Gone are the days when you could make yourself a sandwich while a web page was loading. The Internet is lightning fast now, so when things get slow as you browse the web it feels.. unnatural. How to download pdf for mac. But oftentimes it's not the Internet speed or the Wi-Fi connection that's testing your patience — it's the browser.
There are many ways to clean up Mac and make Safari faster, but the most convenient and efficient way is to use a professional Mac cleaner. Open Safari on your Mac, go up to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click on Safari. From the drop-down menu select Preferences. Make sure the Advanced tab is selected on the window that.
Safari is not the fastest of browsers to begin with, and it can get downright sluggish as time goes by. There are several possible reasons for Safari running slow or freezing, and in this post we'll see what they are and what can be done about them. The fixes below are done manually, but to streamline the process get a utility like CleanMyMac X. It's perfect for fixing a slow Safari on Mac, and it's free to download.
Safari running slow on Mac - How to speed it up
So, why is Safari so slow? It could be..
1. Too much history data and cache.
How To Make Safari Run Faster On Mac
Safari stores information about every website you visit, and if you're an average Internet user in 2020 it's an awful lot of data. Plus, elements of those websites like images and html files are saved to cache so that pages load faster next time, which puts an additional burden on the browser. Imagine driving a car that's packed with everything you ever owned: it's bound to go slower than normal. So, try getting rid of the dead weight and see if Safari is still slow afterwards.
How to fix: Clear history and cache.
Normally, clearing history makes Safari empty cache as well, so try this method first:
- Open Safari.
- Hit History in the menu bar.
- Choose Clear History.
- Select the time span and hit the Clear History button.
This should do the trick, but if for some reasons you don't want to lose your browsing history and just want to get rid of the cache, that can be done as well. Here's how to clear Safari cache with more precision:
- Open Safari.
- Hit Safari in the menu bar.
- Choose Preferences.
- Select the Advanced tab.
- Checkmark Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- Click on Develop in the menu bar.
- Select Empty caches
If you'd like to automate all of this, try CleanMyMac's Smart Scan. Not only will it clean up Safari history and cache, but it will also clear app caches and other junk to lighten the load on your whole Mac. This is how you clean up cache with it:
- Launch CleanMyMac X and hit Smart Scan.
- Go through the modules to review the files you'll remove (cache will be in System Junk).
- Hit Clean.
That's it, all the clutter including Safari cache is gone. And while we're at it, let's erase the browsing history, too.
- Go to the Privacy module in CleanMyMac.
- Select Safari from the list.
- Check the items you want to delete.
- Hit Remove.
Done. Try opening a few web pages to see whether Safari is still running slow. If the spinning beach ball in Safari didn't go anywhere, check for other possible issues below.
2. Corrupted Preferences.
As you tweak the browser to your taste, like assign the homepage and search engine or pick where the downloads are saved, all the info about your preferred browser behavior is stored in a preferences file. When that file becomes corrupted, the browser can start acting funny. If Safari's not loading certain websites, lags, or freezes, chances are the problem is broken Preferences.
How to fix: Delete the preferences file.
When you get rid of the corrupted file, the browser will simply generate a new one. Follow these steps to find and delete Safari's preferences file:
- Close Safari.
- Open Finder and use the Command+Shift+G shortcut.
- Enter ~/Library/Preferences/ into the popup and hit Enter.
- Find the file named 'com.apple.Safari.plist' and delete it.
The only downside is that you'll erase your browser settings and will have to recreate them. Mac os x editor. But if you use CleanMyMac X, you can make sure Safari preferences are broken before erasing them. That way, you won't lose all your settings for nothing.
So, to check Safari's preferences file and delete it if necessary, do 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. Just hit Clean and delete it along with all the other junk. But if it's not there, your Safari is probably slow for a different reason.
3. Buggy extensions.
Extensions let you do a ton of convenient extras in a browser, like store passwords or translate words with a click. But being third-party add-ons, they can impact Safari's performance in unexpected ways, especially if they aren't regularly updated.
How to fix: Remove the extension.
To find out which of your extensions is causing trouble, run a quick diagnostic:
- Click Safari in the menu bar.
- Select Preferences.
- Select the Extensions tab.
- Uncheck extensions one by one and see if the problem goes away.
When you've identified the culprit, hit the Uninstall button next to that extension in the Preferences.
As an alternative, go to CleanMyMac's Extensions module and then Safari Extensions to remove any of them. Safari still running slow even though you've disabled every add-on? Let's try the next thing on the checklist.
4. Autofill data.
Autofill comes in handy when you don't want to memorize passwords and phone numbers, which is most of the time. However, when there's a lot of autofill data stored, Safari might freeze for a few seconds before filling in every field. If it seems like the feature is annoying you more than it's helping, you can just turn it off. Alternatively, you can disable only some of the options or remove the autofill data you won't need.
How to fix: Delete autocomplete history.
Apple Safari For Mac
To manage Autofill, do the following:
- Go to Safari and then Preferences from the menu bar.
- Select the Autofill tab.
Here you can disable any or all uses for Autofill (for example, never use it for credit card info). By clicking Edit, you'll be able to look through the data that's stored for autocompleting and delete the entries you don't want there.
If you'd rather clean up all Autofill data in one go, it's more convenient to do that with CleanMyMac X. You'll need the Privacy module you're already familiar with from when we cleared browsing history in Safari.
- Go to Privacy in CleanMyMac.
- Select Safari.
- Check Autofill Values.
- Click Remove.
