ios restart safari

How to reset the Safari browser on your iPhone in 2 different ways

• You can reset Safari on an iPhone by clearing cookies and erasing your browsing history.
• There are two ways to reset your Safari data: through the Safari app itself, and through the Settings app.
• Both methods will let your clear both your browsing history and cookies.

If you're looking to clear your Safari data, simply removing your Frequently Visited sites isn't going to address privacy concerns if you have cookies stored, for instance.

Fortunately, it's easy to reset all your browsing history and settings. Here are two ways to do it, one directly through Safari, and the other through your iPhone's Settings.

How to reset Safari on iPhone through the browser

1. At the bottom of an open Safari page, tap the book icon .

2. At the top of the menu that opens, tap the clock icon to open your history.

3. Tap Clear at the bottom of the page. A prompt menu will open to warn that you'll clear your history, cookies, and other data over a selected time period. Tap All time to reset your browser.

How to reset Safari on iPhone through the Settings app

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Search for or scroll down to Safari and open it.

3. Tap Clear History and Website Data in blue about halfway down the page.

4. A prompt menu will pop up. Tap Clear History and Data and wait a few moments while the iPhone processes your request. Once it does, all your data will have been cleared.

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How to Get Safari Back on iPhone (iOS 17)

What to know.

• Typically, if Safari has disappeared, it most likely was just removed from the Home Screen.
• Some users are reporting that there is a glitch that appears to delete the Safari app from your iPhone altogether.
• To get it back, you must re-download the Safari app from the App Store.

Has your Safari app suddenly vanished into thin air? The good news is that you don't have the option to delete the native Safari app on your iPhone, so it has likely just been accidentally removed from your Home Screen. For this situation, we'll show you how to find the hidden app and move it back to your Home Screen. In rare cases, a software glitch can delete the app from your iPhone, so it will need to be re-installed. For either situation, let's cover how to get Safari back on your Home Screen.

Safari Disappeared from iPhone? Here’s How to Find It

Safari deleted re-install safari on iphone.

For most people, the missing Safari app has not been deleted, just removed from the Home Screen. Below, we'll show you how to find the app and move it back to your Home Screen by searching the App Library or by using Siri Search. Both methods will work if Safari has simply been removed from your Home Screen, so you can simply choose the option you prefer. 

How to Put App Back on Home Screen Using the App Library

Here's how to add Safari to your Home Screen by searching the App Library: 

Your Safari app should now be added back to your Home Screen! If you're not familiar with the App Library, I recommend checking out this article on how to use the App Library . It's a great way to help you stay organized. For more nifty organization hacks and ways to use your iPhone's features, sign up for our free Tip of the Day Newsletter. 

How to Add Safari to Home Screen Using Siri Search

If you prefer to avoid searching your App Library, you can also find the hidden app by using Siri Search. Here's how to add Safari to your iPhone Home Screen:

Adding the Safari app to your dock is optional, but it does make it more convenient to access Safari. Your dock displays up to four apps at any given time, and will appear at the bottom of each Home Screen. 

If you were not able to find Safari using the solutions above, the app has likely been removed from your iPhone. Below, we'll show you how to re-download Safari from the App Store. If that fails, you may need to reset your Home Screen layout to get Safari back on your device. 

Download Safari from the App Store

Here's how to re-install the Safari app on your iPhone so you can get it back on your Home Screen: 

Reset Your Home Screen to Re-install Safari

If you were not able to find or re-install Safari using the steps above, this method will reset your iPhone’s Home Screen back to the factory version, which is how the Home Screen looks when setting your device up as new. Since Safari is one of the apps featured on the default Home Screen, this method will allow you to add Safari to your Home Screen.

Hopefully, the solutions above worked, and you found adding Safari to your Home Screen to be a breeze! However, if the above solutions haven't worked, there might be a deeper issue with your device. In this case, I recommend contacting Apple Support or visiting the nearest Apple store for further assistance. If you're interested, I also recommend learning how to find your lost iPhone , even if the battery has died. 

• How do I get the Safari icon back on my iPhone?  If your Safari app was accidentally erased, you can get the app icon back on your iPhone by redownloading the Safari app from the app store. If your Safari app was simply removed from the Home Screen but not your device, you can just add the Safari icon back to your Home Screen by using the App Library.
• Why did my Safari app disappear on my iPhone?   At the moment, it is unclear why this glitch is happening to some iPhone users. However, for the most part, if your Safari icon has disappeared, you can either redownload the app from the App Store or add it to your Home Screen again via the App Library.
• Why can't I get Safari on my iPhone?  Sometimes people are unable to download apps and run into many other glitches and issues if their iOS is old or out of date. It's important for security reasons and for the overall smooth running of your device to keep it as up-to-date as possible. Check to see if your iPhone needs to be updated, and if so, check out this article on how to do it . 

Author Details

Rhett Intriago

Rhett Intriago is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life, offering his expertise in all things iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. He enjoys writing on topics related to maintaining privacy in a digital world, as well as iPhone security. He’s been a tech enthusiast all his life, with experiences ranging from jailbreaking his iPhone to building his own gaming PC.

