Back button doesn't work

Question

Level 1

9 points

Back button doesn't work

Now I know that there has been some posts regarding the back button greys out, but I don't think they solved my problem. Here is my Macbook's info:

Although it says that it's High Sierra 10.13.5, the problems started back in March or April (or maybe further, but that's when I actually noticed).

So here is me opening Safari:

And then I went to YouTube.

At this point, I notice that you actually can't go back to the blank page at the beginning. And then I clicked on Subscription, which kind of annoys me because I can't go back to YouTube home page.

The annoyance just grows when I clicked on a video, and realised I can't go back to the previous page as well.

I have done all this on Chrome and it allows me to go back every time. At first, I thought there is something wrong with Safari history not keeping everything. But since I noticed how the back button behaves, I have started to believe that this might be a feature of Safari, not a bug; and I can live with it if only YouTube is affected. But this happens quite often with Google or other pages that I use for work. YouTube is just the most convenient example I can show to you.

The only "pattern" I found is that, Safari keeps the end-product (meaning the last page that is opened) and doesn't keep any of the previous page in history (so there is no going back). So either it's a feature or a bug, please see if you have a fix to it.

Sorry for the long post, but I just want to give you as much information as you might need.

Thank you very much!

MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS High Sierra (10.13.1)

Posted on Jun 7, 2018 7:37 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Eric Root

Level 10

685,483 points

Jun 10, 2018 7:01 PM in response to Volderlord

Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. If Back-to-My Mac is selected in System Preferences, the Guest account will not work. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later. Please post if this worked or not.

Isolating an issue by using another user account

If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account. Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer or by using the developer’s uninstall instructions. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once. Please post if this worked or not.

Safe Mode Startup – El Capitan. also Sierra

If it works in the Safe Mode, try running this program when booted normally and then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by Etresoft, a frequent contributor. Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. Click “Share Report” button in the toolbar, select “Copy to Clipboard” and then paste into a reply. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown. You can run the report for free at least once, but if you run it several times, at some point it will ask you to pay a license fee.

Etrecheck – System Information

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Answer 2

dominic23

Level 10

84,080 points

Jun 8, 2018 11:26 AM in response to Volderlord

Backup your Mac.

Close all windows and quit all applications.

Hold "option" key down and click "Go" menu in the Finder menu bar.

Library will appear between “Home” and “Computer” entries in the dropdown.

Select "Library" from the dropdown.

Click the “List” view button in the Finder toolbar.

Move these files to trash and test.

1. Scroll down the list, click open the Safari folder, select History files and LastSession.plist

Right click on it and choose “Move to Trash”.

Additional step to try

2. Delete com.apple.Safari.plist file and test.

Empty the Trash.

Quit all applications.

Hold the option key down and click the "Go" menu in the Finder menu bar.

Select "Library" from the drop down.

Library > Preferences > com.apple.Safari.plist

Right click on it and select "Move it to Trash".

Restart and relaunch Safari. Click “Start using Safari” link at the bottom.

If this doesn’t help, “Put Back” the com.apple.Safari.plist

Right click on the Trash icon in the Dock and select “Open”.

Right click on the com.apple.Safari.plist and select “Put Back”.

Select ”Replace” from the dialog when it appears.

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Answer 3

Volderlord Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 9, 2018 2:19 AM in response to Eric Root

Hi,

I followed your instructions, and found out that the problem isn't system-wide. When I used Safari in another admin user account, the problem ceased to exist. Does it mean there's something with my account settings?

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Answer 4

Eric Root

Level 10

685,483 points

Jun 10, 2018 3:26 AM in response to Volderlord

Try going to System Preferences/Users & Groups and remove all your login items. Then restart and don't open any applications except Safari. Test. If you still have problems, go to Safari/Preferences and disable your extensions. Test.

Most posters recommend not using cleaning programs. They can destroy normal computer operations.

CleanMyMac3 Uninstall

Check for any remaining associated files using these programs.

EasyFind – Spotlight Replacement

Find Any File

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Answer 5

dominic23

Level 10

84,080 points

Jun 8, 2018 5:38 AM in response to Volderlord

This is a test.

Safari > Preferences > Tabs > Open pages in tabs instead of windows:

Select "Never" instead of "Automatically" and test.

If this doesn't help, select "Automatically" which is default.

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Answer 6

Volderlord Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 9, 2018 9:13 AM in response to Eric Root

It works in Safe Mode. And here is the result from running Etrecheck (in normal boot).

