Safari is a highly efficient web browser, known for its speed, security features, and smooth browsing experience. However, despite its effectiveness, sometimes it just crashes without any visible reason. It can be frustrating as it disrupts tasks and interrupts workflow.
In this guide, we’ll explore some effective troubleshooting methods to resolve this issue and have a smooth browsing experience.
Safari may crash on a Mac due to various reasons, like software conflicts or underlying hardware issues. It is commonly caused by:
Here are some effective troubleshooting methods to fix a crashing Safari on your Mac:
Force quitting and restarting Safari can resolve crashing issues by clearing any temporary glitches or conflicts within the application. It is a quick and easy way to fix a crashing Safari.
Just follow these steps:
Alternatively, you can press Option + Command + Esc on the keyboard to quickly force quit Safari on your Mac.
Restarting your Mac is another effective solution for resolving Safari crashes. It will give your browser a fresh start and resolve any bugs and glitches affecting Safari’s performance.
To restart your Mac, simply do this:
An outdated OS is most likely accumulated with bugs and glitches. Over time, these bugs can cause issues with your Mac, like Safari keeps crashing without any reason. However, frequently updating both your macOS and Safari browsers can fix these hidden problems.
Simply follow these steps to update macOS and Safari:
If Safari keeps crashing a lot, it could be because something is wrong with the old profile. Making a new one gives you a fresh start without any problems, so your browsing experience is stable and smooth.
To create a new profile in Safari on Mac:
A new profile will open in a new Safari window. Try browsing through it to see if it solves the issue.
Safe Mode is a diagnostic mode in macOS that helps troubleshoot issues by preventing certain software and processes from loading during startup. In other words, it stops some programs from running, which can figure out what’s causing the trouble.
You can boot into Safe Mode instead of normal startup to find out if certain software is making Safari crash. First, check your Mac type:
Once in Safe Mode, you can operate your Mac as usual to see if the issue persists. Try using Safari and other applications to see if they work without crashing. If Safari operates normally in Safe Mode but crashes in normal mode, the problem may be caused by third-party software, extensions, or startup items.
Over time, accumulated cache files can become large and cluttered, leading to performance issues. Clearing these cache files can give Safari a fresh start, which can improve its stability and responsiveness.
To delete cache files in Safari, just do the following:
Once you clear the cache, your Safari browser should work just fine. However, keep in mind that clearing the cache can temporarily slow down webpage loading until new cache files are downloaded.
Like cache files, website data can also become outdated or corrupted with time. These corrupted cookies can cause unexpected behavior in Safari, like crashing all of a sudden. Removing all website data will give Safari a clean slate, so it works smoothly and doesn’t crash.
Here’s how you can delete all website data from Safari:
Deleting website data doesn’t remove personal data or bookmarks stored in Safari. However, deleting website data from Safari on your Mac will also remove it from other apps that use Safari data.
When an extension stays in the browser for a long time, it becomes outdated and stops working well with the browser’s updates. This can slow down browsing, make it crash often, or even make the browser less secure. So, you can check and remove old extensions to keep your Safari browser running smoothly and safely.
Follow these steps:
The settings stored in PRAM/NVRAM can impact the overall functioning of the macOS system, including the performance of applications like Safari. If there are corrupted or incorrect settings in PRAM/NVRAM, it can lead to system instability or conflicts that may cause Safari to crash.
An easy way to resolve this issue is by resetting PRAM/NVRAM on your Mac:
After all the settings have been set to default, you can re-adjust settings like display resolution and time zone.
Disk Utility is a built-in application on macOS that lets you manage and troubleshoot your disk drives and storage devices. It has many features like First Aid, that you can use to resolve the issue of Safari crashing.
Just follow these steps:
Once Disk Utility finishes, restart your Mac. Then, test Safari to see if it works smoothly now.
Safari preference files store various settings and configurations for the Safari web browser on your Mac. These files control things like your homepage, saved passwords, and browsing history. If your Safari browser is crashing a lot, you can try deleting these files to reset your browser to its default state.
Here’s how to do that:
Once done, open Safari again and run it. Safari will automatically generate fresh *.plist files as you use it.
Apple Diagnostics is a tool on your Mac that checks if there are any problems with its hardware, like memory or storage. When Safari keeps crashing, it can be because something is wrong with the Mac itself. So, running Apple Diagnostics can help find out if any hardware issues are causing Safari to crash.
Let’s see how to run Apple Diagnostics on your Mac:
For Macs with Apple Silicon:
For Mac with an Intel chip:
Wait for Apple Diagnostics to finish testing your Mac, and note any reference codes provided. If issues are detected, you can refer to Apple’s website for further assistance.
Why does Safari keep crashing on my Mac?
Safari can crash on your Mac due to various reasons such as corrupted cache files, incompatible extensions, or underlying hardware issues. You can try solutions like clearing cache and disabling extensions to resolve the problem.
Will clearing cache files from Safari affect my browsing experience?
Clearing cache files from Safari can improve browsing performance by removing temporary data. However, it can also slow down initial loading times for websites as they rebuild the cache. Still, it generally enhances the overall browsing experience and gives a smoother operation.
Can a slow internet connection cause Safari to crash?
A slow internet connection cannot directly cause Safari to crash, but it can cause performance issues such as slow loading times and unresponsive web pages, which can result in Safari freezing or crashing. Having a stable and fast internet connection prevents such issues.
Safari browsers can crash due to many reasons, like corrupted cache files, incompatible browser extensions, outdated software, or insufficient system resources. These crashes can disrupt your browsing experience and hinder your productivity. Good thing, that you can clear cache files, disable incompatible browser extensions, and update your software to quickly resolve the issue.
