speed up safari on mac

10 Safari Mac Browser Tips to Boost Speed and Performance

If Safari is running slow, try these top tips to get your Mac browser blazing fast again.

Safari generally provides the fastest and most efficient browsing experience for Mac users. Apple puts a lot of work into optimizing the browser's performance and energy consumption specifically for Apple hardware.

Unfortunately, this doesn't always hold up over time. Safari can become slow, bloated, and unresponsive like any other browser. Let's take a look at how to speed up Safari on your Mac in case this happens to you.

1. Update and Restart Your Mac

Restarting your computer fixes many of life's problems, including a slow browser. It should always be your first troubleshooting step for such issues. Open the Apple menu and select Restart to do so.

Once your Mac boots up, it's also worth installing any outstanding app updates , which you can find by going to App Store > Updates .

2. Close Unneeded Tabs

How many tabs do you have open right now? And how many of those tabs do you really need? Safari keeps many of your tabs active in the background, even if you're not using them. One of the easiest ways to speed up Safari on your Mac is by simply closing tabs.

If you're particularly protective of your browser session, try an extension like Tab Suspender . This allows you to suspend your open tabs to save processing power.

3. Clear the Cache and Temporary Files

Like almost all browsers, Safari keeps a cache of data from all the websites you visit. This takes up disk space, which can contribute to performance problems. It's always a good idea to blow away Safari's cobwebs once in a while by emptying the cache, particularly if you need to improve the browser's performance.

To clear your Safari cache:

• Launch Safari and click Safari > Preferences in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
• Click on the Advanced tab, then check Show Develop menu in menu bar at the bottom of the window.
• Close the Preferences window and click Develop > Empty Caches in the menu bar at the top of the screen.

4. Disable Thirsty Extensions

Safari has some excellent extensions available to install, but sometimes they do more harm than good by slowing everything down. This is particularly true for extensions that directly affect the browsing experience. A good example is TamperMonkey ($1.99), which changes how websites appear and behave with user scripts.

To isolate extension-related slowdown, try disabling all your extensions under Safari > Preferences > Extensions . To disable an extension, uncheck the box next to its name.

You can then try re-enabling extensions one by one to find the culprit.

Disabling extensions in this manner doesn't remove them. You'll need to click the Uninstall button in each entry on the Extensions tab to completely remove Safari extensions .

5. Restrict Plug-Ins and Website Access

Apple has been working to eliminate plug-ins from Safari, but they might still cause your browser to slow down on rare occasions. This is most likely if you're running an older version of Safari.

It's best to ensure plug-ins ask you before Safari starts running them. The same goes for allowing access to your Mac's camera, microphone, screen sharing, and other security settings.

Go to Safari > Preferences > Websites to see which websites have requested access to your Mac. Work through each item in the sidebar and disable access for any websites that don't need it. We particularly recommend disabling auto-play.

In older versions of Safari, you should also go to Safari > Preferences > Security > Plug-In Settings . Make sure plug-ins are set to Ask before they start running. Disable any you don't need by unchecking them. These settings aren't available in newer versions of Safari.

6. Upgrade macOS

Yearly macOS upgrades include new versions of Safari. If you don't install the latest version of macOS, you won't have the latest version of Safari. New versions of Safari mean better compatibility with the latest web technologies.

Apple's tweaking under the hood often results in faster rendering times and a speedier browser experience overall.

There's also something to be said for upgrading your operating system since many underlying issues with your Mac get patched up along the way.

To update macOS, open the Apple menu and go to System Preferences > Software Update .

7. Identify Dodgy Websites and Crashed Tabs

Safari can slow to a crawl as a result of a single problematic website. Websites can crash for all sorts of reasons, including too many scripts, auto-playing advertisements, rogue extensions, and malfunctioning embeds. Occasionally, this can bring your whole Mac to a grinding halt.

Sometimes these pages consume more than their fair share of resources; other times they crash entirely and leave you with the spinning pinwheel of death. To rectify the situation:

• Launch Activity Monitor under Applications > Utilities .
• On the CPU tab, click on the Process Name column to arrange processes by name and find Safari .
• Now look at the % CPU column and systematically close your Safari tabs to see which ones have the biggest impact on your CPU usage.

8. Make Sure You Have Enough Free Space

A lack of free space on your disk can have devastating consequences for your Mac's overall performance. A Mac with limited free space is more likely to freeze, stutter, and crash. This can cause your whole system to run slowly, but Safari is often one of the first apps to buckle as individual resource-intensive tabs become unresponsive.

For best results, maintain a healthy buffer of 10GB or more of free space. Follow our tips for freeing up space on your Mac if you run out of options.

9. Fix Other macOS Performance Problems

Boosting overall system performance also speeds up Safari on your Mac. This is because there are fewer resources tied up in non-critical tasks, so more of them are available for Safari.

Take a look at these common mistakes that might slow down your Mac . They include having too many apps running in the background or starting up at login, which you can change by going to System Preferences > Users > Login Items .

10. Check for Network Connection Problems

If your internet connection is slow, Safari will also feel slow. To isolate connection problems, find out how to test your internet connection speed to see if that's to blame.

You might need to change your DNS settings to fix it, which you can do by going to System Preferences > Network > Advanced > DNS . Use Google's Namebench to find the fastest DNS settings for your network.

Keep a Backup Browser Installed Just in Case

Although you can follow all the tips above to speed up Safari on your Mac, it's also worth keeping a backup browser installed as well. These are useful to have for stubborn websites that aren't optimized for Safari or in case you need to use a browser extension that's only available on one browser.

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Why Is Safari Running Slow on Mac? 15 Ways to Fix

Hashir Ibrahim

Reviewed by

Last updated: September 25, 2023

Expert verified

Safari may run slowly on Mac due to opening too many tabs, using too many extensions, cache build-up, outdated Safari version, outdated macOS, slow internet connection, hardware limitations, and malware or adware.

Fixing these issues through updating software, managing tabs, clearing cache, and removing unnecessary extensions can improve Safari’s speed and performance on a Mac.

• Managing open tabs and removing unnecessary extensions can free up valuable resources and enhance Safari’s performance.
• Regularly updating Safari and macOS ensures optimal compatibility and access to performance improvements.
• Clearing accumulated cache, cookies, and browsing history can give Safari a fresh start and improve loading times.
• Advanced solutions like switching DNS providers and booting in Safe Mode can address more complex issues affecting Safari’s speed.

Ever found yourself drumming your fingers in frustration as Safari lags on your Mac? A slow browser can turn even the most basic online tasks into a tedious affair.

If Safari is running slow on your Mac, I’ve got your back. Dive into this guide to uncover the mysteries behind Safari running slow on Mac and explore practical solutions to get you back in the fast lane. Ready to turbocharge your browsing experience? Let’s get started!

Before We Begin

If you want to make Safari run faster on your Mac, download MacKeeper. This tool clears up RAM, removes unnecessary Safari extensions, deletes unneeded files, and more. All these features help speed up a slow-running Safari.

Why Is Safari Running Slow on Mac?

Safari running slow on Mac can be due to various reasons. Below, I’ve shared the most common reasons for Safari’s sluggishness on your Mac:

• 🖥️ Too Many Tabs or Windows Open : Having numerous tabs or windows open can consume a lot of memory and slow down Safari.
• 🧩 Heavy Use of Extensions : Some Safari extensions can use a lot of resources, causing the browser to slow down.
• 🍪 Cache and Browsing Data : Accumulated cache, cookies, and browsing history can impact Safari’s performance.
• ⌛ Outdated Safari Version : Running an outdated version of Safari can lead to performance issues.
• 🍎 Outdated macOS : An outdated operating system can cause compatibility issues and slow down Safari.
• 🌐 Internet Connection Issues : An unstable or slow internet connection on Mac can affect browsing speed.
• 💻 Hardware Limitations : Older Mac models with limited RAM and processing power may struggle to run Safari efficiently.
• 🦠 Malware or Adware : Malicious software can significantly degrade the performance of Safari.

Addressing these issues through updating software, managing tabs, clearing cache, and removing unnecessary extensions can improve Safari’s speed and performance on a Mac.

How to Fix Safari Running Slow on Mac

A sluggish Safari on your Mac can be quite a bottleneck, especially during important online tasks. The good news is, there’s no need to let a slow browser rain on your parade. In this section, I’ll walk you through various solutions to bring Safari back to its optimal speed.

Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of boosting your Safari browser’s performance on your Mac.

1. Check Your Internet Speed

Before diving into more complex solutions, ensuring that your internet connection isn’t the culprit behind Safari’s sluggishness is essential. A slow or unstable internet connection can significantly impact your browsing experience.

To test your internet connection, follow these steps:

• Open Safari on your Mac.

• Navigate to an online speed test tool like Speedtest.net .
• Click the Go button to start the test.

• This will give you an idea of your current internet speed.
• Pay attention to the download and upload speeds. If they are significantly lower than what your Internet plan promises, there might be an issue with your connection.
• If your internet speed is slow, reset your router. Unplug it from the power source, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. Wait for it to restart and retest your internet speed.
• If resetting doesn’t help, try moving closer to the router or removing any obstacles interfering with the signal.
• If the above steps don’t improve your internet speed, it might be time to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for further assistance.

2. Force Close and Relaunch Safari

At times, Safari or any of its tabs might encounter errors or issues that consume excessive system resources, leading to slowdowns. Force closing and re-launching Safari can terminate these problematic processes and give the browser a fresh start.

Here’s how to force quit Safari and relaunch it on your Mac:

• Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select Force Quit from the drop-down menu.

• In the new window, select Safari and click the Force Quit button.

• Click Force Quit on the pop-up.

• After force-closing Safari, wait for a few moments to let the system properly terminate all processes related to the browser.
• Find the Safari icon in your Dock and click it to re-launch the browser.
• Check if the performance has improved.

3. Close Unwanted Tabs

Each open tab in Safari consumes your Mac’s memory and processing power. Having multiple tabs open, especially those with heavy content or active scripts, can significantly slow down the browser and even the entire system.

Closing unnecessary tabs can free up valuable resources and enhance Safari’s performance. Here’s how to go about it:

• Take a look at all the tabs you have open in Safari. Identify which ones are not currently needed or are consuming significant resources.
• Click the small x icon on the left of each tab you wish to close.

• Alternatively, you can close an active tab using a Mac keyboard shortcut : Command ⌘ + W .

• You can also right-click a tab and select Close Tab from the context menu.
• After closing unwanted tabs, check if Safari’s performance has improved.

4. Clear Safari History

Over time, Safari accumulates a history of the websites you’ve visited, cached files, and cookies. While these elements are designed to speed up page loading times, they can also clutter your browser and consume system resources, leading to slowdowns.

Clearing your browsing history can give Safari a fresh start and potentially improve its performance. Here’s how to delete Safari’s history on Mac :

• If not already open, launch the Safari browser on your Mac.
• Click the Safari menu item at the top left of your screen. From the drop-down menu, select Settings .

• Select the Advanced tab and check the box next to the Show Develop menu in menu bar if it is unchecked.

• Return to the menu bar, click Develop , and select Empty Caches from this drop-down list.

• After clearing the history, navigate through various websites to check if there is an improvement in Safari’s speed and responsiveness.

5. Clear Safari Cache and Cookies

The cache stores temporary files from websites to help pages load faster in future visits, while cookies save small pieces of information like login details. Over time, these stored files can accumulate and cause Safari to slow down.

Clearing the browser cache on your Mac can free up storage and improve browser speed. Here’s how to clear Safari cache on your Mac :

• Launch Safari and click Safari in the top menu bar, then select Settings from the drop-down menu.
• In the Settings window, select the Privacy tab and click Manage Website Data .

• A new window will open, showing a list of websites storing data.
• Click Remove All to clear all cookies and cached data. Confirm the action when prompted.

• After completing these steps, browse through different websites and assess whether Safari’s performance has improved.

6. Delete Unwanted Extensions

Extensions are additional features or functionalities added to Safari to enhance user experience. However, some extensions can be resource-intensive, causing the browser to slow down. Removing unnecessary or problematic extensions can help in optimizing Safari’s speed.

Here’s how you can delete unwanted extensions on Mac :

• Open Safari on your Mac, click the Safari menu in the menu bar and select Settings .
• Click the Extensions tab to view all the installed extensions.

• Find the extension you want to remove and click it.

• Click the Uninstall button to confirm that you want to remove the extension.

Alternatively, you can use MacKeeper to remove unwanted extensions from Safari. Here are the steps to follow:

• Download and install MacKeeper on your Mac.
• Open MacKeeper and click the Smart Uninstaller option in the left sidebar.

• Click the Start Scan button to scan your computer for installed browser extensions.

• Once the scan is complete, click Browser Extensions in the left sidebar and locate the extension you want to remove from the list.

• Click the checkbox next to the extension you want to remove and tap Remove Selected .

• Confirm the action by clicking the Remove button in the confirmation dialog box.

• Wait for the uninstallation process to complete.
• Restart your browser to ensure the extension has been completely removed.

7. Disable Search Engine Suggestions

Search engine suggestions are generated in real-time as you type into the search bar, which can sometimes slow down Safari, especially on slower internet connections or older Mac models. Disabling this feature can reduce the load on Safari and potentially improve its speed.

Here’s how you can disable search engine suggestions on Safari:

• Launch Safari, click Safari in the menu bar and select Settings from the drop-down menu.
• In the Settings window, click the Search tab.
• Uncheck the box next to Include search engine suggestions to disable the feature.

• Close the Settings window and test Safari by typing into the search bar to see if there is an improvement in responsiveness.

8. Disable Autofill

Autofill automatically completes forms using stored information, which, while convenient, can sometimes cause Safari to lag, especially if there’s a lot of data stored. Disabling this feature can help Safari run more smoothly.

Here’s how you can disable Autofill on Safari:

• In the Settings window, click the Autofill tab.
• You will see several options for different types of information that Safari can autofill. Uncheck the boxes next to the types of information you don’t want Safari to autofill.

• After making the changes, close the window and restart Safari to apply the adjustments.
• With Autofill disabled, navigate to various websites with forms and assess whether there’s an improvement in Safari’s speed and responsiveness.

9. Update Safari

Running an outdated version of Safari can lead to performance issues, as updates often include optimizations and fixes for known bugs. Ensuring Safari is up-to-date can help resolve slowdowns and enhance browser stability.

Here’s how you can update Safari on Mac:

• Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select App Store from the drop-down menu.

• In the App Store, click the Updates tab to view available app updates.

• Scroll through the list of updates and look for Safari. If an update is available, it will be listed here.
• Click the Update button next to Safari to download and install the latest version.

• Once the update is complete, close and restart Safari to apply the changes.
• After updating Safari, navigate different websites and assess whether the browser’s performance has improved.

10. Disable DNS Prefetching

DNS prefetching is a feature that pre-resolves domain names before you click a link, aiming to improve page load times. However, this feature can cause Safari to slow down or become unresponsive on some networks. Disabling it can help alleviate these issues.

Here’s how you can disable DNS prefetching:

• Navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal to open the Terminal application on your Mac.

• In the Terminal window, type the following command and press Enter :

• Close open Safari windows and relaunch the browser to apply the changes.
• Navigate through various websites and evaluate whether disabling DNS prefetching has improved Safari’s speed and responsiveness.

11. Switch DNS Provider

The Domain Name System (DNS) translates website names to IP addresses. Sometimes, the default DNS servers provided by your ISP may be slow or overloaded, affecting your browsing speed. Switching to a faster, more reliable DNS provider can enhance your internet speed and Safari’s performance.

Here’s how you can switch your DNS provider:

• Click the Apple logo and select System Settings from the drop-down menu.

• In the System Settings window, click Network to access your network settings.

• In the Network settings window, click Wi-Fi and tap the Details button next to your active Internet connection.

• Click the DNS tab in the Advanced Settings window.

• Click the + button below the DNS Servers box.

• IPv4 addresses: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
• IPv6 addresses (if your network supports it): 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844
• If there are existing DNS servers listed, make sure the Google DNS addresses are at the top of the list. You can click and drag the entries to reorder them.
• Click the OK button in the DNS Servers window to save the changes.

• After switching the DNS provider, open Safari and browse through different websites to check if there’s an improvement in speed and responsiveness.

12. Kill Resource-intensive Processes

Some processes running on your Mac can consume a significant amount of system resources, affecting the overall performance of your computer and, consequently, Safari. Identifying and terminating these resource-intensive processes can free up system resources and improve Safari’s responsiveness.

Here’s how you can kill resource-intensive processes on your Mac :

• Open Activity Monitor by going to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor .

• In Activity Monitor, you’ll see a list of active processes sorted by their usage of system resources such as CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk, Network, or Cache .
• Identify the background process you want to terminate by browsing the list or using the search box at the top-right corner.