If you still don't have CleanMyMac, you can try it for free. The app will be helping you out long after you fix this Safari loading slow problem, because it's packed with maintenance features that can boost the performance of your whole Mac, not just your browser.
5. Outdated plugins like Flash and Java.
Many websites require Flash and Java for Safari to play video or animated content. These plugins can drag the browser's performance down if they are outdated, so the reason why Safari is running slow and gets stuck loading pages could be just that.
How to fix: Update Flash and Java.
It's worth mentioning that big websites are dropping Flash and Java for a number of reasons (they are super buggy, for one), but if you absolutely have to open a website that uses one of those, check if your Flash plugin or Java need updating.
The best way to install the most recent Flash player is to download it from Adobe's website. The page automatically identifies if the Flash player is up to date and will give you the download link if it's not.
To check if you have the latest version of Java and update it if necessary, go straight to Oracle's website. You'll verify your Java version and get instructions on what to do next on that page.
That's it, your browser should be back up to speed by now, so you can wave goodbye to Safari being slow. Just be sure to do regular cleanups and maintenance with CleanMyMac X, so that Safari keeps running like the wind.
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Improve Safari's browsing speed and security, by adjusting DNS settings
Have you ever wondered what happens when you click a link on a webpage? Or how you are being redirected to another webpage or website? You might also consider how your emails travel through the Internet to reach the recipients. These movements are essentially requests and responses to particular servers called Domain Name System (DNS). Your computer (or browsers) sends a numerical request to a DNS server where a huge database stores information about domains and associated numerical addresses. DNS servers respond with a matching domain and allow your browser to load a particular webpage or website.
Therefore, website loading speed is closely related to the speed of the DNS server you are using. Internet Service Provider (ISP) DNS servers are not the fastest, but are popular since they use default computer settings, unless you manually change them. Changing the DNS server settings is not a difficult task and can allow users to achieve a quicker response time (and websites load faster). These settings impact all web browsers you are using. Furthermore, open DNS servers (or public servers) usually contain more protection tools as compared to ISP servers. DNS servers often encounter various issues resulting in unresponsive web browsers and unreachable websites/pages. Considering the pros and cons of open and public DNS servers, below we describe how you can change DNS settings on a Mac.
Table of Contents:
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Benefits of Public DNS servers
Below we clarify the advantages of public DNS servers.
- Performance. Implements 'smart' caching to decrease response times.
- Security. One of the most important vulnerabilities of open DNS servers is spoofing attacks, which modify the cache of name servers. As a result, visitors are redirected to potentially malicious websites. This is not the case with public DNS servers.
- Accurate results. Always respond with correct results, regardless of query entered, and follow DNS standards.
Update DNS settings on Mac computers
Changing DNS settings on Mac computers is simple, requiring just a few clicks. The fastest DNS servers are probably Cloudflare DNS servers. Alternatively, you can choose Google's public DNS servers or Open DNS servers. Start by going to Mac System Preferences, open Network, and select the network for which you wish to adjust DNS settings.
You can change the DNS for both ethernet and Wi-Fi connections. Click on Advanced. In the newly opened window, select the DNS tab, and look for the Add(+) button in the bottom of the DNS servers list. Type the following IPv4 addresses: 1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1, and IPv6 addresses: 2606:4700:4700:1111, 2606:4700:4700:1001 by clicking the Add button after each. If you wish, use Cloudflare's consumer DNS service or any other you prefer. When all entries are complete, click OK and then click Apply to save the changes. You may not notice changes after you adjust DNS settings until you clear the DNS cache or restart the Mac. If you cannot restart the computer, follow this detailed guide how to flush DNS cache on Mac.
Adjust DNS settings on iOS devices
Changing DNS preferences on mobile Apple devices is similar to Mac computers and also simple. Only several taps and you will be browsing the Internet faster. Open iDevice settings and tap on Wi-fi. Then look for the network you are using and tap on the information (i) icon. Look for a DNS section and tap on Configure DNS. In the new window, select manual and then tap on Add Server. Write down the existing server addresses in case the new ones do not work properly. Then type in the Cloudflare's IPv4 addresses: 1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1 and IPv6 addresses:2606:4700:4700:1111, 2606:4700:4700:1001, press return and Save.
Adjust DNS settings on Windows computers
As compared with Mac computer, changing DNS settings on a Windows computer is a bit more complicated. Several steps are required to successfully change them as described below.
- To start, go to Control panel, open Network and Internet, select Network and Sharing center and click on Change adapter settings.
- Next, choose the network you are using.
- If you are using an Ethernet network, right-click Local Area Connection and select Properties.
- If you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, right-click on Wireless Network Connection and select Properties. Choose your current wireless network.
- Select the networking tab and from the list under 'This connection uses the following items', select Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6), and then click Properties.
- In the newly opened window, click Advanced and select the DNS tab. If you have found any addresses, write them down in case you need to switch back to the default settings. Remove them and click OK.
- In the bottom label, select 'Use the following DNS server addresses'. Write down the entries if they exist. Then remove them and type in Cloudflare's consumers DNS depending on the Protocol version:
- IPv4 preferred DNS server: 1.1.1.1, alternate DNS server: 1.0.0.1
- IPv6 preferred DNS server: 2606:4700:4700:1111, alternate DNS server: 2606:4700:4700:1001
- Click OK.
If adjusting DNS settings did not improve Safari's browsing speed, try clear the cache and cookies by following a detailed guide here.
Video Showing how to change DNS settings on Mac computer:
