Memory leak not fixed in 5.1.2

Sorry - my response posted 2x. I can't delete or erase, so ... "Please see actual comment below." :-)

Follow-up/reaction March 2013 - Yes, "the issue only gets worse" sounds right, regarding Safari.

I've got 8GB RAM on my Mac, and it can ALL be used - and then some - by Safari and its "web content".

Although I've done my work using Safari to browse (including research, involving having a few dozen open tabs), reluctantly now, and despite really wanting to go "native" using Apple's own software, I've given up. I just can't waste the hours involved in watching spinning wheels, recovering gone-dead pages, and fighting a hung system suffocating under the weight of Safari. It's bloated, expands (so I read) to whatever amount of RAM there is, and then some... Maybe for a single page or few tabs it's fine, but not serious browsing of multiple pages.

I'd found from reviewing bench & field studies across browsers, that Chrome uses separate processes for each tab, so if one goes dead, the whole browser/computer don't freeze up. At first, w/Safari still as default I'd accidentally open it (clicking on a link associated with it) and end up having to re-load dead pages one at a time (from history), before closing Safari again, so the stuff is there if/when I need it. But I've changed the default browser to Chrome, and am not looking back - until/unless some serious attention is paid to making Safari more functional & efficient (w/Macs, anyway). Now my mail opens with Chrome, and I've set up sufficient bookmark folders to move forward - absent the annoyances of Safari, which never seemed to cease, no matter if the resets, cache dumping, etc. might help for a few minutes. Yes, I've given up, after persevering like a good scientist and trying every possible solution or go-around.

It's like having a new Apple computer! WIthout Safari messing it up, that is ... Opera works well but is't as versatile or integrated w/Google sites and apps for some of the places I go - though I like the display and easy navigation. Like Goldilocks and the 3 bears' porridge, I think (for me and probably many others), Chrome "tastes just right", across all my computers and OS's. And it's portable across any computer and platform. Mileage varies w/Firefox, Opera, and the M one - but Safari clearly gets the prize for most dysfunction and for unrivaled longevity of poor browser functionality. IMHO.

(Apple: Change my mind! Please...)

Have you tried the "running Safari in 32-bit mode" trick? I find it helps a lot, running in 10.6.8. Also, I quit Safari before putting the computer to sleep each night, and I don't have more than 7 - 10 tabs open at once (having my favourite websites on the Bookmarks Bar assists in keeping the total number of tabs low).

I just imported by very large Bookmarks list intoo both Firefox and Chrome, and shall endavor to use one or the other of these. This is something I vehemently tried to avoid, but really see no choice with Apple letting this problem persist, that makes using one's Mac nearly impossible. That Apple would not resolve an issue with what is arguably the most important and most used user App on their platform is really disrespectful to their users and customers. Prospective buyers of their products should be made aware of this, and current owners should work together to assure this is resolved, though I am not sure what scenario would have me going back, after the work to move over to a new browser, and going forward how bokomarks and other data shall now become dated on the unused Safari App. Perhaps seeing this covered in the financial and mainstream press could help with raising its priority on their radar, if they are in fact capable of resolving it in the first place.

Thanks, Christopher. I've heard ot the 32-bit "trick". (Resisting joke about how 3000 bits wouldn't help a 2-bit design core.) I'd try several smaller bundles of bookmark bar collections, one for each project or chapter or whatever I'm working on, Just impractical - for me, anyway. I realize there's lots of variation in our uses & needs.

@Taser_This - I totally agree (though Im not sure how much leverage there is, seeing this never get fully addressed or resolved!). Not sure, but I'd think Jobs would have wanted the finest quality experience - browsing, on an Apple computer. Like Opera and others, and especially with the great boom in small- and mid-screen "browsing" (especially mobile), the "gold" may be in having a familiar and practical browser which plays well on the mobile platform AND (increasingly secondary) computer. So I think we're spitting into the trend by even caring any more about "browsing online" when the screens and consumer patterns all focus on the 'mobile' and tablet market. And tapping on even tiny screens, to navigate, rather than clicking a mouse.

Still, as an early-adopter and still heavy user of computer technology (including to run 'apps' like film scanners and printers) I do feel both disappointment and a bit of frustration that the most basic of all tools for the use of the old-fashioned big-screeen Mac is still this faulty and faultier Safari, which as you say, is really the most important tool for those who use the Internet on an Apple-product computer of its own design and execution. Safari: "You are the weakest link" and it's not a secret. One would think it *should* be a priority. (I have other pet peeves, such as iPhoto etc. all embracing Facebook but nothing Google, but that's another sad & twisted tale!)

Think I'm done for the moment. But IF Safari is to be a serious, and seriously good tool, truly - it should be a top priority to get that reworked until it works under normal and diverse user situations. IMHO. Why force those of us who chose a star Apple computer product, and paid premium as well for the pleasure, to choose between a nice-looking, horridly functioning browser, or embracing the competition. Seems like lose-lose now, rather than win-win.

I've found that all those "separate processes" Chrome uses jacks up the total memory usage even more than Safari does, and I don't know any easy way to tamper it down. I've consistently found Chrome to be a huge memory hog, with every version I've tried. I like using Safari, but with the memory drain, and the now lousy, dysfunctional Autofill, I'm losing my patience...

It has been about three days since ignoring Safari and using Firefox. Three days without memory run-aways, slow computers, spinning cursors, slow downs at critical times, wasted daily hours and without general aggravation. Things have been running wonderfully. I can open as many windows and tabs as I wish and there are no problems or slow downs. It is like having a new MacBook and iMac. How Apple can let Safari grenade the use of its users devices for such a prolonged period of time is beyond imagination.