• Select the process you want to terminate to highlight it, and click the X button in the top toolbar.

• Click the Quit button in the confirmation window to terminate the selected process.

Alternatively, you can use MacKeeper’s Memory Cleaner to free up RAM on your Mac and kill background processes. Here’s how:

• Open MacKeeper and click Memory Cleaner under the Performance tab.

• Click Open .

• Click Clean Memory .

• It will clean your Mac and free up available memory. You can see how much memory it freed under Last Cleanup .

13. Reset Safari to Factory Defaults

Resetting Safari to factory defaults will remove all your settings, history, bookmarks, and other data. It’s like starting fresh with Safari, which can be helpful if the browser’s performance is severely affected by configurations or corrupted data.

Here’s how you can reset Safari to factory defaults:

• Before resetting, backup your bookmarks, saved passwords, and any other important data from Safari.
• Navigate to the Extensions tab and uninstall all extensions.
• Then, go to the Privacy tab and click Manage Website Data to remove all website data.
• Close Safari.
• Open Finder, click Go , and select Go to Folder .

• Type the following path and press Enter :

• Locate the file named com.apple.Safari.plist and move it to the Bin.

• Open Safari again. It should now be reset to its factory defaults.

14. Scan Your Mac for Virus

Malware and viruses can significantly degrade the performance of your Mac and affect Safari’s functionality. Running a thorough virus scan can identify and remove malicious software, potentially resolving any slowdowns in Safari.

Here’s how to run a virus scan on your Mac using MacKeeper:

• Download and install MacKeeper.
• Launch MacKeeper and navigate to the Antivirus tab in the left sidebar.

• Initiate an instant virus scan by clicking the Start Scan button.

• If any viruses are detected during the scan, click the Fix Items button to resolve the issues.
• If your system is threat-free, you’ll see a No threats found message. You can tap the Restart button to run the scan again.

• Enable real-time antivirus protection to safeguard your Mac from future threats by clicking the Enable button.

Once you have configured your security settings, MacKeeper will continue to operate in the background, diligently scanning for threats and actively blocking any malicious activity.

What Else Can MacKeeper Do?  

Besides removing browser extensions from Mac and scanning it for viruses, MacKeeper can remove junk files , uninstall applications , and optimize Mac storage . Check out my in-depth MacKeeper review to learn about all its features.

15. Boot Your Mac Into Safe Mode

Safe Mode starts your Mac in a basic state with only the essential system software. It checks for issues and deletes certain system caches, potentially resolving Safari’s performance problems.

Here’s how to boot your Mac in Safe Mode :

Apple Silicon Macs

• Click the Apple icon and choose Shut Down from the drop-down menu.

• Wait for your Mac to shut down completely, and press the Power button to turn it on.

• Keep holding the Power button until you see the Loading startup options screen.

• Select a volume from the options.

• Press and hold the Shift ⇧ key and click Continue in Safe Mode .

• Your Mac will restart automatically, and you will see Safe Boot in the menu bar when the login screen appears.

Intel-Based Macs

• Restart or turn on your Mac and press and hold the Shift ⇧ key immediately.
• Keep holding the Shift ⇧ key until you see the login screen.
• Release the Shift ⇧ key and log in to your Mac.
• You may be asked to log in again.
• You’ll see Safe Boot in the menu bar on your first or second login window.

Open Safari and navigate through various websites to assess whether the browser’s performance has improved in Safe Mode. After checking Safari’s performance, restart your Mac normally without holding any keys. This will exit Safe Mode.

Speed Up Safari on Your Mac

Navigating through a sluggish Safari can be a test of patience, but armed with the solutions outlined in this guide, you’re well-equipped to tackle any slowdowns head-on. To improve your Safai experience further, here are some more tips for you:

• If your Safari bookmarks disappeared on Mac , many ways exist to restore them without panicking.
• If you don’t want Safari to keep your browsing history, go incognito on a Mac in Safari browser .
• Some pop-ups can be a nuisance and slow down your browser. So, disable unnecessary pop-ups on Safari and improve its speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will i lose important data by resetting safari to factory defaults.

Yes, you will lose data by resetting Safari to factory defaults. It erases all your settings, history, bookmarks, and saved passwords, so back up important data like bookmarks and passwords before resetting to avoid losing valuable information. After the reset, you can restore the backed-up data as needed.

Is it safe to switch to a different DNS provider?

Yes, it is safe to switch to a different DNS provider like Google DNS or OpenDNS. It can even improve your internet speed and security. However, it’s crucial to ensure the DNS addresses are correct and from a trustworthy source to avoid any connectivity or security issues.

How often should I scan my Mac for viruses to maintain Safari’s performance?

You should regularly scan your Mac for viruses to maintain Safari’s performance. Ideally, once a week or monthly is advisable, but the frequency can vary based on your internet habits, the websites you frequent, and the types of files you download. Regular scans detect and remove malicious software promptly.

I'm Hashir, a tech journalist with a decade of experience. My work has been featured in some of the top tech publications like MakeUseOf and MakeTechEasier. I have a bachelor's degree in IT, a master's in cybersecurity, and extensive knowledge of Apple hardware, specifically MacBooks. As the senior writer at MacBook Journal, I write in depth guides that help you solve any issues you have with your mac and unbiased reviews that help you make the right buying decisions.

Hi there! I'm Ojash, a tech journalist with over a decade of experience in the industry. I've had the privilege of contributing to some of the world's largest tech publications, making my mark as a respected Mac expert. My passion lies in exploring, using, and writing about MacBooks, and I enjoy sharing my expertise to help others make informed decisions and get the most out of their MacBook experience. Join me as we delve into the fascinating world of MacBooks together!

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Safari Slow on Mac

In this article you will find the following:

Safari is the fastest browser on the Mac, but it isn't immune from slowdowns and performance issues. If web pages take longer to load or site navigation doesn't feel responsive, read on to learn how to speed up Safari on Mac.

Before you start:   If you want Safari to run as well as possible, you need to make sure the apps on your Mac are up-to-date. That’s easy with MacKeeper’s Update Tracker: Download and run MacKeeper. Select Update Tracker . Click Scan For Updates . Select what to update, and click Update . Yes, it’s as simple as that. Keep your Mac’s apps up to date with MacKeeper, and you’ll save tons of time.

• Why is Safari so slow on Mac?

Before we consider the solutions, let’s look at some of the possible reasons that Safari is lagging on your Mac. Understanding these issues will help you to identify them, so you can get Safari working as it should.

Common causes for the Safari browser to run slowly include:

• Your internet connection is running slow.
• There’s a problem with your Wi-Fi.
• You have too many Safari tabs open.
• You’re running too many resource-intensive apps in the background.
• Safari or macOS is out of date.
• Faulty or incompatible drivers are interfering with Safari.
• Your Safari preferences have become corrupted.
• You’re running out of disk space on your Mac.

In our article, we’re going to look at fixing these issues and more.  

• How to speed up Safari on Mac

Is Safari running slow on your MacBook, iMac, or Mac mini? Connectivity issues, unoptimized extensions, cache corruption, and a host of other reasons often cause that. Try these suggestions to improve Safari performance on your Mac:

• Check if your internet is slow
• Close unnecessary tabs in Safari
• Shut down apps and resource-intensive processes on Mac
• Disable unnecessary Safari extensions
• Switch DNS servers for Wi-Fi and Ethernet
• Clear the Safari cache and cookies
• Manage and configure autofill
• Update your Safari browser
• Reset Safari to factory defaults
• Boot your Mac into Safe Mode
• Fix problems with the Startup Disk
• Free up disk space on your Mac

1. Check if your internet is slow

If Safari isn’t loading pages , or it takes too long, it's important to figure out if it's just a matter of your internet being slow. The best way to do that is to use an online speed checker like Fast.com or SpeedTest.net. You can also just type ‘speed test’ in Google to bring an internet speed tester without leaving the search engine.

Restart your router if you find that your internet isn't uploading or downloading at a decent rate. If that doesn't speed it up, learn what else you can do to fix a slow internet connection on Mac . Also, don't discount server-side issues. If the problem is limited to a specific site, use a website monitoring tool such as Downdetector to see if that site is experiencing issues. Sometimes, websites go down, and there’s really nothing you can do about it except wait for them to be fixed.

2. Close unnecessary tabs in Safari

Although Safari is adept at handling dozens of tabs, having too many open simultaneously will eventually take its toll on your Mac's memory. That creates delays while loading new pages, and the performance hit could also result in erratic browser behavior.

The quickest way to speed up Safari on Mac is to shut down unnecessary tabs as soon as you notice any slowdowns. Getting used to moving between and closing tabs using the Ctrl+Tab and Command+W keyboard shortcuts can make the process even faster.

3. Shut down apps and resource-intensive processes on Mac

Tabs aside, having too many applications open can also make the Safari browser slow on Mac. If you find your Mac overheating , that’s a good sign it’s being overworked. This is less likely to be the case with newer Macs, which have fast Apple Silicon processors like the M1 and M2. Nevertheless, you should check your Mac's Dock and quit anything you aren't actively using. Try force-quitting troublesome programs if you can't close them normally.

If that doesn’t get Safari up to speed, you may have background processes that are using too much processing power and memory. Use the Activity Monitor to locate and stop them:

• Open Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities . In the CPU tab, sort your Mac's activity using the % CPU column and shut down any third-party processes that use a significant amount of CPU.
• Switch to the Memory tab and stop third-party items that use lots of RAM.

Important:   If you always end up pushing the hardware on your Mac to its limits, consider using MacKeeper's Memory Cleaner feature to keep things under control.

4. Disable unnecessary Safari extensions

Running Safari with multiple extensions increases the load on the CPU and RAM. That translates to slower browser performance, so review your list of browser add-ons and disable any items you don't regularly use. Here’s how:

• Open Safari and select Safari > Settings on the menu bar.
• Switch to the Extensions tab. Clear the boxes next to any extensions you want to disable.

Note from our team:    We highly recommend you update Safari extensions periodically via the Mac's App Store or MacKeeper’s Update Tracker to ensure they run in top shape. If you notice anything suspicious that might be slowing you down, learn how to remove malicious browser extensions and toolbars from your Mac.

5. Switch DNS servers for Wi-Fi and Ethernet

DNS (short for Domain Name System) is a cataloging system that matches domain names with IP addresses. When you type in the web address of a site, DNS tells your browser which IP address to visit to load the site.

Not all DNS providers are fast, so changing your Wi-Fi or Ethernet's DNS settings to a popular service like Google DNS can make Safari run faster on Mac. For best results, clear the DNS cache on your Mac before you begin.

Change your Mac’s DNS settings like this:

• In System Settings , select Network in the sidebar, then either Ethernet or Wi-Fi , depending on how you’re connected to the internet.
• Click Details .
• In the DNS section, click the plus button under DNS servers, and add 8.8.8.8 . Then do the same with 8.8.4.4 , and click OK .

6. Clear the Safari cache and cookies

Like most web browsers, Safari caches various forms of site data—images, HTML files, and JavaScript code—to improve load times in subsequent visits. However, a bloated or corrupt cache can adversely impact performance and result in Safari working slow on the Mac. You can clear the Safari cache after activating its hidden Develop menu.

Corrupt, outdated, or privacy-invasive browser cookies can slow down Safari. Deleting these cookies may help too. Here’s how to clear Safari’s cache and cookies:

• In Safari’s settings menu , switch to the Advanced tab and check the box next to Show features for web developers .
• Select Develop on the menu bar and pick the Empty Caches option.
• Now for the cookies. Select Safari > Clear History on the menu bar.
• Set Clear to All History , and click Clear History .

Hint from our experts:   You can also clear your Safari cache with MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup . In just a few clicks, it will clean up not only Safari but all your other web browsers and apps, log files, unneeded languages, and more. Run Safe Cleanup and get your Mac in order: In MacKeeper , select Safe Cleanup , then click Start Scan . When the scan is finished, choose what you want to delete, then click Clean Junk Files . Now click Skip Trash or Empty Trash , and MacKeeper will clear out the junk data. Step 1. Run Safe Cleanup Step 2. Remove junk files Step 3. Confirm removal

7. Manage and configure autofill

Autofill is a common feature in web browsers, which automatically fills in online forms for you. Information like your name, phone number, email address, and even payment cards are stored, so you don’t have to remember them or type them manually every time. As convenient as this feature is, it can also cause Safari to run slowly.

Changing your Safari browser’s autofill settings can stop it lagging:

• Open Safari’s settings , and go to the Autofill tab. To disable a category of autofilled data, use the checkboxes . Click one of the Edit buttons for more precise configuration.
• If you decide to edit the Credit cards autofill settings, for example, enter your password and click Unlock .
• You can then add or remove credit cards. Now do the same with the other autofill settings.

8. Update your Safari browser and macOS

Like many software companies, Apple regularly releases new updates for its apps, including Safari, and they arrive alongside regular macOS updates . These include bug fixes and performance enhancements, so you should make sure your browser and operating system are always on the latest supported version. Updating may be enough to fix a slow Safari browser. To update your Mac:

• In System Settings , select General from the sidebar, and then click Software Update .
• Wait until the Software Update tool checks for newer macOS updates and select Update Now to install any pending updates.

Even if a new macOS update doesn't include anything Safari-related, installing it will still improve general performance across native apps. Whether your Mac is running slow or not, make it a point to install macOS updates as soon as possible.

9. Reset Safari to factory defaults

Corrupt browser preferences and other underlying issues can also play a factor. There’s no way to repair your Safari preferences, so sometimes, the only way to fix a slow instance of Safari on Mac is to reset it to factory defaults. Here’s how:

• Save your work and exit Safari. Open Finder , select Go > Go to Folder on the menu bar, and visit the ~/Library/Preferences/ directory.
• Find the com.apple.Safari.plist file and delete it.
• Reopen the Go to Folder box and visit ~/Library/Safari/ . Then, delete each item within the folder except the Bookmarks.plist file.
• Visit ~/Library/Containers/ , search for Safari, and delete all files and folders that appear among the search results.

Next time you open Safari, you’ll need to set it up again to your liking. For example, you’ll need to visit its Settings pane to reactivate any extensions you want.

If you’re worried about security, check our guide on how Safari can get a virus .

10. Boot your Mac into safe mode

If none of the fixes above help speed up Safari, try booting your Mac into and out of safe mode. That helps flush out various forms of temporary data that can interfere with Apple's browser. It can also help you work out if third-party apps or drivers are hurting your Mac’s performance. These don’t load when you’re in safe mode, so if you think such programs are causing issues, you can uninstall them.

On an Intel Mac , you can get to safe mode while holding down the Shift key during the reboot phase . However, if you use an Apple Silicon Mac, follow these steps to get your computer into safe mode:

• Shut down your Mac.
• Turn it on but keep holding the Power button until you get to the Startup Options screen.
• Hold the Shift key and select Macintosh HD > Continue in Safe Mode .

Important :    In Safe Mode, repeat the fixes above if you cannot complete them earlier. Then restart your Mac normally. To delete additional forms of temporary data that can slow down Safari, learn how to delete your Mac's application and system caches . Start your Mac in safe mode

11. Fix problems with the Startup Disk

Your startup disk is where macOS is stored, so if there are any issues with it, your Mac may not run as you expect. Apps like Safari may be affected, causing them to run slowly or freeze up. Fortunately, macOS contains tools that can help you diagnose problems with your disk drives:

• Turn your Mac off completely.
• If you’re using an Intel Mac , power it up while holding down Command+R . When you see the Apple logo, you can let go.
• If your Mac has an Apple Silicon chip , press and hold the power button . Keep it held down until you see the startup options screen. Click Options > Continue .
• This will put your Mac in recovery mode. Select your account, then click Next. Enter your password.
• Choose Dis k Utility > Continue . Select your Mac’s main system drive, and then click First Aid.
• Now click Run . If Disk Utility finds anything wrong with your hard drive or SSD, it’ll try to fix it.

Pro tip from us:    Diagnosing hardware-related issues can be tricky, and the tools built into macOS can only take you so far. If you need more help, check out our Premium Services . We offer expert help, 24/7, for all your technical issues—not just those related to Macs.  

12. Free up disk space on your Mac

It’s never a good idea to let your Mac’s storage get too full. The less space you have, the more your computer will struggle, and that could be why Safari is lagging. Whether you have an iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Air, or any other Apple computer, an overflowing hard drive or SSD is a big no-no.

How do you free up space on your Mac ? Just do as follows:

• In System Settings , go to General > Storage . Next to Applications , click the info icon.
• Click Last Accessed to sort the column and put the least used apps at the top. Select an app and click Delete .
• Click Delete to remove the app. Enter your password and click OK .
• Now, work your way through all the Storage settings like this, removing any files you don’t need.

