safari reset macbook

How to Reset Safari to Default Settings on Your Mac

If Safari runs slow or fails to open a page on your Mac, we will show you how to reset the browser to its default state to fix those issues.

Safari helps you feel at home while browsing the web on a Mac. The latest iterations of Safari always bring improvements, but no browser is perfect. Over time, Safari tends to slow down, become sluggish, and feel unresponsive.

While Chrome and Firefox pack a reset button, this feature is missing from Safari. We will show you how you can reset Safari to default settings on your Mac.

First, Back Up Your Bookmarks

After you've used Safari for a while, you probably have a lot of sites saved in your Bookmarks and Favorites. It's a good idea to make a copy of your Bookmarks before you proceed. Since you'll remove every bit data related to Safari, you probably don't want to erase all your bookmarks.

To do this, launch Safari, select the File tab in the top menu bar, and click Export Bookmarks . You can either set a new name or let it use the default one if you don't mind it. Click Save to save a copy of those bookmarks.

You may also want to edit, organize, and manage those bookmarks that you've collected over years.

After you've reset Safari by following the methods below, you can import the HTML copy of your Bookmarks by going to File > Import From and selecting Bookmarks HTML File . Make sure to save the file somewhere safe in the meantime.

Clear the Browsing History in Safari

To start, you should run Safari's built-in history cleaner. This will remove cookies and other browsing data from everywhere you've visited. Thankfully, the process to remove your browsing history manually from Safari is quite straightforward.

Related: How to Clear Your Safari Browsing History and Data

After opening Safari, click on the Safari item in the top menu bar and select Clear History . A window will pop up; select All History from the dropdown list. Then click on the Clear History button to erase all that data from Safari.

Remove the Temporary Files and Cache

To improve your browsing efficiency, Safari stores the data for sites that you visit regularly as cache on your Mac and uses that to load elements faster than downloading them again. That cache takes up disk space and often contributes to Safari's performance woes.

It's thus a good idea to get rid of that old data when you're resetting Safari to its defaults. Here's how to clear Safari's temporary files and cache:

While you have Safari running, open Safari > Preferences from the menu bar.
A window will pop open. Head to the Advanced tab and select the check box for Show Develop menu in menu bar .
The Develop menu will appear next to Bookmarks on the menu bar. Select Develop > Empty Caches or use Option + Cmd + E to quickly clear the web cache.

Delete All Cookies

Like other browsers, Safari stores site cookies whenever you visit websites. These cookies contain details about your interactions with the site, such as registration and form data, your cart contents, and similar. It's a good idea to remove those cookies when starting fresh.

Here's how you can clear all cookies from Safari:

Launch Safari and in the menu bar at the top of the screen, go to Safari > Preferences .
In the window that pops up, go to the Privacy tab and click the Manage Website Data button. That'll pop open a window showing the list of cookies in Safari.
You can hold down Cmd to select cookies to remove individually, or click Remove All to delete the entire list.

Turn Off Website Access/Delete Safari Plugins

While Apple builds Safari for efficiency, some outside plugins and website access rules can cause Safari to slow down. It's best to ensure that those plugins ask you before Safari runs them. You can also confirm which sites can access your Mac's camera, microphone, and other settings.

With Safari open, go to Safari > Preferences in the menu bar on the top of the screen. Go to the Websites tab and check each item in the sidebar for website access. We recommend disabling Auto-Play , Camera , Microphone , Location , and Pop-Ups , unless you have some reason not to do so.

If you're using an older version of Safari that doesn't have these options, you can head to Safari > Preferences and click on Security > Plug-In Settings . Then set all the plugins to Ask before Safari runs them, and disable the ones you don't need.

Disable or Uninstall Safari Extensions

Unlike Chrome and Firefox, Apple allows only a handful of extensions to work with Safari. Even with this filtering, some of them might impact your browsing performance and slow everything down. Whether you use extensions for saving articles to Pocket or applying dark mode on every website, they could affect Safari.

You can disable these extensions by going to Safari > Preferences and clicking the Extensions tab. Uncheck each extension listed to disable it. To remove all of them, you'll need to select each extension and click on the Uninstall button in the adjacent pane.

You can always find and install new Safari extensions later after resetting the browser. Try to only install high-quality ones you absolutely need.

Reset Safari Using Terminal

Even after removing cookies, cache, browsing history, and extensions, Safari still has some underlying metadata. To wipe everything in a true sense, you can use the Terminal app.

Using the Terminal to reset Safari to its default state means you'll have to use a series of commands. Refer to our beginner's guide to the Mac Terminal for using it effectively.

To reset Safari using Terminal:

Open the Terminal app (you can find it easily using Spotlight with Cmd + Space ).
Next, open the Apple menu at the top-left corner of your screen. Click Force Quit and select Safari to completely close it.
Enter the below commands commands, one line at a time. After you run each command, the Terminal will prompt for confirmation to delete said files. Type y to confirm, then hit Enter .

Reset Safari for a Fresh and Fast Browser Experience

Now you know how to effectively reset Safari to factory settings. It should feel faster after this—though all the sites you visit at first will take a couple of seconds to load completely, since they'll create new cookies and cache.

To get even more out of Safari, make sure you're applying the best Safari tweaks for a better experience.

How to reset all of your Safari browser's settings on a Mac, including clearing your cache and removing plugins

Knowing how to reset your Safari browser on a Mac can help speed up the browser and fix issues.
However, resetting Safari will also cause you to lose browser-saved data, including login credentials and browser extensions.
Here's what you need to know to reset the Safari browser on your Mac computer.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Resetting your Safari browser on a Mac computer can help speed it up and get rid of any issues you may have encountered.

But before you start, be aware that it will delete your installed extensions, as well as any auto-fill data, including saved usernames and passwords.

So you may want to take note of those before getting started, so that you can get your browser back to the way that you're accustomed to using it.

Once that's done, here's how to reset the Safari browser on your Mac .

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Macbook pro (from $1,299 at apple), how to reset safari on a mac.

Resetting your Safari browser consists of several steps (like clearing your cache and history), rather than a simple button. So it will take a while to accomplish. Here's what you need to do:

Clear your Safari history

Keep in mind that the process is different for Safari on an iPhone or iPad , in case you want to do a reset across all of your devices.

1. Launch Safari

2. In the top toolbar, select "Safari" and then "Clear History."

3. Select "All History" in the dropdown and then click "Clear History."

Clear your Safari cache

1. With Safari open, go up to the top toolbar.

2. Select "Safari" and then "Preferences."

3. Toggle over to the "Advanced" tab and tick the box next to "Show Develop menu in menu bar" — you should see "Develop" appear in the top toolbar.

4. Click "Develop" and then select "Empty Caches."

Get rid of your Safari extensions

1. Go back into your Safari Preferences (located in that top toolbar)

2. Toggle over to the "Extensions" tab

3. Go through all of your extensions and select "Uninstall"

Turn off plugins within Safari

1. With the Safari Preferences window still open, toggle over to the "Websites" tab

2. Untick the box next to each plugin (listed at the bottom of the left sidebar)

Delete those plugins

These are stored in two separate areas, so your work will feel a bit redundant, but it's necessary to get the job done.

1. Tap your Finder to open it (it's the half-toned face icon in your bottom toolbar).

2. Under the "Go" menu of the top toolbar, select "Go to folder."

3. In the pop-up search menu, type "~/Library" and hit "Go."

4. Locate and go through the "Internet Plug-ins" folder and delete your plug-ins (you may want to keep your Safari Preferences open to "websites" so you can view your installed plugins) by dragging them over to the Trash.

5. Go up to the "Go" tab in your top toolbar and select "Go to folder".

6. Enter "/Library" in the search bar and hit "Go."

7. Locate and open the "Internet Plug-ins" folder again.

8. Select and delete or drag your undesired plugins into the Trash.

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Main content

How To Fully Reset Safari On Mac

This article explains how you can fully reset Safari on your Mac. You might need to do this if Safari on your Mac runs very slowly, crashes often, acts bizarre, or functions incorrectly.

See also: Your System Is Infected With (3) Viruses

Safari is included with the macOS operating system.

How to reset Safari

1-Remove site history

There are two ways to do this. If you want to remove particular web sites (e.g., a web site is giving you problems whenever you visit) then try the second option. Please also note that if you are using other Apple devices (iOS devices or other Macs), if you turn on Safari in iCloud preferences with the same Apple ID, your site browsing history will be removed from all of them.

See also: How To Change Default Search Engine in Safari

When you do this, you will be removing history of web sites you visited, recent searchers, list of download items, frequently visited sites list, web sites that asked to use your located and to send you notifications.

Open Safari
Click Safari located in the menu bar in the top left hand corner of your screen
Click Clear History

Click the Clear History button
Click Preferences
Click the Privacy tab
Click the manage Website Data button
Here you can remove everything, or you can remove specific web sites. You can also search to find a specific web site.

2-Clear web caches

Here is how you can clear Safari’s caches. Caches are images and videos, or the layouts for entire web pages you browsed.

In the Safari app, click Safari
Click the Advanced tab

Close the Preferences window
Now you will see a new menu bar item called ‘Develop’
Click Develop

Disable Safari extensions

Extensions are small programs that extends your Safari’s functionalities. They add new features to let you enhance and customize your browsing experience. But some may have bugs and thus cause problems. And you may want to turn them off. Here is how:

Choose Safari from the Safari menu bar
Click the Extensions tab
For each extension, you can use the checkbox to enable or disable that particular extension.
You can also uninstall extensions.