For what it's worth I run iStat Menus from Bjango.com and that allows me to very quickly and easily see what's happening with memory. I have an old Mac Pro with 32gb memory and earlier this week Safari took first prize at a WOOPING 17.8gb. Not bad considering I only had 1 window with one tab open. Quick fix is to just properly quit Safari and watch the memory return and then start it again.

I prefer Safari over firefox and chrome so I would just like to see Apple fix it or at least put some sort of user control that allows you to determine the maximum ceiling.

What occurs with Safari is nearly insane. Would really be curious to know why this persists. I too prefer Safari, if it were not for this memory issue. I miss easy access to the dictionary, though have found a work around, among other features.

I can't believe this is still going on after all these years of Safari memory leaks. I don't even bother with Safari anymore, except to check differences in sites to different browsers.

Apparently not a concern of Apple's if it's not a handlheld device or gadget. I get better performance from Safari on 10.5.8 (no web content there) than any latter OS iteration. But still not good enough to choose it over Camino, Opera and lastly, Firefox. Can't speak about SeaMonkey or Omniweb, as I haven't used them for much of anything other than testing sites and haven't done that in a while. Only tried Chrome on my deceased father's Windows 7 machine and wasn't impressed, so I've never used it on a Mac.

Going to unsubscribe from this sinking ship of a thread, since Apple isn't going to do anything to fix this. They should just drop Safari altogether. That'd be better than people complaining about the same issue for a decade and having to find workarounds and applications that 'optimize' memory every half hour or so.

Safari has run out of discovery. Time to bring in the hunters and send them to McDonalds.

Saxman, all... I know this may be played out (until/unless Apple addresses the resource-hogging of Safari), but want to do a quick follow-up. Clearly many share the frustration (and/or annoyance) at seeing Safari soak up and then paralyze system resources on an ongoing basis, with few great work-arounds beyond reboots, etc.

My comment is this: On alternate browsers. I 'get' from the forum that many here are power users and also know it's human nature both to experiment and to adopt 'favorites', for numerous reasons - functionality, appearance, bells & whistles, etc. So preferences vary, about alternatives to Safari (though there is a lot of agreement about the very real issues specific to Safari itself). Here's what I can add after reading about some users finding Chrome to be a hog too, and various other comparisons (based on bench testing or personal impression/experience).

I've been working on projects (book and articles and websites) requiring the usual, text and photo editors, etc. That's the reason for having many tabs open, as I cross-reference articles, hunt for a graphic, etc., during the same session. This is what I thought was the major reason for Safari's hoggishness - many tabs (up to 70/80).

I read about Chrome's separate-process design and gave that a go. Despite what one or two have said about Chrome getting gunked up or frozen just like Safari, I must disagree. For the past few weeks I've totally avoided Safari and my working tabs (again, many) are open on Chrome. Even with image-editing, Office for Mac, and other apps/programs running, I always see about 1/4 of the Activity Monitor green (free memory) now. AND... As I've been fine-tuning and closing tabs as I finish with them, no problem. AND I've now taken to having Opera open as well, for 4 or 5 tabs of short-term researching some particular thing side by side with an open Chrome page. I can even use iPhoto simultaneous (though that does push it close to full memory), but in sum, with both dozens of open Chrome tabs, plus a few tabs open in Opera at the same time, other apps in use and all, I have *never once* had the kind of freezing, wheel-spinning, etc. that I got almost every day when using Safari. Thus I again conclude, the issue is Safari. I like both Chrome and Opera (Chrome more for Google platform functionality), and both seem to be vastly more useful and reliable than the always-spinning and resource-hogging Safari. For me, that's the bottom line. I'd still *love* to use the 'native' browser, the Apple signature - if it worked. Hoping to someday hear the announcement that it's been resolved, after years of user complaints. Til then, I'll continue to enjoy my well-working Mac, humming along like I expected, given all the RAM. But using a browser that works.

I've actually been using Chrome now for a week or two, and haven't even opened Safari. It wills till bog down, but if I find which "Rendering" item in my Activity Monitor is at or above a GiG in size, and force quit it (which usually crashes Flash, & often is Facebook), memory usage drops down, and functionality jumps back up...

So, it's a fairly painless workaround, and means I don't have to keep closing & opening the entire browser (as I must do with Safari). However, what drives me mad about Chrome, is it will ask to use my password in my keychain, when I get to a log-in page, I click Allow, but then nothing happens, it won't use the permission I gave it, to enter the password!

I have a similar experience.s While Chrome and Firefox can use meaningful memory, in my case up to 1.5GB, it is not the 6.2GB, or in effect, every last bit of available memory that exisits that Safari was abusing. And as a result, I am able to actually use my computer for work, rather than it being a big expensive egg timer. The everyday experience of using Firefox or Chrome vs Safari, is incomparable, and I do not mean the browser experience, I am speaking of actually being able to use the computer system for everything. The productivity returned to me by not having Safari completely ruin the function of the system as a whole is incredible.

OS: 10.8.3

Safari: 6.0.4 - 8536.29.13

Safari with 4 tabs open was using 3GB RAM causing my MBP running with 16GB RAM to hit a wall. The machine was unusable and locked up for several minutes. I was eventually able to Force Quit Safari allowing my system to recover. Apple devs please, please, please work to resolving this issue. 😐

Well here's a bit o news....It may not be your browser.

We run a Server wtih 16 GB of ram. After 10 min of rebooting..it will dwindle down to FREE 18 mb ram.

We don't run much of anything other than server and dropbox.

So....it's a big leak!!!