Safari Crashing on Your Mac? 9 Quick Fixes

Having dealt with Safari crashes on my Mac, I know how annoying it can be. In this guide, I’ll share some easy fixes that have worked for me. I’ll cover simple steps like clearing caches and updating software to fix these crashes. Let’s get started and fix Safari crashing on your Mac.

How to Fix Safari Crashing on Mac: 9 Easy Solutions

Safari crashes can stem from various causes. The following solutions are designed to address these problems in a systematic and user-friendly manner. Let’s explore these easy solutions to get your Safari running flawlessly again on your Mac.

1. Force Quit Safari

To force quit Safari on a Mac, follow these steps:

1. Click the Apple logo and select Force Quit. Alternatively, press Command ⌘ + Option ⌥ + Esc simultaneously to open the Force Quit Applications window.

2. In the Force Quit Applications window, select Safari.
3. Click the Force Quit button.

4. Click Force Quit on the pop-up to close Safari.

You can also use Activity Monitor to force quit Safari.

1. Open Activity Monitor using Spotlight search. Press Command ⌘ + Spacebar and type Activity Monitor.

2. In the list of processes, look for Safari.
3. Select Safari and click the X button in the top toolbar.
4. A prompt will appear asking if you want to quit this process. Click Force Quit.

2. Close Unnecessary Tabs in Safari

The simplest way to prevent Safari from crashing is to close unnecessary tabs. Having too many tabs open can consume a significant amount of your Mac’s memory and processing power, leading to performance issues and crashes.

It’s good practice to keep only the tabs you’re actively using open. This will free up resources for Safari to run more smoothly and organize your browsing session.

Here’s how to close all unused tabs at once in Safari:

1. Select your Safari window with multiple tabs open.

2. Right-click the tab you want to keep and select the option Close Other Tabs from the context menu.

This will close all tabs except the one you selected and fix Safari crashing on your Mac.

3. Restart Your Mac

To restart your Mac, follow these steps:

1. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select Restart from the dropdown menu.

3. If you have open documents with unsaved changes, you’ll be prompted to save them.
4. Confirm the restart by clicking Restart in the dialog box.

You can also use a Mac keyboard shortcut to restart your system: Command ⌘ + Option ⌥ + Control ^ + Power. This will immediately restart your Mac without a confirmation dialog, so make sure you have saved all your work.

4. Clear Safari Cache and Cookies

Safari stores data from websites in its cache to speed up browsing. However, if the cache becomes too large, it can cause issues with Safari, including crashing. Clearing your Safari cache and cookies can sometimes resolve Safari crashing on your Mac.

To clear cache and cookies on Safari, follow these steps:

1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar, and select Settings.

2. Select the Privacy tab.

3. Click Manage Website Data. 

4. Select Remove All to clear your cache and cookies.

5. Confirm by clicking Remove Now on the pop-up.

6. Restart the Safari browser, and it should fix the crashing issue.

5. Delete Your Safari Preference Files

Deleting your Safari preference files can be a useful step in troubleshooting issues with Safari on a Mac. Here’s how to do it:

1. Make sure Safari is not running. If it is, quit the application by right-clicking the Safari icon in the Dock and choosing Quit or going to Safari > Quit Safari in the menu bar.

2. Click the Finder icon in your Dock to open a new Finder window.

3. Hold down the Option ⌥ key and click the Go menu at the top of the screen.
4. While holding the Option ⌥ key, the Library folder appears in the menu. Click on it to open the Library folder.

5. Inside the Library folder, find and open the Preferences folder.

6. Look for files named com.apple.Safari.plist and any other files that start with com.apple.Safari.

7. Drag these files to the Bin. Alternatively, you can right-click them and select Move to Bin.
8. Right-click the Bin in the Dock and select Empty Bin. This will permanently delete the files.

6. Update Safari

Updating Safari often prevents crashes. Outdated versions of browsers can have bugs or compatibility issues with certain websites or plug-ins, which can cause crashes. These issues are generally addressed and fixed in newer versions of the browser.

Using the latest version may prevent Safari crashing on your Mac due to errors and bugs. To update Safari on your Mac, follow these steps:

1. Head to the System Settings via the Apple icon.

2. Select General and click Software Update.

3. If an update is available, click Update Now to download and install them.

4. This will update your macOS, and Safari will be updated, too.
5. Restart Safari, and the crashing issue should no longer exist.

