[Solved] Safari Not Working On Mac [Step-By-Step Guide]

While trying to browse anything on the Safari web browser, you may at times find that the Safari is not working properly. It may also happen that Safari simply won’t open on Mac. 

If you can’t open Safari on Mac, you will be unable to use the Safari browser or it can restrict you to complete your important work. 

This problem mainly arises when you are using an older version of the Safari browser on the Mac system. 

If you are facing this issue and want to fix it immediately, then this guide will help you. Here, we are going to discuss all the possible solutions to get rid of this problem without any hassle. 

Causes behind Inability of Safari to Work on Mac

There can be several reasons behind the occurrence of this issue on your Mac system. Listed below are some common reasons why this problem occurs:

• An outdated version of the Mac system
• Cache and browsing data 
• Corrupted Safari browser
• Incorrect DNS settings
• Enabled Safari Plug-ins and Extensions

How to Fix Safari Not Working on Mac

Before going to the specific solutions, you can simply restart the Mac system. Sometimes, restarting a Mac system can resolve several problems including this one when Safari won’t open on Mac. After restarting the system, if the problem shows up again, you can try the other solutions mentioned below. 

Solution 1 – Quit and Relaunch the Safari Application

When you notice that Safari is not working properly, you can simply restart the Safari browser. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Click on Safari on the browser to open the menu list and select the Force Quit Safari button to close the Safari application.
2. Wait for a few seconds and then reopen it by double-clicking on the Safari icon and check if it works properly or not. 

Solution 2 – Remove the Safari Cache, Browser History and Web Caches

If you do not clear the cache, browser history, and web caches on the Safari web browser from time to time then you may face several issues including this one on the system. So, you need to remove them as soon as possible by following the steps below.

Safari Cache 

1. Open Safari, click on the Safari icon and choose the Preferences option.
2. From the Preferences window, go to the Privacy tab and click on the Manage Website Data button.
3. Click on the Remove All option. Now a confirmation window will appear on the screen. Click on the Remove Now button and then click on the Done button. 

Browser History

1. At first, open the Safari web browser.
2. Click on the Safari button located at the top of the menu and choose the Clear History option from the drop-down menu list.
3. After that, choose the interval time to delete the desired data and then click on the Clear History option. 

Web Caches

1. First of all, double-click on the Safari icon to open the Safari application. 
2. Click on the Safari button and choose the Preferences button from the drop-down menu list.
3. On the Preferences window, navigate to the Settings tab.
4. From the Settings window, move to the Advanced section and tick the box next to the ‘Show Development menu’ in menu bar. 
5. Now, the Develop panel will appear at the top of the menu bar. Click on the Develop button and select the Clear Cache option. Alternately, you can also delete the cache by pressing the Option + Command + E buttons together. 

After completing the above steps, restart the Mac system and check if the Safari browser works properly or not. If not, then you can move to the next fix. 

Solution 3 – Uninstall the Safari application and Install it Again

Corrupted Safari application can result in Safari not working properly on the Mac OS. So, you can simply remove the Safari application and install it again. Follow the directions cited below.

1. Firstly, navigate to the Applications folder. 
2. From the Applications window, locate and right-click on the Safari icon and then select the Move to Trash option.
3. After that, Control + right-click on the Trash icon and then click on the Empty Trash button. Now the Safari application will be uninstalled. 
4. Once the uninstallation process is complete, install it correctly. 
5. To install it, go to the official website of Apple and download the latest version of the Safari application. 
6. After downloading the application, install it correctly. To install it follow the onscreen directions carefully. 
7. After finishing the installation process, restart your Mac book and then try to open the Safari application. 

Solution 4 – Change the DNS Settings

Incorrect DNS settings can cause difficulty in opening the Safari browser on a Mac system. So, you can change the DNS settings to fix this issue. Here are some steps that you can follow:

1. Click on the Apple icon and choose System Preferences.
2. From the System Preferences window, click on the Network icon.
3. On the Network window, click on the Advanced option.
4. Go to the DNS tab and click the + option to add the server. Type 8.8.8.8 and then click on the OK option to save the changes. 
5. Once you are done with these steps, reboot the Mac system and then launch the Safari application to check if the issue is gone or not. 

Solution 5 – Turn Off Search Suggestion in Safari 

If the Search suggestion in Safari is turned on then you may face this issue on the system. So, you can simply disable it. Perform the following steps:

1. Click on the Safari button at the top of the menu bar and choose the Preferences button. 
2. When you are in the Preferences window, go to the Search tab.
3. From the Search tab, unmark the ‘Include search engine suggestions’ box under ‘Search Engine Selection.’ 
4. After that, close the Preferences window. 

Solution 6 – Check all the Extensions

Another effective solution by which you should get rid of the Safari won’t open issue on the Mac system is to check all the extensions. Here’s how to do that:

1. Click on the Safari button and choose the Preferences button from the drop-down menu list. 
2. On the Preferences window, go to the Extensions tab and untick each extension that you want to disable.

Solution 7 – Disable the Safari Plug-Ins

If the Safari Plug-ins are turned on, then you may face this problem on your Mac. So, you need to turn them off. Go through these steps:

1. Click on Safari and choose the Preferences option.
2. From the Preferences window, go to the Security tab and untick the box next to the Allow Plug-Ins to disable. 

Solution 8 – Update the Safari Application

Updating the Safari application is an easy task and often eliminates this issue from the system. If you do not know how to do that, then follow the steps given below:

1. Open the Safari menu by clicking on the Safari button.
2. Select the About Safari button. 
3. From that window, you will find if Safari is outdated or not. 
4. If yes, then go to the Apple App Store window and find the latest version of the Safari application.
5. After finding it, download and then install it correctly.
6. Once complete, restart the system and then check if the issue is fixed or not. 

Solution 9 – Install the Latest Version of the Mac Operating System

If the above solutions do not work, then as a last resort you can update your Mac OS to resolve this issue of Safari not working.

The following steps will help you:

1. Open the Apple menu list by clicking on the Apple icon present at the top of the menu bar.
2. Select the System Preferences button from that list.
3. Go to the Software Update tab and check if an update is available or not. 
4. If yes, then you will get to see an Update button, click on it to start the update process.
5. After completing the update process, the system will restart automatically. 

These are the solutions to fix Safari not working on Mac. You can leave your feedback in the comment section below stating whether the fixes worked or not.