EtreCheck version: 4.3.2 (4D034)

Report generated: 2018-06-09 23:12:12

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime: 3:02

Performance: Good

Problem: No problem - just checking

Major Issues:

Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention.

No Time Machine backup - Time Machine backup not found.

Gatekeeper disabled - Gatekeeper security protection is disabled. This computer is at risk of malware infection.

Minor Issues:

These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems.

Unsigned files - There is unsigned software installed. They appear to be legitimate but should be reviewed.

32-bit Apps - This machine has 32-bits apps that may have problems in the future.

Hardware Information:

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

MacBook Pro Model: MacBookPro12,1

1 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 (i5-5257U) CPU: 2-core

8 GB RAM - Not upgradeable

BANK 0/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1867 ok

BANK 1/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR3 1867 ok

Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 101

Video Information:

Intel Iris Graphics 6100 - VRAM: 1536 MB

Color LCD

Drives:

disk0 - APPLE SSD SM0128G 121.33 GB (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

Internal PCI 5.0 GT/s x4 Serial ATA

disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB

disk0s2 120.47 GB

disk1s1 - Macintosh HD (APFS) 120.47 GB (69.51 GB used)

disk1s2 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] 120.47 GB (23 MB used)

disk1s3 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] 120.47 GB (518 MB used)

disk1s4 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] 120.47 GB (1.07 GB used)

Mounted Volumes:

disk1s1 - Macintosh HD 120.47 GB (49.23 GB free)

APFS

Mount point: /

Encrypted

disk1s4 - VM [APFS VM] 120.47 GB (49.23 GB free)

APFS

Mount point: /private/var/vm

Network:

Interface en0: Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

One IPv4 address

Interface en3: Bluetooth PAN

Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge

iCloud Quota: 3.82 GB available

System Software:

macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 (17F77)

Time since boot: Less than an hour

System Load: 70.31 (1 min ago) 22.82 (5 min ago) 8.67 (15 min ago)

Security:

System	Status
Gatekeeper	Anywhere
System Integrity Protection	Enabled

Unsigned Files:

Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist

Executable: /Users/***/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/steamclean

Details: Exact match found in the whitelist - probably OK

32-bit Applications:

One 32-bit app

Kernel Extensions:

/Library/Extensions

[Loaded] TACC.kext (TechSmith Corporation, 1.0.3 - SDK 10.10)

[Loaded] TelestreamAudio.kext (Telestream Inc., 1.1.1 - SDK 10.8)

/System/Library/Extensions

[Loaded] NoSleep.kext (Pavel Prokofiev, 1.4.0 - SDK 10.10)

Startup Items:

TuxeraNTFSUnmountHelper Path: /Library/StartupItems/TuxeraNTFSUnmountHelper

System Launch Agents:

[Not Loaded]	9 Apple tasks
[Loaded]	182 Apple tasks
[Running]	101 Apple tasks
[Other]	One Apple task

System Launch Daemons:

[Not Loaded]	36 Apple tasks
[Loaded]	184 Apple tasks
[Running]	115 Apple tasks

Launch Agents:

[Loaded]	com.microsoft.update.agent.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-04-05)
[Loaded]	org.macosforge.xquartz.startx.plist (Apple Inc. - XQuartz - installed 2016-05-05)

Launch Daemons:

[Loaded]	com.microsoft.autoupdate.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-04-05)
[Running]	me.hide.osxhelper.plist (EVENTURE LTD. - installed 2017-12-05)
[Loaded]	com.bjango.istatmenus.installerhelper.plist (Bjango Pty Ltd - installed 2018-05-08)
[Loaded]	com.sparklabs.ViscosityHelper.plist (SparkLabs Pty Ltd - installed 2017-06-09)
[Loaded]	org.macosforge.xquartz.privileged_startx.plist (Apple Inc. - XQuartz - installed 2016-05-05)
[Loaded]	com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Agent.plist (MacPaw Inc. - installed 2018-04-19)
[Loaded]	com.microsoft.office.licensingV2.helper.plist (Microsoft Corporation - installed 2018-03-12)
[Running]	com.bjango.istatmenus.daemon.plist (Bjango Pty Ltd - installed 2018-05-08)

User Launch Agents:

[Running]	com.spotify.webhelper.plist (Spotify - installed 2018-06-06)
[Loaded]	com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google, Inc. - installed 2018-05-16)
[Loaded]	com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-04-13)
[Loaded]	com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist (? 0 - installed 2018-06-01)
[Loaded]	com.macpaw.CleanMyMac3.Scheduler.plist (MacPaw Inc. - installed 2018-04-19)