Disable Safari plugins

Please note that Safari is no longer supporting most plugins. You can however view and manage the plugins you have installed. Here is how:

Click Safari
Click the Websites tab

When you are done, close the window

See also: How To See The Full Web Site Address In Safari URL Bar

Dr. Serhat Kurt worked as a Senior Technology Director specializing in Apple solutions for small and medium-sized educational institutions. He holds a doctoral degree (or doctorate) from the University of Illinois at Urbana / Champaign and a master’s degree from Purdue University. He is a former faculty member. Here is his LinkedIn profile and Google Scholar profile . Email Serhat Kurt .

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I Have been having this for about a week now. I Have tried getting rid of the Cookies and what not, restarted Safari, everything still doesn’t work. Did Apple do something to Safari? Like I Can use Chrome and everything is fine, but I go to Youtube on Safari and login and I get a blank screen. I am not logged in I Can see the page it’s only when I login is when I can’t see anything. Again not the case with Chrome. Does anyone one know what is going on?

I have the same problem

Safari 14 I cannot attach photos into facebook, its takes forever to open any websites, i have cleared the history and still takes forever, its like something is running in the background making my computer run slow. We don’t even use this computer very much as we do most surfing on our iPad, we have att wifi which shows 4 bars on the wifi icon. Can the problem be to many files on the computer or in the iCloud?

No facebook or youtube since updating to Big Sur 11.0 Safari is not working properly.

Safari not working at all…i couldn’t even open http://www.google.com

Hi, I have done all steps recommended, YouTube still does not play on MacBook Air. YouTube opens alright, but when I try playing a video, it won’t play, just that circle on the screen that keeps rotating. Can you please help me solve this problem. I am not computer savvy. Thank you, Liviu

How to Reset Safari to Default Settings

Restoring default settings is a multistep process

What to Know

First, remove the browser history: Select Safari in the menu bar > Clear History , then select All History > Clear History .
Remove cookies: Safari > Preferences . Select the Privacy tab > Manage Website Data > Remove All .
Clear cache: Safari > Preferences . Advanced > Select Show Develop menu in menu bar . Exit. Develop > Empty Caches .

This article explains how to reset Safari to default settings by removing Safari's history and cookies, clearing the cache, and disabling extensions. Instructions apply to Safari versions 11 through 14 and iOS.

Remove Browser History

The first step when resetting Safari is to remove your browser history. When you clear your browsing history, Safari removes data such as recent searches, the frequently visited site list, web page icons, the history of web pages you've visited, and more.

From Safari's menu bar, select Safari > Clear History

In the drop-down menu, select All History .

Select Clear History to complete the process.

To clear a particular website instead, navigate to History > Show History , select the website you want to clear, and press Delete .

Remove Cookies

When you remove all cookies from Safari, you'll lose personal registration data such as your name and address, shopping cart contents, preferred web page layouts, and more.

From Safari's menu bar, select Safari > Preferences .

Select the Privacy tab.

Select Manage Website Data .

Select Remove All .

Select Remove Now .

Select Done .

Clear Safari's Cache

When you clear Safari's cache, you're removing stored website data.

Select the Advanced tab.

Place a check next to Show Develop menu in menu bar , and then exit out of Preferences.

From Safari's menu bar, select Develop > Empty Caches .

Disable or Uninstall Extensions

Safari extensions are like mini-apps that add functionality to the browser. If you're trying to reset Safari, you'll want to disable or uninstall any extensions.

Select the Extensions tab.

Select an extension, and then deselect the checkbox next to the extension to disable it.

Many extensions have several sub-extensions, so you'll need to uncheck all of them.

After you've disabled an extension, you can uninstall it. Select Uninstall .

You'll see a message that the extension is part of an application, and that you'll need to remove the application. Select Show in Finder .

Finder will open with the app selected. Right-click on the application and select Move to Trash .

Enter your password and select OK . You've deleted the extension.

Clear Website Data on Safari for iOS

To clear Safari's settings on an iPhone or iPad:

Open the iOS device's Settings app.

Scroll down and select Safari .

Under Privacy & Security , select Clear History and Website Data .

Select Clear History and Data to confirm.

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Managing History and Other Private Data in Safari for macOS

How to fully reset Safari on your Mac

Being the default browser shipped with every Mac, you are very likely using Safari as your main way of accessing the Web.

Therefore, if something goes wrong where Safari either loads and runs slowly, crashes on startup, or is otherwise not functioning correctly, then you might find yourself in a bit of a frustrating situation.

If you need to reset aspects of Safari in order to regain functionality, then even though the options for doing so are somewhat scattered, you can still use them to regain use of your browser.

Remove site history

Safari has its built-in tools for clearing temporary data that may be causing problems.

To do this, go to the Safari menu and choose the option to Clear History and Website Data.

If the problem you are experiencing only happened in the last hour or the past day, then you can try choosing the option here for encompassing that timeframe, otherwise you can remove all history data in this menu.

Alternatively, if you are finding problems happening only with one Web site you visit, then you can remove this data on a per-site basis:

Go to the Privacy section of Safari’s preferences.
Click the Details button that appears under the “Remove All Website Data” button.
Search for your site, and then remove only it from the list.

Clear Safari’s Web caches

Apple has somewhat hidden the options for clearing Safari’s caches (temporary local storage for a number of different settings and configurations), but they are still available to clear.

First, go into Safari in the Apple menu bar and then select Settings.

Once you’re in Settings, go to the Privacy option. Here, you’ll find a button for Manage Website Data – press it, then choose to clear however far back you wish to go.

Disable Extensions

Extensions give additional functions to Safari, but may also cause some problems if they contain bugs.

Therefore, try going to the Extensions section of Safari’s preferences and sliding the setting to “Off.”

Alternatively, you can try disabling Extensions on an individual basis (each should have a checkbox for enabling/disabling), but first turning them off globally and then testing Safari will help indicate whether these are contributing to the problem.

Also be sure you use the Updates button in these preferences to check for and install any new versions of your extensions.

Remove the Safari Preferences File

First, go into Finder, then select ‘Go’ and ‘Go to Folder’ from the Apple menu.

Type ~/Library/Preferences/ and press Enter. Find the file named com.apple.Safari.plist and move it to the Trash. This will reset your Safari preferences to default.

Finally, restart your device

The last thing that you need to do to fully reset Safari is to shutdown your Macbook, and then restart it.

Once you do this, you should find that your Safari browser – along with history and preferences – has been reset.

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How to Reset Safari to Default Settings on Mac and iPhone

Scratching your head to reset Safari to default settings? Don't know where to begin? Well don't worry, we have got your back!

Safari is an exceptional browser and there are no two ways about it. With Apple leading the charge against ad trackers on the internet with its anti-tracking policy, Safari has been a safe haven for users who want to protect their privacy.

That being said, while Safari might win the race when it comes to protecting its users but more often than not is not able to match up to its competitors in the game of extensible features.

However, many of us are extensively using safari on a daily basis. Some want to hold on to that last ounce of privacy on the net, and others do not want to install a 3rd party browser on their Macs or iPhones.

Whatever may be your case for using Safari. One thing is for sure, with years of use, Safari accumulates tons and tons of website data which might slow down your browser or in worst cases, your devices as well.

Reset Safari to Default Settings on Mac

To everybody’s shock, there’s no ‘Reset Safari’ button on any of the apple devices. As a result, we are bound to perform a list of steps not every user might be comfortable with. Anyways, resetting Safari consists of resetting 3 components :

Website Data

We are going to reset the components on a first-come-first-serve basis. So let’s get started.

Reset History

First, Launch Safari from the Launchpad or from dock of your Mac.

Next, click on the ‘History’ tab from the menu bar. Next, click on the ‘Clear History…’ option from the list.

click to clear history to reset safari to default settings

After that, choose ‘all history’ option from the drop-down. Then, click on ‘Clear History’ button.

Reset Website Data

First, Launch Safari from the Launchpad or from the dock of you Mac.

Next, click on the ‘Safari’ tab present on the menu bar. Now, click on the ‘Preferences’ option from the list.

click to open safari preferences to reset safari to default settings

After that, go to the ‘Privacy’ pane and click on ‘Manage Website Data’ button.

clear website data to reset safari to default settings

Now, click on ‘Remove All’ button from the bottom left corner of the pane.

click remove all to reset safari to default settings on mac

Next, click on ‘Remove Now’ button to confirm.

Reset Cache

Next, click on the ‘Safari’ tab from the menu bar. Then, click on the ‘Preferences’ option from the list.

After that, go to the ‘Advanced’ pane. Now, check the ‘Show Develop menu in the menu bar’ option.

As a result, the ‘Develop’ tab would now be visible in the menu bar. Click on it, and then choose the ‘Empty Caches’ option from the list.

Reset Safari to Default Settings on iPhone

Resetting safari is pretty straight forward on iPhone and requires just couple of steps.

Launch the ‘Settings’ app on your iPhone from the home screen.

Next, scroll down and locate ‘Safari’ from the list and tap on it.

After that, scroll down till you find the ‘Clear History and Website Data’ option on the screen and then tap on it, once located.

Now, tap ‘Clear History and Data’ from the pop-up alert menu to confirm.

click to reset safari to default settings on iphone

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How To Reset Safari In Mac

Software & Applications
Browsers & Extensions

Introduction

Resetting Safari on your Mac can be a helpful solution when you encounter issues such as slow performance, unexpected crashes, or unresponsive web pages. By resetting Safari, you can clear out accumulated data, remove problematic extensions, and restore the browser to its default settings. This process can effectively resolve various browsing issues and enhance the overall performance of Safari.

Whether you're experiencing frequent crashes, encountering persistent pop-up ads, or noticing unusual behavior while browsing, resetting Safari can often provide a fresh start and resolve these issues. It's important to note that resetting Safari will clear your browsing history, cookies, and other website data, so it's essential to back up any important information before proceeding with the reset.

