CreativeBecky wrote:
I’ve checked my extensions in Safari. It says “No extensions”. I am unable to try File > New extension off window as there isn’t a new extension off window from File on Safari on my laptop.
Perhaps you are using an old version of Safari. That could explain why it is downloading the HTML content instead of displaying it. When web developers try fancy new things, they often test them only old the newest computers, and often only using browsers like Google Chrome.
This could be an error on the part of the web site developer. Perhaps they don't realize they are excluding people with older computers. Or perhaps they did this on purpose and they only want the wealthiest people with the newest equipment because their analysis has determined that those people are more profitable.
But regardless, please stop with hexfiend stuff. You're way, way off. Your web browser simply isn't interpreting the content properly. A faulty web extension could be one explanation. And old web browser would be another.
I’m not sure what you mean by me downloading 3rd party apps. I normally only download from the App Store or from a reliable webpage. I have antivirus software installed on my laptop and I’ve not got a virus or scammed.
You see? That's what I mean. Another excellent way to break basic functionality like this is with 3rd party antivirus apps.
You don't need any 3rd party antivirus apps. Your Mac includes antivirus capabilities built into the operating system. You don't need anything else. The only way that people get malware on a Mac is by downloading it, on purpose, and bypassing multiple layers of Apple security protections to install it.
People install malware to run pirated, illegal copies of expensive software or to watch copyrighted video content like movies or live streams of football games. This is huge. Of course, people don't intend to install malware. They are being scammed. They don't realize it for years afterwards in most cases.
While you probably haven't been doing any of that, I am concerned that you seem more savvy than many people. You don't seem to have any problem downloading and installing 3rd party apps like The Unarchiver and Hexfiend. Those abilities can get you into trouble. Those two apps are legitimate and won't cause any problem. But there is no way to tell if you have malware installed unless you look. Ironically enough, 3rd party antivirus apps are notoriously bad at detecting malware. There is currently a big spike in malware right now. 3rd party apps are ineffective. Instead, what people are doing is posting screenshots from 3 hidden directories. We'll see 30 or 40 malware files in there from the past 3 years and tell the poor OP something like "delete everything but Microsoft, Google, and Zoom".
It's really that bad. Antivirus apps cause more problems than malware itself and are particularly bad at their One Job. I'm not sure what's causing your particular problem. An old web browser is the most likely candidate. If you update that to something recent (anything 3 years old or newer) and still have the problem, then it's your antivirus app. You might need assistance on removing it. In many cases, modern software, especially 3rd party antivirus apps, can be difficult or impossible to remove. Many don't include uninstallers or the uninstallers they have simply don't work. You can't trust anyone on the internet anymore - anyone!