Despite his disdain for the beach, Rhett is based in Florida. In his free time, he enjoys playing the latest games, spoiling his cats, or discovering new places with his wife, Kyla.

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Safari Not Working on Your iPhone? Here’s How to Fix It

Although iPhones and iPads support other apps to reach the Web, Safari remains the most favored and frequently used browser for iOS users. Troubleshooting on Safari can be frustrating, especially if its issues prevent you from searching for a solution online. Here are a few common reasons why Safari may not be working on your iPhone and how to fix the problems.

Turn on Mobile Data for the Safari App

Disable experimental features, change your network settings.

Also read: How to Make Mobile Safari Save Your Passwords on iOS

Test Your Internet Connection

To begin with, ensure that the problem is with Safari and not with your internet connection. For this, open, say, a non-Apple app like Facebook or Chrome, and see whether the website or the feed loads. If it does, then Safari is at fault. Otherwise, your internet connection is at fault. If it’s the former, move on to the next step.

If you’ve been exploring your iPhone’s data-saving features, which let you specify which apps have access to your phone’s mobile data, then there’s a chance that you turned off mobile data for the Safari app. That means Safari will work when you’re connected to Wi-Fi but not to mobile data. (Try running Safari over Wi-Fi to test this.)

If that’s the case, then to turn mobile data back on for Safari, go to “Settings -> Mobile Data,” and then in the “Mobile Data” list, make sure the slider next to Safari is in the green “On” position.

Also read: 20 of the Best Siri Shortcuts for iOS Power Users

You may not know about this, but Safari for the iPhone has a whole load of experimental features that you can disable and enable as you please.

The problem with these, as the name suggests, is that they are indeed experimental and subsequently don’t all work properly. Disabling them one by one can fix Safari if it’s not working and help you discover which exact feature was causing the problem,

On your iPhone, go to “Settings -> Safari -> Advanced -> Experimental Features.”

If you have more than one feature enabled here, disable just one, then check to see if Safari works normally again. If it doesn’t, re-enable that feature (if you want it) and disable the next one. Keep repeating this procedure until Safari starts working again.

Also read: Everything You Need to Know About Using “Shared with You” in iOS 15

Try resetting your Wi-Fi connection and reconnecting to the network.

• Go to “Settings -> Wi-Fi” and turn it off, then turn it back on after a few seconds.

• If you’re using mobile data, go to “Settings -> Mobile Data” and turn “Mobile Data” off and back on after a few seconds.

• If neither option works, go to “Settings -> Wi-Fi,” connect to a different Wi-Fi network, and try loading the web page again.

If the problem persists, try restoring your network settings to their original configuration.

• Go to “Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset” and choose “Reset Network Settings.”

Also read: How to Fix Contact Names Not Showing, Appearing as Numbers in iOS

Common Problems With Safari And How To Solve Them

By following the fixes we’ve mentioned above, you should be able to revive Safari and make it work normally again. However, there are some specific issues that commonly come up with Safari. Here’s how to solve them.

Problem: Safari Crashed and Won’t Open

If you’ve ever panicked after Safari closed unexpectedly and couldn’t get the app to start, you probably encountered a bug that affects Safari’s search engine suggestions. This issue can cause the app to crash, freeze, or fail to start altogether. Although the bug usually plagues devices running iOS 10, it can affect just about any iPhone or iPad.

How to Fix It: Disable Search Engine Suggestions

Go to “Settings” and choose “Safari” in your list of apps. Here, find “Search Engine Suggestions” and turn it off.

This feature offers suggestions for what you can search for as you type into Safari’s search bar. Disabling it gets rid of the problem for many users.

Problem: Safari Is Gray (and Won’t Open)

Sometimes when you update your iPhone’s iOS to a newer version, you may encounter a bug that turns some apps gray and prevent them from opening.This bug causes Safari to stop working and turns its icon gray when you switch to another app while Safari is running in the background.

How to Fix It: Update Your Software

To solve this problem, update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS. Apple includes important bug fixes in each software update, so it’s important to keep your iPhone or iPad up to date. iOS 11.1 fixed this bug for most users, so be sure to update to 11.1 or greater if you’re running an older version of iOS.

Go to “Settings -> General,” choose “Software Update,” and install the latest update.

Also read: How to Update to iOS 17 Smoothly

Problem: Safari Is Slow

As powerful as your iPhone can be, it can get bogged down with all the extraneous information that it processes. If you notice that Safari takes longer to load pages or graphics, it may be time to do some housekeeping. Try clearing your browser history, website data, and cache to make Safari run more smoothly.

How to Fix It: Clear Your Data

To delete your cookies, cache, and browsing history, go to “Settings -> Safari,” choose “Clear History and Data,” and confirm that you want to go ahead. Safari will remember your AutoFill information if you choose this option.

To keep your browsing history but clear your cache and cookies, first go to “Settings -> Safari -> Advanced.”

There, choose “Website Data -> Remove All Website Data” and tap “Remove Now.” Note that Safari will not remember your AutoFill information if you choose this option.

To remove only a portion of your browsing history, cache, and cookies, start by opening Safari and tapping the Bookmark icon. Here, open your history and tap “Clear.” Now Safari will give you the option to clear your history, cookies, and browsing data from the past hour, the past day, the past 48 hours, or from your entire history. Pick the relevant option.

