Streaming performance on Safari (desktop)

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Level 1

4 points

Streaming performance on Safari (desktop)

Hi,

For some time now, when streaming video content on the Safari browser I have noticed there are some performance problems. It does not matter the platform I am streaming from e.g., Youtube, Amazon Prime, or Netflix. I have noticed it is especially bad the more different videos are streamed (on the same tab, one after the other, not multiple tabs open at the same time).

The main symptoms are:

The fans start working at full capacity, and it seems the computer is going to take off (with the consequent noise).
The battery starts to be drained at an unusual speed, it gets completely depleted after around 30 minutes.
And the browser, at some point, complains about the page with the streaming consuming too much memory. This happens especially on the main streaming platforms e.g., Amazon Prime, and Netflix. This behaviour does not show in, for example, Youtube.

While all of this happens, It cannot be observed on the 'Activity Monitor' (or other monitoring tools) any alarming values.

The most curious thing is this only happens while using Safari, using other browsers e.g., Google Chrome, Firefox or Opera, the abnormal behaviour is not reproducible. The fans are imperceptible, and it takes a few hours for the battery to be depleted.

Is there any reason why this behaviour could be observed exclusively while using Safari? Any configuration suggestions, things to double-check or recommendations?

As extra information, there are no extensions installed on the browser that can create undesired side effects or explain the behaviour.

Thanks.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Nov 8, 2022 8:03 PM

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Answer 1

nathan430

Community Specialist

Nov 10, 2022 6:28 PM in response to fjavierm_

Hey there, fjavierm_,

Thanks so much for using Apple Support Communities.

This definitely sounds like unexpected behavior with your Mac and we're happy to help share some steps you can take to try and resolve this. Those steps would include starting by making sure that your Mac is running the latest version of macOS available. This article should help you make sure: Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support

Once you're up to date, if the issue continues to occur then we would recommend that you test the issue by creating a new administrator account. Once you have a new account set up, try and stream video in Safari and keep an eye on how the computer performs. This will basically help isolate the issue to either one user account or your whole system. Feel free to reply back here once you have more info.

Here's how you can create a new admin account: Change Users & Groups settings on Mac - Apple Tugi (EE)

We hope this does the trick for you!

Cheers.

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Answer 2

fjavierm_ Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 13, 2022 7:22 AM in response to nathan430

Hi there,

Thanks for the answer.

About the first suggestion, I already had installed the latest Monterey updates which, despite not being Ventura, seems should be enough.

I have tried to follow the second suggestion, and create a new admin user, but the behaviour is reproducible on the new account too.

Thanks anyway, they were good suggestions. I will probably try a few more radical options when I have some spare time unless I received more suggestions here.

Cheers.

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Answer 3

fjavierm_ Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 20, 2022 2:54 AM in response to Community User

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion, but the "Safe Mode" has proven nothing but useless. Every time I run it, it's just dragging, it's barely usable, and after around two minutes, it restarts the session. Trying to stream something is just unfeasible.

Any other suggestions are welcome, but I'll probably end up reinstalling the system from scratch when I have some spare time, and see if that solves the problem. Maybe, I'll try to remove things one by one to see if I can figure the conflict out if any. Just for the sake of experimentation and curiosity.

If I find something, I'll post it.

Cheers.

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Answer 4

Nov 13, 2022 9:37 AM in response to fjavierm_

Hello fjavierm_,

There may be software installed on the Mac that's causing this issue. To help determine what's causing this issue, boot into safe mode to see if the same thing happens there. "Safe mode prevents your Mac from loading certain software as it starts up, including login items, system extensions not required by macOS, and fonts not installed by macOS." Depending on the results you get, follow the additional steps in the article: How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

Intel processor

1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift keyas your Mac starts up.

2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac.

3. You might be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see ”Safe Boot” in the upper-right corner of the window.

If the issue persists, we recommend you Contact Apple for support and service.

Best Regards.

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Streaming performance on Safari (desktop)

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