Fix Safari Slow Loading Pages in Mac OS X

Safari is the default browser on Mac OS X for browsing and viewing certain type of web files like CSS. The performance of Safari will be very good when the Mac is new but over the period of time undoubtedly the pages will start loading very slowly. Notably the same page loading slow in Safari will load very fast on other browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox on the same Mac. After trying out with multiple tricks, here are consolidated list of tips for improving the page loading speed with Safari.

Fixing Slow Page Loading in Safari

Below are the summary of actions you can try to improve the browsing speed of Safari on Mac.

1. Change DNS

Though DNS servers are not directly related to the browser as such, one of the main reasons for slow page loading is the caching problems due to DNS servers. Safari obtains DNS servers from your ISP’s through default settings. You can change the DNS servers to any reliable public servers like Google Public DNS servers and try loading the page again. Learn more about changing DNS in OS X.

2. Switch Off DNS Prefetching

Besides DNS servers, Safari also do DNS prefetching to resolve the domain names to IP addresses for all resources on a webpage. For example, if a page has 10 links and 3 images, then Safari proactively will try to get the server IP address of each of the links and images (10 + 3). This will help to load the links and images faster if clicked upon, but may cause slow loading of the current page you are trying to view. So you can disable the DNS prefetching option and check whether the page can be loaded faster. In Mac the DNS prefetching needs to be disabled using “Terminal” application as explained below:

Open “Terminal”, paste the below command and press enter.

This will disable DNS prefetching and you can enable it anytime later using the command:

3. Change IPv6 Settings

Generally the IPv6 is configured as “Automatically” which you can change to “Link-local only” and check the page speed. You can change the IPv6 settings under “System Preferences > Network > Advanced > TCP/IP > Configure IPv6”. You should have admin access to access advanced network settings on a Mac.

Change IPv6 Settings in Mac

4. Delete Safari Preferences File

Safari uses preferences file to control the settings and the corrupted preferences file may also cause slow loading of web pages. You can delete the file and check whether the pages can be loaded faster. In order to delete the preferences file, launch “Finder”, press “Command + Shift + G” and go to “~/Library/Preferences” folder. Find the file “com.apple.Safari.plist” and delete it.

Delete Safari Preferences File

5. Clear History and Website Data

One of the simple option is to clear all browsing history and cache from Safari which sometimes cause slow page loading. You can clear the history under the menu “History > Clear History…”.

6. Disable AutoFill

AutoFill enables you to store the data like usernames and password and fetch them when the page is loaded on Safari. You can disable this feature by navigating to “Safari > Preferences” and disable all AutoFill web forms options under “AutoFill” tab.

Disabling AutoFill in Safari

7. Check Your Plugins

Plugins are external program affecting Safari’s behavior thus have a chance to slow down the performance. Check installed plugins by navigating to the menu “Safari > Preferences”. Go to the “Security” tab and under “Internet plug-ins” click on “Website Settings…” button. If you see warning and alert messages then you can update or delete the plugin.

Disable and Manage Plugins in Safari

In order to delete any plugin causing issues go to “Finder” and press “Command “ Shift + G” to open “Go to folder” box. Enter “~/Library/Internet Plug-ins” where you will find all the active plugins. Right click on the plugin and click “Move to Trash” option to delete it.

8. Check Your Extensions

Extensions are also external programs similar to plugins altering the behavior of Safari browser. Go to “Safari > Preferences” to view and manage all your extensions. You can also disable all extensions and re-launch Safari to check the page loading speed.

Disable Extensions in Safari

9. Other Aspects

• Check the memory consumption of your Mac with the free tools like Dr. Cleaner and ensure memory is not an issue causing the slow page loading.
• Check your router works properly by removing the power cable and restarting.
• Remove any other browsers if you have installed and restart the Mac to give a try on Safari.
• Check with your ISP whether they had done any changes in network settings.
• Ensure the site or any of the services on the site is not blocked in your country or by your ISP. For example, Google services are blocked in some countries and opening a webpage calling any of the Google services like fonts, JavaScript libraries, Google+ link may cause delay in loading the page. In this case Safari as a browser will not have any influence on slow page loading.