Problem: Safari Still Isn’t Working

Although it sounds cliche, turning your phone off and back on again can be the solution to any number of Safari-related issues.

How to Fix It: Restart Safari or Reboot Your Phone

If none of the previous fixes help solve your problem, try restarting the app or rebooting your phone.

• Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and press on the screen when your finger is near the center to open the multitasking view, and then swipe up on Safari to close it. This will reset Safari.
• To shut down your phone, press and hold the sleep/wake button until a slider appears. Slide to the right to power off your phone. For iPhone X and above, press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until the slider appears. Then slide it to the right to power off your phone.

Also read: How to Block Websites on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Android, and iOS

Frequently Asked Questions

How to fix "safari can't find server" on iphone.

The most probable and common reason behind the “Safari can’t find server” error is not with Safari but with your internet connection. Here are a few ways to fix it.

• Reset your wireless router.
• Turn mobile data off and turn it back on again.
• Clear Safari cache and data.
• Restart your iPhone.

How to reset Safari on iPhone?

To reset Safari on your iPhone, open the Settings app and scroll to the Safari settings. There, tap on “Clear History and Website Data” and the bottom of the page and follow up along with the pop-up on your screen to confirm the action. Once it’s complete, all your data and cookies will be wiped clean, and Safari will be as good as new.

Can you reinstall Safari on your iPhone?

Yes, just like any other app, you can uninstall Safari from your iPhone by holding down the Safari icon on the home screen and tapping “Remove app.” Then, visit the App Store, search for Safari, and reinstall it from there. Can’t find the Safari app to delete it? Here’s how to delete hidden apps .

Image credit: Flickr

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Ojash has been writing about tech back since Symbian-based Nokia was the closest thing to a smartphone. He spends most of his time writing, researching, or ranting about Bitcoin. Ojash also contributes to other popular sites like MakeUseOf, SlashGear, and MacBookJournal.

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How to reset the Safari browser on your iPhone in 2 different ways

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It's easy to reset Safari's data on your iPhone.

• You can reset Safari on your iPhone by clearing cookies and erasing your browsing history.
• There are two ways to reset your Safari data: through the Safari app itself, and through the Settings app.
• Both methods will let your clear both your browsing history and cookies.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

It's nice to get a clean start on Safari , but simply removing your Frequently Visited sites isn't going to address privacy concerns if you have cookies stored, for instance.

Fortunately, it's easy to reset all your browsing and history and settings.

Here's two ways, one directly through Safari , and the other through your iPhone's Settings.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Iphone 11 (from $699.99 at best buy), how to reset safari on your iphone through the browser.

1. At the bottom of the Safari page, tap the icon that looks like an open book.

Emma Witman/Business Insider

You'll need to open your Safari's history to wipe it.

2. At the top of the menu that opens, tap the icon that looks like a clock.

3. Tap "Clear" at the bottom of the page. You'll see options to clear your history, cookies, and other data for various time periods. Select "All time," at the bottom.

If you want a less extensive data wipe, you can always select a shorter time period than "All time."

How to reset Safari on your iPhone through the Settings app

1. Open the Settings app for iPhone .

2. Search for or scroll down to "Safari" and open it.

3. Tap "Clear History and Website Data" in blue near the bottom of the page.

4. A notification will pop up. Tap "Clear History and Data," and wait a few moments while the iPhone processes your request. Once it does, all your data will have been cleared.

You can't undo it once you've cleared the data, so you do want to be sure before proceeding.

The button to clear your data will be gray while data is being cleared, then go back to blue when complete.

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How to Solve Safari Crashes on the iPhone

A handful of tweaks may keep Safari from crashing on your iPhone

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• Switching from Android

What to Know

• Restart the iPhone. Check Settings > General to see if an update is available. If it is, install it.
• Other tips to try include: Clear the Safari history and website data, disable AutoFill, disable iCloud Safari syncing. Turn off JavaScript.
• If everything fails to help, contact Apple.

This article describes several ways you can solve Safari crashes on the iPhone. These troubleshooting steps work with all currently supported models of the iPhone. Version-specific instructions are noted where applicable.

Restart the iPhone

If Safari is crashing regularly, your first step should be to restart the iPhone . Just like a computer, the iPhone needs to be restarted every now and then to reset memory, clear temporary files, and generally restore things to a cleaner state. To restart the iPhone:

After the iPhone restarts, visit the website that crashed Safari. Chances are, things will be better.

Update to the Latest Version of iOS

If a restart doesn’t fix the problem, verify that you're running the latest version of iOS, the iPhone's operating system. Each update to iOS adds new features and fixes all kind of bugs that could be causing crashes. There are two options for updating iOS:

• Update using iTunes .
• Update wirelessly directly on the iPhone.

If there is an update available, install it and see if that fixes the problem.

Clear Safari History and Website Data

If neither of those steps work, try clearing out the browsing data stored on your iPhone, including your browsing history and cookies placed on your iPhone by sites you visit. A "flush" also clears this data from all devices signed into your iCloud account. Losing this data may be a mild inconvenience if the cookies provide functionality on some websites, but it's better than having Safari crash. To clear this data, Tap Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data .

