I often get the message that "web pages are not responding". Safari seems to slow down to a crawl, I've reset Safari and emptied the caches, t may get better for a few minutes but then returns it's slow down. Someone said to quit safari and then trash Home/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/ folder. That doesn't seem to help. Does anyone have any suggestions how to solve this annoying problem?
iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)
When this happens, can you still use other web browsers or Internet applications, such as Mail or Messages? What about other devices on the same network?
Yes, I can use Firefox, mail and messages seem to work fine, as do my iPhone and iPad.
From the Safari menu bar, select
Safari ▹ Preferences ▹ Extensions
If any extensions are installed, disable them and test.
Thanks for the suggestion. I only had two extensions, 1Password and ClicktoFlash, I disabled both, it didn't help. Any other suggestions will be appreciated.🙂
Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select Help from the menu bar, and enter “Set up guest users” (without the quotes) in the search box. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode* and log in to the account with the problem. The instructions provided by Apple are as follows:
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
*Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t boot in safe mode.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of steps 1 and 2.
Linc, many thanks I will try this and get back to you. I really appreciate the help.
Linc, following your instructions after step 1 the problem went away, after step 2 the problem returned. After a normal reboot the problem still exists.
Read this whole message before doing anything.
Back up all data.
Quit Safari if it’s running. Then select
▹ Force Quit…
from the menu bar. A small window will open with a list of running applications. Safari may appear in that list, even though you quit it. If so, select it and press return. Close the window.
Step 1
In the Finder, press the key combination shift-command-A to open the Applications folder. Select the Safari icon in that folder and press the key combination command-I to open the Info window. There’s a checkbox in the Info window labeled Open in 32-bit mode. Uncheck it, if checked. Close the Info window and the Applications folder.
If Adobe Flash Player is installed, select
▹ System Preferences ▹ Flash Player ▹ Advanced
and click Delete All. Close the preference pane.
Hold down the option key and select
Go ▹ Library
from the Finder menu bar. Delete the following items from the Library folder (some may not exist):
Leave the Library folder open. Try Safari again. If it works now, stop here. Close the Library folder. If you still have problems, continue.
Step 2
Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:
rm -fr $TMPDIR../C/com.apple.Safari
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).
Quit Safari again. Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign (“$”) to appear, then quit Terminal. Launch Safari and test.
Step 3
If Safari still doesn’t work right, quit, go back to the Finder and move the following items from the open Library folder to the Desktop (some may not exist):
(Note: you are not moving the Safari application. You’re moving a folder named “Safari.”)
Try again. This time Safari should perform normally, but your settings and bookmarks will be lost. The default set of bookmarks will be restored. Delete them all.
If the issue is still not resolved, quit Safari again and put all the items you moved to the Desktop back where they were, overwriting the newer ones that may have been created in their place. You don’t need to replace the files you deleted in step 1. Stop here and post again.
If Safari is now working normally (apart from the lost settings), look inside the “Safari” folder on the Desktop for a file named “Bookmarks.plist”. Select
File ▹ Import Bookmarks
from the Safari menu bar. Import from that file. Recreate the rest of your Safari settings. You can then delete the items you moved to the Desktop.
Note: This step will remove your Safari Extensions, if any, and their settings. If you choose to restore them, do so one at a time, testing after each step to make sure you haven’t restored the problem.
If you don’t like the results of step 3, you can undo it completely by quitting Safari and restoring the items you moved or deleted in that step from your backup, overwriting any that were created in their place.
Linc, I can't thank you enough for working with me on this issue. I went alway through Step 3, and finally Safari seems to be working properly, at least for the past hour or two. Wow, what a difference. Thank you again. People like you make the Macintosh community very special. 🙂
Web pages are not responding
