Safari, the embedded and default internet browser on Mac, is one of the most used and popular browsers among Apple users. Though Apple products are widely known for quality, performance, and class, they can still face technical issues. One such issue is the Safari browser crashing time and again. In most cases, some small tweaks here and there are needed to solve the problem. You can choose between being on call and hold with Apple’s customer care for hours or learn here to fix it in a few minutes. Don’t worry, even if you are not a world-class programmer, you can still do it. I won’t be asking you to write the code, but we will be making some necessary changes. So in this article, I will discuss five tips that you can use to fix this problem on your Mac. Have a look:
Why Does Safari Keep Crashing?
Now you may be working on your computer for years and are not facing any issue. You wake up and work as usual, but one fine day, your best browser starts freezing and crashing suddenly. You don’t remember making any significant changes in your computer that may be the underlying cause, but the problem seems to be quite persistent and is not going away. What would you do? This scenario is the story of the majority of people who suddenly start facing issues with Safari. So what went wrong? Well, there can be multiple things that could have gone wrong, like:
- Storage got filled or is almost on the brim
- Pending updates on application
- Pending updates on OS
- Outdated drivers
- Issue with plugins
- Too many tabs opened at the same time
- Mac running low on memory
- Too much cache, etc.
So as you can see that there can be a lot of these scenarios, now let’s move on to the solutions to fix them.
Solutions
1. Clean Your Mac
The best way to start troubleshooting would be to start cleaning up your system. If the crashes are being caused by
- Storage issues.
- Cache issues.
- Junk files and folders.
- Memory issues.
- Presence of malware
You can start by removing junk files and folders from the storage as they are filling your hard drive unnecessarily.
- Empty Trash: It may seem like a necessary step, but many users delete the files from their folders but forget to empty the Recycle bin, which causes it to stay filled. Though it is a great way to protect important files from getting lost, it can also hold the junk files which should have been deleted a long time ago. So go ahead and empty it.
- Check in the folders: Not in the system folders but your private ones. There may be old movies, songs, videos, or other files that may be old and useless. If you can get rid of them, then it would make quite your hard drive quite spacious.
- Remove other junk folders: Manually getting rid of all junk files can be quite tricky, but you can always use a third-party application. One of the best ways to clear out junk, malware, and other issues in a single step
2. Check for Updates
If there are any pending on the operating system, drivers, or even the Safari browser itself, update it. The issue you are facing may be a known issue like a bug that is probably, already fixed in the newly released patches. Now all you have to do is to update the software for the fixes to get applied. Updating apps and drivers is not only for curating new features but also for fixing bugs. Many people try to avoid updates as they want the old functioning and the user interface, but you need to understand that to prevent future crashes and freezing, all these updates are necessary.
3. Close Unnecessary Tabs
If you are working on an old Mac, then it may be possible that its computing capabilities have been reduced to many extents, which may be the reason behind all the crashes. Every tab that is opened on the browser takes up a part of the memory, making the RAM less available for other applications. So if you have like 50 to 60 tabs opened at the same time(pinned tabs included), it would be better if you close all the ones that are currently not in use. It will free up space and reduce stress on the processing as well. This problem occurs mostly on the Mac and less on iPad or iPhone, so it is something that you can try.
4. Faulty Plugin or Extensions
Plugins are like an extra skillset that you can add manually to the browser like PDF reader, Pinterest, Pocket, Evernote, etc. It makes the browser more functional and user-friendly, but if they get corrupt, they can cause issues. In the settings, click on Preferences > Extensions, and here you will be able to see all the plugins that are installed on your Safari. Remove or uninstall the ones that you no longer use or come from unknown sources. In earlier versions of the applications, users were equipped with turning off any particular extensions, but this option is now removed.
5. Clear Out RAM
It may be possible that a lot of different programs are running simultaneously on your Mac. You may be working with heavy apps like Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, etc., while browsing with 50 or so tabs. This may look like a lot but is nothing when compared to a standard video editor. This can take a toll on your RAM and may cause the other apps to crash and close. So try to close all the programs after saving your work, which you are not using for the moment; this will ease the tension on the processor. If it doesn’t work, try restarting the system, it will force clear out all the programs in the memory.
If you still feel that your computer can do more, you can always install new memory sticks and increase the RAM on your Mac. There are empty slots available which will support the compatible RAM type.
Conclusion
These were five tips to prevent the Safari browser from crashing that I wanted to share with you. I want to point out again that you don’t need to be a computer expert to carry out basic troubleshooting, give it a try, and you will surely learn something new. If you cannot fix it or if it is something else, you can always approach Apple Support to help you with your product.
DepositPhotos – safari mac