• How to prevent Safari from running slowly on Mac

Keeping Safari in top shape is crucial for a great web browsing experience. There are a few ways to make sure Safari doesn’t start running slow:

• Avoid having too many open tabs.
• Shut down unwanted apps and processes.
• Cut down on the number of active extensions.
• Occasionally clear your Safari cache.
• Don’t let your Mac’s system drive get too full.
• Keep your macOS and Safari up to date.

It’s also important to keep other apps up to date as well, as they can also potentially cause Safari to slow down. If you’re looking for an easy way to update your apps, try MacKeeper’s Update Tracker . It will update all your favorite apps with a single click, saving you time and effort.

• Full steam ahead

It’s no fun having a slow web browser, so hopefully, one of the fixes in our guide has helped you to get Safari back up to speed. If you’re still struggling, then give MacKeeper a try . It’s packed with features that can help you identify and fix issues with your Mac, and its Update Tracker means you never need to worry about out-of-date apps slowing you down.

• FAQ about Safari performance on Mac

1. How do I make Safari work better?

There are many different ways to improve Safari’s performance, including:

• Clearing Safari’s cache
• Removing unnecessary extensions
• Resetting Safari’s preferences
• Closing down unnecessary Safari tabs
• Updating Safari and macOS
• Changing your DNS servers
• Configuring Safari’s autofill settings

2. Why is Safari being extremely slow?

If your Safari browser is slow, it might be caused by a slow internet connection. Check that first with a speed testing site. If that shows your internet connection is fine, then other causes for Safari to run slowly include:

• Too many tabs being open
• Lots of background processes holding back your system
• Out-of-date apps
• Problematic extensions
• Too much cached data in Safari

3. How do I accelerate Safari settings?

To fix a slow Safari browser, you should:

• Clear your Safari cache.
• Close all unnecessary tabs.
• Shut down any apps you’re not using.
• Close background processes with Activity Monitor.
• Update Safari and macOS.
• Change your DNS settings.
• Turn off or manage autofill.
• Reset your Safari to factory settings.
• Free up disk space on your Mac.
• Run First Aid on your system drive.

4. How do I stop my Safari from lagging?

Ideally, you want to prevent Safari from ever getting slow in the first place. Some steps to follow:

• Don’t open loads of tabs at once.
• Shut down apps after you’re finished with them.
• Don’t install loads of extensions.
• Make sure to clear your Safari cache every now and then.
• Try not to let your Mac’s storage get too full.
• Make sure you keep macOS, Safari, and all other apps up to date.

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• Delete unnecessary system files and caches
• Free up GBs of storage space
• Easily find and delete duplicate files

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Apple Safari has emerged as one of the most advanced web browsers designed to be used on iOS and OS X platforms. Apart from being more secure and fast, it has plenty of features like, Private mode to immensely enhance user-experience. No wonder Apple device owners really enjoy using it; even though there are some equally competent web browsers are available.

There are times when Safari begins to run rather slowly on Mac. Even when there is a good network on the device, Apple’s web browser becomes very lethargic. And, in case you are not much aware of how it fix this annoying issue, you are bound to feel disappointed with it.

Having already posted an article as to how you can accelerate Safari on your iPhone and iPad, we are going to walk you through the handy tips through which you can speed-up Safari on your Mac as well. Let’s dive ahead!

Why is Safari slow on Mac?

There’s a host of reasons why Safari might be lagging or running slower than usual on your Mac. It could be anything from overloading your system with multitasking to simply not maintaining your computer or the Safari app.

Regular upkeep and a few tweaks can make a world of difference in performance. But it’s also important to note that it’s also normal for Safari to run slow during certain situations, such as browsing sites loaded with ads and videos—especially those on auto-play.

How to fix Safari running slow on Mac

Let’s explore how to make Safari run faster on Mac with some strategies.

1. Check internet speed on your Mac

It’s essential to first rule out connectivity issues when Safari is running very slow on your Mac. Since internet speed is vital in how quickly pages load, why not check your connection before you start troubleshooting?

Head to online speed test sites like SpeedTest.net to gauge your internet speed.

2. Close unwanted tabs and windows

While Safari can handle dozens of tabs opened at a time, each open tab and window does tap into your Mac’s power and memory.

Excessive tabs can gradually impede your Mac’s performance, leading to longer page load times and unpredictable browser behavior.

3. Force Quit Safari on Mac

Occasionally, a page or app may overtax your system’s resources, leading Safari to freeze or run slow. A quick fix is to quit Safari and start it up again. This terminates any demanding processes and gives the browser a clean slate to work from.

• To do this, go to the Dock and control-click Safari .
• Press the  Option key  → Select  Force Quit .

4. Quit other apps

If a dozen apps run simultaneously in the background along with Safari, it’s not unusual for it to become sluggish.

• Head to your Dock and quit apps you’re no longer using.
• Just look at every app with a dot below it.
• Control-click it and select  Quit .

5. Kill resource-intensive apps and processes

Aside from apps, having too many apps running can also affect Safari’s performance. Some of these apps tend to hog more resources than others. If Safari is acting up and you’re using several apps at a time, head to the Activity Monitor to see which ones consume too much power and memory. 

• To do this,  open Launchpad  → click the  Other folder → Activity Monitor. 

• Additionally, if an app is too resource-intensive, consider  creating a web app for it  instead, which generally requires less power and memory.

6. Remove unwanted Safari extensions from your Mac

Extensions allow Safari to do more, but it does come with a cost—some tend to be resource-intensive and overload your CPU and RAM.

7. Update Safari

Updating Safari on your Mac  helps ensure the app has the necessary improvements and features to run faster and smoother. For newer Macs, Safari updates are bundled with macOS updates. However, you can apply just the updates related to Safari.

• Go to System Settings , if there’s a software update available, you’ll see a Software Update Available under your Apple ID.
• Otherwise, you can head to General  →  Software Update.

8. Restart your Mac

This may sound cliché already, but sometimes, all your Mac needs is a quick reboot to fix any performance issues affecting it or any of your apps.

9. Clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac

Web browsers such as Safari enhance browsing by storing data like cookies and cache, which can speed up load times. Additionally, Safari keeps a record of your recently visited web pages.

Though helpful, these can accumulate over time, causing your Safari to run slower than usual. A quick tip to determine if the accumulated history, cookies, and caches are to blame is to try browsing in a private window. Since Private Browsing mode doesn’t retain browsing data, it can serve as a good benchmark for comparison.

Regularly  deleting Safari’s browsing history, cache, and cookies  is an important habit to keep Safari in tip-top shape.

• If the method above doesn’t work, you can manually delete the cache by going to  Finder .
• Go to the menu bar and click Go  →  Go to Folder .
• Enter the command below, open the folder, and drag the . db file  to the Trash.

10. Use Safari from a new user account on Mac

It’s possible that the issue runs deeper and has seeped into your user account. To check, you can create another user account on your Mac and try using Safari on that account as you would typically do. If Safari runs faster on that account, you’ll need to repair your original account using Disk Utility.

• Search for Disk Utility on Spotlight → Select your account’s disk .

• If you can’t see this option, choose Verify Disk first.

This process will repair any problems within your account.

11. Disable Search Suggestions in Safari on Mac

Safari’s Smart Search Field simplifies browsing by allowing you to enter URLs or search terms directly into the address bar. The Safari Search Suggestions feature further enhances it.

It works like Google’s recommended search results, offering recommendations such as apps to refine and intuitively guide your search experience. To turn off Search Suggestions in Safari:

• Open  Safari  → Click Safari in the menu bar → Pick Settings .

12. Switch DNS provider

The Domain Name System (DSN) is a cataloging system that translates website names into IP addresses. By default, your DSN settings are provided by an ISP. Sometimes, this may be overloaded or slow, so changing to a faster DNS provider may boost your internet speed and, consequently, Safari’s performance.

• To do this, go to  System Settings  →  Network .
• Click  Details  beside the WiFi/Ethernet you’re currently connected to.
• Select the  DNS tab.

13. Disable Autofill on Mac

To provide a more intuitive experience, Safari has an Autofill function, which completes forms detected online using stored information on your Mac. The downside is that this may sometimes cause Safari to tag.

Deselect all the types of information you don’t want Safari to autofill. Deselect all to turn off the function entirely.

14. Scan your Mac for malware

While rare, your Mac can get infected with a virus, which can inadvertently affect your Mac’s performance. Check our guide on the  most common viruses affecting Mac and what you can do to remove them .

15. Update your Mac with latest macOS

If your Mac isn’t running on the latest macOS, it’s best to update it to the latest version available. This is because Apple sends bug fixes and other enhancements in every update so your Mac runs smoothly. To update your Mac:

• Head to the  Apple menu  →  System Settings .
• Go to General  →  Software Update .
• If there’s an update available, click  Update Now .

16. Disable DNS Prefetching

Safari enhances your browsing experience by using DNS Prefetching to speed up webpage loading times. This process reduces the delay between when you click and when the webpage display appears because your browser already knows the address it needs to retrieve the page.

Ironically, this can slow down Safari or become unresponsive.

• To turn this off, go to  Finder  →  Applications  →  Utilities →  Terminal .

• Hit Enter and relaunch Safari .

17. Reset Safari to its factory default on Mac

If nothing seems else to work, underlying issues or corrupt browser preferences may be the culprit behind your Safari running very slow on your Mac. Resetting your Safari to its default state may fix the problem, as this reverts its browser settings to default and deactivates all the extensions. To do this:

• Open  Finder .
• Select  Go  →  Go to Folder . Then do the following, one after the other:
• Type  ~/Library/Preferences/directory  in the text field → Search for the  com.apple.Safari.plist  file → Delete .
• Type  ~/Library/Safari/  → Delete all the files in the folder except for the  Bookmarks/plist
• Type  ~/Library/Containers/ , look for Safari → Delete all the files and folders.
• Once done, open Safari. On the menu bar, click  Preferences  →  Privacy . Select  Remove All Website Data  and Reset Safari.
• Head to the Extensions tab and reactivate only the essential extensions you need. Move between the other tabs and modify other browser settings to your preference.

18. Boot your Mac into Safe Mode

Another way to troubleshoot for errors is to  boot your Mac into Safe Mode . Safe Mode starts up your Mac without launching certain software and extensions, which can conflict with Safari. It also runs a check of your startup disk, so it can help resolve underlying issues that may be affecting Safari’s speed.

While booting your Mac in Safe Mode doesn’t really make Safari run faster during regular use, it’s a helpful tool that can help you find out why your Mac is so slow and give you an idea of how to make Safari run faster on Mac.

Wrapping up…

Experiencing a sluggish Safari can be frustrating, but many potential culprits can cause this. The suggestions listed above are designed to help you understand how to speed up Safari on Mac. Did you find these solutions effective? If so, feel free to share your experience in the comments below!

• Safari vs. Chrome: Which browser is better for iPhone and Mac?
• Safari not working on Mac after update? 10 Ways to fix it!
• 14 Ways to fix YouTube videos not playing on Mac’s Safari

Rachel, an experienced Apple technology writer since 2021 and a long-time user since 2003, began her journey with a silver iPod Classic. Currently, she owns an array of modern Apple gadgets. At iGeeksBlog, her expertise shines through in the crafting of comprehensive how-to articles, informative guides, and well-curated roundups.

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How to Speed Up Slow Safari Browser on Mac

By: Waseem Patwegar | Filed Under: Mac

If the Safari Browser on your MacBook is running slow, you can find below the steps to speed up Slow Safari Browser on Mac.

Slow Safari Browser On Mac

Similar to Google Chrome and other Web browser, the default Safari Browser on Mac can slow down over a period of time and sometimes become painfully slow due to corrupted cache and other reasons.

When this happens, you may notice a considerable delay in loading of web pages, you may find it difficult to scroll down the web pages and find certain websites failing to load.

Hence, we are providing below the steps to fix the issue of a Slow Safari Browser on Mac.

1. Clear Safari Browsing History

Start by clearing the Safari Browsing History on your Mac.

1. Open Safari Browser > select the Safari tab in top-menu bar and click on Clear History…. option.

2. On the pop-up, select All History and click on Clear History button.

2. Change Safari Search Settings

While “Smart Search Settings” in Safari browser can enhance your browsing experience, they are also known to slow down the browser.

1. Open Safari Browser > select the Safari tab in top menu bar and click on System Preferences option in the drop-down menu.

2. On the next screen, click on the Search Tab and disable Enable quick website search , Preload top hit in the background and Show Favourites options.

3. Turn OFF Dashboard

While the Dashboard feature on Mac is useful, it takes up resources, which can lead to slowing down of the Safari browser, especially on older MacBooks (2010 or earlier).

Hence, try disabling the Dashboard on your Mac and see if it makes any difference to the speed of Safari browser on your Mac.

1. Click on Apple Logo in top-menu bar and select System Settings… or System Preferences in the drop-down menu.

2. On the System Preferences screen, click on Mission Control .

3. On the next screen, turn OFF the Dashboard feature on your Mac.

4. Clear Safari Browser Cache

Over a period of time Safari Browser Cache can grow large in size, leading to slowing down of the browser.

1. Open Safari Browser > select the Develop tab in top-menu bar and click on Empty Caches option in the drop-down menu.

Note: You need to Enable Develop menu in Safari , it is not enabled by default on Mac.

Once the Cache is emptied, you may find your favourite websites loading a bit slower during the first visit, but they will start loading faster during your subsequent visits.

5. Disable Safari Browser Extensions

Certain Safari Browser Extensions can slow down the browser and interfere with proper functioning of Safari on your Mac.

1. Open Safari Browser > select the Develop tab in top-menu bar and click on Disable Extensions option in the drop-down menu.

This will Disable all the Safari Browser Extensions on your computer.

6. Disable Unused Network

If you are mostly using Ethernet or WiFi, disabling the unused Network can help in speeding up Safari browser.

2. On System Preferences screen, click on the Network option.

3. On the next screen, select the unused Network (WiFi in this case) and click on Turn OFF button.

7. Establish Network Priority

In you use both WiFi and Ethernet, setup Network priority based on which Network you are mostly connected to.

1. Open System Preferences > click on Network .

2. On the Network screen, click on the Gear shaped icon and select Set Service Order… option in the drop-down menu.

3. On the next screen, drag WiFi below Ethernet Network (if you mostly use Ethernet) or drag Ethernet below WiFi (If you mostly use WiFi Network).

4. Click on OK to save this setting on your Mac.

8. Update Safari Browser

The best way to get the most out of Safari browser on Mac is to make sure that you are running the latest version of Safari browser on your computer.

1. Click on the Apple Icon in the top-menu bar and select About This Mac . option in the drop-down menu.

2. On the next screen, click on Update Software button

9. Use Google DNS

If you notice that the Safari Browser on your Mac usually gets slower during certain periods of the Day, the problem might be due to the DNS servers of your service provider getting congested.

You can switch to Google’s free Public DNS Service or OpenDNS and see of this helps in improving the browsing speed on your Mac.

The steps the change the DNS servers on you Mac can be found in this guide: How to Switch to Google DNS on Windows and Mac .

• How to Change Safari File Download Location On Mac
• How to Allow or Block Pop-ups in Safari Browser

15 Ways To Speed Up Safari

Check out 15 Ways To Speed Up Safari at YouTube for closed captioning and more options.

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Comments: 5 Responses to “15 Ways To Speed Up Safari”

I second turn off tabs. I once had a friend who complained that Safari wouldn’t work. When I looked at his computer, he had 320 tabs open.

I've been called "basic brad" before. Sorry if I missed it but, if Safari's slow, I try another browser.

How can I tell if it Safari that is slow or the server?

Michael: Depends on a number of factors. But try these things to see if any work. If they do, that gives you a clue.

Cloudflare DNS 1.1.1.1 is also a very good fast free option that has made a difference in loading speeds for a lot of people

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Speed Up Safari With These Tuneup Tips

Keep your browsing experience speedy

Tom Nelson is an engineer, programmer, network manager, and computer network and systems designer who has written for Other World Computing,and others. Tom is also president of Coyote Moon, Inc., a Macintosh and Windows consulting firm.

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Keep Safari Updated

• Speed Up Safari

Delete the Cache

Delete browsing history, disable plug-ins, toss unused extensions.

If Safari is your browser of choice, you know that it's typically speedy and dependable. When your Safari browser slows down or is misbehaving in some way, and you've already established that your internet service is up and running, you can take a few actions that may return Safari to its previously snappy performance.

Instructions in this article apply to all versions of Safari.

Before you try the various tuneup techniques, update Safari if it isn't the current version.

Apple spends a lot of time developing the core technology that Safari uses. Having the most current version of Safari is one of the best ways to ensure a fast and responsive Safari experience.

Apple ties Safari updates to the version of macOS that you're using. To keep Safari up to date, you need to keep the Mac operating system up to date. If you’re a heavy user of Safari, it pays to keep OS X or macOS current.

