You open a page in Safari, wait for it to load, and wonder whether the next tab will be just as slow.
If you’re trying to speed up Safari on Mac, check a few unrelated websites before changing settings. One slow site needs a different response from a browser that struggles everywhere.
TL;DR
Try reversible Safari checks first and save work in open tabs before closing them.
- Compare another site or browser, reload the page, then check extensions or a private window.
- Remove site data only for an isolated site problem; it can sign you out.
- Keep tabs with unsaved work open until you have saved them.
The written Safari settings paths below follow Apple’s macOS 27 guide. Older versions may use Preferences instead of Settings. The retained pictures are legacy examples whose exact Safari and macOS versions are unrecorded.
Find out whether one website or the whole connection is slow
Try the same action each time, such as opening the affected page or starting a video. Then open an unrelated website.
If another browser is already available, compare the same pages there without installing anything just for this check.
| What you notice | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Only one website is slow in Safari. | Reload that page, check its extensions, then compare it in a private window. |
| Several unrelated sites are slow in Safari, but work normally in another browser. | Reduce open tabs, check Safari extensions, then check for updates. |
| Several sites are slow in multiple browsers or on other devices using the same connection. | Check the connection rather than deleting Safari data. |
| Safari’s menus and other Mac apps are also unresponsive. | Save any work you can and treat the wider Mac slowdown separately. |
This comparison is a clue, not a diagnosis. If the same website struggles across devices while unrelated sites work, the website itself may be having trouble.
Clearing every site’s data won’t establish whether that server is responding normally.
For a wider Wi-Fi problem, check that the Mac is connected to the intended network. Compare a different trusted network if one is available, or ask your provider or network administrator about an outage.
The Wi-Fi troubleshooting guide includes these checks and the built-in diagnostics. A slow page alone isn’t a reason to replace DNS settings.
Save your work, reduce tabs, and reload
Finish uploads and save drafts before closing tabs or quitting Safari. Keep the addresses of pages you’ll need again, for example by bookmarking them.
Reopening a tab isn’t a backup of an unsent form or an upload in progress.
- Close tabs you aren’t using, especially pages playing media or running a web app. Use the tab’s close button or Command-W for the active tab.
- Keep the affected page open and choose View > Reload Page, or press Command-R.
- Repeat the action that was slow. If it improves, bring back the pages you need gradually and watch for the problem returning.
These are reversible checks, rather than a promise that a particular number of tabs causes slowness. Safari’s tab shortcuts include Shift-Command-T to reopen a recently closed tab. Saved form content still depends on the website, so save unfinished work before closing a tab.
If Safari remains sluggish, save your work and choose Safari > Quit Safari, then open it again. If the same unwanted pages keep reopening, quit Safari and hold Shift while opening it.
This changes that reopening attempt without deleting your browsing history.
If Safari won’t quit normally, Force Quit can lose unsaved changes. Save work in responsive apps, press Option-Command-Escape, select Safari only, then choose Force Quit.
The Force Quit instructions distinguish normal quitting from this last option for a stuck app. You don’t need to stop unrelated processes to test Safari.
Check extensions before uninstalling them
For a problem on one website, check the extension’s access to that site first. Open Safari > Settings > Extensions, select the suspected extension, and choose Edit Websites where offered.
In Websites settings, you can allow access, deny access, or require the site to ask for access. These Safari extension controls let you check a single site before disabling the extension as a whole.
Note the site’s current permission before changing it. If you choose to deny access for that site, reload the affected page and compare the same action.
The extension’s website features may be unavailable there while access is denied. Restore the previous permission if the change doesn’t help and you still trust and need the extension.
If that narrower control isn’t offered or the problem affects several websites, you can test the extension-wide checkbox. Deselecting that checkbox turns the whole extension off, rather than changing permission for just one site.
Before toggling it, look at Share across devices. With supported extension sharing enabled, on/off changes also appear on your other devices.
Note which extensions are enabled so you can restore the setup you need. Temporarily disabling an extension keeps it installed, but features such as blocking or autofill are unavailable while it is off. Uninstalling is a separate decision, especially when the extension belongs to an app you still use.
- In Safari > Settings > Extensions, find the extension you want to test.
- Deselect the checkbox beside the extension you suspect, then reload the affected page.
- Compare the same action again. If nothing changes, re-enable it if you still trust and need it, then check another extension.
- If there is no obvious suspect, note the enabled list and temporarily turn those extensions off. If that helps, turn them back on one at a time, reloading between checks.
If one extension seems involved, check whether it’s up to date before deciding to remove it. The browser extensions guide explains disabling, removal, app-based extensions, and sharing as separate choices.
Use the profile in which the slowdown happens. The default profile’s extensions are managed in the main Extensions settings. Other profiles have their own Extensions section under Safari > Settings > Profiles.
Profile settings are separate from an extension’s permission to run in private browsing.
Compare one slow site in a private window
Choose File > New Private Window, or press Shift-Command-N, and open the affected website. Try the part that’s slow. You may need to sign in, so compare the same signed-in state when that matters.