In this guide, we'll walk you through the step-by-step process of resetting Safari on your Mac. By following these instructions, you can effectively troubleshoot common browsing issues and ensure that Safari functions smoothly and efficiently. Let's dive into the details and learn how to reset Safari to optimize your browsing experience.

Step 1: Open Safari Preferences

To initiate the process of resetting Safari on your Mac, the first step is to access the Safari Preferences . This can be done by launching the Safari browser and locating the "Safari" option in the top menu bar. Upon clicking on "Safari," a drop-down menu will appear, and you should select "Preferences" from the list. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut "Command + ," to directly open the Preferences window.

Upon accessing the Preferences window, you will be presented with a range of customizable settings and options for Safari. This is where you can modify various aspects of the browser, including privacy settings, security preferences, and extensions. The Preferences window is a central hub for managing Safari's behavior and appearance, making it a crucial starting point for the process of resetting the browser.

Once you have opened the Preferences window, you are ready to proceed to the next step in the process of resetting Safari. This initial step sets the stage for the subsequent actions that will ultimately lead to a refreshed and optimized browsing experience. By accessing the Preferences window, you gain access to the underlying settings and configurations that govern Safari's functionality, allowing you to make informed adjustments to enhance the browser's performance.

In the following steps, we will delve deeper into the process of resetting Safari, leveraging the options and tools available within the Preferences window to ensure a comprehensive and effective reset. By navigating through the Preferences window and making the necessary adjustments, you can pave the way for a smoother and more efficient browsing experience with Safari on your Mac.

With the first step completed, you are now prepared to move on to the subsequent stages of the reset process, each of which plays a pivotal role in restoring Safari to its default state. As we progress through the remaining steps, you will gain a deeper understanding of the intricacies involved in resetting Safari and optimizing its performance for seamless browsing.

Next, we will explore the second step in the process, which involves navigating to the Advanced tab within the Safari Preferences window. This step is essential for enabling additional options that are instrumental in the comprehensive reset of Safari on your Mac. Let's continue our journey toward resetting Safari and revitalizing your browsing experience.

Step 2: Choose the Advanced Tab

After accessing the Safari Preferences window, the next crucial step in the process of resetting Safari on your Mac is to navigate to the Advanced tab. This tab houses a range of advanced settings and options that are integral to the comprehensive reset of the browser.

Upon entering the Advanced tab within the Safari Preferences window, you gain access to a plethora of advanced configurations that govern the behavior and functionality of the browser. These settings delve into the intricacies of Safari's operations, allowing for fine-tuned adjustments that can significantly impact the browsing experience.

One of the key features within the Advanced tab is the option to enable the Develop menu. This menu provides access to a variety of developer-oriented tools and functionalities that are typically hidden from the standard Safari interface. By enabling the Develop menu, you unlock a suite of powerful tools that can aid in troubleshooting and optimizing the browser's performance.

Enabling the Develop menu is essential for the subsequent steps in the reset process, as it grants access to critical options that facilitate the comprehensive restoration of Safari to its default state. These options include the ability to clear caches, disable extensions, and reset various aspects of the browser that may be contributing to performance issues.

In addition to enabling the Develop menu, the Advanced tab also offers the option to manage website data. This feature allows you to view and remove specific data stored by websites, including cookies, cached files, and other site-specific information. By managing website data, you can effectively clear out accumulated browsing data that may be impacting Safari's performance.

Furthermore, the Advanced tab provides access to a range of other advanced settings, such as those related to security, privacy, and website permissions. These settings offer granular control over how Safari interacts with websites and handles various types of content, empowering you to tailor the browser's behavior to align with your preferences and security requirements.

By choosing the Advanced tab within the Safari Preferences window, you position yourself to leverage the advanced configurations and options that are pivotal to the comprehensive reset of Safari on your Mac. This step sets the stage for the subsequent actions that will ultimately lead to a refreshed and optimized browsing experience, ensuring that Safari functions smoothly and efficiently.

With the Advanced tab explored and its significance in the reset process elucidated, you are now prepared to proceed to the next step, where you will enable the Develop menu and unlock a suite of powerful tools that will aid in the comprehensive restoration of Safari. Let's continue our journey toward resetting Safari and revitalizing your browsing experience.

Step 3: Enable the Develop Menu

Enabling the Develop menu within Safari is a pivotal step in the process of resetting the browser on your Mac. The Develop menu unlocks a suite of powerful tools and functionalities that are instrumental in troubleshooting, optimizing, and customizing the browsing experience. By enabling this menu, you gain access to a range of developer-oriented features that are typically hidden from the standard Safari interface, empowering you to delve into the inner workings of the browser and make informed adjustments to enhance its performance.

To enable the Develop menu, you will navigate to the Advanced tab within the Safari Preferences window, as outlined in the previous step. Once in the Advanced tab, you will find the option to "Show Develop menu in menu bar." By checking this option, you effectively enable the Develop menu, causing it to appear in the Safari menu bar alongside other standard options.

The Develop menu offers a wealth of tools and functionalities that cater to developers, power users, and individuals seeking to optimize their browsing experience. One of the key features within the Develop menu is the ability to access the Web Inspector, a powerful tool that allows you to inspect, debug, and modify the structure and behavior of web pages. The Web Inspector provides invaluable insights into the underlying code and elements of web pages, enabling you to diagnose issues, optimize performance, and customize the display of content.

In addition to the Web Inspector, the Develop menu grants access to options for disabling caches, disabling extensions, and resetting various aspects of the browser. These options are instrumental in the comprehensive reset of Safari, as they allow you to clear out accumulated data, remove problematic extensions, and restore the browser to its default settings. By leveraging the functionalities within the Develop menu, you can effectively troubleshoot common browsing issues and ensure that Safari functions smoothly and efficiently.

Enabling the Develop menu within Safari empowers you to harness the full potential of the browser, providing access to advanced tools and functionalities that are essential for the comprehensive reset and optimization of Safari on your Mac. By enabling this menu, you position yourself to leverage a suite of powerful features that can aid in troubleshooting, customizing, and enhancing the browsing experience, ultimately leading to a refreshed and optimized Safari browser .

With the Develop menu enabled, you are now prepared to proceed to the next step in the reset process, where you will utilize the functionalities within the Develop menu to initiate the comprehensive reset of Safari on your Mac. Let's continue our journey toward resetting Safari and revitalizing your browsing experience.

Step 4: Reset Safari

Resetting Safari on your Mac involves a series of critical actions that collectively restore the browser to its default state, effectively clearing out accumulated data, removing problematic extensions, and optimizing its performance. This process is instrumental in troubleshooting common browsing issues and ensuring that Safari functions smoothly and efficiently. By following the steps outlined below, you can initiate the comprehensive reset of Safari and revitalize your browsing experience.

Clear Browsing History and Data

The first step in resetting Safari involves clearing the browsing history and data. This action effectively removes the record of websites visited, searches conducted, and other browsing activities. To accomplish this, you will navigate to the "History" menu in the Safari menu bar and select "Clear History." Upon doing so, a window will appear, allowing you to choose the time range for which you wish to clear the history. Selecting "Clear History" will remove the specified browsing history, contributing to the comprehensive reset of Safari.

Remove Website Data and Cookies

In addition to clearing the browsing history, it is essential to remove website data and cookies to further optimize Safari. This action involves accessing the "Privacy" tab within the Safari Preferences window and clicking on "Manage Website Data." Here, you can view and remove specific data stored by websites, including cookies and cached files. By removing this data, you effectively clear out accumulated browsing data that may be impacting Safari's performance, contributing to the comprehensive reset of the browser.

Disable Extensions and Plug-Ins

Another critical step in resetting Safari is to disable extensions and plug-ins that may be contributing to browsing issues. This action involves accessing the "Extensions" tab within the Safari Preferences window and unchecking the boxes next to each installed extension. Additionally, you can navigate to the "Security" tab to manage website plug-ins and disable any that may be causing issues. By disabling extensions and plug-ins, you eliminate potential sources of browsing problems, paving the way for a refreshed and optimized browsing experience.

Reset Safari Settings

The final step in the reset process involves resetting Safari's settings to their default configurations. This action is carried out by navigating to the "General" tab within the Safari Preferences window and clicking on "Reset Safari." A window will appear, allowing you to choose which settings to reset, including clearing the cache, removing cookies, and resetting the top sites. By selecting the desired options and proceeding with the reset, you effectively restore Safari to its default state, resolving common browsing issues and optimizing its performance.

By following these steps to reset Safari on your Mac, you can effectively troubleshoot common browsing issues and ensure that the browser functions smoothly and efficiently. This comprehensive reset clears out accumulated data, removes problematic extensions, and restores Safari to its default settings, ultimately revitalizing your browsing experience and enhancing the overall performance of the browser.

In conclusion, resetting Safari on your Mac is a valuable troubleshooting technique that can effectively address a range of browsing issues and optimize the performance of the browser. By following the step-by-step process outlined in this guide, you can initiate a comprehensive reset that clears out accumulated data, removes problematic extensions, and restores Safari to its default settings, ultimately revitalizing your browsing experience.

Through the process of resetting Safari, you gain the ability to clear browsing history and data, remove website data and cookies, disable extensions and plug-ins, and reset Safari's settings to their default configurations. These actions collectively contribute to the restoration of Safari to a pristine state, free from the clutter and issues that may have been impacting its performance.

Upon completing the reset process, you can expect to experience a smoother and more efficient browsing experience with Safari. The removal of accumulated data and cookies, coupled with the disabling of problematic extensions and the restoration of default settings, can lead to improved stability, faster page loading times, and a more responsive browsing interface.

Furthermore, the ability to access the Develop menu and leverage advanced tools within Safari empowers you to take control of the browser's behavior and optimize its performance according to your preferences. This level of customization and fine-tuning ensures that Safari aligns with your specific browsing needs, providing a tailored and optimized experience.

