Safari Memory Leak with macOS Big Sur

Hey there!

Did you happen to clear Safari’s history? And try again?:

https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/clear-your-browsing-history-sfri47acf5d6/mac

Sometimes I think too many open tabs, and browsing cache may cause an error like this.

Also, as asked earlier, is this happening only on specific web sites? I guess the steps may differ depending on that answer.

There’s a few places I’d check in the Safari > Preferences:

First, I’d check for installed Extensions, if any, disable or uninstall, relaunch and test.

If happening on a specific web site:

https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/customize-settings-per-website-ibrw7f78f7fe/mac

Or on multiple websites:

https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/websites-ibrwe2159f50/14.0/mac/11.0

If happening on the specific web site, while there I’d click on Safari > Settings for this web site > Enable content blockers, if enabled/disable, if disabled/enabled, relaunch and test.

Likewise, beforehand a good test would be to open Safari in Private Mode and test:

File > Open a new private window.

Perhaps website cookies and cache are getting in the way, if the website isn’t working properly, this may tell you the answer.

Most likely, testing the same website(s) in another browser will yield different results, but is worth a try, this may tell you for sure if a website(s) isn’t working as it should, either that or is causing an issue with just Safari, whether it be a setting, plugin, cache issue, or even just a temporary problem. But your Mac usually won’t notify you unless there’s a real problem.

You can also utilize Activity Monitor to view stray processes while the issue occurs:

Activity Monitor User Guide:

https://support.apple.com/guide/activity-monitor/welcome/mac

If there is a specific tab/open website running a muck, there maybe a clue there. I’d probably focus on the Memory/CPU/Network tabs to see what’s going on.

There’s also a chance you may have malware installed that’s affecting the browser performance. If you’re not sure what to look for, and clearing the Extensions and history/restarting doesn’t do the job, I personally believe Malware Bytes for Mac is a good tool to use:

https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac/

Anyhow, hope some suggestion helps.

I have the same issue, mostly on disneyplus.com. After a while Safari shows a warning message that the website is using a lot of memory and suggests to close it to enable MacOs to be more responsive.

After another short while it reloads the website and memory usage goes down temporarily. After this memory usage builds up quickly and the same reloads happen more quickly.

I have tried the same in Google Chrome. While it uses a lot of memory the video playback stays stable and some memory is even staying free.

MacOS Big Sur 11.2.2 (20DA80)

Safari 14.0.3 (16610.4.3.1.4)

Google Chrome 88.0.4324.192 

Apple Mac Mini M1/16GB/512GB

This is happening to me too on Disney plus, I just updated to Bug Sur 11.2.3 and I can’t stream any video on Disney plus without it showing that message of using significant memory and the page reloading every 3 min. So frustrating!! Netflix, Amazon prime, HBO max seem to work fine.

I've been having the exact same problem with a 2017 MacBook Pro 15" for weeks now. The memory usage is so high that my entire system freezes and I have to manually power off the device. I have no extensions at all, and never have. I use Safari exclusively because I do not agree to Google's terms and conditions. This is a problem for every site that I use: Adobe Spark, Mailchimp, Google Drive, Basecamp, Twitter -- you name it, Safari is using 4 GB of 16 GB of RAM and telling me I should close the website instead of using it like I need to. I cannot continue to wipe my cache and clear website data on a daily basis.... this impacts work flow, and verifying my identity several times a day because I'm logging in to a website I was just using 10 minutes earlier is not conducive to any sort of work. I've also uninstalled the majority of apps and keep my desktop clear at all times, plus I Quit all applications while using Safari and to no avail. Hoping for a much needed patch over this leak soon!!!!

So frustrated with the new safari. It constantly tells me it can not open a site because I am not connected to the internet, when in fact I am.

When a page comes up, I get a list of items on a page, the way it used to be way back when.

What needs to be done?

Marianne

Hey there!

A pic would help, but can you check to see if you have Reader View enabled?

Safari > Preferences > Websites > Reader View, you’ll see on the bottom right if it’s on for all websites or off, and above that if it’s enabled or disabled for certain websites.

I could be wrong but from that description, that’s what comes to mind.

As for the internet error, I’d probably make sure the time and date are correct in System Preferences, and also make sure no proxies are enabled in System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Proxies.

If enabled, disable > Okay > Apply and test.

It could be some other cause though but hope that helps.

What websites?

Honestly, it might just be a data leak on Disney +. I have not updated to Big Sur yet, and I am having the same Disney + problems. I found this thread trying to find a fix actually.

I’m having the same issue on MacOS Big Sur 11.2.2 (20DA80) playing some videos on Safari on an Intel-based Air. Videos are college lessons hosted/recorded on 3C Media

[Link Edited by Moderator]