If the private window works better, stored website data is worth checking. It doesn’t prove cookies are the cause.
On macOS Sonoma 14 or later, extensions that require website access are off in private windows by default unless you’ve allowed them there. Your normal and private windows may therefore have different extensions running.
The Safari troubleshooting steps use this private-window comparison before removing the affected website’s data. Keep the comparison to that site instead of treating it as a reason to erase data for every website.
Remove only the affected site’s data if needed
Removing website data can sign you out, change site behavior, and affect cookies or website data used by other apps. Finish work on that site first.
Make sure you know how to sign back in and can complete any required verification. Don’t assume an unsent draft will survive the removal.
This removes the selected site’s caches, cookies, and other website data. It is broader than clearing temporary cached files alone.
If you accept those effects and the earlier checks point to this site, use the selective control.
- Open Safari > Settings > Privacy.
- Choose Manage Website Data.
- Select the affected website in the list and choose Remove. Check the selection before confirming any prompt. Avoid Remove All when you’re troubleshooting one site.
- Choose Done, then open the site again in a normal window. Sign in if needed and compare the original action.
The current website-data controls allow a selected site or all sites to be removed, with different consequences for how much browsing is affected.
If nothing improves, stop deleting more data and revisit the extension, compatibility, or connection clues.
For the distinction between site data and a cache-only operation, see the Mac cache guide. Its Safari Develop-menu illustrations are explicitly legacy examples.
Don’t assume a command shown in an older screenshot exists in your current Safari version.
Keep history clearing separate from a speed fix
History clearing removes records of where you’ve browsed. If Safari is set up with iCloud on your Apple devices, clearing history removes that browsing history across those devices too.
Keep any addresses you need before deciding to remove those records.
If your purpose is to remove visit records, use History > Clear History and choose the period you intend to clear. That is a different decision from selecting one site’s stored data.
The history clearing effects include recent searches and the back-and-forward lists for open pages. It isn’t a routine step you must repeat to keep Safari fast.
Check updates and site-specific connection features
Safari updates come through updates or upgrades to macOS, when available for your device. Before installing software, back up your Mac and save open work.
On current macOS, open Apple menu > System Settings > General > Software Update.
Review what the update offers and allow installation to finish. Software Update shows software compatible with your Mac, so an older model may not be offered the newest major macOS release.
Follow the macOS update steps for the controls shown on your Mac. Safari updates are delivered through macOS software updates.
For help choosing the offered version, preparing a backup, or handling a failed download, follow the macOS update guide.
If you use iCloud+ Private Relay and one website still has trouble, you can compare that page without relay protection.
This temporarily allows the website to see your IP address and your network provider to see which site you’re browsing. Only if you accept that trade-off, choose View > Reload and Show IP Address.
The site-specific Private Relay control appears when Private Relay is on for the network.
If you use a VPN or network-filtering app, it can also be relevant to connection problems. Check that app’s support guidance for a limited comparison, and restore any protection you intentionally changed.
On a managed work network, ask the administrator before changing required connection software. Avoid switching off privacy or security features across all sites just to make one page load.
Check the result before changing anything else
Repeat the original action on the affected page, then check an unrelated site. Re-enable extensions you want to keep, or leave the identified extension disabled while you seek an update.
Record whether the change helped only one website or Safari more broadly.
If the same site remains slow in multiple browsers while other sites are normal, contact its owner. If several unrelated services struggle across your network, contact the provider or administrator.
If Safari alone stays slow after these checks and available updates, contact Apple Support with your macOS version and the comparisons you’ve made.
Frequently asked questions
Why are Google searches slow when other websites load normally?
If only Google searches are slow, compare that search page with a direct visit to another website.
Check the search site in a private window and review extensions that run there.
A search-only slowdown doesn't establish that every Safari setting needs changing.
Can I update Safari if my Mac cannot run the newest macOS?
You can install Safari updates that are offered for a macOS version compatible with your Mac.
Software Update shows compatible software, so you don't have to assume that the newest major macOS release is available.
Check the offered update rather than downloading an unofficial Safari installer.
What if a website still says Safari is out of date after updating?
If you've installed the latest compatible updates and the website still rejects Safari, contact the website owner or developer. The site's compatibility check may need attention.
Changing unrelated Safari settings won't establish which browser versions that site supports.
Does clearing Safari history delete files I downloaded?
Clearing Safari history removes the download list, but it doesn't remove the downloaded files themselves. That distinction doesn't make history clearing a speed fix.
Choose it only when you intend to remove browsing records, including synced history where applicable.
Why did turning off a Safari extension also change it on my iPhone?
Supported Safari extension sharing can carry on/off changes to your other devices. Check Share across devices before a temporary test. To remove an extension from every device, uninstall each device’s copy separately.
Should I reset Safari to factory settings to make it faster?
Use the narrower control that matches the problem instead of attempting a blanket reset. An extension toggle, selected website-data removal, and history clearing have different effects.
Save important work and understand the chosen action before changing or removing anything.
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