You can also use MacKeeper’s Update Tracker to identify outdated apps and select the ones you want to update. This step saves time and prevents future issues with outdated apps. Here’s how to use it:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
2. Open MacKeeper and click Update Tracker in the left sidebar.

3. Click Scan for Updates.

4. Once the scan is complete, you should see a list of apps that have available updates. Click individual apps or click the Check All box.

5. Tap the Update All button.

6. Wait for the updates to complete. You can click Rescan to update more apps.

7. Disable or Remove Safari Extensions

Extensions can enhance your browsing experience, but they can also be a common cause of Safari crashes, especially if they are outdated or not well-maintained. To troubleshoot, start by disabling your extensions. If Safari’s performance improves without the extensions, re-enable them one at a time to identify the culprit.

Sometimes, simply updating an extension can fix the issue. However, if an extension continues to cause problems, remove it completely to ensure a stable browsing experience in Safari.

Here’s how to disable or remove browser extensions on Mac in Safari:

1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar, and select Settings in the drop-down menu.

2. Select the Extensions tab in the new window.

3. Uncheck the box next to each extension to disable them.

4. Close Safari and reopen it to see whether the problem is gone.

8. Check for Safari Compatibility Issues

Compatibility issues between Safari and your macOS can lead to crashes. If your Safari version is incompatible with your macOS or any other software running in the background has compatibility issues, it can cause crashes. So, check Safari’s version and determine which program is causing it to crash.

To find the version of Safari on a Mac, follow these steps:

1. Click the Safari icon in the dock.

2. Choose About Safari under the Safari menu.

3. Look for the Version number displayed in the small window that appears.

4. Now, head to the other softwares installed on your Mac and check whether they are compatible with this Safari version.
5. Uninstall the incompatible software, and it should resolve the Safari crashing issue on your Mac.

9. Get Rid of Malware on Your Mac Using MacKeeper

Malware can affect your Mac’s performance and cause Safari to crash. By removing malicious programs, you can improve the overall health of your Mac and prevent issues with Safari. You can use MacKeeper’s Antivirus to run a virus scan on your Mac. Here’s how:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
2. Launch Mackeeper and click the Antivirus tab in the left sidebar.

3. Click the Start Scan button to scan your system for issues.

4. Once the scan is complete, click the Fix items button to fix any problems found.
5. If no threats are found, click Restart to run the scan again or close the process.

6. Restart your Mac and try using Safari again. Hopefully, you won’t face Safari crashing on your Mac after this.

Why Does Safari Keep Crashing on Mac?

There are several reasons why Safari may crash on your Mac, but here are the most common culprits:

1. 🔽 Too Many Open Tabs: Each Safari tab consumes system resources on your Mac. So, surfing or opening too many tabs at once may lead to high-level consumption of the system resources, causing it to overload and crash Safari.
2. 🍪 Corrupt Website Data: Safari stores cache, cookies, and other website data to speed up your browsing experience. But over time, these files accumulate and often become corrupted, which can cause Safari to crash.
3. 🌐 Poorly Designed Website: A website with broken code sometimes causes unexpected errors and bugs. It often results in slower performance, website freezing, and Safari crashing on your Mac.
4. 🧩 Faulty Extensions: Some Safari extensions may be buggy, excessively using system resources, or still under development. These issues can also affect Safari’s performance and lead it to crash on your Mac.
5. 🔙 Safari Version Compatibility: The Safari version you use with your macOS may not be compatible or outdated. Some of its bugs and errors may cause Safari to malfunction and crash your Mac.

Prevent Safari Crashes on Mac

Now that you’ve figured out how to troubleshoot Safari crashes on Mac, you may want to avoid such scenarios in the future. To prevent future crashes and performance issues on Safari, try these tips: 

• If Safari bookmarks disappeared on Mac after a crash, restore them by quitting and restarting Safari.
• Delete Safari history on your Mac regularly to prevent it from piling up and making Safari run slow on Mac.
• Block websites on Safari on Mac if they are causing it to slow down or crash.

Frequently Asked Questions