How to Reset Safari Browser in Mac?

Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge offers simple way to reset your browser from the settings page. In addition, you can also repair Edge app in Windows to fix problems. However, Apple does not offer any default options to repair or reset Safari browser in Mac. If you are stuck with slow Safari browser or the browser behaving weirdly, here is how you can reset using different options.

Why Resetting Safari Browser in Mac?

Below are some of the situations you can think of resetting the browser:

• Safari is very slow and affects your Mac’s speed as well.
• Browser automatically opens pages or redirect to different pages.
• You want to delete all stored data in Safari to bring to its original settings.

Reset Safari Browser in Mac

Earlier days, Apple was offering a simple “Reset Safari” menu within the browser.

Selecting the menu will show a list of items that you can delete and reset your browser.

However, this has been removed in the subsequent Safari versions and now there is no direct option available for resetting the browser to factory default settings. You have to carry out different steps to clean up the browser and set it back to original factory settings. Unlike Chrome and Edge, these options will not change your browser settings in Safari. You have to go to Safari preferences and reset the settings manually.

1. Clear History

The first option is to clear the browsing history of Safari browser. Over period, you might have browsed thousands of websites and Safari will retain the history data for all those websites. Deleting them will help to fix corrupted cache and allow you to access the sites afresh.

• Open Safari browser and click on “Safari > Clear History…” menu.

• Alternatively, you can go to “History > Clear History…” menu.

• This will open a pop-up like below. Select “all history” from the dropdown and click on “Clear History” button.

It will delete all browsing history data from Safari browser and reset the history. Remember, this will also delete the browsing history on all devices like iPhone and iPad that you have logged with same iCloud account.

2. Empty Safari Browser’s Cache

The second option to reset Safari browser in Mac is to delete the cache stored in the browser. However, this option available under the hidden “Develop” menu that you first need to enable.

• Click on the “Safari” menu and go to “Preferences…” option. Alternatively, you can press “Command + ,” shortcut keys to open the preferences section.
• Go to “Advanced” tab and enable “Show Develop menu in menu bar” option.

• After that close the preferences pop-up and you will see a new “Develop” menu added in your browser.
• Click on the “Develop” menu and then select “Empty Caches” option.

This will delete all stored cached data and you can check if your problem in the browser is resolved.

3. Delete Cookies

Safari browser stores all the cookie details of websites you visit. Sometimes, corrupted cookies can create problems and prevent accessing websites or redirect sites. You can delete all stored cookie data to clean up the browser and check if that helps to resolve your problem.

• When you are in Safari preferences, go to “Privacy” tab.
• Click on the “Manage Website Data…” button showing against “Cookies and website data” section.

• You will see cookies stored in the browser by all previously visited websites. Click “Remove All” to completely delete all cookies or select any particular website and then click “Remove” button. You can also use the search box to find the relevant site and delete its cookie.

• After deleting, click on the “Done” button to close the window.

Note: Make sure to save all your work and logout of the sites before you delete cookies. Otherwise, you will be logged out forcibly and lose any unsaved data.

4. Delete Extensions

You can get third-party extensions for Safari from Mac App Store. If you have installed any Safari extensions, disable or delete them when troubleshooting your browser.

• Go to “Safari > Preferences…” menu and navigate to “Extensions” tab.
• Here, you can view all installed extensions in your browser.
• Select the extension and click on “Uninstall” button to delete.
• You can uninstall all the extensions and restart you browser to check the browser works fine now.

5. Delete AutoFill Data in Safari

The last option is to delete all your stored AutoFill data which includes passwords, cards and contact details. Go to “AutoFill” section in the Safari preferences and click on the “Edit” button against the corresponding options. This will open the related section where you can find and delete the details.

Final Words

Apple applications always have different way of working compared to other applications. Though this helps to differentiate from others, it will be painful when troubleshooting applications like Safari browser in Mac. We hope one of the above explained options helped you to reset Safari browser in Mac fix your problem. Otherwise, you can try to alternate options like Google Chrome, Firefox or Edge for Mac.