users, and Apple has always improved their privacy quotient. Despite the ease of using Safari, Mac users realized Safari’s performance, and speed is down the hill after using the device for a few years. The company optimizes the browser’s performance and resource consumption, but Safari remains unresponsive and slow. Fortunately, this problem is not permanent, and one can fix this issue in minutes.
The most basic way to fix this issue is by updating the macOS and restarting the device after the update is installed. Updating the macOS will automatically bring you the latest version of Safari, eliminating the lagging issues. There are other methods to boost Safari’s speed and performance, and here is what to do:
Clear Cache and Temporary Files
Like any other browser, Safari also keeps cache data from all the websites you visit, and all this data consumes a lot of disk space, leading it to interfere with the browser’s performance. Thus, it is essential to remove or clear the cache data every once in a while, to maintain and improve the browser’s performance. Here is how to clear the cache on Safari:
After launching Safari, click on Safari and select Preferences from the menu bar given on the top of the screen.
Click on the Advanced tab, and select Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar from the bottom of the window.
Close the Preferences window and click on Develop.
From the menu bar at the top of the screen, click on Empty Caches.
If you don’t want to eliminate all the extensions and only remove the culprit, then try adding the add-ons one by one and check if it causes any issue.
Free Up Some Space
Lack of space can also lead the browser to malfunction and affect Mac’s overall health and performance. Thus, it is essential to clean the space and ensure that the device is not overloaded. Freeing up space will allow the device to perform better, and the built-in apps will also start performing well. For best performance, ensure that the device has at least 10GB of free space.
Restrict Plugins and Its Permissions
For years, Apple has been trying to improve its plugins so that they don’t interfere with the browser’s performance. But these plugins somehow hinder Safari to work smoothly, especially if it is not updated. If you want to avoid such a situation, it is best to get a plugin that asks for permissions before Safari starts running them in the background. You should also be aware of the camera, microphone, location, and other site security settings.
To make changes, go to Safari and click on Preferences. Then, click on Websites to check the permissions granted to each website. If you like, you can disable the permissions for each website individually. It would be best if you also disabled auto-play. If you are using an older version of Safari, go to Safari’s Preferences and click on Security followed by Plugin Settings and ensure that the plugins Ask for permissions before running on the browser.
Disable Browser Extensions
Safari offers some useful extensions, but often they tend to slow down the browser’s performance rather than improving it. Overall, it affects the browsing experience. To eradicate the slow down and performance issue caused by such interruptive add-ons, you should disable the extensions from the browser. To do so, go to Safari and click on Preferences, and select Extensions. Now, uncheck the boxes beside the names of the extensions you want to disable. Note that disabling the extension will not remove them permanently from your device. So, if you want, you can remove the extensions permanently by clicking on the Uninstall button for each extension.
Identify Unreliable Websites
The websites you regularly visit also determines the overall health and performance of your browser. Visiting unreliable and harmful websites often leads to slow down the browser’s performance as such websites include multiple scripts, ads, rough extensions, etc. Such websites also consume many resources that they don’t require, and at times they entirely crash and interrupt in your work. To improve this situation, use the following steps:
Start by opening the Activity Monitor from the Applications section.
Now, click on Utilities.
From the CPU tab, click on the Process Name column to sort or arrange everything by name and find Safari.
Observe the % CPU column and close the Safari tabs one by one to find the ones creating a negative impact on your CPU usage.
Apart from these tips, ensure that you do not have any unattended tab opened in the browser, and if there is any such tab, disable it soon as it may raise more issues. You should also check if you have a proper internet connection. Check if any app running in the background is consuming resources and space to make our device and Safari run slower. If Safari remains unresponsive, it is best to have a backup or alternative browser app installed on your Mac.
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