It's important to note that resetting Safari will clear your browsing history, cookies, and other website data, so it's essential to back up any important information before proceeding with the reset. Additionally, after completing the reset, you may need to reconfigure certain preferences and re-enable desired extensions to tailor Safari to your specific requirements.

By incorporating the insights and techniques presented in this guide, you are equipped to effectively troubleshoot common browsing issues and ensure that Safari functions smoothly and efficiently. The comprehensive reset process enables you to revitalize your browsing experience, setting the stage for seamless and enjoyable interactions with the Safari browser on your Mac.

In essence, resetting Safari serves as a valuable maintenance practice, allowing you to refresh the browser and optimize its performance, ultimately enhancing your overall browsing experience and productivity. Embracing the process of resetting Safari empowers you to take proactive steps in maintaining a smooth and efficient browsing environment, ensuring that Safari remains a reliable and effective tool for accessing the web on your Mac.

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How to Reset Safari Settings on Mac

By: Waseem Patwegar | Filed Under: Mac

Unlike Google Chrome , the Apple Safari browser on Mac does not provide the option to Reset Settings. However, it is still possible to Reset Safari browser on Mac to default Settings using steps as provided below.

Reset Safari Settings on Mac

Sometimes, you may find the default Safari browser on your MacBook running slow, getting stuck, quitting unexpectedly or repeatedly crashing.

These problems in Safari browser can be caused due to a variety of reasons, ranging from browser extensions becoming incompatible to the browser cache getting filled up with expired/corrupted data to other reasons.

Hence, the quickest way to fix browser related issues on a computer is to Reset browser to its default or original settings.

Since, the Safari browser on Mac does not have a Reset button, the only way to Reset Safari is to manually Clear History and website data, remove browser extensions and clear Safari Cache.

1. Clear Safari History and Website Data

1. Open Safari Browser > click on Safari tab in the top-menu bar and select Clear History… option in the drop-down menu.

Clear History Option in Safari Browser on Mac

2. On the pop-up, click on the Arrow button and select All history option.

3. Once All History option is selected, click on Clear History button.

Clear All Safari Browsing History Option on Mac

This will permanently delete your entire browsing history from MacBook and totally prevent the possibility of anyone taking a look at your browsing habits.

2. Clear Safari Cache

Follow the steps below to first enable the “Develop” menu on Mac and use Develop Menu to clear Safari Browser Cache on Mac.

1. Open Safari browser > click on the Safari tab in the top menu-bar and select Preferences… in the drop-down menu.

2. On the next screen, switch to Advanced tab and select Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar option.

This will enable the Develop option in the top menu-bar on your MacBook.

3. Next, click on the Develop tab in top menu-bar and select Empty Caches option in the drop-down menu.

Empty Caches Option in Safari Browser on Mac

This will clear Safari Browser Cache on your Mac.

3. Remove Safari Extensions

1. Open Safari Browser > select Safari tab in the top-menu bar and click on Preferences… in the drop-down menu.

2. On next screen, switch to Extensions tab > select the Safari Extension that you want to remove and click on the Uninstall button.

3. On the confirmation pop-up, click on the Uninstall button to confirm.

Confirm to Uninstall Safari Extension on Mac

Similarly, you can repeat the above steps to remove other Safari Browser Extensions installed on your Mac.

After completing these steps, you should find the Safari browser on your MacBook running faster and opening webpages without slowing down, getting stuck or crashing.

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2022 Guide: How to Reset Safari on Mac (Catalina Supported)

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Safari is the default browser of macOS, which is vital access for Mac users to search the Web. However, once Safari went something wrong, it would be a great headache. Does your Safari often crash down, or cost a long time loading and run much slower than before? If you're encountering one or all of them, this post could help you a lot to solve these problems. Actually, it's a normal phenomenon after the bowser has worked for a long period of time, and these problems can be easily settled by resetting Safari. If you want to know how to reset Safari, just follow the guide below.

What Happens If I Reset Safari?

So what will happen if resetting Safari? Does resetting Safari clear everything? Does it delete passwords or remove bookmarks? Will it clear Safari histories thoroughly? Before resetting Safari on Mac, it's necessary to know what will be deleted. We must be clear about the things will be removed by resetting Safari to factory defaults, so we can make sure that when we clean up Safari we won't erase the data we still need. Once Safari is reset, a varity of data will be removed, including:

All advanced settings will revert to their default configuration.
The auto-filled user names and passwords will be cleared.
All cached files will be deleted.
All the bookmarks will be removexd from Safari.
Homepage button will be hidden and the URL that you previously set will be erased.
Default startup tabs will be cleared.
New Tab page settings will be reset.
Content settings will be cleaned up and reset to their installation defaults.
Cookies and site data will be deleted.
Extensions, themes and plugins will be disabled.

How to Reset Safari on Mac

In the past, macOS supported the one-click function to "Reset Safari". But for the latest Safari Versions 9 - 13, the one-click button has been removed. So if you want to reset Safari, there are several steps you need to follow to complete the resetting. It's worth mentioning that if you find it time-consuming to delete the data one by one or you are afraid that there is a possibility of deleting wrong files to cause system corruption, you can just turn to 5. Fullly Reset Safari on Mac Without Opening It easily and safely.

1. Clear Safari History on Mac

2. Clear Safari cache

3. Remove Safari Extensions

4. switch off or delete plug-ins.

From the "History" option, go to "Clear History and Website Data", click on "Clear History" from the drop-down menu and then select all the items and press "Delete".

2. Clear Safari Cache

Go to "Safari", click on "Preferences". From the "Advanced" option, click on the box in front of "Show Develop menu in menu bar" to enable it.

From the drop-down menu of the "Develop" option, click on "Empty Caches".

From "Safari", go to "Preferences" and then select each extension and click on "Uninstall" to remove or disable it.

From "Safari", go to "Preferences", click on "Websites" and deselect all the listed plug-ins from the bottom part of the window. If you want to delete the plug-ins, press and hold Cmd-A to select all the listed plug-ins and then press and hold Delete to delete all of them at once.

5. Fullly Reset Safari on Mac Without Opening It

Instead of manually deleting the above data one by one on the Safari browser, you can use a better solution for the same, which can help you easily reset Safari without opening it. All these data can be reset through iMyFone Umate Mac Cleaner .

It is an all-in-one Mac management tool which is specifically designed to remove unwanted files and data from your system and improve its performance drastically.

Advantages of using iMyFone Umate Mac Cleaner

One-click to mass remove the extensions, browsing data, caches and other things which are needed to reset Safari browser on Mac.
Not only can the auto-filled accounts and passwords be cleared from Mac Safari , but also all the private data on Mac can be removed with Umate Mac Cleaner.
The scanning and deleting speed is super fast .
A 100% reliable and effective solution - It will not cause any harm to the system's running.

How to use iMyFone Umate Mac Cleaner to Reset Safari

You can follow the steps below to know how to reset Safari by using this tool.

1. First, you should download and install the App properly.

2. After installing the program, go to "Erase Private Data", then click on "Scan" and select the "Online Traces" tab from the results. Here displayed all data from "Safari" and you can click on "Erase" after you make selections. All the data kept in Safari will be deleted.

3. As for the Safari extensions management, you can go to "Manage App & Extensions" and click on "View Items" which is below "Remove Extensions", then click on "Safari Extensions" and remove the selected data by clicking on "Remove".

With the help of this tool, it would be much easier to reset Safari. All can be done with just a few clicks instead of reseting data one by one and deleting them manually.

You may have to reset your Safari due to some improper performance issues in your Mac system. The above methods can greatly help you reset Safari settings easily.

Instead of resetting the data on Safari one by one, you can use iMyFone Umate Mac Cleaner to reset Safari at once. This is an excellent tool contained with all the functionalities that are designed to improve your Mac's performance.

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How to clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac

There are a handful of situations when clearing Safari’s cookies or cache–one of the places where Safari stores website data to avoid having to download it afresh each time you access a site–can help improve your browsing experience.

The first is when websites simply stop working when you access them on Safari. Perhaps Facebook stops updating with new posts, for example, or the images on a site don’t appear as they should. If this happens, it’s likely the cache has become corrupted.

Alternatively, if you find that personal info automatically completed on sites isn’t correct, deleting cookies can help. These are small files that sites use to save data about you and what you do on the site.

Even if none of these problems affect you, periodically cleaning browser data can help protect your privacy from snoops who want to discover what you’ve been up to online. In this article, therefore, we explain how to clear Safari’s cache and cookies on Mac.

We also have an article that explains How to clear cache on a Mac.

How to clear Safari cookies and cache for websites

Cleaning cookies and the cache data for individual sites can be done via Safari’s Settings/Preferences.

Open Safari
Click on Safari in the menu at the top of the screen.
Click on Settings or Preferences (depending on the version of macOS you are running).
Go to the Privacy tab.
Click on Manage Website Data…
Choose Remove All or select websites individually to remove.

After the data is loaded you’ll probably see a long list of websites. You can choose to Remove All or just select individual websites you want to remove from this list. If you want to select a number of different sites you can click on one and then press and hold the Command key to select a second, third or fourth and so on. We recommend that you don’t select hundreds this way – it’s better to delete in batches just in case you have to start over.

If you would prefer to select all and then deselect the ones you want to keep you can do so. Use Command + A to select all, then press and hold Command while clicking on any website you are happy to keep in this list. Just click Remove afterwards, not Done, as that will just undo all your hard work.

There’s a search field you can use to track down individual sites.

Bear in mind that deleting cookies might remove autocompleted login usernames and passwords for sites, and will almost certainly log you out of that site if you’ve configured it to automatically log in each time you visit.

