One of the problems that some users have encountered in Big Sur is that Safari keeps crashing. If you encounter this situation, please rest assured that there are several possible solutions in this article.
Make sure you are running the latest version
If you frequently encounter Safari crashing issues, the first thing you should do is to make sure you are running the latest version. Safari has been updated as part of macOS, so you need to check with software update.
- Click the Apple menu.
- Choose About this Mac.
- Select software update.
- If an update is available, follow the instructions to install it.
How to solve when Safari crashes in macOS Big Sur
Like other applications running on the Mac, Safari does not just exist in the Applications folder in binary form. It stores many other files, many of which are located in the main "library" folder of your account and the user "library" folder. Sometimes, these files may become corrupted or otherwise interfere with the smooth operation of the web browser. Also, if you have installed extensions, it may be that one of them is not compatible with Big Sur.
- Click the Safari menu and select Preferences.
- Select extension.
- Browse the list of extensions in the left pane and uncheck the box next to each extension.
- Close "Preferences" and exit Safari.
Now you can restart Safari and check if it is functioning properly. If this doesn’t work, try clearing Safari’s cache.
- Open "Preferences" again and this time select "Advanced".
- Check the box at the bottom labeled "Show development menu in the menu bar"
- Turn off preferences.
- Click the "Develop" menu and select "Empty Cache".
Now, exit Safari and restart.
If it doesn’t work, the next step is to clear your history. Note that this will delete all browser history in Safari on your Mac, and if you use Safari on your iPhone or iPad and log in to your iCloud account, it will also delete the history on these devices.
- Click the History menu.
- Select Clear history.
- Restart Safari.
How to manually delete Safari cache
If none of the above methods work, you can try to manually delete Safari cache files.
- In Finder, click the "Go" menu and select "Go to Folder".
- Paste this path into the box: ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari
- Drag the contents of this folder to the trash can and restart Safari.
More ways to solve Safari browser crash
Disable Siri suggestions and reading lists
After enabling the reading list and Siri suggestions, there seems to be a bug that crashed Safari. Open a new Safari tab and find "Reading List" and "Favorites" at the bottom right. Disable these options.
Change your homepage
Set your homepage to a page other than the default page.
Use CleanMyMac to reset Safari
If all of this seems quite complicated and requires many steps, then there is an easier way. As mentioned above, the CleanMyMac X application can help you fix problems with all applications on your Mac quickly and easily. However, if the problem cannot be solved for some reason, it can also reset applications including Safari to the default state, which can solve all long-standing problems. That's it.
- Click the Uninstaller tab.
- Look for Safari among the listed apps.
- Now, click on the drop-down menu under "Display".
- Select Safari preferences, binary files, and other Safari support files in the list.
- Click "Delete.
- In addition, check some tools under the "Maintenance" tab. In particular, please check out the release RAM function. The next time Safari has a memory usage spike, it helps to free up RAM memory.
The new version of macOS usually has some problems, which need to be resolved through further updates. Some of these issues are related to built-in applications, such as Safari. If you find that Safari crashes frequently in Big Sur, please follow the steps above to fix it. As a last resort, you can try to reinstall MacOS Big Sur, but this is not required. Before doing this, try to use CleanMyMac X to run maintenance routines and reset Safari. It's quick and easy, and may be what you need.