safari screen is black on ipad

6 Ways to Fix Safari Not Loading Pages on iPhone and iPad

Mehvish Mushtaq is a computer engineer by degree. Her love for Android and gadgets led her to develop the first Android app for Kashmir. Known as Dial Kashmir, she won the prestigious Nari Shakti award from the President of India. She has been writing about technology for 6+ years and her favorite categories include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, social media, and web apps.

Ankita enjoys exploring and writing about technology. Starting as a script and copywriter, her keen interest in the digital world pulled her towards technology. With GT, she has found her calling in writing about and simplifying the world of tech for others. On any given day, you can catch her chained to her laptop, meeting deadlines, writing scripts, and watching shows (any language!).

• Open Settings and tap on Safari > turn off Prevent Cross-Site Tracking toggle.
• Go to Settings > Safari > Hide IP Address and select Off.
• Open Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > turn the toggle off.

Basic Fixes:

• Restart phone and modem: Long-press the power button and use the slider to turn your device off. Then, turn off your modem. Wait a while and turn the modem back on. Once powered on, turn your Apple device back on and wait for it to connect to the Wi-Fi. Then, open Safari and check.
• Turn off VPN: Certain websites block VPN servers and can break if you open them when connected to a VPN. So, disable the VPN on your iPhone or iPad and load the page again on Safari.
• Clear Safari cache and browsing data: Safari uses cache and browsing data from your previous visits to enhance your browsing experience. However, corrupted data can cause issues when loading pages. So, use the settings menu to clear all Safari cache and browsing data.
• Disable Safari extensions: Certain Safari extensions, like ad-blockers, can block page elements. This can prevent the page from loading. When this happens, turn off ad-block and other Safari extensions. Then, try loading the page again.
• Update software: As Safari is part of Apple’s ecosystem, the only way to update the browser is by installing the latest software updates. So, ensure the recent iOS or iPadOS updates have been installed on your Apple device. Then, reopen Safari and load the page again.

Fix 1: Disable Prevent Cross-Site Tracking

Safari lets users prevent cross-site tracking to ensure their browsing habits are not recorded by the relevant website. However, this can cause webpages not to load properly on Safari. When this happens, disable this feature and check again. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open Settings and tap on Safari . Turn off the Prevent Cross-Site Tracking toggle.

Fix 2: Turn off ‘Hide IP Address’ in Safari

You can hide your IP address using Safari’s built-in tools. However, this can sometimes prevent Safari from loading pages that require IP access. So, disable this option and reload the page in Safari. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Open Settings → Safari . Tap on Hide IP Address and select Off .

Fix 3: Check Content Restrictions

If enabled, content restrictions can restrict certain site content in Safari, preventing the page from loading. So, open the relevant setting and disable all content restrictions on your Apple device. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open Settings and tap on Screen Time . Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions .

Step 2: Turn off the Content & Privacy Restrictions toggle.

Also Read: What are Safari content blockers and should you use them

Fix 4: Enable JavaScript

Certain webpages require JavaScript to load properly. So, if JavaScript is disabled for Safari, it can also cause page loading issues. Open Safari settings and enable JavaScript. Follow the below steps to do it.

Step 1: Go to Settings → Safari . Scroll down and tap on Advanced .

Step 2: Turn on the toggle for  JavaScript .

Also Read: How to fix Safari not loading images on iPhone

Fix 5: Switch to Google DNS

Your current DNS server can also be the culprit behind Safari not loading pages. To fix this, change your DNS server to Google DNS and try again. Here’s how.

Step 1:  Open  Settings  and tap on  Wi-Fi . Tap the  i icon next to your Wi-Fi network.

Step 2:  Tap on  Configure DNS . From the options, select  Manual .

Step 3:  Here, remove the currently added  DNS servers . Then, tap on  Add Server .

Add  8.8.8.8  and  8.8.4.4  for Google DNS and tap on  Save . Then, reopen Safari and reload the page.

Fix 6: Reset Network Settings

If pages still don’t load properly in Safari, reset all network settings on your iPhone or iPad. This will delete any custom Wi-Fi settings causing the Safari page-loading issues. Follow the below steps to do it.

Step 1:  Open  Settings  and tap on  General →  Transfer or Reset iPhone .

Step 2:  Tap on  Reset →  Reset Network Settings .

Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process. Then, reopen Safari and try loading the page again to see if the issue has been fixed on your iPhone or iPad.

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Last updated on 28 June, 2024

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If your iPad won't turn on or is frozen

If your iPad has a frozen screen, doesn't respond when you touch it, or becomes stuck when you turn it on, learn what to do.

iPad screen is black or frozen

iPad is stuck on the Apple logo

If your screen is black or frozen

Follow the steps for your device.

On your iPad without a Home button

Press and quickly release the volume button closest to the top button.

Press and quickly release the volume button farthest from the top button.

Press and hold the top button until the device begins to restart.

If your iPad doesn't turn on, follow these steps to check your hardware and charge your device . You might need to charge for up to an hour.

