Safari going v slow recently

[baxlobs]

Until about a week ago I had no problems with safari, fast enough for what I needed on a relatively slow (5.5Mbs) internet connection.

Recently though it has slowed right down, particularly in forums.

Just scrolling through a forum listing I keep getting the coloured wheel and delays when I wonder if I have swiped across on the trackpad, and then something happens.

Other websites are not quite so bad, but I still get these delays that I never had before.

I am using Firefox at this moment and that is fine with no hold ups, so it seems to be Safari rather than the local internet speed.

iMac running OSX 10.9.5 16GB RAM


Any ideas about cause and hopefully a fix?

 

[sharon22]

'bout the only thing you can do is go up to the word, "Safari," in the top of your screen, and down to "Reset Safari." Do that once a week or so.

Then, delete the Safari cache directory (called "com.apple.Safari"). To find it, open your hard drive, click on your own user name, then click on Library, then click on Caches, and then look in there for com.apple.Safari, and drag com.apple.Safari to the trash.

Then, open your hard drive, click on your own user name, click on Library, click on Safari, and then drag EVERYTHING EXCEPT "Bookmarks.plist" to the trash.

Then, empty the trash.

Once you've done those 3 things, Safari will be running about as fast as it possibly can.

Do note that when you delete all that stuff, you'll lose the "Top Sites" data that has been building up, along with your site passwords, etc., but, in my opinion, the speed gain will be worth the small inconvenience of having to reinput your passwords one more time.

BE SURE NOT TO DELETE the "Bookmarks.plist" file, though. In fact, while you're in that directory, make a copy of the Bookmarks.plist file, and save it somewhere else on your drive. That way you'll always have a bookmarks backup.

Proceed at your own risk/willingness, though -- I do this process EVERY day, via an Apple Script, but that's just me...

 

[baxlobs]

Thanks very much for the input.

Strangely, not having used Safari for a couple of days as it had become unusable, I have been using Firefox, and today going back to Safari to work through your instructions I find that it is back to normal speed with no hesitations or beach balls.

Very weird. Anyway I have printed off your fix and if it goes pear shaped again I will try that.

Thanks again.

 

[Traverse]

Sometimes restarting your router can help.

 

[baxlobs]

Interesting comment, we did have a power interruption on Wednesday, so the router would have been shut down and restarted, perhaps that is what fixed it?

I will remember that if everything slows down again.

 

[sharon22]

I LOVE Travers's suggestion to restart the router. He thinks like I do -- out of the box, and I'm surprised I didn't think of it first! As a matter of course, I totally unplug my modem and router (for the full 2 minutes) about once a month, and, for whatever reason, my internet connection *always* improves. For the fun of it, I always run the Xfinity Speed Test (http://speedtest.comcast.net) before and after, so I won't think I'm just 'imagining' the speed bump!