How to clear Safari cache

The hidden Safari Developer menu can be used to clear just the cache, leaving cookies and the browser history in place. This is a very useful diagnostic step to take before removing those two items if a website behaves badly.

If you just want to clear all your cache you can do so by following these steps:

Open Safari.
Click on Safari in menu bar at top of screen.
Click on Settings/Preferences (depending on the version of macOS you are running).
Click on the Advanced tab.
Check the box beside Show Develop Menu in Menu Bar.
Now there will be a new Develop tab in the menu at the top of your screen. Click on this.
Click on Empty Caches.

Alternatively click on Option/Alt + Command + E.

Close any open Safari windows and select Empty Caches on the Develop menu. Then click File > New Window to start Safari with a clean cache.

How to remove autocomplete data from AutoFill

Safari’s AutoFill tool can fill in username and password details on websites as well as credit card details and other elements like your address and email details.

This can be really useful, but it can also be annoying if the data it fills in is incorrect or out of context. It’s also a problem when AutoFill helpfully enters old or incorrect passwords or emails and addresses.

You can change this data, or delete it by following these steps:

Click on Safari.
Click on Settings/Preferences.
Choose the AutoFill tab.
Here you can edit contact information, usernames and passwords, credit cards and other data. Click on Edit beside the category you want access to.
You’ll need to enter your password or use Touch ID to gain access.

Delete incorrect data: If you are finding that Safari is autofilling incorrect data about you–your address, for example–click Edit beside Using information from my contacts. This will open up your Contacts app. Your card will be at the top or under My Card. You can add and amend data about you here.

Delete incorrect passwords and site logins: If you wanted to delete incorrect passwords, for example, you can just click on the Passwords tab. If you know which password you want to remove search for the website or service and then find the older password option (if there is more than one) and select it and then click on the – below the column to remove it. You can then select Delete Password. If that means there is no password saved for that website, you can then recreate the entry for the site by clicking the Add button. You’ll first need to provide the URL of the site (that is, something like https://facebook.com ), and then type the username and password alongside (hit the Tab key to move from field to field).

See: How to autofill passwords, bank cards, names and addresses for more.

Delete logins and passwords system-wide

Pruning site logins can also be done via the Keychain Access app, which you’ll find in the Utilities folder of the Applications list in Finder, although you should be very careful using this app because it pretty much controls the entire security operation of your Mac! However, by removing errant username and password entries here you’ll stop virtually all of your Mac apps using them, and not just Safari.

Just type the name of the site into the Search field, and look in the list of results for entries of the kind Web Form Password. Right-click the entry and select Delete.

If you want to delete your Chrome or Firefox cache, cookies or browsing history read: How to delete your Mac browsing history . For alternative web browsers take a look at: Best web browser for Mac.

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How to Reset Safari on Mac to Default (Completely – Sonoma)

Key Takeaway: Resetting the Safari browser on your Mac can significantly improve its performance by clearing junk files such as caches, browsing history, website data, extensions, and plug-ins. While there's no Reset button, you can achieve this by individually clearing these aspects following simple steps outlined in the article.

Safari is arguably the best web browser for MacBook and Mac computers. This may be attributed to the numerous improvements it has received over the years—especially in security and privacy. However, your Safari browser may start running slowly with time.

IN THIS ARTICLE

This is often caused by the accumulation of junk and temporary files created by the browser over time. Resetting the browser clears such files, allowing it to run much faster. As you may be aware, the Safari browser on Mac no longer has a Reset button for this purpose.

However, you can still reset the browser to its defaults by individually clearing the history, caches, plug-ins, and extensions on the browser. Get to know how you can reset the Safari browser on your Mac in just a few steps.

How Do I Reset Safari Browser?

Since the unveiling of the OS X Mountain Lion 10.8 , Apple no longer adds a Reset button to the Safari browser. As such, you cannot just reset the Safari browser in a single click as you would other popular browsers.

Instead, you need to clear the following aspects individually:

The Browsing History
Website Data
Browser Cache
Extensions
Plug-ins

Note : Clearing such temporary files on the Safari browser will cause you to lose important auto-fill data, including usernames and passwords.

Here are the five things you need to do to reset the Safari browser on your Mac:

Reset the Safari Cache

Whenever you visit a web page, the browser saves the media files on that page as caches in a temporary folder—within the Library folder. Leveraging this saved information, Safari can reopen such web pages much faster.

While this is a beneficial functionality, these files accumulate over time and may occupy a significant amount of disk space. If not checked, this may slow or even cause the browser to crash. As such, it is advisable to clear your Safari browser cache as follows:

Method 1: Clearing the Safari Cache from Its Preferences

To clear the cache files from Safari preferences, proceed as follows:

Step 1 : Launch the Safari browser from the Launchpad on your Mac. Step 2 : Click on Safari —located towards the top-left corner of the browser homepage. Step 3 : Select Settings/Preferences from the drop-down menu that comes up.

Step 4 : Now navigate to the Advanced tab, then click on the checkbox adjacent to the Show Develop menu on the menu bar to enable it. This should display a Develop tab on the menu bar.

Step 5 : Click on this Develop menu command and choose the Empty Caches for all Profiles option (macOS Sonoma added the Feature of Create Profile in Safari & Save Cache for Different Profile).

Alternatively, you could also press the Command + E + Option key shortcut to clear the cache after enabling the Develop tab in Step 4 above. Once the Develop menu command is activated on your Safari browser, you can access it anytime you need to clear the cache.

Method 2: Manually Clear Safari Cache

If you are running macOS 10.14 or earlier macOS version on your Mac, you could also clear Safari Cache. These operating systems save all temporary files within the Library folder. To manually clear Safari Caches:

Step 1 : Open Finder Using Spotlight Search on Mac.

Step 2 : From the top menu Go > Go to Folder .

Step 3: Navigate to ~/Library/Caches hit the return and open the Caches folder.

Step 4 : Delete Only Safari Cache folders, use the search box in the finder window > Select Caches folder > Select Folders and Move to the bin .

Note : Be careful while deleting files from the Library folder, as removing essential files may end up damaging the system.

Or, select and then remove all the unnecessary files.

Clear Safari Browsing History

Just as is the case with other browsers, Safari keeps a history of the web pages you have visited in the recent past. To reset Safari on Mac, you need to clear this History as well. To clear the Safari browsing history on Mac:

Method 1: Manually Clear the Browsing History on Safari

The first option is to just wipe the history out manually, as illustrated below:

Step 1 : From the Launchpad , open the Safari browser. Step 2 : From the Menu bar , select the History tab.

Step 3 : Choose the Clear History option from the drop-down menu that appears. Step 4 : Now select the time frame to clear, it is advisable to clear all history .

In Addition, we can clear the safari cache for specific profiles, Options showing ‘ From ‘. Select Profile and Clear Cache for Specific Profile.

Step 5 : Finally, click on the Clear History button to initiate the process.

Note : If you happen to have enabled Safari in iCloud settings under the same Apple ID, a change in your browser history will be reflected across your other Apple devices using the same ID. Deleting Safari’s browsing history on one device will automatically clear the browsing history on the other Apple devices logged in under the same Apple ID.

Method 2: Configure Safari to Clear Browsing History Automatically

You could also set up the Safari browser in such a way that it automatically deletes your browsing history after a specified period. To do this:

Step 1: Open the Safari app on your Mac and then open Safari Settings/Preferences.

Step 2: Navigate to the General Settings tab on your Safari browser. Step 3: Select the Set up Remove history items option.

Remove Safari History Automatically on Mac

Step 4: Select your preferred clearing frequency for the automatic history removal. Step 5: Once set up, Safari will automatically be clearing your browsing history after the period you selected.

Select Duration to Clear History Automatically from Safari Mac

Reset Your Safari Website Data

Having cleared the cache and browsing history, now you should reset the website data to reset the Safari browser on Mac. To clear your Safari website data, you should:

Step 1: Launch the Safari browser on your Mac. Step 2: Click on Safari—towards the top-left corner of the Safari homepage. Step 3: Select the Settings/Preferences option and then navigate to the Privacy tab. Next, click on Manage Website Data

Step 4: before clicking Remove All —at the bottom-left corner.

Remove All Website Browsing Data from Safari Mac

Step 5: Finally, click on the Remove Now button to confirm this operation.

Reset, Uninstall, or Disable Safari Extensions and Plug-ins

Both extensions and plug-ins add to the functionality of the Safari browser. However, some may malfunction and affect the functioning of the browser. When that happens, you need to troubleshoot and uninstall or disable problematic extensions or plug-ins.

To fully reset Safari, you need to get rid of the extensions and plug-ins that have been added to the browser as well.

To Remove Extensions on Safari:

Launch the Safari browser then click on Safari —positioned on the top-left corner. Next, select the Settings/Preferences option then open the Extensions tab. This should display a list of extensions that are currently installed on Safari. Click on any one of them then click the Extensions button.

Follow on-screen prompts to uninstall the extension. Repeat this for each extension until you have uninstalled all the extensions on this list.

To Remove Safari Plug-Ins:

Launch the Safari browser, then click on Safari —on the top-left corner of the homepage. Select Preferences and then navigate to the Security tab. Click on the Allow Plug-ins option to untick it.

How Do You Reset Safari on Mac Terminal?

If you fancy running some commands in Terminal, you can use this method to reset the Safari browser to default settings on Mac. If you’d rather use Terminal to reset Safari on Mac, here is how you should go about it:

Step 1: Launch a new Terminal window on your Mac as follows: Applications > Utilities > Terminal Step 2: To avoid losing data, you could save your bookmarks before resting Safari. In this regard, you need to run the following command on the new Terminal window:

Step 3: You can now begin resetting Safari by force quitting the browser. To do this, run the following command on the Terminal:

Step 4: With this method, you also need to clear Safari cookies, Cache, and folders to reset the browser. You can do that by running the following commands, one after the other, on your Mac Terminal:

Press the Return key to run the command.