In the menu that pops up from the bottom of the screen, tap Clear History and Data .

Disable AutoFill

If Safari is still crashing, disabling autofill is another option you should explore. Autofill takes the  contact information from your address book and adds it to website forms so that you don't have to type your shipping or email address over and over. To disable autofill, tap Settings > Safari > Autofill.

Move the Use Contact Info slider to off/white to disable your address and phone from populating forms. Move the Names and Passwords slider to off/white to stop username/password pairs from automatic entry. Move the Credit Cards slider to off/white to keep your payment history off.

Disable iCloud Safari Syncing 

If none of the steps so far have fixed your crashing problem, the problem may not be with your iPhone itself. It may be iCloud . One iCloud feature syncs your Safari bookmarks between all Apple devices signed into the same iCloud account. That's useful, but it can also be the source of some Safari crashes on iPhone. To turn off iCloud Safari Syncing, tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud and move the Safari slider to off/white.

Turn Off JavaScript

If Safari is still crashing, the problem could be the website you're visiting. Many sites use a programming language called JavaScript to provide all kinds of features and animations. JavaScript is great, but when it's written badly, it can crash browsers. Try turning off JavaScript by visiting Settings > Safari > Advanced and moving the JavaScript slider to off/white.

Isolating the problem isn't the end here. You really need JavaScript to use modern websites, so I recommend turning it back on and not visiting the site that crashed (or disabling JavaScript before you visit it again).

Contact Apple

If everything nothing has worked and Safari is still crashing on your iPhone, your last option is to contact Apple to get technical support. Learn how to get tech support in this article.

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How to fix Safari not working on iPhone after iOS 17 update

Some users have reported that Safari doesn’t load websites or webpages after iOS 17 update. There could be many reasons for Safari not working on your iPhone after iOS 17 update. This is especially an issue when you rely heavily on Safari to browse the internet.

Fortunately, most iOS 17 Safari problems are minor and can be fixed within a few minutes without much technical knowledge. Just follow the steps below to fix Safari if it isn’t working properly on your iPhone after iOS 17 update.

Note: Information in this article applies to the iPhone 11 series, 12 series, 13, 14, and 15 series iPhones.

How to fix Safari not working on iPhone in iOS 17

1. update safari.

Before you do anything, make sure that Safari is up-to-date. It is possible that a software update may fix your problem. Safari is part of iOS and included with iOS. This means when you update iOS, Safari will also be updated. This further means that you need to update iOS to install the latest Safari updates. Here is how:

• Go to Settings and tap on General .
• Tap on Software Update and install any available updates.

2. Close Safari and then reopen it

One of the ways you can fix minor app glitches on iOS is by force-quitting problematic apps.

So, if Safari is still not working for you, then you should force-quit and reopen the app. Here’s how:

• iPhone XR, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15, go to your Home screen and swipe up from the bottom of the screen. If this is an iPhone SE (2nd or 3rd generation), double press the Home button.
• This will reveal the app switcher which lists your most recently used apps.
• Swipe left or right and find the Safari preview.
• Swipe up on the Safari icon.
• Then reopen Safari normally to see if your issue is resolved.

3. Internet connection issues?

It is possible that Safari is not working after iOS 17 update due to problems with internet connection. Lets first try to test that if you have a strong connection. Open the App Store app on your device, does the App Store app load without an issue? Then probably you have a connection. If not, you may try:

• Turn on Airplane Mode and wait about 30 seconds and then turn it off (Settings > Airplane Mode).
• Restart your modem and router by unplugging the power cord and wait about 1 minute and then plug them back in.
• Try a different connection. If you are using a cellular connection, connect to a Wi-Fi network to see if your problem still occurs. If you are using a Wi-Fi connection, then try to connect to a Wi-Fi network.

4. Check for VPN and security software

Sometimes VPN can interfere with website loading on Safari. To disable VPN on your device, follow the steps below:

• Open Settings , then tap on General .
• Tap VPN & Device Management , then tap VPN .
• Also, look at Settings > General > Profiles . If this option doesn’t exist, you don’t have any profiles installed. If you see something here, it may have been installed by the system administrator for your company, and you should talk to them.

5. Restart your iPhone

You hear it all the time—turn your device off and on again. While this may sound like a cliche fix, restarting your iPhone has been known to clear your usable memory, which can speed up Safari.

If Safari is frozen or just a blank white screen, restarting your iPhone can also fix these problems. Here’s how:

• iPhone XR, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 : Press the side button and the volume up button until the Power Off slider appears. Slide it, then wait 30 seconds. Press the side button until the Apple logo appears.
• iPhone SE(2nd or 3rd gen) : Press and hold the side button until the Power Off slider appears. Slide it, then wait 30 seconds. Press the side button until the Apple logo appears.

6. Turn off private relay

Private Relay works like a VPN and routes your Internet traffic through two separate relays to encrypt traffic and hide your IP address. If you have an iCloud Plus subscription, the setting is enabled by default. Private Relay can affect some websites. Here’s what to do:

• Open Settings , then tap on your name at the top.
• Tap on iCloud , then if Private Relay is on, tap on Private Relay .
• Toggle the switch next to Private Relay to turn it off.
• Select Turn Off Until Tomorrow . If you find that this is the problem, you may want to turn it off completely.

