How to reset all of your Safari browser's settings on a Mac, including clearing your cache and removing plugins
- Knowing how to reset your Safari browser on a Mac can help speed up the browser and fix issues.
- However, resetting Safari will also cause you to lose browser-saved data, including login credentials and browser extensions.
- Here's what you need to know to reset the Safari browser on your Mac computer.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Resetting your Safari browser on a Mac computer can help speed it up and get rid of any issues you may have encountered.
But before you start, be aware that it will delete your installed extensions, as well as any auto-fill data, including saved usernames and passwords.
So you may want to take note of those before getting started, so that you can get your browser back to the way that you're accustomed to using it.
Once that's done, here's how to reset the Safari browser on your Mac.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
MacBook Pro (From $1,299 at Apple)
How to reset Safari on a Mac
Resetting your Safari browser consists of several steps (like clearing your cache and history), rather than a simple button. So it will take a while to accomplish. Here's what you need to do:
Clear your Safari history
Keep in mind that the process is different for Safari on an iPhone or iPad, in case you want to do a reset across all of your devices.
1. Launch Safari
2. In the top toolbar, select "Safari" and then "Clear History."
3. Select "All History" in the dropdown and then click "Clear History."
Clear your Safari cache
1. With Safari open, go up to the top toolbar.
2. Select "Safari" and then "Preferences."
3. Toggle over to the "Advanced" tab and tick the box next to "Show Develop menu in menu bar" - you should see "Develop" appear in the top toolbar.
4. Click "Develop" and then select "Empty Caches."
Get rid of your Safari extensions
1. Go back into your Safari Preferences (located in that top toolbar)
2. Toggle over to the "Extensions" tab
3. Go through all of your extensions and select "Uninstall"
Turn off plugins within Safari
1. With the Safari Preferences window still open, toggle over to the "Websites" tab
2. Untick the box next to each plugin (listed at the bottom of the left sidebar)
Delete those plugins
These are stored in two separate areas, so your work will feel a bit redundant, but it's necessary to get the job done.
1. Tap your Finder to open it (it's the half-toned face icon in your bottom toolbar).
2. Under the "Go" menu of the top toolbar, select "Go to folder."
3. In the pop-up search menu, type "~/Library" and hit "Go."
4. Locate and go through the "Internet Plug-ins" folder and delete your plug-ins (you may want to keep your Safari Preferences open to "websites" so you can view your installed plugins) by dragging them over to the Trash.
5. Go up to the "Go" tab in your top toolbar and select "Go to folder".
6. Enter "/Library" in the search bar and hit "Go."
7. Locate and open the "Internet Plug-ins" folder again.
8. Select and delete or drag your undesired plugins into the Trash.
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How to add websites to your Favorites list on a Mac's Safari browser, making them easily accessible at any moment
How to save and delete webpages on the Reading List in your Mac computer's Safari browser