Quick Guide
- There is no direct way to reset the Safari Browser on Apple devices.
- You can remove the history, cookies, cache files, extensions, and plugins to reset Safari manually.
- You can use Terminal to reset the Safari on your Mac.
Safari browser may load webpages slower or become unresponsive if it runs out of storage. Sometimes, the browsing history, cookies, and cache files may get corrupted and lead to issues. While there is no direct way to reset the Safari browser, removing these files can help you fix the problems you might face with Safari. Please note that removing these files will remove all your history as well. Fortunately, Apple provides a feature to recover deleted Safari history on Apple devices such as Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
How to Reset Safari on Apple Devices
You must follow the six steps below to reset Safari on your Apple device.
Clear Safari History
Removing the data from your Safari History can help the webpages load faster and fix other issues. In this method, you can stay signed in and delete Safari browsing history. Follow the steps below to remove the Safari history from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
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On Mac
1. Go to the Safari browser on Mac.
2. Click Safari at the top menu bar of the browser.
3. Next, click Clear History from the list of options.
4. When the pop-up appears, choose all history.
5. Lastly, click on Clear History.
On iPhone or iPad
1. Open the Safari browser on iPhone/iPad.
2. At the bottom of your iOS screen, click the Bookmark icon.
3. After that, select the clock icon to switch to the History tab.
4. Now, it displays your browsing history, and tap Clear.
5. Choose All time from the time range options.
Finally, you have deleted the Safari history while keeping your login information. You can check whether the Safari browser functions well. If not, you can proceed with the following troubleshooting method.
Delete Safari Cookies
Cookie files can cause various problems on the Safari browser. Remove the cookies on your Safari browser to fix the issue.
On Mac
1. Click the Safari icon at the top menu bar of Safari.
2. Click on Preferences from the options.
3. On the next window, click the Privacy tab and click on Manage Website Data.
4. Click Remove All.
5. Confirm the action by choosing Remove Now.
6. At last, click Done.
On iPhone or iPad
1. Launch Settings on your iPhone/iPad.
2. Scroll below and click on Safari from the settings list.
3. Under the Safari settings, click on Clear History and Website Data.
4. If a pop-up window appears to confirm, tap Clear to delete the browsing history and user logs.
Clearing cookies may resolve the Safari issue and work well back to normal. However, your sign-in data will be deleted, so you have to log in again to use Safari.
Uninstall Safari Extensions
Removing faulty or unused extensions can help you fix the problems with the Safari browser. Follow the steps below to remove the Safari extensions from Apple devices.
On Mac
1. Open Safari and tap the Safari icon from the menu bar.
2. Click on Preferences from the drop-down list.
3. Select the Extensions tab to view all the installed extensions on Safari.
4. Finally, click on each extension and choose Uninstall to remove it from Safari.
After uninstalling the extensions, restart the browser to check if the issue is resolved.
On iPhone or iPad
1. Find the Extension you want to delete on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Press and hold the extension you want to remove.
3. Click Remove App to delete the extension.
4. Repeat the process for all the extensions you want to remove.
Once you remove the extension, check if the Safari app is working properly.
Clear Cache Files on Mac
You can remove the cache files of Safari on your Mac to fix the issues with the browser. Follow the steps below to clear the cache files on Mac.
1. Launch Safari and click the Safari icon at the top menu bar.
2. From the options, click on Preferences.
3. Next, select the Advanced section.
4. Mark the Show Develop menu in the menu bar check box at the bottom.
5. Further, click on Develop and select Empty caches to clear the caches on Safari.
Turn Off or Remove Plug-ins on the Mac
You can turn off plug-ins or remove them entirely from your Mac to fix the issues with your Safari browser. Follow the steps below to turn off or remove the plug-ins.
1. At the top of the Safari browser, click the Safari menu and tap Preferences.
2. Select the Security tab in the next window.
3. Uncheck the Allow Plug-ins check box to turn it off.
4. To remove plug-ins, open Finder, click on the Go menu and select Go to Folder.
5. Enter “~/Library
” in the empty field and click Go.
6. On the next window, click on the Internet Plug-ins folder.
7. Drag or move the unwanted plug-ins to Trash to delete them.
8. Again, click on Go → Go to Folder.
9. Enter /Library
and click Go.
10. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to delete plug-ins.
Tip: If resetting doesn’t resolve the issue, you can uninstall Safari from your Mac and reinstall it.
How to Reset Safari Browser using Terminal
You can use the Terminal method to clean up all the underlying metadata.
1. Install and open the Terminal app.
2. Go to the Menu at the top left side and click the Force Quit option.
3. Then, select Safari to close.
4. Run the below commands one by one.
mv ~/Library/Safari ~/Desktop/Safari-`date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S`
rm -Rf ~/Library/Caches/Apple\ -\ Safari\ -\ Safari\ Extensions\ Gallery;
rm -Rf ~/Library/Caches/Metadata/Safari;
rm -Rf ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari
rm -Rf ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.WebKit.PluginProcess
rm -Rf ~/Library/Cookies/Cookies.binarycookies
rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/Apple\ -\ Safari\ -\ Safari\ Extensions\ Gallery
rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.LSSharedFileList.plist
rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.RSS.plist
rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Safari.plist
rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.WebFoundation.plist
rm -Rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.WebKit.PluginProcess.plist
rm -Rf ~/Library/PubSub/Database
rm -Rf ~/Library/Saved\ Application\ State/com.apple.Safari.savedState
5. If prompted to delete the terminal, type Y and click Enter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Go to Finder on Mac and click on Applications → Choose Utilities → Select the Safari-associated folders manually and click Delete. Now, you can restart your Safari browser and check the issue is resolved.
Go to Settings → Tap Safari → Click Advanced → Experimental Features → Finally, click on Reset Defaults. This way, you can reset Safari’s experimental features on your iPhone.
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