If your iPad still doesn't turn on, learn what to do .

On your iPad with a Home button

Press and hold both the Home button and the top button until you see the Apple logo.

If your iPad turns on but gets stuck during startup

If you see the Apple logo or a red or blue screen during startup, try these steps:

Connect your iPad to a computer. On a Mac with macOS Catalina, open the Finder. On a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier, or on a PC, open iTunes. Find out which macOS your Mac is using .

Locate your device on your computer .

While your device is connected:

Press and hold the top button until your device begins to restart. Keep holding the top button.

Keep holding the top button until you see the recovery-mode screen.

When you get the option to restore or update, choose Update.

Your computer will download the software for your device. If it takes more than 15 minutes, your iPad will exit recovery mode, and you'll need to repeat steps 2–4.

While your device is connected, press and hold both the Home button and the top button. Keep holding the buttons.

Get support

If your iPad still isn't working, you might need service. Get service

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How to Fix It When Safari Is Not Working on an iPad

Restarts, updates, and checking your network are common fixes

• Swansea University, Staffordshire University

• Wichita Technical Institute

Fixing Safari issues on iPad can take seconds to fix due to an unknown minor issue, or it can take a lot longer. Here's how to fix it when Safari won't work on an iPad.

Causes of Safari Not Working On iPad 

There are many reasons why Safari may not be working on iPad. Try these troubleshooting tips to figure out what's happened.

• Your iPad is out of date. If your iPad is not up to date, you may find yourself running into trouble loading standard apps including Safari.
• You're offline. If your iPad doesn't have a data connection, Safari won't be able to load any websites, making it look as if Safari is the issue.
• Your iPad has a major problem. If your iPad won't load any apps including Safari, the problem may be deeper than just the one app.

How to Fix Safari Not Working On iPad 

If your iPad won't open Safari or it won't load correctly, it severely limits your ability to browse the internet. Here's how to fix Safari not working on iPad. 

Restart your iPad . Many common issues are solved by restarting or rebooting the device in question. Restart your iPad to hopefully fix Safari.

Check your data connection . If your iPad is a Wi-Fi model, check you're connected to a Wi-Fi network with internet access. If your iPad has a cellular connection, check it has a signal and is working correctly. Tap Settings > Cellular and check the toggle next to Safari is On.

Check Airplane mode . Check if Airplane mode is enabled on your iPad. If it is, you won't be able to browse online.

Check content restrictions . If you have parental controls set up on your iPad, these may stop you from browsing using Safari. Check the settings to confirm this isn't the issue.

Clear your browsing history . If Safari opens but is unresponsive, clear your browsing history to see if that makes it work more effectively. 

Disable Safari suggestions. Safari suggestions can sometimes cause Safari to crash. Try disabling them by tapping Settings > Safari > then toggle off the Safari Suggestions switch.

Update your iPad . If you haven't updated your iPad in a while, you may need the latest version of iPadOS to correct any issues. It's simple to do but set aside a while for the update process to complete.

Reset your iPad . Resetting your iPad to factory settings removes all your personal information but can sometimes solve an underlying issue previous steps haven't solved.

Contact Apple . If none of the above fixes work, you may have a hardware issue with your iPad. If you have remaining warranty or AppleCare+ , the appointment and fix may be free.

The first thing you should check is that you're entering the correct URL. If you're typing it manually, try finding a link. If you're following a link, try typing it by hand. The website may also be down, and you should try again later.

The best way is to delete your Safari data. Go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data .

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How to Fix a Frozen Safari on iPad

Last Updated: November 14, 2024

This article was co-authored by Gonzalo Martinez and by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Gonzalo Martinez is the President of CleverTech, a tech repair business in San Jose, California founded in 2014. CleverTech LLC specializes in repairing Apple products. CleverTech pursues environmental responsibility by recycling aluminum, display assemblies, and the micro components on motherboards to reuse for future repairs. On average, they save 2 lbs - 3 lbs more electronic waste daily than the average computer repair store. This article has been viewed 89,703 times.

Has Safari frozen on your iPad? When Safari freezes, you can try closing the app and loading it again. But, if your iPad is completely frozen, resetting is usually the quickest way to get everything working properly again. If you are experiencing consistent freezes, you can adjust some of Safari's settings to try to avoid future crashes. This wikiHow article gives you some troubleshooting steps to fix a frozen Safari browser on iPad.

Restart Your iPad

• Finally, press and hold the Top button until the Apple logo appears.
• If your iPad has a Home button, press and hold the Home and Top buttons at the same time until the Apple logo appears. [1] X Research source
• Restarting your iPad is a quick fix for many troubleshooting issues, but if Safari keeps freezing, continue to try the other steps.

Restart Safari

• If your iPad has a Home button, press it quickly twice and it'll show you a screen of the apps running in the background. Swipe on Safari to close it.

• If you're noticing that Safari is still freezing or lagging, continue on to the next troubleshooting steps.