How to Speed Up Safari

These tuneup tips can affect performance to varying degrees, but most of them offer only minor improvements in recent versions of Safari. Over time, Apple modified some of the routines in Safari to optimize performance. As a result, some tuneup techniques that created substantial performance increases in early versions of Safari result in only mild improvements in later versions. However, it doesn't hurt to give them a try.

Safari stores the web pages you view, including any images that are part of the pages, in a local cache, because it can then render cached pages faster than new pages the next time you visit the site. The problem with the Safari cache is that it eventually grows huge, causing Safari to slow down while it looks up a cached page to determine whether to load that page or download a new version .

Deleting the Safari cache can temporarily improve page loading times until the cache expands again and becomes too large for Safari to sort through efficiently, at which time you'll need to delete it again.

To delete the Safari cache:

Open Safari on your Mac.

Open Preferences under the Safari menu.

You can also open Preferences by pressing Command + , (comma) on your keyboard.

Select the Privacy tab.

Select Manage Website Data .

Click Remove All .

A warning message appears. Click Remove Now to clear the cache and cookies.

Select Done to close the window.

In older versions of Safari, select Empty Cache under the Develop menu or press Option + Shift + E on your keyboard.

If you don't see Develop, here's how to enable Safari's Develop menu .

Safari maintains a history of every web page you view, which has the practical benefit of letting you use the forward and back buttons to load recently viewed pages. It also lets you go back in time to find and view a web page that you forgot to bookmark.

The history is helpful, but like other forms of caching, it can become a hindrance. If you only visit a few pages a day, that's not a lot of page history to store. If you visit hundreds of pages each day, the History file can quickly get out of hand.

To delete the history in Safari:

Select Clear History from History in the Safari menu bar.

Select all history from the drop-down menu next to Clear . Other options include the last hour , today , and today and yesterday .

Choose Clear History .

You may have tried out a Safari plug-in that provided what appeared to be a useful service, but after a while, you stopped using it because it didn’t meet your needs. At some point, you forget about these plug-ins, but they're still in Safari, consuming space and resources.

To remove unused plug-ins:

Choose Safari > Preferences from the Safari menu bar.

Click the Websites tab.

Find the plug-ins at the bottom of the left panel and deselect unused plug-ins by removing the check in the box next to it.

Don't automatically deselect every plug-in without reading its name and deciding you don't need it. You may be using a plug-in without being aware of it. Click on any active plug-in for information about it.

Extensions are similar in concept to plug-ins. Both provide capabilities that Safari doesn't have on its own. Just like plug-ins, extensions can cause issues with performance when there are a large number of extensions installed, the extensions are competing, or the extensions have origins or purposes you've long since forgotten.

To get rid of unused extensions:

Choose Preferences from the Safari menu.

Select the Extensions tab.

The extensions are listed in the left panel. Deselect an unused extension by removing the check from the box next to it.

Highlight an extension and choose the Uninstall button to remove it completely.

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How to Troubleshoot Safari if It’s Running Slow on Mac

This article shows how you can fix the Safari browser if it is slow on your Mac. The purpose is to help speed up Apple’s Safari or determine why it is running slow. If you are experiencing one of the following issues, you can use this article to address your problem:

• Safari is so slow and seems frozen.
• Websites are taking a lot of time to load or videos are lagging.
• A spinning beach ball frequently keeps appearing when attempting to browse the Web.
• Clicking the Safari options (history, bookmarks, etc) temporarily causes Safari to freeze or become sluggish.

There could be many reasons why you experience this issue. Follow the steps below:

1. Is the Mac up to date?

Ensure that your Mac is running the latest versions of the macOS version . Safari is a built-in app and the macOS software includes Safari. This means that updating macOS will also update Safari. You can go to System Preferences > Software Update to check for updates. And if there is an update, click the Update Now button to update your Mac.

2. Is it your Internet connection?

You may feel that Safari is sluggish because you may have a poor or unstable connection to the Internet. Use another browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc) to visit a website. Or try using multiple devices in your home. Do you still experience that your browsing experience is slow? If your answer is yes, then the problem may be your connection. Is the slowness just with one website or with all of the websites you try to visit? If the problem is with just one website, then the problem is that website. However, if all of the websites appear to be slow on all devices and/or using different browsers, the problem may be, again, your connection. If this is the case, try:

• Ensure that your Mac has the latest version of macOS (System Preferences > Software Update).
• Turn off your Mac (Apple menu > Shut Down), do not turn it on yet.
• Restart your modem/router. Simply unplug it from power, wait 30 seconds and then plug it back in.
• Wait for your modem/router to fully function (ensure that all of the indicator lights are on).
• Turn on your Mac by pressing the power button.
• Mac Wi-Fi Connected But No Internet Access
• My Mac Stopped Seeing My Wi-Fi Network, Fix
• How To Forget Wi-Fi Networks On Mac
• How To Fix Slow Wi-Fi Problems On Your Macbook
• How To Reset Network Settings On Mac

3. Too much cache? Clear your cache on Safari on your Mac

As you use Safari to visit websites, cache data will accumulate and this can possibly slow the browser down. Clearing the cache on your Safari browser will ensure that it’s working smoothly and efficiently. The Safari cache is a pile of temporary website data. Here is how you can clear cache in Safari on your Mac:

• Open Safari.
• Click Safari > Preferences.
• Click the Advanced tab.
• Check the box next to the “Show Develop menu in menu bar” option. Now a new menu item called Develop will appear.
• Now exit Preferences.
• Click Develop and Empty Caches.

4. Are your extensions causing this?

An extension or add-on may cause this problem. Do you have these installed? If your answer is yes, try the following:

We can turn off Safari Extensions temporarily to see if they are causing this:

• In Safari, click Safari > Preferences.
• Click Extensions.
• You will see your installed extensions.
• Turn all them off by deselecting the checkboxes.

Now check Safari. Is it faster now? If turning off extensions resolves the issue, now determine the problematic extension that is causing this issue. Turn them back on, one by one, until you find the problematic extension. After each extension, you turn it on, test to see if the problem has recurred before turning on the next extension.

5. Safe Mode

Restart your Mac in Safe Mode . Safe Mode will clear some system caches. This can improve Safari’s performance. The steps will differ depending on the Mac type you have: Apple silicon or Intel. If you do not know, go to the Apple menu > About this Mac.

Apple silicon:

• Turn off your Mac.
• Press and hold the power button until the startup options window appears.
• Click your startup disk.
• Press and hold the Shift key and click “Continue in Safe Mode.”
• Turn on your Mac and quickly press and hold the Shift key.
• Release the Shift key when you see the login window.

Your Mac is in Safe Mode . Test Safari. Then exit Safari (just restart your Mac). Then test Safari again.

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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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[Proven] 9 Ways to Speed Up Safari on Mac in 2024

Updated on Tuesday, May 7, 2024

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How to Speed Up Safari on Mac: A Detailed Guide

Summary:  This article will tell you how to speed up Safari on Mac , and help you make Safari back to normal in no time. Also, you can use  iBoysoft  DiskGeeker to clean junk files on your Mac, thus speeding up Safari.

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As the default and built-in web browser, Safari was highly praised by Mac users over the years because of its high performance and reliability. But as with any other web browser, like Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox, Safari is not immune from slowdowns and other issues.

For those who stick to using Safari, and don't know what to do when finding Safari is running much slower than before, you come to the right place. This article tells you how to speed up Safari on Mac with nine feasible ways. Without further ado, let's get started!

Possible causes lead to Safari running slow on Mac

To speed up Safari on Mac, it's beneficial to start with the possible reasons that may lead to Safari running slow on Mac issue. Let's check some of the possible reasons out.

• Bad network connection 
• Too many open apps and resource-intensive programs 
• Overmuch tabs in Safari 
• Bad extensions 
• Overworked Cache 
• Outdated Version of Safari
• Too many junk files on your Mac

It is worth mentioning that there are various causes that may result in this problem, and the above list is just part of them. Now you learn some possible reasons that may cause the slowdown of Safari, to speed up Safari on Mac is next on the agenda. Read on for more details.

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How to speed up Safari on Mac?

Here, we provide you with 9 feasible solutions to help you speed up Safari on Mac, thus fixing the Safari running slow on Mac problem. You can perform the following solutions one by one to check if any of them will work.

Check for network connection problems

If you find the website you open in Safari takes too long to load, or even fails to load, it's a good idea to check the network connection, and see if the culprit is not inside Safari itself. Sometimes, a bad network connection will lead to the unstable performance of Safari. So, whenever you feel Safari is slower than usual, check your network first.

Shut down unneeded apps and resource-intensive programs

Safari will run much slower than normal when you have countless applications or resource-intensive programs opened on your Mac. In this situation, those apps and programs take up the most CPU usage, and thus there's not much left for Safari. So, to speed up Safari on Mac, you can quit or force-quit those apps not actively used on the  Mac Dock .

Also, if you want to sort apps and find those consume too much processing power and memory, use the  Activity Monitor  to help you, here's how:

• Go to  Mac Launchpad  > Others, find Activity Monitor, and launch it.
• In the Activity Monitor window, click on the CPU tab or Memory tab in the top menu.

Close unnecessary tabs in Safari

When you are searching for information or just browsing interesting websites in Safari, you may open a lot of tabs without realizing it. Too many tabs open in Safari will get Safari running slow on Mac. Because this Apple's default browser keeps many of those tabs active in the background, even when you are not using them.

So, you can speed up Safari on Mac by simply closing those unnecessary tabs. Remember to bookmark those websites you actively used in case of accidentally closing.

Optimize your Mac

Too many junk files on your Mac disk can have devastating consequences for your Mac's overall performance. A Mac with limited free space on the startup disk is likely to freeze, clutter, and crash, thus making Safari run slow. In this case, you can  free up space on Mac  to speed up Safari with  iBoysoft DiskGeeker .

iBoysoft DiskGeeker is one of the leading macOS optimizers in the market. It is able to remove useless clutters from hard drives on your Mac. The Clean Junk feature of it can help users to find and remove junk files from the startup disk, thus boosting your Mac's performance. And the Clean Drive feature can scan all files on a volume, so that you can sort out those unneeded files and remove them easily.

Also, it can clear up junk files in Macs, external hard drives, solid-state drives,  USB flash drive s,  SD card s, memory cards, etc.

Here's how to clean junk files on our Mac and speed up Safari:

• Download, install, and launch iBoysoft DiskGeeker on your Mac.

• Click Ok to confirm the deletion.
• Check if the Safari running slow on Mac issue still exists.

Disable or remove unnecessary Safari extensions

Though some of the Safari extensions are quite useful, they can do more harm than good by affecting the browsing experience and the loading speed. Besides, extensions eat up resources. So, in this situation, you can either turn off or directly remove those unused or not frequently used extensions in Safari.

Here's how to speed up Safari on Mac by disabling and removing Safari extensions:

• Launch Safari on your Mac.
• Click Safari in the  Apple Menu , choose Preferences, then click on the Extensions tab.
• To disable an extension, simply untick the checkbox next to it.

How to delete extensions on Mac?

If you want to remove the unwanted and useless extensions on your Mac to speed up your browser and Mac performance, follow this guide to uninstall them quickly.  Read more >>

Think these solutions are quite inspiring? Why not share?

Clear up Safari cache and cookies

Like Google Chrome or any other browser, Safari will keep a cache of data from websites you visit. This takes up disk space and leads to some performance problems. So, it's always to clear up the Safari cache once in a while if you need to improve the browser's speed, here's how:

• Launch Safari on your Mac, and click Safari in the Apple Menu.
• Go to Preferences > Advanced.

Corrupted and outdated cookies may slow down Safari, and thus affect its performance. So, removing cookies in Safari can also help you speed up Safari on Mac, here's how:

• In the Apple Menu, go to Safari > Preferences > Privacy.

• Click Remove Now to clear up Safari cookies.

Clear Cookies on Mac in Safari, Chrome, & Firefox (2022)

How to clear cookies on Mac? This guide helps you delete cookies and cache in Safari, Chrome, and Firefox on Mac/MacBook Air/ MacBook Pro.  Read more >>

Disable autofill

Autofill can help you enter passwords automatically in Safari. But the more data you store in autofill, the more resources Safari needs. Disable autofill is another way to fix the Safari running slow on Mac issue.

• Launch Safari, click Safari in the Apple Menu, then choose Preferences.

• Remove your autofill data.

Reset Safari to factory defaults

If any of the above solutions fail to fix your problem, you can reset Safari to factory defaults. Do note that resetting Safari will clear up all extensions and browser settings. So, consider it twice before doing it. Here's how:

• Quit Safari on your Mac.

• Search for com.apple.Safari.plist file, and move it to  Mac Trash .
• Press Command + Shift + G together again, type " ~/Library/Safari/ " in the pop-up window, and delete all items in the folder except the Bookmarks.plist file.
• Visit " ~/Library/Containers/ ", search for Safari, then delete all files and folders appear in the found results.

Update macOS to the latest version

Apple releases a new version of macOS every year. Each new macOS version fixes some bugs and improves the performance of Safari. So, if your Mac is not running the latest macOS, you can try to  update Mac , and see if this Safari running slow on Mac problem still exists.

Safari Not Working on Mac/MacBook, How to Fix? (2022)

Safari not working on Mac/MacBook, how to fix it? This guide helps fix Safari that's not working properly, not responding, or not opening on Mac.  Read more >>

Fix Safari running slow on Mac issue successfully? Share this post with more people!

In this article, we tell you the possible causes that may lead to the Safari running slow problem. Also, explain to you how to speed up Safari on Mac with nine feasible solutions. Hope you can solve your problem after reading this post!

Rivers Wong is a technical content creator and optimizer at iBoysoft. After comprehensive and systematic learning of macOS, Windows OS, data security, and storage devices, he is capable of providing informative and helpful articles.

Jessica Shee is a senior tech editor at iBoysoft. Throughout her 4 years of experience, Jessica has written many informative and instructional articles in data recovery, data security, and disk management to help a lot of readers secure their important documents and take the best advantage of their devices.

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How to Improve Safari Speed on Mac

For most of the times, Safari works perfectly on our Macs. However, there are times when the browser just gets sluggish and takes forever to load a web page. When Safari is insanely slow, before moving any further, we should:

Make sure our Mac or MacBook has an active network connection;

Force quit the browser and re-open it to see if the problem continues.

If the problem persists, try these tricks to speed up safari on your Mac.

You may like:

My Mac Runs Too Slow, How to Speed Up?

Deduplicate Files to Make Your Mac Faster

1. Keep Your Mac Up-to-date

2. change search settings on mac, 3. clear browser caches, 4. delete safari preference file, 5. disable extensions, 6. log in with another account.

The newest version of Safari has better performance than previous versions because Apple keeps fixing bugs that have been found. You need to update your Mac OS to get the newest Safari. Therefore, always check if there is new OS for your Mac . If there is, get the update.

Open Safari, click Preferences > Search . Change settings in the Search menu and see if the changes make a difference to Safari's performance;

Change Search Engine to Bing or some other engines, then restart Safari and see if it runs faster;

Uncheck smart search options . Sometimes these extra features slow down the browser. Therefore, try unchecking search engine suggestions, Safari suggestions, quick website search, preload top hit, etc.

Caches are saved to improve Safari's performance; however, if the cache files accumulate to a certain degree, it'll take forever for the browser to complete a searching task. Clearing Safari caches will help to speed up Safari.

Manually Clean up Safari Caches Files

1. Open Preferences panel in Safari.

2. Choose Advanced .

3. Enable Show Develop menu.

4. Click on Develop in menu bar.

5. From the drop-down list, select Empty caches .

If somehow the above steps don't function well, you can also clear caches by deleting cache.db file in Finder:

On Finder, click Go > Go to Folder ;

Enter this path in the search bar: ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db ;

It will locate cache.db file of Safari. Just delete the file directly.

Use Macube Cleaner to Clean Caches Files

Mac Cleaners like Macube Cleaner (opens new window) also have the feature of cleaning browser caches. If you need to not only speed up Safari, but also improve overall performance of your Mac, you can always use the program on your Mac.

To clean browser caches on Mac:

Step 1. Download Macube Cleaner .

Step 2. Launch Macube Cleaner . Choose Smart Scan and let the program scan for unneeded system files on your Mac.

Step 3. Among the scanned results, choose Application Cache .

Step 4. Tick certain browser and click Clean .

After removing Safari cache files, restart Safari and see if it is loading faster.

By the way, other than Safari, Macube Cleaner can also clean caches of your other browsers, such as Google Chrome and Firefox and clean more junk files to spped up your Mac. You can watch the video guide to know more about this program.

