Resetting Safari

Dear Apple Support Communities: can someone tell me what "Remove all website data" checkbox does under the Reset Safari menu? I keep getting all kinds of ads for websites I've visited months ago, and are no longer interested in them. I can't seem to get rid of them! I have "Block pop-up windows" turned on and I have removed the cookies for these websites that are pestering me. I consulted Safari help on this question but for some reason help won't show me anything about resetting Safari, just comes up with a blank page. Does anyone have any more ideas for getting rid of these ads? How do these websites remember me when I have deleted their cookies? I'm running Safari 5.1.7. Thank you.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 16, 2012 7:39 PM

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5 replies

Jul 16, 2012 7:42 PM in response to Peugeotguy

To reset Safari:

  1. Choose Safari > Reset Safari.
  2. Deselect any items you don’t want to reset:
  3. Clear history: Clears the list of webpages you’ve viewed.
  4. Reset Top Sites: Clears any changes you’ve made to Top Sites, such as adding or pinning sites. If you also clear your history, your Top Sites page reverts to showing the webpage previews displayed when you first installed Safari 5.
  5. Remove all webpage preview images: Clears any thumbnail images Safari has saved of webpages you’ve viewed.
  6. Empty the cache: Clears the webpages you’ve viewed from the temporary location on your computer where Safari stores them. The cache helps webpages load more quickly, so you may notice it takes some websites longer to open the first time you visit them after emptying the cache.
  7. Clear the Downloads window: Clears the list of files you’ve downloaded from websites. Only the names are removed; the files themselves are still on your disk until you remove them.
  8. Remove all cookies: Removes cookies that websites have stored on your computer.
  9. Remove all website icons: Removes website icons, which are small graphics that help identify sites on the Internet. You see them in the Safari address field and bookmarks list, and other places. These icons are stored on your computer.
  10. Remove saved names and passwords: Removes user names and passwords that Safari automatically fills in at websites that require them (if the AutoFill feature is turned on).
  11. Remove other AutoFill form text: Removes some personal information, such as telephone numbers, that Safari uses to automatically fill in forms on webpages (if the AutoFill feature is turned on). Removing AutoFill information does not remove information from your address book.
  12. Close all Safari windows: If you don’t close all Safari windows, someone could use the Back and Forward buttons to view the webpages you’ve visited.
  13. Reset all location warnings: Clears any information websites have saved about your location.
  14. Click Reset.

Jul 16, 2012 8:34 PM in response to AnaMusic

Dear AnaMusic: thank you very much for your reply. However, you didn't answer my main question. I'd like to know what "Remove all Website data" does. You listed all the rest of the items (thank you) but not this one. Also, my "Reset Safari" menu doesn't have "Remove all Cookies." Perhaps you're looking at Lion Safari? I'm still on Snow Leopard. Thank you.

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Resetting Safari

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