7. Disable extensions

Safari extensions are useful tools, but some of them, and ad blockers, in particular, might prevent Safari from working properly. If you are using extensions, disable them and see if that fixes your problem. Here’s how:

• Open the Settings app.
• Tap Safari .
• Tap Extensions .
• Turn off all of the extensions.

Now, force-quit Safari and open again. If Safari is now working, this means that one or more of your extensions are causing your problem. What you can do is to turn on extensions one by one until you find the problematic one. When you find it, you can update or delete the associated app to fix your problem. If Safari is not working still, you can now enable your extensions.

8. Clear out Safari data

This will remove history, cookies and other data. The history will be cleared from all of your devices signed into iCloud.

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone and then go into Safari .
• Tap Clear History and Website Data .
• Choose your time frame. You can choose all history .
• Tap Clear History .

9. Check that JavaScript is enabled

JavaScript is on by default on most iOS devices. However, if you’re having issues with Safari, it’s likely that JavaScript is off. Sometimes, one might turn JavsScript off as some websites might not support it.

If you’ve turned JavaScript off or want to check if it’s off and turn it back on, follow the steps below:

• Open Settings and tap on Safari .
• Scroll down and tap on Advanced .
• If JavaScript is off, toggle the switch to turn it on.

10. Turn off Safari experimental features

The experimental features of Safari give you access to upcoming web tools, ideas about web element changes, new browser initiatives, behavior adjustments, and other under-test development features by the Apple development team.

Sometimes, you’ll find activating these features beneficial to enhance the web app experience on Safari. However, if you don’t possess a clear idea of which experimental features of Safari are beneficial, you shouldn’t toy with this section of the Safari web browser application. Here’s how to check and disable Safari experimental features on your iPhone:

• Open Settings .
• scroll down and tap Advanced .
• Tap Experimental Features . And toggle off everything here. If this does not resolve your problem, you can turn them on again.

11. Reset Network Settings

You can Reset Network Settings if nothing else has fixed your iOS 17 Safari problems. Resetting network settings can solve a variety of connection problems, however, you will need to set up all of your Wi-Fi networks again. Copy down your Wi-Fi networks and their passwords, then Reset Network Settings by following the steps below:

• Go to Settings , then tap General .
• Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone , then Reset .
• Tap Reset Network Settings , then follow onscreen instructions.

12. Contact Apple Support

If none of the above has solved your iOS 17 Safari issues, you may want to contact Apple Support for more help.

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Restart your iPhone

Learn how to turn your iPhone off, then back on.

How to restart your iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, or later

Press and hold either volume button and the side button until the power-off slider appears.

Drag the slider, then wait 30 seconds for your device to turn off. If your device is frozen or unresponsive, force restart your device .

To turn your device back on, press and hold the side button (on the right side of your iPhone) until you see the Apple logo.

How to restart your iPhone 6, 7, 8, or SE (2nd or 3rd generation)

Press and hold the side button until the power-off slider appears.

To turn your device back on, press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.

How to restart your iPhone SE (1st generation), 5, or earlier

Press and hold the top button until the power-off slider appears.

To turn your device back on, press and hold the top button until you see the Apple logo.

Can't restart?

Learn what to do if your iPhone is frozen, doesn't turn on, or doesn't respond .

Related topics

Explore Apple Support Community

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

Contact Apple Support

Need more help? Save time by starting your support request online and we'll connect you to an expert.

Safari Not Working After Updating to iOS 17? 4 Solutions

Is your Safari search bar missing after iOS 17 update? Many users are reportedly facing the same issue after a recent iOS update. This isn’t isolated since it occurred after the first iOS 17 update and even with MacBook users. However, you can get the search bar back on your iPhone and fix this error.

Here is an extensive list of all the tried and tested solutions. Let’s check them out.

How to Fix Safari Not Working After Updating to iOS 17

The reason the Safari search bar is missing can simply be a bug after the update; hence, it is fixable. Follow the steps below to start browsing Safari again seamlessly.

1. Force Quit Safari Browser

To fix the Safari search bar missing issue on iOS 17, you can force quit the Safari browser. By force quitting the app, you essentially restart it, which can clear any temporary data or processes that may be causing the search bar to disappear. This step is similar to restarting your computer to fix software issues.

Time needed:  2 minutes

Here is how you can do it.

Then, open the Safari browser and check if the search bar is back.

2. Change the Settings to Single Tab

Sometimes, Safari’s tab settings can affect the visibility of the search bar. You can restore the missing search bar by changing the settings to Single Tab and then back to Tab Bar.

• Now, open the Safari browser and see the search bar at the top of the screen.

If not, follow the above steps again, change the tabs to Tab Bar, and then check if the error is fixed.

3. Force Restart iPhone

If your iPhone faces any software issues causing the Safari error, you need to force restart the iPhone. Here is how you can do it.

• Press and Release the Volume Up button.
• Press and Release the Volume down button.

• Release it when you see the Apple logo on the screen.

The iPhone will now restart. Once the process is completed, you can check the Safari browser.