Preference file is used to store preference settings of Safari. If lots of time-out occur when loading web pages in Safari, deleting the exsiting preference file of Safari is a good idea.

Note: Your Safari preferences like default home page will be deleted if the file is removed.

Step 1. Open Finder .

Step 2. Hold Alt/Option button when you click Go on menu bar. Library folder will appear on the drop-down menu.

Step 3. Choose Library > Preference folder.

Step 4. On search bar, type: com.apple.Safari.plist . Make sure you have selected Preference but not This Mac.

Step 5. Delete the com.apple.Safari.plist file.

If there are extensions in Safari that you don't need right now, disable the tools to speed up the browser.

Step 1. Open the browser.

Step 2. Click Safari in the upper left corner

Step 3. From drop-down menu, choose Preference .

Step 4. Then click Extensions .

Step 5. Uncheck extensions to disable them.

The user account that you are currently using could be the problem. Try to log in your Mac with another account. If Safari runs faster with another account, you may want to fix the error in these steps:

Step 1. Open Spotlight and type in Disk Utility to open the app.

Step 2. Click the hard drive of your Mac and choose First Aid on the top.

Step 3. Click Run on the pop-up window.

If you have more questions about using Safari on Mac, don't hesitate to leave your questions below. We hope you have a great using experience with Safari.

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10 quick steps to increase mac performance.

Want to speed up your Mac? Here are some quick ways to boost your macOS performance.

Quick Links

Quit apps you're no longer using, identify and remove resource hogs with activity monitor, prevent apps from starting up in the first place, browse the web with safari, limit browser extensions and tabs, reset smc and pram/nvram, create more free space, turn off fancy animations, clean up your desktop, install software updates, got more time reinstall macos.

Whether your Mac is running slow or you just want to squeeze some extra performance from your system, we have some quick solutions. Buying a shiny new Mac or upgrading your current Mac's RAM aren't the only options.

Clicking the red "X" in the corner of a window won't always close a Mac app. In fact, most Mac apps will stay running in the background when you close their windows . You may have only closed the window, and the app is still open as signified by its presence in your dock.

Running apps appear in the dock with small dots next to them. You can right-click, Command-click, or two-finger tap an app icon in the dock and click Quit to end the process. You can also use File > Quit, or use the Command+Q keyboard shortcut while the app is focused.

Get into the habit of closing thirsty apps like Photoshop or Excel when you aren't using them. Apps like Steam often run by default in the background, sapping resources. Close them until you need them. If the app has crashed or appears unresponsive, right-click its icon and hold Option, then click on Force Quit.

Related: Why Do Mac Apps Stay Open When I Hit The Red X Button?

If your Mac suddenly becomes unresponsive, slows down, or its fans spin up, you might want to find the offending software using Activity Monitor . You can launch this tool via Spotlight (Command+Spacebar, then search for it) or find it in the Applications > Utilities folder.

To find an app that is stressing your processor, click the CPU tab and then arrange the "% CPU" column in descending order. The higher the app appears in the list, the more CPU it is using. Select an app and click on the "X" in the top-left corner to quit the process. Be aware that many of the items in this list are system processes you won't want to quit .

You can do the same thing on the Memory tab. Organize the "Memory" column by descending order to find out where all of your available physical memory has gone. If you aren't using the app in question or notice a particular web page is sapping your memory, kill the process to free up resources.

Disabling startup apps is a straightforward fix to a common complaint. When you sign into, many other applications start at the same time. Much of the time, these applications are not required. You're often better off waiting until a time when you need these applications to start them manually instead.

Head to System Preferences > Users & Groups and click "Login Items" to see a list of applications that start when you log in to your account. Highlight one and click on the minus "-" icon to remove it. You can also add apps by clicking the plus "+" button if you like. Checking the box next to the app's entry will hide it on startup.

Your choice of browser can have a big impact on your machine's performance. Safari is one of the best choices for Mac users since it is highly optimized for Apple hardware. You'll get longer battery life on a MacBook and snappier performance on most machines compared to Chrome or Firefox, both of which are notorious memory hogs.

Related: Mac Users Should Ditch Google Chrome for Safari

Whether you use Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or something else, consider removing any non-essential browser extensions to speed things up. Extensions make your browser use extra CPU and memory while browsing, and much of the time, the performance penalty isn't worth it for the small amount of functionality they provide.

Your browsing habits can also slow down your system. Having  100 tabs open at once is going to slow down your Mac. Leaving thirsty web apps like Google Drive, Facebook, and Gmail open is also a bad idea. You can see the evidence for this by opening Activity Monitor and clicking on the Memory tab.

The System Management Controller or SMC for short controls low-level functions on your Mac, light LEDs, power buttons, and fans. From time to time, you may want to reset your SMC if you notice issues with your keyboard backlighting, strange fan behavior, or limited performance even under low load.

Instructions for resetting the SMC vary depending on which Mac you have. Learn how to reset the SMC on your particular Mac .

PRAM or NVRAM is responsible for storing settings like volume, screen resolution, time zone, and other settings that persist even when your Mac has been powered off. Slow performance (especially when shutting down) can also signal an issue with PRAM/NVRAM, so a reset might be worth a shot.

Resetting PRAM or NVRAM is pretty simple: Just hold Command+Option+P+R while your computer starts up .

Related: How (and When) to Reset the SMC on Your Mac

If your computer has ground to a halt, one of the first things to check is whether or not you have enough free space. Your Mac needs around 5-10GB of free space for housekeeping purposes. Think of it as breathing room for your operating system.

Click on the Apple icon in the top-right corner of your screen, then click on About This Mac. Under the "Storage" tab, you should see a breakdown of your current hard drive usage, along with how much free space you have available. If your primary drive is full, then you will need to create more free space on your Mac as soon as possible.

Your Mac will use space to download updates, unpack large files, and when putting your computer to sleep. macOS may even refuse to boot if you run critically low on space, so it's important to keep a buffer. If you want to solve this issue once and for all, you might need to consider adding more storage to your Mac .

macOS looks and feels great to use, and much of that is down to its responsiveness. One thing that can hamper your experience is the feeling of lag or delayed response. You can try to minimize this feeling by turning off fancy visuals, particularly if your Mac is older or lacks a discrete GPU.

Head to System Preferences > Dock and disable "Animate opening applications" and "Automatically hide and show the dock." You can also change "Genie effect" to "Scale effect" under the "Minimize windows using" setting. You can further reduce animations under System Preferences > Accessibility by enabling "Reduce Motion" under the Display tab.

Did you know every file on your desktop is rendered by macOS as a separate window? This is done so that you can quickly access a file using Quick Look . By leaving files littered across your desktop, you're wasting system resources that could be put to better use elsewhere. Clean up your desktop and delete any files you don't need.

Install software updates to get the latest bug fixes, features, and, most importantly, performance enhancements. Both macOS and third-party software updates can help improve your machine's overall performance. How you update an app depends on the app and how you installed it . For example, apps you install from the Mac App Store will be updated by the App Store.

It's also possible to squeeze more performance out of your Mac by upgrading the latest version of macOS. You can do this by opening the App Store and searching for "macOS" to reveal the most recent version.

While previous macOS updates were known to slow down older machines, most recent Apple updates have shifted focus towards improving performance on older models. You should still do your research and make sure the latest and greatest release is compatible with any mission-critical software you rely on. For example, macOS Catalina drops support for 32-bit apps .

Related: How to Update Your Mac and Keep Apps Up to Date

These quick steps may help rectify some of the issues that reduce your computer's performance, but they can only go so far. To really improve performance, consider reinstalling macOS for a squeaky clean Mac .

Related: How to Wipe Your Mac and Reinstall macOS from Scratch

Why is Mac browser running slow and how to fix it?

If in the past few months you’ve noticed that your web pages are loading slowly, it’s likely that your Mac is in need of some maintenance. In this article, you will learn why your browser is so slow, how to solve slow browser issues, as well as how to speed up Chrome, Safari, or Firefox on your Mac.

1. Top reasons why is Mac browser so slow 2. Why is Safari so slow and how to speed up Safari 3. Why is Chrome so slow and how to speed up Chrome 4. Why is Firefox slow and how to speed up Firefox

Before we start

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1. Why is my Mac Browser so slow

In short, the most common reason for slow browser performance is unnecessary plugins, extensions, and panels that are either automatically installed with other applications or are third-party add-ons. In addition to slow performance, other browser problems can result in Google Chrome and Firefox, as well as Safari. The most vulnerable point of modern computers is the hard drive. Most users have a classic HDD with rotating platters. Every browser has cache files, which are stored on the disk. Therefore, all problems with slow performance have a root just in it. If you have not cleared your browser’s cache for a while, you will notice a significant improvement in the speed after cleaning it. Some users notice this and choose to clear the cache frequently. Thus, first of all, you should find out what makes your browser speed slow and what causes it sometimes to quit unexpectedly .

Pay attention to the following points to find out the reasons why is your browser so slow and how to speed up the Chrome browser, Safari browser or Firefox browser on a Mac:

✓ Browser’s Extensions

A large number of tools installed in the browser’s toolbar is convenient for a user, but the cumulative effect slows the browser’s performance. When a user installs programs on a computer, various browser extensions are installed, too. In this case, they may not be needed, and the inexperienced user may not even notice that something else is being installed.

Typically, most users don’t use all panels, but they affect the browser’s loading time and performance speed. As soon as a user collects several such panels on his computer, the first launch of the browser may take a minute or so. Well, this annoys us a lot. Thus, if you have too many browser extensions, you should analyze them and remove unused ones. Read our previous article to learn how  to remove browser extensions .

By default, when you install a browser, many plugins that are not needed are installed and activated as well. Also, some programs installed on your Mac automatically add their plugins. To find a list of your Mac internet plugins, go to the following path ~/Library/Internet Plugins. You can check which plugins make your browser slow. For this, create a new folder in Finder and move all the third-party plugins into it. Then check your browser’s performance. If everything is working well, then we were right. Add back one extension after another and check the browser’s performance. In this way, you can find the problematic plugin. If a “bad” extension is found, you can disable it, or even better, delete it.

Most modern websites use Java components. If you have not updated Java on your Mac for a long time, this can cause your browser to work poorly. To update Java to the latest version follow these steps: go to the official Java page → click to download Java for free → open the downloaded installation file → follow the on-screen instruction to install Java.

Some users rarely need Java and prefer to remove it entirely because Java has a significant impact, not only on the browser’s performance and speed but also on its’ vulnerability to various Trojans and viruses from the Internet. Perhaps after that, your browser will maintain a more optimal speed.

✓ Flash Player

If you use Safari, you can try to remove Flash Player. Actually, the famous Flash Player plugin from Adobe is not pre-installed on Apple’s computers. Despite this, millions of users install Flash Player because many Internet resources still use it for media content. We recommend that you delete or disable this plugin. It not only causes Safari to work poorly but also puts your Mac at risk of being hacked.

When you visit websites day after day, your browser collects its’ own database of addresses, texts, pictures and other information about these resources. Despite the fact that the browser cache is designed to speed up its performance, in rare cases, when the size of the database is too large, it can cause a slower loading time. In this case, you should try to clear the cache of your browser .

✓ Browser’s Update

Neglecting to update the browser routinely is another possible reason for slow performance. Open your browser, go to the Menu bar and select “About browser…” You will see a window with information on what version of the browser you have. If it is needed, click to update your browser.

✓ Antiviruses

Another reason why the Internet is slow is using an antivirus and firewall on your Mac. Yes, antivirus programs are designed to protect your computer. Antivirus programs check the information on each website, and as a result, affect the connection speed. Of course, not all antivirus programs slow down your browser, but there are some which do so. So try to turn the antivirus programs off and check to see if it helped to speed up Firefox , Chrome, Safari or any other browser you use. If it is the real reason, then you should u ninstall your antivirus program or decide whether the security or page loading speed is more important to you.

If nothing from the previous points has helped you, then try to uninstall your browser completely and install it again. Here is a list of guides which will help you to uninstall apps correctly:

• Uninstall Google Chrome on Mac .
• Uninstall Mozilla Firefox on Mac .
• Uninstall Opera on Mac.
• Uninstall Safari on Mac.

*Please note, you can uninstall plugins, disable extensions, clear cache and even reset your browsers with a free software tool from Nektony App Cleaner & Uninstaller . This program is designed to remove apps and extensions on your Mac correctly so that no remaining files negatively affect the computer’s performance.

Also, you should pay attention to other reasons why you may experience a slow Safari (or another browser):

• You have a lack of free disk space on your hard drive.
• There are some viruses on your computer.
• Your disk requires being defragmented .
• There are too many apps running at Mac startup .
• You use old versions of macOS and haven’t updated the system when it is required.

Now, we would like to take a deeper look at each browser and share tips on how to make them work faster.

2. Why is Safari so slow? How to speed up Safari

Anyway, if Safari is slow and not working properly, you should try the following solutions to make the browser speed faster:

• Check for software updates from Apple.
• In Safari Preferences, choose to open tabs, not with the Top Sites but a blank page.
• Clean the entire history (cache, cookies, …) or do a Safari reset .
• Try to update Adobe Flash Player to the latest version or disable Flash . If you need to enable Flash, you can install a special extension for Safari, which allows you to watch the necessary video from Adobe Flash.
• Clean up unnecessary Internet Plugins. The plugins are located in the Library folder. Some plugins can slow down Safari, especially the old ones which are not supported and do not work correctly with the latest version of the browser.

• Slow browser performance and freezing can occur because of the additionally installed applications, for example, 1Password .
• Set up the browser history to be saved no more than necessary. Some users save history no more than a week.

• Try to create a new Mac user profile and check how Safari works.

If nothing helps, we recommend that you use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

3. Why Google Chrome is so slow? How to speed up Chrome

• Delete the unwanted start page in the shortcut properties. For this, go to the Chrome Preferences.
• Update the software to the latest version. All software pre-installed on your Mac, including the Chrome browser, should be up-to-date. Automatically checking for new updates works with a fairly long delay, so we recommend checking them manually.

4. Why is Firefox slow. How to speed up Firefox

The reasons why Firefox is running slow on Mac are mostly the same as we described above: too many extensions and plugins, caches, cookies, and so on. However, we would like to add some tips to quickly check which factor is primarily affecting the browser’s speed.

• Finding the problematic add-ons. If in the previous step you found out that the reason why the browser is slow is related with Firefox extensions , then you need to find out which one. For this, open the browser → go to the page with the add-ons → disable each extension separately and check the performance of Firefox.

We have shared the top reasons why your Mac browser can become slow and how to fix slow browser speed. If you find that the reason is related to installed extensions and add-ons, you can use a free software tool App Cleaner & Uninstaller which allows you to easily manage Mac and user extensions.

We hope that at least one of all the solutions mentioned above will help you to make your browser work more effectively. If you still have any questions, then leave a comment below. We will be happy to assist you.

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macOS User Guide

• What’s in the menu bar?
• Work on the desktop
• Search with Spotlight
• Quickly change settings
• Get notifications
• Open apps from the Dock
• Organize your files in the Finder
• Connect to the internet
• Browse the web
• Preview a file
• Take a screenshot
• Change your display’s brightness
• Adjust the volume
• Use trackpad and mouse gestures
• Use Touch ID
• Print documents
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Apps on your Mac
• Work with app windows
• Use apps in full screen
• Use apps in Split View
• Use Stage Manager
• Get apps from the App Store
• Install and reinstall apps from the App Store
• Install and uninstall other apps
• Create and work with documents
• Open documents
• Mark up files
• Combine files into a PDF
• Organize files on your desktop
• Organize files with folders
• Tag files and folders
• Back up files
• Restore files
• Change System Settings
• Choose your desktop wallpaper
• Add and customize widgets
• Use a screen saver
• Add a user or group
• Add your email and other accounts
• Automate tasks with Shortcuts
• Create Memoji
• Change your login picture
• Change the system language
• Make text and other items on the screen bigger
• Set up a Focus to stay on task
• Set up Screen Time for yourself
• Use Dictation
• Send emails
• Send text messages
• Make a FaceTime video call
• Edit photos and videos
• Use Live Text to interact with text in a photo
• Start a Quick Note
• Get directions
• Work across devices using Continuity
• Use iPhone as a webcam
• Use iPhone with Desk View
• Stream audio and video with AirPlay
• Use one keyboard and mouse to control Mac and iPad
• Hand off between devices
• Unlock your Mac with Apple Watch
• Make and receive phone calls on your Mac
• Sync music, books, and more between devices
• Manage Apple ID settings
• Set your Apple ID picture
• What is iCloud?
• What is iCloud+?
• Store files in iCloud Drive
• Share and collaborate on files and folders
• Manage iCloud storage
• Use iCloud Photos
• What is Family Sharing?
• Set up Family Sharing
• Set up Screen Time for a child
• Share purchases with your family
• Watch and listen together with SharePlay
• Share a Photo Library
• Collaborate on projects
• Find content shared with you
• Find your family and friends
• Play games with your friends
• Listen to podcasts
• Watch TV shows and movies
• Read and listen to books
• Read the news
• Track stocks and the market
• Apple Music
• Apple Arcade
• Apple News+
• Podcast shows and channels
• Manage subscriptions in the App Store
• View Apple family subscriptions
• Guard your privacy
• Use Mail Privacy Protection
• Control access to your camera
• Use Sign in with Apple for apps and websites
• Set up your Mac to be secure
• Keep your data safe
• Create a passkey
• Understand passwords
• Keep your Apple ID secure
• Find a missing device
• Get started with accessibility features
• Connect an external display
• Use the built-in camera
• Connect a Bluetooth device
• Use AirPods with your Mac
• Optimize your Mac battery life
• Optimize storage space
• Burn CDs and DVDs
• Control accessories in your home
• Use Windows on your Mac
• Resources for your Mac
• Resources for your Apple devices

If your Mac runs slowly

If you find your Mac is running slowly, there are a number of potential causes that you can check.

