Safari Not Working on Mac: 3 Possible Causes and 3 Fixes

Safari should be the ultimate browser for Mac users. After all, Safari is native to macOS and it should work flawlessly regardless of whether you’re browsing the web or doing work.

But Safari does have its flaws. Much like any other browser, Safari users deal with one of the more frustrating issues when the browser suddenly stops working. So what do you do when Safari decides to go on a vacation and stop working?

Hello, my name is Andreas. Over the years, I’ve encountered all sorts of issues while using Safari. And the one issue that I keep seeing on Apple forums is where users cannot open Safari. 

It’s frustrating because you have to switch over to a different browser where you probably have nothing saved and therefore have to start from scratch.

I will tell you how to fix the issue and explain what causes the issue in the first place. So, with all that said, let’s start troubleshooting.

3 Possible Causes Why Safari Isn’t Working on Mac

There are several possible reasons and causes why Safari isn’t working on Mac. Let’s see what those are.

Reason 1: Safari Crash Errors

The first reason why Safari isn’t working on Mac is a potential crash error. You might encounter a crash error due to insufficient memory. In a sense, Mac doesn’t have enough hardware resources to support opening numerous tabs. 

So the only logical response is for the browser to crash. You will need to send a crash report to Apple when that happens to know why it happens. 

Reason 2: Safari Shows Blank Page

This issue might not be related to Safari. However, no one wants to continuously see a blank page when trying to open a website. However, it becomes a Safari-related issue when every page is shown as a white, blank page.

There are numerous reasons why this issue occurs. For example, it might be down to poor internet connection, corrupt extensions, etc. 

Reason 3: Corrupt Data 

Another reason why Safari isn’t working on Mac is due to corrupt data. The Safari browser collects data in the form of caches and cookies. If caches and cookies become corrupt, it will result in a crash or a freeze.

Now that you know some of the reasons why Safari won’t work on Mac, let’s look at the potential solutions.

3 Solutions to Fix Safari Not Working on Mac

The solutions I will discuss can be applied to various Safari issues. Regardless if Safari isn’t working on Mac, isn’t opening, or cannot load pages, the solutions are generally the same. Let’s see what they are.

Solution 1: Reload the Page

What looks like an obvious solution might very much be the answer to the problem. It’s not uncommon for applications like Safari to face internal issues that can be fixed with a simple reload of a page

The solution is particularly effective when facing the issue of Safari displaying a blank page. If that’s the problem you’re facing, reload the page and see if it’s back to normal

Solution 2: Force Quit Safari

A similar thing to the previous one—Safari sometimes refuses to open and work on Mac. Although you might assume failure to open and work are different issues, they’re really not. 

For any trouble with Safari, force quitting the browser is an effective troubleshooting method. To force quit Safari, do the following:

Step 1: Click on the “Apple Menu” and select “Force Quit.”

Step 2: Find Safari from the list of applications, select it, and click “Force Quit.

Step 3: Confirm the action by clicking “Force Quit” and relaunch Safari. See if that solves your problem.

Solution 3: Clear Data

Website data like cache and cookies help websites identify your Mac easily. Browsers like Safari store cookies and cache internally. These are small files that might look insignificant. After all, nearly every website asks you to accept cookies, and every website visit is stored in a cache file.

However, these files can slow down your browser. More so, corrupt cookies and cache can cause all sorts of issues on Safari. Corrupt data can freeze the browser and make it nonfunctional. So, if Safari isn’t working on Mac, it’s time to clear website data.

But how would you access the functionality if Safari isn’t working? Well, before you do that, make sure to try Solution 2 and force quit Safari. If the browser still doesn’t open, restart your Mac.

Then, do the following:

Step 1: Launch Safari and go to “Preferences.”

Step 2: Click on “Advanced” from the tab menu and click “Show Developer Menu in Menu Bar.”

Step 3: Go to “Developer Menu” and click on “Empty Caches.” This deletes cache files from Safari. 

Step 4: Go back to the “Preference” tab and select “Privacy” and “Manage Website Data.” 

Step 5: Select “Remove All” and then restart Chrome to see if anything changes.

Final Words

This concludes the short guide on fixing the “Safari won’t work on Mac” issue. As you can see, some issues might be down to Safari, others to particular websites, and some might be Mac-related. You can try these three solutions and hopefully fix the problem.

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