Hit the Return key to run it.

Press Return to run this command.

Step 5: Now that you’ve cleared your Safari cookies, cache, preferences, you can proceed to clear the more stubborn files. To accomplish this, run the following commands on your Mac Terminal, one after the other.

Note : Remember to press the Return key after entering each of the commands into Terminal and them wait for it to execute before running the next command.

These are the commands you should run to reset the Safari browser using Terminal:

Copy and paste each of the lines onto Terminal separately and run it before entering the next line.

Step 6: At this point, the browser should have been successfully reset to factory settings. Now you can restore the bookmarks you saved in step #2 above. However, this step is optional. If you’d like to restore your saved bookmarks, run the filling commands:

Press Return to execute this command. Once your Mac is done running this command, copy and paste the following onto your Mac Terminal:

You have successfully reset Safari on Mac Terminal. Launch the Safari app and start afresh as though it was newly installed onto your Mac.

Final Verdict

With time, the temporary files created by Safari may accumulate on your Mac or become corrupted. This may cause the browser to malfunction. For instance, it may cause the browser to become slow and sluggish, or even crash.

To fix such issues, you need to reset the browser to its default settings. Since Safari no longer has a built-in Reset button, you just have to do it manually. In this regard, you need to clear Safari preferences, extensions, plug-ins, cookies, and cache files separately.

This may sound painstakingly slow, but this guide includes the commands you can use to reset Safari on Mac Terminal.

How to reset Safari settings on Mac

Safari is the top web browser for Macs, but over time it may slow down due to excess temp and junk files. Resetting the browser can improve performance and eliminate this issue. To reset Safari on a Mac , follow the steps to remove temporary components and plugins. Keep in mind that resetting will erase auto-fill data like saved passwords.

Safari offers a familiar browsing experience on Macs. The latest updates enhance Safari, yet it still has room for improvement. Over time, it may slow down and become unresponsive. Unlike Chrome and Firefox, Safari lacks a reset button.

In this article, we’ll show you how to reset Safari by clearing caches, history, extensions, and plugins. Note that if you have Safari synced with iCloud using the same Apple ID, changes will reflect on other Apple devices.

Quick Navigation:

Part 1: Clear Safari Browser Cache

Part 2: The easiest way to clear Safari cache using Mac Cleaner

Part 3: Delete Safari Browsing History

Part 4: how to delete safari extensions, part 5: remove safari plugins, part 6: delete cookies in safari.

Part 7: Change Homepage in Safari

Part 8: Reset Safari with Terminal

Safari stores media files from web pages as cache in a temp folder in the Library folder for faster retrieval. However, this accumulates disk space over time. Clearing the cache regularly can save gigabytes of space on your Mac.

Clear Safari cache through Preferences

Open Safari browser
Go to Safari Preferences
Switch to Advanced and enable the “Show Develop menu in the menu bar”
Access the Develop menu
Use Develop -> Empty Caches or Command+Option+E shortcut
The cache-clearing process will be completed in seconds. Once you enable the developer menu, it will be easily accessible for future use.

Manually Clear Safari Cache

For Macs running macOS 10.14 or earlier, you can manually clear the Safari cache in the Library folder.

Go to ~/Library -> Caches
Select and delete unnecessary files.

CAUTION: Exercise caution when deleting files from the Library folder as important files may be damaged. If unsure, use the first method or a cache-cleaning app instead.

Part 2: The easiest way to clear Safari cache using Mac Cleaner

Mac Cleaner is a storage optimization software that helps you free up space on your computer by deleting unnecessary files. It also helps uninstalls apps and removes extensions for better storage optimization. Not only does it clean files, but it can also perform various operations to speed up your Mac.

Using Mac Cleaner is a great solution if your computer is slowing down, as it optimizes both storage and performance. Clear Safari Browsing History: Safari, like other browsers, stores a record of visited pages. To maintain privacy, follow these steps to clear Safari history :

Try it Free

Step #1: Download, Install, and Open Mac Cleaner

To get Mac Cleaner, visit its download page using a browser, then click “D ownload Now .” This downloads a DMG file, which you open to run the installer. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the software, which will automatically open after installation. Move on to the next step.

Step #2: Pick a Module

Mac Cleaner has 6 modules, each with specific functions. Choose a module that best suits your needs. The modules are:

Clean Up Junk – deletes unnecessary files
Delete Large Files – deletes files larger than 50MB
Delete Duplicate Files – removes duplicate files
Erase Private Data – removes private data such as browsing history
Speed Up Your Mac – improves performance
Manage Apps & Extensions – uninstalls apps and removes extensions.

To select a module, simply click on it from the left-hand side of the window. Pick the one that fits your needs.

Step #3: Click the Scan/Start Now/View Items Button

To use each Mac Cleaner module:

Clean Up Junk : Choose between Quick Clean or Deep Clean and hit Scan.
Delete Large Files : Simply click Scan.
Delete Duplicate Files : Choose a directory to scan and hit Scan.
Erase Private Data : Just click Scan.
Speed Up Your Mac : Click Start Now.
Manage Apps & Extensions : Pick between Uninstall Applications or Remove Extensions, then click View Items.

After selecting a module, a description of its features will appear in the center of the interface. Read it if desired. To start the process, hit the Scan, Start Now, or View Items buttons, depending on the module. For some modules, like Clean Up Junk, you may need to make an additional selection before scanning.

Step #4: Choose an Item/s

On the next screen, the items displayed will vary based on the module selected. Here’s what to expect for each module:

Clean Up Junk : The left list will display file categories (e.g. System Junk, Downloads, Trash Bin, Unused Disk Images) and selecting one will show junk files on the right side. Select the files to delete.
Delete Large Files : The list will show folders, disk images, archives, etc.
Delete Duplicate Files : The list will show images, audio, video files, etc.
Erase Private Data : The list will show: Online Traces (browsing & Wi-Fi history); Usage Traces (Finder search & usage history); Chat Data (iMessage chat history); Photo Junk (Face & Photo cache); Mail Attachment (email app files & cache);
Speed Up Your Mac : The list will show: Disable Login Items (items that auto-open on login); Deactivate Heavy Consumers (programs consuming too much CPU); Remove Launch Agents (unnecessary programs & processes); Free Up RAM (eliminates RAM-hungry processes);
Manage Apps & Extensions : The list will show either extensions or installed apps.

Step #5: Click the Blue Button

After you’ve chosen the items, click the blue button on the top right corner of the software. The button’s label will depend on the module. Regardless, it will complete the process. The software will then perform the action automatically. Mac Cleaner is useful as all its modules can help optimize the “Other” category in your Mac storage.

To protect privacy, use these steps to clear Safari’s record of visited pages:

Launch Safari browser
Choose the “ History -> Clear History ” command
Select a time frame to clear
Hit the “ Clear History ” button
Safari’s browsing history is now erased from your Mac.

Clear Safari Browsing History Easily removes all cookies and browsing data by using Safari’s built-in history cleaner. Here’s how: Open Safari, go to Safari in the top menu bar, select Clear History, select All History from the dropdown, and click Clear History.

Launch Safari
Select the Extensions section
Choose the extension to remove and click Uninstall
Repeat for all unneeded extensions
Confirm the removal by clicking Show in Finder
Locate the extension in the Applications folder and drag it to Bin.

Turn Off/Remove Safari Extensions To improve your Safari browsing performance, you should check if any extensions are slowing it down. Some extensions, even if approved by Apple, can still affect your browsing speed.

To disable extensions, go to Safari > Preferences, and click on the Extensions tab. Deselect the checkbox next to the extensions you want to turn off. To completely remove an extension, select it and click the Uninstall button. When resetting Safari, consider installing only necessary and high-quality extensions.

Removing Safari Plugins Plugins can impact Safari’s speed and stability, leading to performance issues and file loading problems. To complete a Safari reset, remove any unneeded plugins.

Steps to remove Safari plugins: Close Safari. Locate ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/. Preview installed plugins and identify Safari plugins. Delete unneeded plugins to the Trash.

Turn Off/Delete Safari Plugins and Limit Website Access To optimize Safari’s performance, limit access by plugins and websites. You can control which plugins run and which sites can access your device’s camera, microphone, etc.

Open Safari and go to Safari > Preferences in the menu bar.

2. Go to the Websites tab and check the sidebar for website access.

3. Disable Auto-Play, Camera, Microphone, Location, and Pop-Ups, unless needed.

Safari stores website cookies, like other browsers, when you visit sites. These cookies store information about your interactions with the site, such as form data, cart contents, etc. To start fresh, it’s recommended to remove them.

To clear all cookies in Safari:

Open Safari and go to Safari > Preference s in the top menu bar. In the Preferences window, go to the Privacy tab and click the Manage Website Data button. This will open a window displaying all Safari cookies. You can select individual cookies to remove using Cmd or click Remove All to erase the entire list.

Part 7: Change Homepage in Safari:

To set your preferred website as the homepage in Safari, follow these steps:

Open Safari

2. Go to Safari > Preferences from the menu bar

3. In the General tab, type the URL of your desired homepage in the homepage field.

4. Press Enter, then save the changes.

Access the Terminal app (use Cmd + Space in Spotlight to locate it). Close Safari from the Apple menu on the top-left corner by choosing Force Quit, then select Safari. Type in each of the following commands line by line. The terminal will prompt to confirm the deletion of each file, enter ‘y’ to confirm, and hit Enter.

