DuckDuckGo becomes unresponsive in Safari

Things started working smoothly for me again once I went into Safari > Settings > Search and unchecked "Preload Top Hit in the background".

i wondered if this was just me! guess not.

one awkward workaround:

1. close the tab
2. immediately bring it back with "History -> Reopen Last Closed Tab" (or use keyboard shortcut command-shift-T or command-Z)

then the resurrected tab is able to scroll again (at least for me). it's still a hassle though!

Bad news, if anything the problem is worse in 17.1. Unchecking Preload Top Hit no longer seems to help at all on my system

Workaround : keyboard shortcut Shift Command r Then close Reader tab with Shift Command r

Thank you kindly for your reply and added info., wilbur808.

Seems it would be a good idea to send feedback to those who work on Safari behind-the-scenes. They will likely not reply, yet your feedback will reach those who can make changes, and, if others are also sending feedback on the issue, we may see an update that addresses the issue.

Web-form for feedback:

Feedback - Safari - Apple

I'm having the same problem. It doesn't freeze on every page, but around half of them. Refreshing the page doesn't help.

I'm still on macOS 12.7 because I'm running an older macBook. I'm using Safari 17.0.

I am on Sonoma 14.2.1 and Safari 17.2.1 (coincidence?). I never used any of the preloading settings but still have the same problem. What fixed it for now is manually setting ddg as default for private windows.

Settings > Search > Private Browsing search engine

instead of checking "Also Use in Private Browsing"

(Strange capitalisation btw)

Safari 17,2,1 /Monterey 12.7.2; To regain control on Duck Duck Go page :Go to Safari View menu. Click Show Reader .Then remove the reader page by clicking Hide Reader. in the

same menu .The page will be usable.

Re: "DuckDuckGo becomes unresponsive in Safari". "It's the only website that seems to have this issue".

Wondering if DuckDuckGo is your default search engine:

Choose a search engine for Safari on Mac - Apple Support

and

if so, what happens if you type your search terms in the Safari URL / "Smart Search" field, instead.

or

If not, maybe the default search engine is conflicting somehow. (You could experiment by using that to search.)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Re: "The page often locks up, at which point it doesn't allow me to scroll, click on a link,

or type in the search box on the webpage".

Am assuming "the page" is the DuckDuckGo webpage itself, the one with the search field.

Wondering if you may accidentally: Lock private browsing windows in Safari on Mac - Apple Support

_______________________________

Re: "Is this happening to anyone else"

All seems as normal on my Mac using DuckDuckGo with same MacOS and Safari version (am in Australia).

________________________________

Re: "is there a way of fixing this issue?"

Troubleshoot:

Try making DuckDuckGo your default search engine, and just enter your search terms in the Safari URL field

or

You could check whether DuckDuckGo is down / has problems / if it becomes unreliable again:

(Choose your country by clicking on the tiny globe with "US" under in the top menu of linked webpage below.)

https://downdetector.com/status/duckduckgo/

If needed: Safari Support webpage (info. / support / contact options etc.)

Safari - Official Apple Support

All the best :-)

Similar issue: MacOS 13.6, DuckDuckGo, and sometimes the page won't scroll with the trackpad or scroll-wheel, sometimes after scrolling part-way down the page stops responding to trackpad or scroll-wheel scrolling. Reloading the page sometimes works. But I don't think this is limited to DuckDuckGo as I've had the same issues on other sites in Safari since updating the 13.6. Think this is a Safari issue as Chrome which I use roughly as much on the same Mac I've not had any issues.

I suspect the problem is triggered by some ads that display. A common trait with all the sites I've had issues with is all display ads.

I enabled a Safari extension I had previously used (Ka-Block!), and this week haven't had weird scrolling or lockups with DuckDuckGo or other sites. Also forgot how fast browsing is without the constant barrage of images and videos loading trying to get your attention.

Thank you, wilbur808.

I have Safari 17.1, Ventura 13.6.1 so it appears Sonoma is the fix.

Apple advises my "vintage" 2017 iMac cannot be updated to Sonoma but is good for "scrap". I reinstalled the OS with zero improvement.