Open Storage settings for me

An app you’re using may require more memory than your Mac has easily available. You can use Activity Monitor to see how much memory your Mac and apps are using. See View memory usage in Activity Monitor . Also see the documentation that came with the app to find out its system requirements.

Open Activity Monitor for me

Quit any app that isn’t compatible with your Mac. For example, an app may require a different processor or graphics card. See the documentation that came with the app for information about its system requirements.

Open About settings for me

Quit any apps you’re not using.

If you have problems with your disk , use Disk Utility to verify and try and fix any issues.

Open Disk Utility for me

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How to speed up a slow Mac

If you’ve had your Mac for a few years you may be looking longingly at the Apple website wishing you could justify the expense of buying a new one. But luckily you don’t have to fork out for a replacement computer to enjoy speed increases: in this article, we gather some simple tips to enhance the performance of your current device.

How to make a Mac run faster

Below we will run through the various checks you should make to find out why your Mac is running slow and speed it up, we’ll cover why you need to have around 10% of your Mac’s total storage free to keep it running well and how you can free up that space if need be. We’ll also look at how to find out if a particular app is gobbling up all the processing power and how to close it. And we’ll look at other changes you can make to your Mac to make it run faster, including adding more RAM or, if that’s not an option, clearing your RAM to speed things up.

Before you begin, try the following quick tips to see if they speed up your Mac:

• Restart your Mac. If you haven’t restarted it for a while your RAM/Unified Memory could be maxed out.
• Delete unnecessary files, apps and other items that are taking up space – especially if you have less than 10% of your Mac’s storage free.
• Update your software in case there is a software issue that is causing the problem.

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How to speed up a Mac or MacBook

Follow these steps to speed up your Mac and make it run faster.

Restart your Mac

One of the most obvious things you can do if your Mac has slowed down is restart it. However, we understand that there will be lots of reasons why you don’t want to do that. Perhaps you don’t want to stop what you are doing and wait while your Mac restarts and the app you were using is reloaded. But restarting is usually the first fix for any Mac that’s slowed right down.

In fact that is why we recommend that you do restart regularly. Few aspects of Macs cause more arguments than the one about what to do at the end of the day: shut down or sleep? It used to be recommended that a computer should be left switched on because of the wear and tear of restarting the hard drive. With the advent of SSDs this is no longer a problem. The amount of time it would take to start up a Mac also used to be prohibitive. This is no longer the case, Macs start up almost instantly. Nowadays, the main advantage of leaving a Mac ‘sleeping’ rather than switched off is that it lets you continue where you left off. The only other reason to leave the Mac running is if you run maintenance or backup scripts at night. We address that here: Should I shut down my Mac every night?

Shutting down your Mac has a number of advantages many of which are related to how RAM (or Unified Memory, as Apple calls it) is being used. macOS uses swap files: spaces on your hard disk that allow your Mac to pretend it has more RAM than it actually has as virtual memory. Once the number of swap files exceeds five or so, your Mac starts to slow down. Then it’s time to reboot.

Restarting your Mac also means caches will get flushed and applications that are hogging your RAM will let it go. Restarting your Mac clears the caches and shuts down applications. The result is a Mac that’s refreshed and should perform better.

If right now shutting down and restarting isn’t for you – or that doesn’t work – there are plenty of other tips below to work through as you attempt to speed up your Mac.

Close unnecessary apps

It might sound obvious, but the best place to start, if you don’t want to shut down your Mac, is to close any apps that are running in the background.

If you haven’t shut your Mac down recently your Mac may be devoting memory and CPU space to a program you haven’t used since last week, instead of to the apps you want.

A quick way to see which apps are running is to glance at the Dock at the bottom of the screen. Programs that are running will have a dot underneath them. If you can’t see this dot, open System Settings/System Preferences and click Desktop & Dock and ensure that ‘Show indicators for open applications’ is selected.

Alternatively, press Command + Tab to bring up the App Switcher and tab through to see which apps are open.

There are a few ways you can shut down these apps. Right-click (or Ctrl-click) on their icon in the Dock and choose Quit, or if you are using the App Switcher, select a program and press Command-Q to quit it.

If when you Right-click on the icon in the Dock you see the Force Quit option against it you likely have identified the culprit because a problem with that app is probably slowing down your whole system.

Should you not get any options at all or just a spinning beach ball, you can use the Apple menu to shut the unresponsive app down. To do this, click on the Apple logo in the top left corner then select the Force Quit option. You’ll see a list of all open applications, simply highlight the one you think is playing up and click the Force Quite button. 

Read How to Force Quit on a Mac for more information.

Find out what’s slowing you down

Some apps are more power-hungry than others, and sometimes apps have issues that cause them to grab more than their fair share of your system resources. 

If you want to see which apps are using up your system resources, open the Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. (Or press Command + space bar and start to type ‘activity’ and press enter to open it from there). 

Activity Monitor shows all the processes on your Mac (some of which you can’t, or shouldn’t, close) so go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click View > Windowed Processes before you do anything.

Now, back in Activity Monitor, click on the CPU button and the “%CPU” column to list all programs by the amount of CPU they are using. You can also use this to see what Memory, Disk and Network different processes are using.

If you see that one app in particular is gobbling up a lot of CPU power then you can close it from here by selecting the app with the mouse and clicking on the x in the menu bar at the top of the Activity Monitor. 

Take note of the apps that are using the most power – they might require a software update to make them work more efficiently. 

For more advice see: How to use Activity Monitor to handle troublesome apps on your Mac .

Update your software

Make sure you regularly perform a software update for macOS  and all the apps installed on your Mac.

If you are running any recent macOS version go to System Settings > General > Software Update. In slightly older versions of macOS it’s System Preferences > Software Update. Now wait while your Mac checks for updates. If there is one to install, do so.

Next check if your apps need updating. To check if there is an update for anything you have downloaded from the App Store open the App Store and click on Updates.

If you have apps purchased outside of the App Store they need to be updated separately.

You can make sure that macOS keeps itself up-to-date:

• Click on System Settings > General > Software Updates.
• Click on the i beside Automatic Updates.
• Ensure that Check For Updates, Download new updates, and Install macOS updates are selected.
• Make sure that Install Application updates from the App Store is selected.
• Also ensure that Install Security Responses and system files is selected.

Make sure enough space is free

Part of your Mac’s performance depends on empty drive space. The Mac needs to be able to write and read its swap files and free space helps. But for these safeguards to work, you need at least ten percent of your disk drive empty.

Therefore, if you want your Mac to run at its best and you don’t have 10 percent of your storage space available you need to offload some of your larger files.

Your hard drive hosts a number of big files and folders. These could include email files and backups, and old versions of apps that you no longer need. If you frequently upload photos to your Mac and download music you may find that you quickly use up the space. 

There are a few ways to find out how much space you have available. The method depends on the version of macOS you are running.

In macOS Ventura and later:

• Open System Settings > General > Storage.
• Wait while it calculates how much of your storage is being used, and also shows you what is using it.
• Click on the i beside any category of content, e.g. Applications.
• Click on anything and delete it if you don’t need it. If you sort by date last used that’s a quick way to find things you don’t need. Alternatively sort by size to find larger items to delete.

You won’t be able to delete anything from the macOS and System Data categories, but you can find out ways to remove this kind of content here: How to delete System Data.

In older versions of macOS there was a Storage option in About This Mac that took you straight to an explanation of ways to reduce the amount of space being taken up.

• Open the Apple menu by clicking on the Apple logo in the top left of your screen.
• Click on About This Mac.
• Choose Storage from the tabs and wait while it calculates how much of your storage is being used and shows you what is using it.
• Click on Manage to get options for optimizing your storage or storing photos and videos in iCloud rather than on your Mac. 

On very old versions of macOS there was an Other section of storage. If you want to delete from that read: How to delete Other storage on the Mac .

If you are running short of space we run through various ways to free up the space on your Mac in How to free disk space on a Mac .

You can also use paid software such as DaisyDisk ($9.99/£9.99), WhatSize ($14.99) or OmniDiskSweeper to view your disk usage. 

We have some more space-saving tips below.

Free up RAM

A long time ago the solution to improving your Mac’s performance was adding more RAM. Unfortunately this isn’t really an option for users of modern Macs – and not at all if you have any of the M-series of Macs as the memory is built onto the chip.

If you own an older Mac – a 27-inch iMac for example – it is relatively easy to upgrade the RAM and we will discuss how to do that here: How to upgrade RAM in a Mac .

But since that won’t apply to many Mac users, we’ll begin by explaining how to free up RAM. We also cover separately here: How to free up memory (RAM) on a Mac .

The simplest way to free up RAM is to restart your Mac, but sometimes we don’t want to do that. In that case there are apps you can use to free up RAM or you can use Activity Monitor. We’ll start with the Activity Monitor method.

• Open Activity Monitor.
• Click on the Memory tab.
• If you look at the bottom of the window you will see how much RAM is being used. In our case 7GB of the 8GB available.
• Click on the column headed Memory to sort by the biggest users of your RAM. Lots of what you will see here will undoubtedly mean nothing to you, but there will be a few apps that stand out. 
• Free up RAM by closing any RAM-hungry apps you aren’t using. You can do this via the Dock (right-click on the app and choose Quit), or just click on the app on Activity Monitor and then click on the X in the menu.

There are also apps that will help you clear your RAM. Among our favorites are Parallels Toolbox , which has an easy to use tool you can use to free memory and comes bundled with lots of other useful tools for $24.99/£20.99 a year (There’s a free 7-day trial available ). Read our review of Parallels Toolbox .

Another option is CleanMyMac X from MacPaw. This collection of tools will warn you if you have Heavy Memory Usage and will offer to Free Up your RAM. CleanMyMac X costs $39.95/£29.95, it also has a free 7 day trial. f you’re on a budget DaisyDisk is another option for $9.99/£9.99. See our round-up of the best Mac cleaners for more options.

Check the health of your Mac

If these fixes aren’t working you should make sure that your Mac is completely healthy. You can do this by running Disk Utility, which a program included on your Mac.

• Open Disk Utility (in Applications/Utilities).
• Select your startup drive from the list on the left.
• Click the First Aid tab to the right.
• Click Run (in older versions this was Verify).

If Disk Utility finds problems with your drive, you’ll need to boot from a different volume to perform the actual repairs. This is what  Recovery mode is for.

To boot into Recovery mode you need to hold down Command+R at startup on an Intel Mac, or press and hold the Power Button at start up on an M-series Mac. Once in Recovery Mode you’ll be able to access Disk Utility and carry out the recommended repairs. Read more about  using Disk Utility to fix a Mac .

You can also run the  Apple Hardware Test  (for Macs older than June 2013) or  Apple Diagnostics  (for Macs from June 2013 or later). Both tests check your Mac for other hardware issues, such as bad RAM.

There are other steps you can take if you have an old Mac that you are trying to speed up, one is to repair permissions. Repairing permissions isn’t something you can do on recent Macs, but in old versions of macOS it was necessary to repair permissions occasionally. This was achieved by following these steps:

• Open Disk Utility and choose your main hard drive from the sidebar.
• Click on First Aid and Repair Permissions.

If you have an older Mac this will ensure that all the files on your Mac have the correct permissions, which will help keep things ticking along.

However, since the arrival of Mac OS X El Capitan in 2015, you can no longer repair permissions in Disk Utility. It’s gone because the new System Integrity Protection (SIP) that arrived in El Capitan prevents permissions on files being modified which, according to Apple at least, means there should be no need to repair permissions.

Sort out your iCloud syncs

If you use iCloud to sync files across multiple desktops and sync your photos to iCloud Photos, you may be suffering slowdowns while your system syncs in the background.

If you think this is happening to you there are a few things you can try.

If you use iCloud Desktop, avoid storing large documents on your desktop – don’t drag and drop a humongous video file onto your desktop unless you need access at another location. You could also change where your screenshots are saved to.

In fact if you only store the documents you need access to on your iCloud desktop you may speed things up – and spend less time waiting for the files you actually need to sync. Just remember that if you don’t save things on your Desktop or somewhere else where they sync, they won’t be available to you in iCloud.

If you use iCloud Photos on your Mac and you don’t want to be busy syncing images, avoid opening the app in the first place. If it proves problematic, turn off iCloud Photos on that device.

Keep a tidy Desktop

Another tip is to keep your Mac Desktop free of clutter. If you’re using iCloud to sync various devices your Desktop will be synced and a cluttered Desktop will take time to sync. To find out just how much data is on your Desktop open the Finder and right-click on Desktop in Favourites, choose Get Info and then contemplate why there is 10GB of junk on your Desktop.

But that isn’t the only problem. Every file on your desktop is a window with an image in it – either an icon or a preview of the file. Each of those windows and their contents is stored in RAM so that when you switch to the Desktop or use QuickLook, your Mac can show you what’s in the window. The more files you have on your desktop, the more data is stored in RAM. That could result in your Mac running more slowly, especially if your Mac’s memory is already under pressure.

This is why it is worth organizing files properly in the appropriate user folder – Documents, Pictures, Movies etc – and you may see an improvement in the speed of your Mac. Luckily, since macOS Sierra, it has been possible to automatically sort files on your Desktop into Stacks, so that everything it automatically filed away into folders (by Kind or Date). Just open a Stack and delete excess files from time to time.

To set Desktop Stacks up if you haven’t already click on your Desktop and choose View > Use Stacks from the menu.

Manage Spotlight

Spotlight, particularly in recent versions of macOS, is a terrific tool. But if you use multiple drives, particularly on older Macs, it can take Spotlight time to index and re-index the filesystem. That in turn will slow down your Mac.

The answer is to limit the files Spotlight indexes. This is done in the Siri and Spotlight pane in System Settings (or the Spotlight pane in System Preferences on older Macs).

As you can see in the image above Spotlight is indexing everything, but if we wanted to omit certain results we could.

You can also omit certain folders you don’t want Spotlight to search: Click on the Spotlight Privacy tab and drag in any folders or volumes that you don’t want to search onto the window.

That will stop Spotlight indexing the folder or volume and thus reduce the number of files it needs to index, meaning it spends less time indexing and should improve performance on your Mac.

Stop programs from opening at startup

It is possible to set up your Mac so that when you start it up the programs you regularly need to use open up automatically. This could be a useful feature, but sometimes other applications you don’t want to use get into those items that open automatically when you log in.

If you really want to speed up your Mac stopping these programs from opening when you turn it on can really help. Here’s what to do:

• Open System Settings.
• Click on General
• Click on Login Items.
• If any items are in the Open at Login (that you don’t want to be there) remove them.

You can also stop items from being able to run in the background.

In older versions of macOS:

• Open System Preferences
• Click Users & Groups.
• Now click on the Login Items tab to see if there are any programs and services that are set to launch when you first power up (or log in to) your Mac.
• Highlight an item in the list that you don’t want and click on the Delete from Login Items – button at the bottom of the list.

Turn off visual effects

Most Macs can run macOS without any trouble. However, you can turn off some features that might slow your Mac down.

For example, some people prefer to keep the Dock static to prevent slowdown.

Open System Settings > Desktop and Dock and untick the following boxes. (in older versions it’s System Preferences > Dock & Menu Bar)

• Besides ‘Minimize windows using’ change Genie Effect to Scale Effect.
• Turn off Magnification if you have that option selected.

Turn off File Vault encryption

File Vault allows you to encrypt every file you store on your Mac to keep it safe from prying eyes. It also uses lots of processor cycles, however, to encrypt and de-crypt those files.

If you use it, switch it off and see if you notice a difference in performance.

• Click on System Settings.
• Go to Privacy & Security.
• Click on File Vault.
• Click Turn Off.