4. Contact Apple Support

If none of the above methods are working and the Safari search bar still needs to be added, you should contact Apple customer support from their official website.

Since this error occurred after the recent update, you can wait for another update that might come with the necessary bug fixes. However, it is best to speak to an Apple expert about this, and they can help you further.

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We explain and teach technology, solve tech problems and help you make gadget buying decisions.

7 Ways to Fix Safari Suggestions Greyed Out on iPhone

Supreeth is passionate about technology and dedicates himself to helping people figure it out. An engineer by education, his understanding of the inner workings of all types of gadgets and devices ensures he provides top-notch guidance, tips, and recommendations to his readers. When away from the desk, you will find him traveling, playing FIFA, or hunting for a good movie.

Apple’s exclusive web browser Safari is the go-to option for many of us while using an iPhone. While it mostly does a great job, it still isn’t free from flaws . Recently, we weren’t able to retrieve search suggestions on Safari. Of course, we went to the Settings app for a check but turns out the toggle for Safari Suggestions was greyed out.

If you faced this problem too, you’re not alone. So, we decided to compile a few effective methods to fix this issue on your iPhone. Since we’re quite reliant on auto-completing the searches on our web browser through suggestions, not being able to enable the option is indeed frustrating.

Here are seven different methods to fix Safari suggestions greyed out or not working on iPhone. The issue mostly arises due to a bug present in either the Safari app or your present iOS version. Hence, the methods below revolve around fixing such bugs. Let’s begin.

1. Clear Safari Data

After an extended period of browsing Safari, a large accumulation of cache and cookies will occur. However, they will not be useful after a certain point and hence, can be regarded as junk files. But apart from occupying storage space, these junk files infamously execute bugs as well.

Hence, they can certainly be a cause for Safari suggestions greyed out in the Settings app. Here’s how you can clear Safari data on your iPhone.

Step 1:  Open the Settings app and select Safari.

Step 2:  Tap on ‘Clear History and Website Data’ and select ‘Clear History and Data’ to confirm. This will delete your browsing history, stored cache, cookies, and saved passwords.

If this doesn’t work, you can try restarting Safari. Let us understand how this helps.

2. Restart Safari

Closing an application shuts down the existing session. This means that all the elements are shut down too, including the bugs as well. Once you open the app again, there’s a chance of eliminating the bug causing the problem. This applies to Safari and the search suggestions toggle being greyed out too.

Here’s how to quickly restart Safari.

Step 1: Open the app switcher.

• On iPhone with home button : Double tap the home button.
• On iPhone without home button : Swipe up from the bottom of your screen.

Step 2: Close Safari from the app switcher.

Step 3: Lastly, open Safari from your app library to restart Safari.

3. Enable Siri Suggestions

While enabling or disabling Siri Suggestions is not known to have any effect on the Safari suggestions toggle, a community expert on Apple Community suggested this method and was marked as helpful. Hence, here’s how you can enable Siri suggestions on your iPhone.

Step 1: Open the Settings app.

Step 2: Tap on ‘Siri & Search’.

Step 3: Turn on the toggle for Show Suggestions.

However, it is also better to ensure that Safari does not have any restrictions on the screen time menu. Let’s know more about the same in the next section.

4. Disable Content Restrictions For Safari

There’s an option to restrict content on your iPhone, and it may be preventing you from restricting any content from Safari search suggestions and modifying the Safari suggestions toggle. Here’s how to disable content restrictions on your iPhone.

Step 2: Tap on Screen Time.

Step 3: Tap on ‘Content and Privacy Restrictions’.

Step 4: Turn off the toggle for ‘Content & Privacy Restrictions’.

You can now go back to Settings and check if the Safari suggestions toggle is greyed out or not.

But if this doesn’t work either, you can try restarting your iPhone.

5. Restart iPhone

“Have you tried turning it off and on again?” is probably the most common solution we get recommended when we have a problem with technology. It rightfully earns popularity, since it seems to fix a lot of problems – even on the iPhone.

When you restart your iPhone, you essentially start a fresh session. Therefore, there’s a good chance of eliminating all the bugs that were previously causing any issues. This holds for the issue of Safari suggestions greyed out as well. So, here’s how to restart your iPhone.

Step 1:  First, shut down your device.

• On iPhone X and above : Press and hold the volume down and the side button.
• On iPhone SE 2nd or 3rd gen, 7, and 8 series : Press and hold the side button.
• On iPhone SE 1st gen, 5s, 5c, or 5 : Hold the power button at the top.

Step 2:  Now, drag the power slider to turn off the device.

Step 3:  Next, turn on your device by pressing and holding the power button on your iPhone.

6. Update iPhone

If Safari suggestions are greyed out for a large group of users, Apple will certainly take note of all the complaints across forums and release an iOS update to fix it. Therefore, ensure you remain on the latest version of iOS. Here’s how to check.

Step 1:  Open the Settings app and select General.

Step 2:  Tap on Software Update and select Download and Install. This will download and install the latest iOS update for your iPhone.

However, if your iPhone is already updated to the latest version and the above method is not an option – you can try to reset your iPhone as a last resort.