Check for Updates

• If you noticed Safari still freezing or lagging after you updated iOS or if you didn't have the option to, continue on to the next troubleshooting steps.

Clear Your Safari Data

Close Unused Tabs

Turn Off Autofill

Disable Safari Suggestions

Disable iCloud Syncing

• Your Safari bookmarks, tabs, and history will no longer sync, but neither will any corrupted Safari files.

Turn off JavaScript

Close All Background Apps

• Swipe an app to close it.

Clear Your iPad's Storage Space

Avoid Specific Websites That Make Safari Freeze

Try A Different Browser

Make An Apple Bar Genius Appointment

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/ipad/force-restart-ipad-ipad9955c007/ipados
• ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/smepz4/safari_and_icloud_apps_freezing_on_ios_devices/?rdt=32904
• ↑ https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8359454

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on my ipad 2021 the screen goes black when i touch Safari to get on google the screen turns black. How do i get rid of the black screen

On my new 2021 iPad, I get a black screen when I touch Safari to get on the internet. Help!

Posted on Jul 5, 2021 11:38 AM

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Jul 6, 2021 8:54 AM in response to 210Laundry

Hello there 210Laundry,

We see you're having some issues with this specific app, Safari. Let's take a closer look as we do our best to provide some additional insight.

To get started, do you experience the same issues with any other apps at all? If not, let’s try completing these steps with Safari: If an app on your iPhone or iPad stops responding, closes unexpectedly, or won’t open

Any change after giving that a try? If issues persist, then you'll need to contact Apple Support as mentioned at the end of that same article. 

We hope this helps get you pointed in the right direction.

Safari Loading Blank Pages on iPhone or iPad, Fix

This article explains how you can fix when Safari returns a blank page when you try to load a webpage on your iPhone or iPad, as you can see in the screenshot below:

Are you having this problem too? Does Safari open with a blank page instead of the web site? If you are unable to load a site and if Safari shows a blank page (shows nothing), then this article is for you.

We previously wrote an article about a similar problem. That article explains how you can fix the “ Cannot Open Page ” error. If Safari is displaying the “ kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork “, see this article.

Please try the tips below until Safari starts working again:

If you are getting the “ This Connection Is Not Private ” message, see this article.

Restart Safari

To do that you need to quit Safari and then reopen it. Here is how you can do this:

• On your device, go to your Home screen and swipe up from the bottom of the screen. If this is an iPhone 8 or earlier, double press the Home button.
• This will reveal the app switcher which lists your most recently used apps.
• Swipe left or right and find the Safari preview.
• Swipe up on the Safari icon.
• Then reopen Safari normally to see if your issue is resolved.

Restart your device

Restarting your iPhone or iPad may resolve your problem. Here is how you can do that:

• If this is an iPhone X, 11 or later and an iPad with Face ID: Press and hold the side (or top) and the volume up (or down) buttons together until you see the red power off slider. Then drag the slider. Wait about 1 minute so that your device completely powers off.  Then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
• Other iPhone models and iPad with a Home button: Press and hold the side or top button until you see the power off slider. Then slide the slider. To turn your device back on, press and hold the side or top button until you see the Apple logo.

Clear Safari data

Here is how you can do this:

• On your device, tap Settings > Safari.
• And scroll down and find the “Clear History and Web site Data” button, tap this.
• Tap the red Clear History and Data button to confirm.

When you do this, your history, cookies and other data will be removed. These will also be removed from other devices signed into your iCloud account .

Check for an iOS update

It is possible that a software update may fix your problem. Here is how you can check for an update.

• On your device, go to Settings > General > Software Update. if there is an update available, update your iPhone or iPad .

Internet connection issues?

It is possible that the Internet is not working. Lets first try to test that if you have a strong connection. Open the App Store app on your device, does the App Store app load without an issue? Then probably you have a connection. If not, you may try:

• Turn on Airplane Mode and wait about 30 seconds and then turn it off (Settings > Airplane Mode).
• Restart your device.
• Restart your modem and router by unplugging the power cord and wait about 1 minute and then plug them back in.

Try a different connection. If you are using a cellular connection, connect to a Wi-Fi network to see if your problem still occurs. If you are using a Wi-Fi connection, then try to connect to a Wi-Fi network.

Turn off Safari experimental features

On your device, go to Settings > Safari > scroll down and > Advanced > Experimental Features. And toggle off everything here. If this does not resolve your problem, you can turn them on again.

See also: Enable favicons in Safari

Dr. Serhat Kurt worked as a Senior Technology Director specializing in Apple solutions for small and medium-sized educational institutions. He holds a doctoral degree (or doctorate) from the University of Illinois at Urbana / Champaign and a master’s degree from Purdue University. He is a former faculty member. Here is his LinkedIn profile and Google Scholar profile . Email Serhat Kurt .

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I have an Iphone 6 plus that I lost the safari page when I hit the safari icon button. All I get now is a blank white page with no icons or even my favorites that was once listed on the page. I’ve tried many suggested things to regain but nothing helped.. Any advice?

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