In conclusion

Reset Safari for Optimal Performance You’ve learned how to reset Safari to its default settings for improved speed. You may experience a slight delay on some websites as they regenerate new cookies and cache, but overall, we provided a 4-step guide to manually reset Safari .

Alternatively, you can use MacCleaner Pro for the automatic clearing of browser caches, logs, and cookies. Keep in mind that if iCloud Keychain and Contacts are linked, this data will be synced back to the cloud upon using Safari. Safari should run faster. For a top-notch Safari experience, consider implementing the best Safari modifications.

How to reset Safari settings on Mac

In this article, we will tell you how to clear caches, history, extensions, and plugins for resetting the Safari browser on a Mac.

How to clear browser cache
How to clear Safari history on a Mac
How to remove Safari extensions

How to remove Safari plugins

How to change homepage on safari, what is safari.

Safari is the most popular web browser for Macs. Over time, however, the app may start running slower. Usually, that happens because of too many temporary and junk files that the browser has created. This problem can be resolved by resetting the browser, which makes it run faster.To reset Safari on a Mac, you will need to take a few steps to remove all its temporary components and installed plugins. So, keep in mind that the auto-fill data of your Safari browser, such as saved usernames or passwords, will also be deleted.

Please note that if you enabled Safari in iCloud settings with the same Apple ID, any changes will be reflected on other Apple devices using that login. When you delete browsing history from one Apple device, it will be automatically deleted from your other Apple devices.

How to Clear Safari Browser Cache

Every time you open a web page, Safari saves its media files as caches and stores them in a temporary folder in the Library folder. This helps Safari to retrieve websites from the cache faster than it receives from the Internet. On the other hand, over time these files occupy significant disk space. That’s why we recommend periodically clearing cache in Safari. Web cache clearing can save gigabytes of space on your Mac.

Clear Safari cache via its Preferences

Launch the Safari browser.

Open Safari Preferences commang from Menu Bar

You will get access to the Develop menu command.
Use the Develop → Empty Caches menu command to clear the cache.

That’s all. In a few seconds, the Safari clean-up process will be completed. Once you enable the developer menu, you can easily access this option whenever you need.

The easiest way to clear Safari cache

IThe easiest way to clear browser caches is to use a special utility tool. You can use MacCleaner Pro to clear the cache and reset Safari.

Launch MacCleaner Pro.
Select the browser’s cache.
Click to remove cache files.

MacCleaner Pro enabled to clear Safari cache files

MacCleaner Pro also allows you to remove other junk files, such as logs, downloads, files in the Trash folder,language resources and more. MacCleaner Pro provides a trial version so that you can try it absolutely free.

Clear Safari History

All web browsers, including Safari, keep a history of the pages you have visited. If you want to maintain privacy and clear the list of websites you’ve recently viewed, follow this guide to clear Safari history.

How to delete Safari history

Launch the Safari browser

Choose the time increment to clear

Choosing All History option in Safari clearing history window

That’s all! Safari history has been cleared from your Mac.

How to remove Safari browser history automatically

If you want the history to be deleted automatically, follow the next steps.

Open Safari Preferences
Switch to the General Safari settings tab
Set up Remove history items
Choose the frequency for automatic history removal.

After this, Safari will delete your browser history automatically.

Remove Safari Extensions

Extensions and plugins are small software components that also affect your web browser’s performance. If you want to entirely reset Safari, delete these as well.

How to remove Safari Extensions

Open Safari Preferences .
Select the Safari Extensions section.
Choose the extension you want to remove and click Uninstall .
Repeat the Uninstall step with all unneeded extensions.

Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 193 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview , the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is compatible with machines running macOS Ventura and macOS Sonoma , the latest version of macOS that Apple released in September 2023.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences or System Settings to anyone who has downloaded the browser . Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website .

Apple's aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

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Top Rated Comments

I'm always curious about these Safari Tech Preview posts. Are they just a quick way to add another headline? I suspect so, as I don't see many people trusting these builds as their daily driver. I've tried that in the past, but it never stuck.

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Widespread Reports of Apple ID Accounts Being Inexplicably Locked

Michael Tsai, developer of SpamSieve and EagleFiler , writes :

I had another instance of my Apple ID mysteriously being locked. First, my iPhone wanted me to enter the password again, which I thought was the “normal” thing it has done every few months, almost since I got it. But after doing so it said that my account was locked.

Tsai’s retelling is the most complete I’ve seen, but reports of Apple ID accounts requiring new passwords and then being locked are proliferating. TidBITS Talk readers are experiencing it, 9to5Mac has an article listing numerous threads, and it’s being discussed at MacRumors .

As far as I can tell, users have no choice but to reset their passwords and wait through any Stolen Device Protection delays necessary to unlock their accounts. There’s some thought that only Apple IDs using mac.com and me.com email addresses are affected, but that’s not actionable information for anyone but the Apple engineers working to fix the problem.

In short, if you experience this problem, it’s not just you.

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Comments About Widespread Reports of Apple ID Accounts Being Inexplicably Locked

Notable replies.

I’m one of those unfortunate folks with 2 Apple IDs (one from iTools perhaps? System 9?), and only the mac.com Apple ID was affected. Does seem ok now after I went through the multiple logins with a new password.

Parenthetically, I was a bit paranoid last night about the password reset because about an hour before, I had received a “pig butcher” chatty text message,

complete with a photo of a young Chinese girl, and a few hours before that had purchased lunch via an online ordering site at a new-to-me Asian restaurant using my mobile number as my account.

I assumed all 3 were related, but perhaps only the “pig butcher” and restaurant were related. Or perhaps just coincidence and coincidence and coincidence? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

It happened to me last night around 6:00. Suddenly my TV, iPhone, iPad, and Watch all wanted me to re-enter my Apple ID password. Probably my Mac too, but I wasn’t looking at that at the time. After a couple rounds of correctly entering passwords and six-digit codes, I was told I had to reset my password. It worked, but it’s a little nerve-wracking wondering if there’s some weird phishing going on or if I’m going to get locked out of my account.

I’ve been plagued with frequent “your iCloud id has been locked for security reasons”. I ran into problems two weeks ago where I couldn’t unlock it ( iForgot Apple ID reset not working? ) – I suspect that was a system problem.

So, I wasn’t surprised when yesterday evening (5 PM CDT) I had to unlock it again.

What was surprising was what happened later in the evening, when I was hit with the problem described in the article. All my devices wanted me to sign back into iCloud, but I couldn’t, because the account was locked. But, when I got past the identity confirmation tests, it wanted me to change my Applid ID password.

That’s never happened before. I don’t like changing it, because doing so removes all your generated app passwords, so you have to recreate them.

I just finished repairing everything, on all my devices. Had to sign in again to Messages and FaceTime. Is there anything else that requires a separate sign-in?

This is getting annoying. I appreciate Apple’s security in the face of what’s likely a continuous onslaught of Apple ID guessing attempts, but I sure wish there was a way they could do that without so much inconvenience. I don’t have this problem with any other id.

One more thing… I bet that Apple ID getting locked is more common than people realize. For more purposes, it doesn’t affect you – you can continue to use iCloud services using some kind of cached credential. But I see it within a week, because iMazing app downloads and checking issue status on the Apple Feedback Assistant both require an unlocked Apple ID.

I’ve only got one Apple ID and it’s on a custom domain. Still got locked out for no reason. Had to make a new password.

Yeah I get this too. Sometimes it’s using “Sign In with Apple” on a website I’ve used before and it says my account has been locked.

However last night was different in that I got a pop up on my Mac telling me my Apple ID was locked. Haven’t seen that before.

I’d assume coincidence. I get several probably-phishing texts every day. Usually with messages like “Hi, Biran, how’s your Mom?”. Always from a different phone number (so blocking numbers doesn’t help). Always an innocuous sounding message. And for some reason, always calling me “Brian” (I wonder if some scammer database has that associated with my phone number). I always delete them and report them to Apple as junk, but they never stop coming.

I assume that if I would respond to one, I’d end up talking with a chatbot programmed to exfiltrate data that could be used for identity theft.

I don’t think server glitches like this are new either, although locking Apple IDs is new (at least to me).

When I was running Catalina and Big Sur, I would occasionally get a flood of authentication problems from all of the Mac’s system services, each one asking for my keychain password. Canceling the request or providing the password would do nothing. I’d then reboot and all would be back to normal.

I suspect there was a memory leak somewhere in the system, because it would only happen if the system was up and running (and logged in) for a long time (over a month). And after upgrading to Ventura (and then the forced-upgrade to Sonoma), the problem has not (yet) recurred.

I’d also find (again, on that Big Sur system) that the system would seem to lose my Google login credentials. I’d get a popup telling me that I need to re-authenticate that account, almost always at the same time as I’m shutting-down or restarting the computer. Then I’d have to re-login to Google (including 2FA, and then receiving a flood of “there was a new login on…” messages sent to my GMail account and all of my Google account’s alternate e-mail addresses) in order for various Mac services (calendar, contacts, etc.) to regain access.

But this (so far) also stopped after the upgrade to Ventura and Sonoma.

Happened to me last night. Just returned from an overnight trip and bam…there it was about 10PM. I was able to reset my password, but then had to re-log all devices, and re-set Application specific passwords. A real PIA!

No idea why?

Same thing happened to me yesterday with two different Apple IDs, wiping out all app-generated passwords.

Apple services have become more trouble than they are worth to me.

My wife and I are good so far. I use a non-Apple domain Apple ID (i.e., it’s not an iCloud, mobile me, or dotMac account); she uses a .me account, and is away and traveling for the weekend. Thanks to reports here, and the supporting articles from Michael Tsai and 9to5mac, I was able to warn her it might happen.

What was different was being asked to sign in with my password in the middle of an Apple TV+ movie. I have never had that happen before.