7. Reset iPhone

To pinpoint a misconfiguration causing an issue on your iPhone is hard, hence you would want to consider bringing back all settings and configurations to their default states. This is exactly what resetting an iPhone does.

This means that all your location, home screen layout, privacy settings, and more will be back to default. Here’s how to do it.

Step 2:  Select ‘Transfer or Reset iPhone’.

Step 3:  Tap on Reset.

Step 4:  Now, tap on ‘Reset All Settings’ to return all the settings and configurations of your iPhone to their default states.

That is everything you need to know on how to get rid of the Safari suggestions greyed-out issue on your Settings app. However, if you still have any further questions, look at the FAQ section below.

FAQs on Safari Suggestions Greyed Out

Yes. You can change the default search engine on Safari by opening the Settings app > Safari > Search Engine.

Yes. You can tap on the arrow mark icon next to the search suggestion to complete your search query in the search box automatically.

Never Run Out of Suggestions

We hope this article helped you fix a greyed-out Safari suggestions toggle. While Apple offers a relatively stable user experience, it still isn’t free from such bugs, especially on older iPhones. Thanks to the regular software updates on iPhone, Apple has been doing a good job of quickly providing a fix.

Facing more issues on Safari? Read our comprehensive guide on how to fix Safari not working on iPhone .

Was this helpful?

Last updated on 28 March, 2023

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

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The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.

DID YOU KNOW

Supreeth Koundinya

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What to do if Safari keeps crashing

Does Safari keep crashing on your Mac, iPhone or iPad? Is Safari running so slowly on your Mac that you can’t use it properly? Is Safari just closing on your iPad without warning?

In this feature we’re going to look at what to do when Apple’s Safari web browser isn’t working properly.

There are a few reasons why Safari might be crashing:

There might be something going on in the background of the website you are visiting (or one you have opening another tab).

You might be running an older version of the software with an issue that has since been fixed.

A webpage might be using a plug-in, an extension or other software that has a problem.

Your Mac might be running low on memory or storage space.

There are a few other things that could be causing issues. We’ll look at each below and explain how you can fix, or avoid the problem.

See also: How to use the Safari web browser on the Mac and How to speed up Safari

The first thing to check is how many tabs you have open in Safari. Including any sites you might have ‘Pinned’ in Safari on your Mac.

If you are anything like us, you open new tabs in Safari (Command+T on the Mac, or + on iOS) without closing the one you have stopped using (after all you might need to return to it). Should content of one of these tabs continue to run in the background, then it might be causing an issue.

Each tab or Safari window takes up a little space in memory. Have too many tabs open and Safari starts fighting for resources with other apps, and it ends up running far more slowly than it should.

This is more likely to be a problem on the Mac than the iPad or iPhone, but it’s still worth following the advice below on an iOS device.

How to close multiple tabs in Safari on the Mac

• Hold down the Option/Alt key and click on File.
• Choose: Close Other Tab (if you don’t press Option/Alt you will only see Close This Tab.

Every page other than the one you are looking at will be closed.

Close multiple Safari windows on the Mac

If you tend to open many windows while you are using Safari:

• Click on File
• Close All Windows

How to close multiple tabs in Safari on iPad/iPhone

Multiple tabs open on your iPhone or iPad? While this shouldn’t cause issues in the same way it might on the Mac, because the tabs you aren’t using will be suspended (they can still be active on a Mac, playing video for example), you may still benefit from closing them all down (least of all because it gets very difficult to find the tab you opened yesterday if you still have tabs open from this time last year).

• To close all your Tabs by tap and hold on the tab icon in the bottom right.
• A sheet will open with the options: Close All [Number] Tabs, Close This Tab, New Private Tab, New Tab.
• Tap on Close All [Number] Tabs.

Check what’s responsible

You could also look to Activity Monitor to see if a particular site is being singled out for taking up a lot of resources.

• Open Activity Monitor.
• Click on Memory.
• Sort by Memory to see what is using up the most of your RAM.
• You can select that site in Activity Monitor and then click on the X to close that process.

The benefit of this method is that you can close the page that is causing the problem and keep other pages open.

Update software

Apple regularly updates Safari to address security concerns, so it may be that you are experiencing problems that have been corrected by an update (or problems caused by a software update).

You could start by checking what version of Safari you are running.

• In the Safari menu on your Mac, click on Safari.
• Click About Safari.
• A box will pop up that states the version of Safari you are running.

However, your Mac should update Safari automatically whenever Apple releases an update to Safari, because Safari comes as part of macOS. So your version of Safari should be up-to-date as long as your MacOS is…

To check to see if there is an update to macOS you need to follow these steps:

If you are running Mojave:

• Open System Preferences.
• Click on Software Update.
• Your Mac will check for updates before comfirming if your Mac is, or isn’t, up to date. If you need to run an update do so as this may fix any issues you are experiencing.

If you are running High Sierra or older:

• Click on the Apple logo in the right corner of your Mac screen.
• Choose Software Update.

It’s the same on an iOS device. The update to Safari will come as part of the operating system update.

To check if iOS needs to be updated:

• Tap on Settings.
• Software Update.

Note that sometimes it’s a software update that causes the issues you are experiencing.