User Login Items:

CleanMyMac 3 Menu Application (? - installed 2018-04-12)

(/Applications/CleanMyMac 3.app/Contents/MacOS/CleanMyMac 3 Menu.app)

Alfred 3 Application (? - installed 2018-06-06)

(/Applications/Alfred 3.app)

Dropbox Application (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2018-06-07)

(/Applications/Dropbox.app)

BartenderStartAtLoginHelper SMLoginItem (Surtees Studios Limited - installed 2018-06-07)

(/Applications/Bartender 3.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/BartenderStartAtLoginHelper.app)

Fantastical Launcher SMLoginItem (Flexibits Inc. - installed 2018-06-07)

(/Applications/Fantastical 2.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/Fantastical Launcher.app)

Internet Plug-ins:

Silverlight: 5.1.50901.0 (installed 2018-03-23)

FlashPlayer-10.6: 29.0.0.140 (installed 2018-04-12)

Flash Player: 29.0.0.140 (installed 2018-04-12)

QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (installed 2018-06-07)

PepperFlashPlayer: 29.0.0.140 (installed 2018-04-11)

User Internet Plug-ins:

Folx3Plugin: 3.0.1 (installed 2018-05-21)

Safari Extensions:

Adblock Plus.safariextz - Eyeo GmbH - https://adblockplus.org/ (installed 2017-09-27)

OpenIE.safariextz - Parallels - http://www.parallels.com (installed 2017-05-20)

3rd Party Preference Panes:

Flash Player (installed 2018-03-27)

TechTool Protection (installed 2018-06-07)

Tuxera NTFS (installed 2018-06-07)

Time Machine:

Time Machine Not Configured!

Top Processes by CPU:

Process (count)	Source	% of CPU	Location
WindowServer	Apple	8
kernel_task	Apple	2
syspolicyd	Apple	1
sandboxd	Apple	0
iStatMenusDaemon	Bjango Pty Ltd	0

Top Processes by Memory:

Process (count)	Source	RAM usage	Location
kernel_task	Apple	755 MB
mdworker (16)	Apple	291 MB
MTLCompilerService (11)	Apple	210 MB
Dropbox (3)	Dropbox, Inc.	176 MB
Fantastical 2	Flexibits Inc.	93 MB

Top Processes by Network Use:

Process	Source	Input	Output	Location
Dropbox	Dropbox, Inc.	69 KB	116 KB
mDNSResponder	Apple	12 KB	11 KB
apsd	Apple	8 KB	7 KB
com.flexibits.fbcaldav.FBCalDAV-XPC	Flexibits Inc.	9 KB	5 KB
cloudd	Apple	8 KB	3 KB

Top Processes by Energy Use:

Process (count)	Source	Energy (0-100)	Location
WindowServer	Apple	5
iStatMenusDaemon	Bjango Pty Ltd	0
CleanMyMac 3 Menu	?	0	/Applications/CleanMyMac 3.app
deleted	Apple	0
Bartender 3	?	0	/Applications/Bartender 3.app

Virtual Memory Information:

Available RAM	4.68 GB
Free RAM	711 MB
Used RAM	3.32 GB
Cached files	3.99 GB
Swap Used	0 B

Software Installs (past 30 days):

Name	Version	Install Date
TechTool Pro 9	1.0	2018-05-21
Tuxera NTFS 2018	2018	2018-05-22
The Unarchiver	3.11.6	2018-05-27
iTunes	12.7.5	2018-05-30
Gatekeeper Configuration Data	140	2018-06-02

End of report

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Answer 7

Volderlord Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 8, 2018 7:29 AM in response to dominic23

This is what I found in the communities. But it doesnt work. Both "never" and "automatically".

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Answer 8

Volderlord Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 8, 2018 8:07 AM in response to Eric Root

I will try this and report back. Please kindly note that I might be living in different time zones compared to yours, so there might be a delay in responding.

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Answer 9

Eric Root

Level 10

685,483 points

Jun 8, 2018 8:13 AM in response to Volderlord

A delay isn't a problem.

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Answer 10

Volderlord Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 9, 2018 2:21 AM in response to dominic23

Hi,

I have followed your instruction as in my previous post. At that point, I thought it was a problem with History, cookies, etc. Unfortunately, it didn't work, the problem persists.

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Answer 11

Volderlord Author

Level 1

9 points

Jun 10, 2018 3:27 AM in response to Eric Root

Removing CleanMyMac did stop the problem. However, just to be sure, I will use Safari for a few hours and see if the problem still persists. Thanks very much!

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