The thing that was apparent was that how the Apple ID is the bottleneck for everything Apple. If I want to use an app on my iPhone or iPad, that app has been purchased with my ID and that needs to be verified first. Without that sign in, your device can make phone calls, but not perform as a computer that I can see.

Happened to me last evening, too. Compounding the problem was that after resetting all my devices, the AppleID website wouldn’t let me generate an app specific password (ASP). It kept telling me that my account was still locked. This, despite being logged back on to all my devices and into the AppleID website using my new password! After about an hour with Apple support chat and then escalated to a higher tech via phone, they had me clear my Safari history and sign back in through the iforgot.apple.com website. That eventually allowed Apple’s system to unlock the account and let me generate an ASP without having to resort to another account password reset. Phew…

I experienced this yesterday afternoon. I have a .mac account. Normal steps to verify and unlock failed to work. I am running Ventura on a MacPro 7.1 (2019) desktop. I literally spent hours trying to find a workaround given the number of devices I have and how my Apple ID is being utilized. The last thing I wanted to do is reset my password due to the impact it has on other devices and tools I use.

I called Mac support and spoke to a senior advisor. While empathic, the effort was totally useless and unhelpful as workaround could be offered, claiming their was none. He also failed to acknowledge this was a worldwide issue affecting users all over and to take and made no attempt to have Apple take responsibility for the issue. Of course I did not know it was an worldwide Apple issue until I read this article.

Here is what I know about it so far: • Normal steps to verify your Apple ID to avoid resetting your password will not work. • To the best of my knowledge there is no workaround. You force to reset your password to a different on that you have not used in the last year. • You cannot reset the one you were using for one year. • Apple supposedly cannot or will not delete any current or previously existing passwords. • To the best of my knowledge this issue or any issue can no longer be escalated above an Apple senior advisor level. • Apple so far to the best of my knowledge has not made any announcement about this issue to its customers. For all I know Apple could have experienced so kind of security issue or breach and decided to have all, or a select group of users, be forced to reset their password without informing its users about this, thus dumping a possible Apple security issue into the hands of its users to fix it.

This issue is most surely causing grief, frustration, lost time and productivity to all who experience it. It does not seem to be related directly to macOS but to the Apple on-line support system managed by Apple via its security and server infrastructure. Given it seems to be an Apple issue and not a user issue, in my opinion Apple needs to be held accountable for this issue, financially for the lost time and frustration of its Mac users or offer some form of compensation for the issue for the lost time interruptions for users that have to fix it and lost productivity. While I lack the necessary knowledge and resources to initiate this, hopefully someone reading this might be able to.

Additionally Apple needs to proved tools to users and through Apple Support to allow users to verify their ID without resetting their password for legitimate cases where the standard protocols do not work such as what has happened with this issue. Currently to the best of my knowledge that does not currently exist. Users and customers should not be held accountable for Apples mistakes. It is past time for Apple to stop acting like ‘Big Brother’ and once again adapt a paradigm of being customer and user centric.

I am of the opinion that Apple Senior Support Agents or a special subgroup should have the tools that after taking steps to validate the requestor be able to manage password issues in a way that does not require the requestor to reset their password, especially when they are not responsible for the issue. Users should be responsible for their password protection not Apple, other to secure their infrastructure from improper access to protect users from hackers and malware. If a user fails to protect their password or decides to use a compromised password that should be the users choice and responsibility and if so the user should bear the responsibility for doing so and the consequences for not doing so instead of Apple acting as ‘Big Brother’. That said if Apple wishes to provide tools and protocols to assist users to manage and protect their passwords I am fine with that, but it should be a user decision to use them, not Apple.

It is past time to hold Apple responsible for it overbearing behavior especially at times when such behavior presents a disruption to their customers and users lives.

Update: I just found out this evening that when resetting the Apple ID password it also without notice, deletes all the App specific passwords and all of those have to be reentered. By deleting them without warning or notice there is no record of what App specific passwords were set. So unless a user was aware that this can happen so they can take a snapshot of what they are, it becomes a user exercise to figure out what App Specific passwords were utilized. This can be a major time consuming issue if the user has a lot of Apps, especially if an App Specific password was created years ago for a rarely used App. Since creating an App Specific App is a multistep time consuming process, if a user launches an App that is vitally needed at a critical time this can ruin someone’s day. If it happens while driving and using CarPlay the consequence could be tragic due to driver distraction

Another pain is that we are trying to enter the new password for our watches, but when we paste the password into the pop up “keyboard” (actually only a text field) and press Done, it does not pass the text to the watch. Any other way of doing this?

I got an account locked error a couple of weeks ago when I tried to log into Apple TV+ on my Amazon FireTV. Didn’t think too much about it since I had other ways to watch content. Then last night, I kept getting prompts on iPhone and iPad to re enter my password. Had to to through the routine of resetting my password which didn’t go smoothly - I have Yubikeys on my account. Was successful finally but was a pain. Didn’t happen with my wife. I’m away from home right now and do have enhanced security turned on.

Has not happened to me. Yet. Hopefully not in the future. I don’t have an iPhone, Just a Mac Mini, and a iPad, and a single Apple login.

Another is iPhone “Call on Other Devices” (integration between the iPhone and my iMac) was off, and it wouldn’t let me turn it on. It gave an error that FaceTime had to be signed into the same account as iCloud. But it was. The fix was to reboot the phone.

I, too, experienced this exact experience yesterday evening around 6:30 or so. It first popped up while watching a baseball game on my Apple TV. It quickly started also showing up on each of my other devices—second Apple TV, iPad, Apple Watch and iPhone. It required about an hour of my time, and left me somewhat frustrated. Prior to today’s Tidbits article I was unaware that this was a widespread occurrence. I’m now considering independently initiating my own resetting of my Apple ID password through iCloud just to be safe. Thanks for this heads up, Adam.

Happens all the time. Apple should know passwords get simpler every time they do it, making it less safe for everyone.

Happened to me too around 5PM Arizona time 4/26.

Yep, same here at 8:15 pm EDT just night while watching AppleTV+ and doing nothing else, not even checking my phone. I started to step through the hoops but remembered reading about the scam where messages pop up that wear you down until you click on the wrong thing and they can then get in. I knew this was different but thought it might be a variation so called Apple support. After a 20 wait on hold, I spoke with a fairly clueless rep who was in over his head and I ended up insisting I talk with an Apple Engineer. That was a major turning point and she was able to guide me through (except that she could never do a screen share, likely due to being logged out of iCloud). An hour and 20 minutes later and it got sorted but must reset everywhere. Exclusively use a .Mac account as my Apple ID.

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Use your old passcode to temporarily access your iPad in iPadOS 17 or later

Learn what to do if you see "[Device] unavailable" or "Security Lockout" on your iPad .

If you enter the wrong passcode on your iPad Lock Screen too many times, an alert lets you know that your iPad is disabled.

If you can't remember your passcode when you try again, you need to use a computer to put your iPad in recovery mode. This process deletes your data and settings, including your passcode, allowing you to set up your iPad again.

After you erase your iPad, you can restore your data and settings from a backup. If you didn't back up your iPad, you can set it up as a new device and then download any data that you have in iCloud.

Step 1: Make sure that you have a computer (Mac or PC)

This process requires a Mac or PC. If you're using a PC, make sure that it has Windows 10 or later and that the Apple Devices app or iTunes is installed . You also need the cable that came with your iPad, or another compatible cable, to connect your iPad to the computer.

If you don't have a computer and you can't borrow one, you need to go to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider for help.

Step 2: Turn off your iPad

Unplug your iPad from the computer if it's connected.

Turn off your iPad using the method for your iPad model:

If your iPad doesn't have a Home button: Press and hold one of the volume buttons and the top button at the same time until the power off slider appears.

If your iPad has a Home button: Press and hold the top button until the power off slider appears.

Drag the slider to turn off your iPad, then wait a minute to make sure that it turns off completely.

Step 3: Put your iPad in recovery mode

On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, open a Finder window. On a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes. If iTunes is already open, close it, then open it again. Find out which macOS your Mac is using . On a PC, open the Apple Devices app or iTunes.

Connect your iPad to your computer using a USB cable.

Keep your iPad connected and press the buttons for your iPad model:

For iPad models without a Home button: Press and quickly release the volume button closest to the top button. Press and quickly release the volume button farthest from the top button. Press and hold the top button.

recovery-mode-ipad-pro-face-id-ipad-mini

For iPad models with Home button: Press and hold both the Home and the top (or side) buttons at the same time.

Keep holding the button until you see the recovery mode screen on your iPad, then let go.

If you see the passcode screen, you need to turn off your iPad and start again.

If you can't get your iPad to show the recovery mode screen and you need help, contact Apple Support .

Step 4: Restore your iPad

Locate your iPad in the Finder, iTunes, or the Apple Devices app on the computer that it's connected to. (Learn how to find your connected iPad .)

Choose Restore when you see the option to Restore or Update. Your computer downloads software for your iPad and begins the restore process. If the download takes more than 15 minutes and your device exits the recovery mode screen, let the download finish, then turn off your iPad and start again.

macos-ventura-finder-ipad-recovery-mode-restore

Wait for the process to finish.

Disconnect your iPad from the computer, then set up and use your iPad .

Need more help?

If you can't complete any of these steps, if you're still prompted for a passcode, or if you need any other assistance, contact Apple Support .

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Find what’s been asked and answered by Apple customers.

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If you forgot your iPad passcode, use your Mac or PC to reset it
Press and hold the top button. For iPad models with Home button: Press and hold both the Home and the top (or side) buttons at the same time. Keep holding the button until you see the recovery mode screen on your iPad, then let go. If you see the passcode screen, you need to turn off your iPad and start again.