(In System Preferences it’s the Security & Privacy tab that you need).

Delete, delete, delete

Were you suffering from limited space when you checked earlier? There are a number of quick ways to free up space on your Mac.

Empty the Trash : Right-click on Trash in the dock and choose Empty Trash.

Automatically delete : You can also set the Trash to automatically delete items every 30 days. Open the Finder and click on Finder > Settings > Advanced. Now choose Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.

Delete Downloads : Are there any items you’re unlikely to need still in the Downloads folder. Click on Downloads to the right of the Dock and the arrow at the top to open it in the Finder and see everything that’s in there.

Delete old and large files : Open the Finder and choose Recents (in older versions of Mac OS X choose All My Files), then either choose to sort by date or size. Choose size to selectively delete the biggest files. Choose date to find the files you haven’t needed in a while. (If your finder window isn’t showing size, go to View > Show View Options, and choose Size.)

Remove unwanted apps and programs : remove apps that you don’t use. You can just drag and drop apps into the Trash, but that can still leave associated files and settings on your Mac. For that reason, our advice is to invest in a program like CleanMyMac X  ($34.95/£29.95 for a one year subscription) that can show you how much hard drive space apps are taking up and when you last used them, and can delete apps and all associated files.

Remove Widgets : You could also remobe widgets used in the Notification Centre. To do this, click on the clock and date at the top right of your screen (or the bullet icon on older macOS versions). Scroll down and click on Edit Widgets (or Widgets, or Today in older versions of macOS). Remove any you don’t need.

Move photos to an external drive

You might be surprised by how much of your Mac’s storage is taken up by photos and home videos.

You may consider paying for iCloud Photo storage, thinking that this would mean you could delete photos from your Mac as they would be stored in the cloud, but unfortunately, that isn’t how iCloud Photos works. If you delete the photos from the Mac that they are stored on you will also delete them from iCloud – and all your devices you can view them on.

That’s not to say that there is no benefit to using iCloud Photos. The service can greatly reduce the amount of space taken up by the images on your Mac thanks to a setting that means that no more photos are stored on your Mac than you have room for.

To make sure iCloud Photos isn’t taking a lot of space on your Mac follow these steps:

• Open Photos and click on Settings (Preferences in older versions).
• Click on iCloud.
• Make sure that Optimise Mac Storage is selected.

This will mean that if your Mac is low on space only small versions of the photos and videos will be stored on your Mac – the full res versions in the cloud. You can, of course, download full-res versions at any time.

You may like to use another service to back up your photos in the cloud. You could try DropBox or Google Drive for example. Read about how to back up your Photo library in the cloud here:  How to back up your Apple photo library .

If you would prefer not to use a cloud service you could set up an external storage device and move the photos currently stored on your Mac to that.

To do so, follow these steps:

How to move photos to an external hard drive

• Quit Photos.
• Copy the Photos Library by dragging it from the startup volume to your external volume.
• Once complete, hold down the Option key and launch Photos.
• In Photos, select Photos > Settings (or Preferences), and in the General tab, click Use as System Photo Library.

We explain those steps in more detail here: How to move your Photos library to an external drive and you might like to check out our recommendations for best hard drive and best SSD .

Move your music

Another big folder could be your music library, especially if you have previously ripped music from CDs or have a lot of downloads.

As with Photos, you could free up disk space by offloading your music  files  to an external drive. For more information read how to move your Mac’s Music Library to another location. (Note that your music library then needs to be relinked via the Settings > Advanced tab.)

Alternatively, you could subscribe to iTunes Match , which, for $25/£21.99 a year, will move all your music into the cloud so you can delete it from your Mac, and access it on any of your devices.

Once your music is in iTunes Match you can just download the tracks you want to listen to when you want to listen to them.

Apple Music subscription can work in a similar way, in that it allows you access to all your music via the cloud – but iTunes Match is a clone of your music library in the cloud, where Apple Music just offers you access to any tracks you already own via the cloud. See How iTunes Match and Apple Music work together .

Empty your Mac’s Caches

You shouldn’t just delete files from cache because they can actually increase the performance of your Mac. For instance, a web browser will cache web pages so that when a website is revisited, the whole pages doesn’t have to be re-downloaded. Deleting cache will also mean that you will have to re-enter login details and passwords. Deleting cache can be more trouble than it’s worth.

However, if you need to free up space deleting some files from cache could be a solution. Have a look at your user caches by hitting Command+Shift+G from your Desktop to bring up Go To Folder and then typing ~/Library/Caches/.

To see how much space your Cache is taking up you could right-click on the Caches folder in the Finder and select Get Info. Don’t be surprised if a number of gigabytes are residing here.

As user caches are rebuilt when needed, you can safely delete these, especially for apps that are no longer used. Safari, Firefox and iTunes all allow you to clear caches directly within the apps (we address removing Safari cache below).

While you could go through all these cache files, deleting them, there are a number of useful utilities you can use to do this for you. 

For example, CleanMyMac X from MacPaw ($34.95/£29.95 a year) can clear your cache quickly for you. Open the app, choose System Junk and then click Scan followed by Clean. Alternatives are CCleaner for Mac (free) and Parallels Toolbox ($19.99/£15.99 a year). All three solutions feature in our round-up of Best Mac Cleaners .

We have a separate guide to clearing the Cache on your Mac .

Empty Safari cache

Speaking of Cache, Safari sometimes gets clogged up with data. Cleaning this out will help speed up Safari in macOS.

In older versions you can just open Safari and choose Safari > Reset Safari and check Remove all Website Data. (Leave the other options unticked.) Now click on Reset. This can help speed up sluggish web browsing.

In later versions, you’ll need to open the Settings (or Preferences) dialog box, then select the Privacy icon and click the ‘Manage Website Data…’ button. You can then delete all cookies and cache by clicking the Remove All button.

If you just want to remove the cache and not the cookies or browser history, things are more complicated. But the hidden Safari Developer menu can be used to achieve this.

The Developer menu can be activated by selecting Safari > Settings (or Preferences), clicking Advanced, then putting a tick by Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar. (This option is right at the bottom.)

A new Develop menu option appears to the left of the Window and Help menu options. Close any open Safari windows and select Empty Caches on the Develop menu. Then click File > New Window to start Safari with a clean cache.

Read: How to clear Safari Cache and Cookies on a Mac for more advice about clearing Safari cache.

Add more RAM

As we explained above, adding more RAM isn’t the solution it used to be because upgrading the RAM in modern Macs – especially ones with an M-series chip is impossible.

However, if you own an older Mac – especially if you have a 27-inch iMac – it is relatively easy to upgrade the RAM.

In the past adding more RAM was the go-to solution for improving a Mac’s performance. Before you go ahead and spend money, however, it’s worth trying to figure out how much of a difference it will really make, if any.

The easiest way to do this is to fire up Activity Monitor (it’s in Applications/Utilities), click on the Memory tab and keep an eye on the memory pressure gauge at the bottom of the window. If it’s permanently green, you’re probably not going to see a huge difference by upgrading. If it turns red regularly, it’s worth the expenditure.

How much RAM you add and how you add it is dependent on your Mac. But as a rule of thumb, the effort of performing the installation compared with the marginal cost of bigger RAM modules means that it’s worth maxing out your Mac’s RAM in one go.

That will often mean removing the existing modules and replacing them. It’s a good idea, though not essential, to buy all the RAM you fit at the same time from the same manufacturer. If you decide just to fill empty slots, the same applies. And you should pair RAM modules of the same capacity, if possible.

The biggest hurdle will be whether it is possible to upgrade the RAM in your Mac, it’s easy to add more RAM to a 27-inch iMac, but as we said above, many modern Macs cannot be user-upgraded at all, which is why our usual advice is to buy as much RAM as you can afford as a build-to-order option when you first buy your Mac.

We have a separate tutorial with more information about installing RAM in a Mac.

Do a clean install of macOS

If all else fails, and you’ve tried everything we’ve suggested to speed up your Mac without success, there is one more option:   a clean reinstallation of the OS .

It’s not a job to be undertaken lightly – you’ll need to delete your entire boot drive. But, it will clear all the files that have been collected in the system Library and the user Libraries over the years and which may be causing the Mac to run slowly.

Remember to make at least one, preferably two, complete back-ups of your bit drive before you start so you can copy documents, images, music and anything else you need back once you’ve installed the new OS.

And don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have everything in the cloud, because there will be something that isn’t in the cloud!

Buy a new Mac

If you are still struggling with a slow Mac read our guide to choosing a new Mac so that you can find the best replacement for you. Read: Which Mac is best  or Which MacBook to buy.

We also have round-ups of the best Mac deals right now so you can get a Mac at a lower price than Apple sells it for:

• Mac mini deals
• MacBook Pro deals
• MacBook Air deals
• Mac Studio deals

Author: Karen Haslam , Managing Editor

Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld more than two decades ago. Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Having edited the U.K. print and online editions of Macworld for many years, more recently her focus has been on SEO and evergreen content as well product recommendations and buying advice on Macworld.com.

Recent stories by Karen Haslam:

• Every new Apple product coming in 2024
• Best VPN for Mac: Reviews and buying advice for Mac users
• Apple Spring event: Date, time, new product rumors for Let Loose event

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Impeccable Tips to Speed Up Slow Safari on Mac

Why is safari slow, how to speed up slow safari.

Summary: Why is Safari slow on my MacBook Pro? This question might have bugged you a lot. Don’t worry! Learn curated tips to speed up Safari on any Mac system. Before you proceed, launch free Mac disk cleaner software to de-clutter Mac SSD or HDD.

Safari runs slow due to the following reasons:

• Poor Internet connection
• Several opened tabs
• Safari history
• Caches & cookies
• AutoFill form text
• Corrupt Safari preferences file
• Third-party extensions
• Extensive use of system resources
• Outdated Safari
• Startup disk issue
• Low free space on the startup disk

To speed up the Safari browser on Mac, you need to follow a few simple tips. But make sure you back up your Mac using Time Machine before implementing any of the tips to avoid data loss. The following section shares some impeccable free tips that can help you speed up Mac and Safari performance.

1. Check Your Internet Speed

The browsing speed of your Safari depends on the following:

• Speed of the Internet you are using
• Speed of the webserver of the website you are visiting

Perform the Internet speed test on your browser; here is one such speed test website . If the speed is slow, try using broadband service or upgrade your Wi-Fi plan to improve Safari’s browsing experience. At times, Safari’s poor speed is attributed to the webserver’s low speed. You could wait for the speed to improve or switch to another exciting and fast site.

2. Close Unrequired Tabs

Opening multiple tabs on Safari reduces its performance. So, check how many tabs you’ve opened and how many of them you are currently using. If you’ve opened many tabs, close all those that are read or bookmarked and keep only those few that you need to browse. Opening an optimal number of tabs improves Safari speed.

3. Remove Safari History

Safari remembers all the websites and web pages you visited recently. You can go to the History menu to find a list of browsed sites and pages. Safari history is quite helpful to track your past browsing activity, but it also reduces the browser’s performance. So, clearing history will help speed up Safari and improve your browsing experience.

To remove Safari history, perform the following steps:

a) Go to the History menu and select Clear History .

b) In the dialog window, select the last hour, today, today and yesterday, or all history, as per your choice. Click the Clear History button to delete the Safari history.

The browsing history of your Safari web browser is removed from your Mac instantly.

4. Empty Cache

Safari creates a local cache when you visit a website for the first time. On subsequent visits to the site, Safari uses the cache to speed up the website loading time. The problem with this cache is that it grows to a considerable size, which slows down Safari’s performance. This slowness is because the browser looks up the cache to determine whether to load pages from the cache or download a new version. When you empty the cache, the browser starts afresh, which automatically reduces the cache lookup times.

To empty cache, perform the following steps:

a) Launch Safari on your Mac.

b) From the Menu bar, navigate to Safari > Preferences .

c) Click the Advanced tab, then select the “ Show Develop menu in menu bar ” checkbox.

d) Close the Preferences window. From the Menu bar, go to Develop > Empty Caches .

There you go, you’ve emptied the cache from your Safari browser. You must empty the cache regularly. The frequency of emptying cache depends on how often you use Safari. In case you use it daily, it is recommended that you empty the cache about once a week, or whenever you remember to do it, it could be less.

5. Remove Cookies

Safari stores a small piece of data called cookies on your Mac storage drive to store session information, personalization, and tracking. But it too, reduces Safari performance. You can remove stored cookies and data by using the following steps:

b) Navigate to Safari > Preferences > Privacy .

c) Click Manage Website Data .

d) Select one or more websites, then click Remove or Remove All .

Once stored cookies are removed from your Mac, Safari will work at an improved speed.

6. Configure Autofill

Safari remembers your user name, password, and other information for websites you visit and keeps the information in the AutoFill list with time. This AutoFill list grows, and Safari is slow to load during startup. So, if you don’t require the ease of Autofill, you can, of course, disable it or remove the information for sites that you seldom visit.

To configure Autofill data, perform the following:

a) Go to Apple menu > Preferences .

b) In the Preferences window, click the AutoFill tab.

c) Besides AutoFill Web Forms : uncheck or edit:

• Using information from my contacts
• User names and passwords
• Credit Cards
• Other forms

d) In the Edit window, to delete information for any site, click the Remove button.

That’s it. You’ve configured your Safari Autofill data.

7. Remove Safari Preferences File

Check your Safari preferences file if you encounter a time-out issue, error message, or website non-loading trouble while browsing through Safari. Maybe, the preferences file is corrupt that causes a problem with Safari. Delete the preferences file to fix such issues.

To remover Safari preferences file, perform the following:

a) Press Command + Shift + G to open the Go to folder .

b) Or else, navigate to Finder > Go > Go to Folder .

c) Type ~/Library/Preferences, then click Go .

d) Delete the file com.apple.Safari.plist to remove the preferences file.

Note : Do back up with Time Machine before performing a deletion task.

Next time when you open Safari, the older settings for the web browser won’t be available, and you need to set it up once again if required.

8. Disable Third-Party Safari Extensions

Some third-party extensions are handy utilities, but at the same time, few of them can be a reason for the poor performance of your Safari web browser. Thankfully, most of the extensions are equipped with the disable feature. So, to speed up Safari, you can disable the extensions that you don’t need. The steps to disable extensions are as follows:

c) Click the Extensions tab, then click the toggle switch beside any extension to disable it.

9. Relaunch Safari

Using Safari for a long-time can slow it down, and sometimes it stops responding. If your Safari is slow or unresponsive, close the app and relaunch it to fix the freezing issue. If the app doesn’t quit normally, force quit Safari using the following steps:

a) Press Option + Command + Esc hotkey.

b) Or else, go to Apple menu > Force Quit .

c) Select Safari and click the Force Quit button.

Once the Safari app closes, it releases all used systems resources. Relaunch Safari to make it function correctly.

10. Update Safari

Sometimes, updating your Safari to a newer version might speed it up. You need to install the latest macOS updates to get the recent version of Safari. The steps are as follows:

a) Go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update .

b) Click the Update Now button if macOS updates are available.

c) Install the updates to get the latest Safari version.

d) If your Mac is up to date, quit the Software Update window.

11. Fix Startup Disk Issue

Safari might run slow due to issues with your startup disk. Try fixing the startup disk issues by running First Aid of Disk Utility in macOS Recovery. The steps are as follows:

a) For M1 Mac, press-hold the power button until the startup options screen appears. Click Options > Continue . For Intel Mac, press-hold Command + R keys until the Apple logo appears.

b) In macOS Recovery, go to macOS Utilities , then click Disk Utility > Continue to launch the app.

c) Select Macintosh HD from the sidebar, click First Aid > Run to initiate the startup disk repair.

d) If the repair succeeds, quit Disk Utility, restart Mac, and then let it boot normally.

After fixing the startup disk issue, Safari might work perfectly.

12. Clean Your Mac Disk to Regain Free Space

Safari might be slow due to low SSD free space. So, you must remove junks, caches, and other unneeded files from your Mac to regain free space. The steps to clean Mac disk are as follows:

a) Download and install SpeedUp Mac software on your iMac, MacBook, or Mac mini. 

b) Provide full disk access permission to the software if using macOS Mojave or later. Read how.

c) Launch the software to find Speed Up, Memory, Uninstall, Login Items, and Preferences.

d) Click the Speed Up tab, select Macintosh HD from the sidebar, and click Scan to scan the disk.

e) Select a category from the sidebar, verify the selected files, and click CleanUp Now .

f) Wait till the software regains the mentioned free space on the SSD startup disk.

We hope the above tips helped you fix slow Safari on your Mac. By implementing those tips, you can speed up Safari. But if you want to focus your energy on productive tasks on Mac, always make sure you have enough disk spaces, especially when your Mac has an SSD. Use the free Mac disk cleaner app to perform the Mac optimization task (including Safari) with a click of a button.

