Safari completely unusable

1. If you prefer using Firefox, use it by all means.

2. Empty caches often. That takes only two clicks.

Empty Caches

Safari > Preference > Advanced

Checkmark the box for "Show Develop menu in menu bar".

"Develop" menu will appear in the Safari menu bar.

Click Develop and select "Empty Caches" from the dropdown.

Best.

If your Mac is running v10.8.2, that could account for at least part of the problem with Safari.

Update to v10.8.5. Open System Preferences > Software Update > Check Now. Restart your Mac after all updates are installed then try Safari.

Have you emptied the Safari cache lately? Press Command + Option + E then quit and relaunch Safari to test.

If that didn't help, open a Finder window. From the Finder menu bar click Go > Go to Folder

Type or copy paste the following:

~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Cache.db

Click Go then move the Cache.db file to the Trash.

Quit and relaunch Safari to test.

If that didn't help, try troubleshooting third party plug-ins.

Back to Safari > Preferences. This time select the Security tab. Deselect: Allow all other plug-ins. Quit and relaunch Safari to test.

If that made a difference, instructions for troubleshooting plugins here.

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. 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, by a peripheral device, or by corruption of certain system caches.

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. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. 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.

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.

It is not necessary to reset Safari always. Emptying caches will do.

Resetting Safari will remove lots of data unnecessarily.

Caches are there to speed up Safari. But sometimes caches can make Safari bogged down.

In that case emptying caches will help.

Best.