For example, back in January 2016, many iOS and Mac users found that their Safari browser would crash every time they tried to tap the URL bar or open a new tab. The Safari app would close, forcing them to launch it again, only for the issue to reoccur.

The problem was reportedly caused by Apple’s Safari Suggestions, the feature that offers up automatically completed URLs as you type in the URL bar.

By the end of January 2016 Apple had apparently fixed the problem with an update, but it seems that for a few months that year Safari continued to be plagued by the issue on and off.

Clear website data and cache

When you visit a web page in Safari it stores a copy of it in a cache. This copy enables it to load the web page faster next time you visit.

Sometimes the web will start to behave oddly if something goes wrong with the cache. Perhaps Facebook seems stuck on what it was displaying yesterday evening, for example.

The best way to fix this is to clear the cache.

How to clear Safari cache on a Mac

You can start by getting rid of all your website data, including your web browsing history.

• Click Safari in the menu at the top of the screen.
• Choose Clear History. In older versions of Safari this listed and Website Data as well, but in new versions Website Data is automatically cleared as well (unless you press Option/Alt in which case you see the option to keep Website history). 
• This will actually clear data on all your devices that are logged on to the same iCloud account, so your Mac, iPad and iPhone can be done at the same time. Choose from the last hour, today, today and yesterday, and all history.
• Make your choice (we recommend All History) and click on Clear History.

That clears your history, but if you want to clear your cache specifically, follow these steps:

• Click on Safari > Preferences.
• Click on Privacy.
• Click on Manage Website Data.
• Selecting the Privacy icon and clicking the ‘Manage Website Data…’ button.
• You can delete all cookies and cache by clicking the Remove All button.

The problem with doing this is your Mac will ‘forget’ the autocomplete information you are probably used to it filling in, such as passwords and login details.

Another way to clear your cache is to use the Safari Developer menu to just clear the cache, leaving cookies and other info alone. We have more information about how to clear Safari cache here .

How to clear Safari cache on an iPhone/iPad

You can also clear your Safari cache on your iPhone of iPad. As with the Mac, we’ll start off by clearing your history and website data – which includes the cache. Here’s how to do that:

• Find Safari (in the list with Passwords & Accounts at the top).
• Scroll down to Clear Website and History data and tap on that.

That will clear all your history, cookies and other browsing data. Luckily it won’t change your AutoFill information.

It’s not possible to clear only the Safari cache on iPad or iPhone as you can on a Mac.

Remove Flash

Flash is software used to play video and other interactive content. Many websites switched to HTML 5 some years back because it is less problematic. We think you’ll be happier if you get rid of Flash.

Here’s how to uninstall Flash Player .

If you need Flash for some reason – you may see a Missing Plug-In alert, make sure you have an up to date version and make sure you get it from Adobe . One of the favourite disguises of malware is as a Flash update.

Turn off extensions

Extensions (often called plug-ins on other browsers) provide additional functionality to Safari, but they can cause problems.

• Choose Safari > Preferences > Extensions to see all the extensions on your system.
• Deselect any extensions you don’t want to run, or even better, uninstall them.

Older versions of Safari had the option to turn off extensions. This setting is no longer available in Safari.

If Safari works better with all extensions turned off, you could go through your extensions one at a time to find out which one is causing problems. Use the check-box next to each extension and turn them all off. Then turn them on one at a time to see which one is problematic, and leave that one set Off until an update is provided.

There are dozens of extensions available for Safari. Read more about the new Extensions for Safari here. 

Turn off Virus scanners

Virus scanners pay close attention to Safari, because it’s the Mac’s main portal to the internet. It should allow you to get on fine, but if you have a virus scanner try turning it off to see if that helps. If that helps try switching to a different virus program.

Use Reader mode

If you find Safari isn’t working for just one website, you could try viewing it in Reader mode.

• Click on the icon that looks like a cluster lines on the left of the url/search bar.
• This will open a Reader view of the webpage, removing some of the things that could be causing problems for you, such as adverts.

You can choose for that website to always divert to Reader view.

Just right click on the Reader icon and choose Use Reader Automatically on [website name].

We have more information about using Reader view here .

Delete preferences

If you’ve tried everything else and Safari still doesn’t work you can delete the preferences from your Home/Library folder.

• Quit Safari and choose File > Go To Folder in Finder.
• Enter ~/Library/Safari/ into the Go To Folder Window (don’t miss the tilde ‘~’ at the start) and click Go. This opens your preferences folder.
• Drag everything in this folder to Trash and restart Safari.

When you restart Safari it will recreate these files as if you have just performed a clean installation.

How to use the Safari web browser on the Mac

Use another browser

Alternatively, try using a different browser. Some websites, especially old sites, struggle with providing support for a variety of browsers. Read our article that evaluates the best Safari alternatives here: Best Mac Browsers and the same for iPhone .

Get more RAM or clear some space

It might not be Safari’s fault. If your Mac (or iOS device) is running out of storage space, or you are low on RAM it might be causing problems for any apps you are running.

You could look into making more space on your Mac – more info here .

Of you could try and free up some RAM . Or Install more RAM in your Mac .

We also have how to clear cache and free up RAM on an iPhone here.