About The Author

Santosh is a technical writer with 10-year experience in writing. He writes troubleshooting blogs, articles, and other web content on a variety of topics, including data recovery, data security, and data backup. His hobbies include solving puzzles, gardening & painting.

I have 2014 15″ rMBP 10GB RAM. Ever since I upgraded it to the El Capitan, Safari has been running very slowly. When I type text into the address bar, it takes a while to catch up and for the text to appear. Also, scrolling on web pages is taking more time. Would appreciate any help on how I can fix this issue.

Hi, It might be due to cookies, cache, or similar extensions that are creating this problem. To solve this issue, from your Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Privacy tab. • Click: Remove All Website Data • Then delete the cache. • Open a Finder window. From the Finder menu bar, click Go > Go to Folder • Type or copy paste the following • ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db • Click Go then move the Cache.db file to the Trash. • Quit and relaunch Safari to test. • If that doesn’t help, troubleshoot Safari extensions. • From the Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Extensions tab. Turn that OFF, quit and relaunch Safari to test.

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Accelerate for Safari 4+

Control video playback, ritam sarmah.

• 4.2 • 222 Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

Screenshots

Description.

Accelerate is a Safari extension with powerful, customizable features for controlling video playback and speed. FEATURES • Control playback speed of HTML5 video • Personalize keyboard shortcuts for common media controls, e.g., play/pause, skipping, mute, Picture-in-Picture, etc. • Global shortcuts to control Safari playback while using other apps • Supports Picture-in-Picture and AirPlay • Works with YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Twitch, and more CONTROLS By default, you can use the following keys on your keyboard to control video speed: D: Speed Up S: Slow Down R: Toggle Default Speed (1x) A: Toggle 2x Speed V: Show Current Speed P: Enter Picture in Picture You can customize these and create additional shortcuts for the other playback actions available in Accelerate. PRIVACY Accelerate never collects any personal data or identifiable information from you. Safari will show a general warning that the extension can read sensitive info from all webpages. This permission level is required for extensions like Accelerate in order to interact with the web pages you visit. For more details, please see Accelerate's privacy policy. Privacy Policy: https://ritam.me/projects/accelerate/privacy FAQ: https://ritam.me/projects/accelerate/faq/ GitHub: https://github.com/ritamsarmah/accelerate

Version 4.2.1

Accelerate is now open source! If you're interested in contributing, please check out the GitHub repo: https://github.com/ritamsarmah/accelerate • Fixes playback rate calculation error

Ratings and Reviews

222 Ratings

Great but have recommendation

I am really enjoying the functionality of the extension. I use this as a medical student to more quickly navigate through lectures. One additional feature that would make this perfect for me would be menu commands to make universal keyboard shortcuts. An example this could be used is during recorded lectures and taking notes. If i miss a particular portion of the lecture audio and I need to skip backwards to get it, without exiting the note taking application, I would be able to do that. I cant tell you how much I am going in and out of applications when I just want to have a global shortcut for pause/play, skip forward and skip backward. Maybe Accelerate can do this and I just missed it. Great applicaiton none the less!

Its good for being one of the only fast forwards for safari

Im still a little confused sometimes on how to use it but the creator sent me to an faq page that helped me out. Im getting used to it, but it could still be a little clearer with instrcutions. though, it does what its supposed to do so it should get 5 stars. I also still dont like that it wans you that it could be steaking passwords, but the creator also explained that, and i guess ill just have to trust him if i want to watch netflix faster lol

Developer Response ,

Hi userjlv, I promise that Accelerate doesn't collect any personal info whatsoever, and you can see an explanation for the warning in my privacy policy, since it's a common concern with many Safari extensions. If you need help with getting the extension to work, there is an FAQ available on the Accelerate website with troubleshooting instructions. (https://ritam.me/projects/accelerate/faq) If you have other questions, feel free to email me and I'd be glad to answer them.

MacOS ver.: VGood, iOS ver.: Default Settings only

Again, great implementation on MacOS, but since I started using the iDevice variant, a) every input setting on the General app tab refuses to acknowledge changes to the playback speed multipliers or increment; on the Shortcuts app tab b) every created shortcut ignores user input and reverts to DEFAULT settings, and c) every Standard shortcut that is edited either resists editing entirely or replaces the Standard shortcut with the Default values from a newly created shortcut (in order to preserve the Standard shortcuts, the app must be clean re-installed). If the speed notification corner or the Keyboard shorts in the Standard shortcuts were in conflict with our workflow, I'd have to find another solution. Thankfully, the Standard shortcuts and General settings are tolerable. thx

App Privacy

The developer, Ritam Sarmah , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

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How to Speed Up an Old iPad

• By Yurii Kulynych
• Updated on May 1, 2024
• Comments Off on How to Speed Up an Old iPad
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Table of Contents

Many iPad users find that over time, their devices don’t run as smoothly as they once did. This can be frustrating, especially when delays and lags interfere with your daily tasks. So if you’re looking to speed up an old iPad, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to improve your iPad’s performance. From freeing up storage space to updating your system software, in this article, we will walk you through various methods to get your iPad running again.

Restart Your iPad

Regularly restarting your iPad can significantly speed up an old iPad by clearing its memory, which helps manage resources better and closes apps that might be running in the background without your knowledge. Here’s a simple way to restart your iPad:

• Press and hold the top or side button again until you see the Apple logo, indicating that your iPad is rebooting.

This process refreshes your iPad’s operating system and is especially useful for resolving minor glitches and freeing up system memory. Regular restarts, such as doing it once every month, can make an old iPad run faster and more reliably.

Update to the Latest iPadOS

Keeping your iPad updated with the latest version of iPadOS can improve iPad performance by introducing new features, enhancing security, and fixing bugs that might be slowing down your device. Here’s how you can update your iPad to ensure it runs efficiently:

• Make sure your iPad is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network to download the update.
• Be sure to back up your iPad to iCloud or your computer before installing an update to avoid losing your personal data.
• Go to the Settings app, tap on General , then Software Update .

Updating your iPad fixes known issues and may improve your device’s performance by taking advantage of the latest software adjustments.

Free Up Storage Space

If your iPad is running slowly, one of the most effective fixes is to clean up iPad to run faster by freeing up its storage space. When your iPad’s storage is nearly full, it can hinder performance, causing apps to open slowly and file transfers to lag. Here’s how you can manage your storage:

• Go through your Photos, Videos, and Music. Delete anything you no longer need. Consider using cloud services like iCloud to store these files instead of keeping them on your device.

Regularly managing your storage not only makes your iPad run faster but also ensures that you have enough space for important updates and new apps. For more tips on cleaning storage, check the dedicated guide here .

By taking the time to clean and organize your iPad’s storage, you’ll notice an improvement in overall device performance, making your experience smoother and more enjoyable.

Close Unused Apps

Closing apps that you’re not using can make an iPad faster by freeing up system resources like memory and processor time, which can be redirected to enhance the performance of apps you are actively using. Here’s how to properly close unused apps:

It’s a common misconception that you need to close apps all the time to save battery life or speed up old iPad models. In reality, iOS is quite efficient at managing apps in the background. However, if you notice an app is misbehaving or your iPad is particularly slow, closing unused apps can help resolve these issues.

Closing apps that are no longer needed can help maintain optimal performance levels, especially if you’re running intensive applications or games.

Disable Background App Refresh

Disabling Background App Refresh is an effective strategy to improve old iPad performance. This feature allows apps to update content in the background when connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data, which can drain battery life and consume system resources. Here’s how to turn it off:

• Open the Settings app on your iPad.

Turning off this feature can help your iPad run more smoothly by conserving its resources, especially if you’re using an older model. This action can lead to more predictable battery usage and generally make your iPad run faster because it won’t be working as hard to update apps in the background.

Managing this setting is particularly beneficial for those who use their iPad for essential tasks and need to ensure it runs efficiently without unnecessary interruptions.

Reduce Motion and Visual Effects

Reducing motion and visual effects can significantly speed up an iPad, especially older models that may struggle with the demands of complex animations and transitions in the user interface. Here’s how to adjust these settings:

• Start by tapping the Settings app on your iPad.

Activating these settings helps make an old iPad faster by cutting down on unnecessary graphic effects that can slow down your system. This is particularly useful if you find animations distracting or if your iPad is lagging in performance.

Making these adjustments can lead to a smoother and more responsive experience on your iPad, making it easier to use, especially for those who prefer a simpler visual interface.

Clear Safari Cookies and Cache

Clearing the Safari cookies and cache can help make an iPad run faster by removing stored data that can slow down your web browsing experience. Here’s how to clear these elements from Safari on your iPad:

• Tap the Settings app on your iPad’s home screen.

This action will remove history, cookies, and other browsing data. Note that this will also log you out of any websites you were signed into. Clearing this data can not only speed up old iPad devices but also provide a fresh start if you’re experiencing issues with websites not loading correctly.

Regularly clearing the Safari cache and cookies ensures that your browser operates more efficiently. By keeping your browser clean, you enhance security and improve the speed of your web interactions, contributing to a better overall performance of your iPad.

Reset Your iPad to Factory Settings

Resetting your iPad to factory settings is a more drastic measure but can be highly effective in rejuvenating an older device that continues to lag despite all other efforts. This process removes all your data and settings, restoring the device to its original state. Here’s how to clean up iPad to run faster by performing a factory reset:

• Tap the Settings app on your iPad.

After the reset, your iPad will be as it was when you first bought it, which can make old iPad faster by removing clutter, outdated data, and settings that may have been slowing down the device.

Remember, this should be your last resort after trying all other methods to improve your iPad’s performance. A factory reset can significantly enhance the speed of your iPad, but it requires reinstallation and reconfiguration of apps and settings afterward.

By using this method carefully and responsibly, you can breathe new life into an aging iPad, ensuring it continues to serve your needs efficiently for longer.

Consider Upgrading Your iPad

If you’ve tried all the above methods and your iPad is still not performing to your expectations, it might be time to consider upgrading to a newer model. Newer iPads come with more advanced hardware that can handle the latest software and applications more effectively. Here’s how to decide if an upgrade is right for you:

• Assess Performance Needs: Evaluate whether your current iPad meets the demands of your daily tasks. If you frequently experience delays or cannot use certain software efficiently, it might be time for an upgrade.
• Compare Models: Look at the specifications of the latest iPads to see which model would best suit your needs. Consider processor speed, RAM, storage capacity, and additional features that could impact your user experience.
• Check Trade-In Values: Apple and other retailers often offer trade-in deals that can make upgrading more affordable. Check how much your current iPad is worth and consider this discount against the cost of a new model.

An upgrade can provide a better overall user experience with faster processing, improved graphics, and longer battery life. For help choosing a new iPad, you might find Apple’s comparison tool useful, which is available on their official website .

Moving to a new iPad can be a worthwhile investment, especially if your current device no longer supports the latest updates or fails to perform important tasks. By upgrading, you can enjoy the best technology available, keeping up with software developments and new features that improve productivity and entertainment.

Improving the performance of an older iPad is not a daunting task. By following the simple steps outlined in this guide – such as restarting your device regularly, updating iPadOS, and managing storage – you may significantly improve your iPad’s responsiveness. Remember, keeping your iPad up to date and minimizing clutter is key to maintaining its speed and functionality. If all else fails, consider whether it’s time to upgrade to a newer model, which can offer the latest advancements in speed and technology.

Can deleting photos and videos also help speed up my iPad?

Does disabling wi-fi and bluetooth improve ipad performance, how often should i update apps on my ipad, is it safe to use third-party apps to clean up my ipad, what should i do if my ipad is still slow after trying all these tips.

Six Ways to Speed Up Your iPhone

I t’s hard to be patient with a slow iPhone , especially when using it for everything, from the calculator to getting directions on Maps. No one likes dealing with lag, buffering, or app freezing. Fortunately, there are a few ways you could speed up your iPhone.

Restart your iPhone

Let’s start with the classic “Did you try turning it off and on again?” It’s a classic for a reason, not just another tech myth. On a technical level, it helps refresh your iPhone’s RAM or working memory, which optimizes its overall performance. Since it’s probably the most straightforward hack, I’d recommend starting with this one.

There are slightly different ways to restart an iPhone based on its model. If you can’t get yours to restart, you might want to do a quick “how to restart [your iPhone model]” search. In case you’re unsure about your iPhone’s model, we have a guide for that , too.

Clear Safari Data

I’m sure we have encountered an ‘Accept Cookies’ popup. Even if you have no idea what that does, you’ve probably accepted tons of cookies by now. Refer to this helpful guide for a detailed and easy lesson on internet cookies. For the scope of this piece, all you need to know is that every time you click on ‘Accept Cookies’ on your browser, you’re putting a bunch of files on your device. These files pile up over time and end up slowing your phone.

If you frequently use Safari on your iPhone, you probably have a lot of passwords, cookies, tabs, and other login info in your Safari cache. It’s a good habit to clear that from time to time. Note that this will require re-entering login credentials or other personal info on some sites since clearing your cache will make your Safari brand new again.

To clear all Safari data, go to Settings on your iPhone and look up ‘Safari.’ Once in the Safari menu, scroll down until you see ‘Clear History and Website Data.’ It will ask you to pick a timeframe. Select ‘All history’ and then hit the red button at the bottom that says ‘Clear History.’

Free Up Space

Full storage is one of the leading causes of a sluggish iPhone. Go to Settings , scroll to General , and click on iPhone Storage from the menu. Doing so will present you with a stacked bar chart and an ordered list of your iPhone’s storage situation, clearly labeling how much space is occupied by which app.

It will also provide you with recommendations on how to free up space. Under Recommendations , click on Review Large Attachments to see the photos, videos, and attachments that are taking up the most space. When you see something you want to delete, swipe left and hit Delete .

There are other ways to free up space on your iPhone, but it ultimately depends on your priorities and your phone use. If you don’t always need all your photos and videos on your phone, you can back them up on iCloud and delete them from your iPhone. However, this would mean you would no longer be able to access them without the internet.

Similarly, if you don’t need all your iMessages, you can mass-delete them. I’ll review all the ways to clear storage on your iPhone in a separate, dedicated guide.

iOS updates often bring bug fixes that help improve your iPhone’s efficiency, so it’s a good idea to always be on the latest software update. You can do that by turning automatic updates on. Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates and turn on the toggle switch for all three options on the page. This will automatically download and install iOS software updates when your phone is connected to Wi-Fi, charging, and locked.

You can also manually update your iOS. A ‘Software Update Available’ notice on your Settings app under your Apple ID will tell you there’s a newer version you haven’t yet updated to. If you see that, scroll down to General > Software Update and click Download and Install to begin the update. If you don’t see that notice, you’re on the latest version.

Replace Battery

Another possible reason for a slow phone is a battery overused to the point of dysfunction. If your iPhone is old, its battery’s health may not be ideal. To see if that’s the case, go to Settings, look up Battery Health, and click on Battery Health & Charging from the open menu. Anything 80% and above is good, but Apple recommends replacing your battery when its health falls below that mark.

Turn Off Automatic Downloads and Background App Refresh

Apps on your iPhone tend to auto-update. While this is helpful, it could become overwhelming for your phone, especially if you have many apps on it. Multiple background app refreshes also take place without you knowing. Again, this is a helpful feature, but it could lead to a considerable drop in your phone’s efficiency if you have many apps that constantly refresh and update.

Go to Settings > App Store and turn off all three toggle switches under ‘Automatic Downloads.’ These are App Downloads, App Updates, and In-App Content. Then, go to General > Background App Refresh > Background App Refresh (again) and choose Off . Doing both will ensure no power-hungry apps are running in the background. If you’d like an app updated, you can constantly manually update it in the App Store.

No, closing your background apps won’t help.

I know; I felt as deceived as you did when Gizmodo Maxwell Zeff told us that closing background apps doesn’t do anything and that I have been making my poor little thumb do all that labor for years for nothing. It’s just a tech myth that originated years ago on Apple’s community forum and Stack Overflow and has been perpetuated ever since (because it sounds like it should work!). But yeah, doing that won’t affect either performance or battery.

Are some of your apps still running slow?

Are you sure it’s your phone and not your network? People often mistake a slow connection for a slow phone. Especially if you’re experiencing lag on apps that require an internet connection, it might just be your internet that needs fixing.

To quickly check this, look up ‘speed test’ on your browser. You’ll see an ‘Internet speed test’ pop-up. Hit the blue button that says ‘run speed test.’ In around 30 seconds, you’ll get precise stats on your download and upload speeds and a comment on your internet performance.

I just ran mine, and it said, “Your Internet connection is very fast. It should be able to handle multiple devices streaming HD videos, video conferencing, and gaming at the same time.” So, if my iPhone starts acting up, I’d know it’s not my internet.

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