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Performance issues in Safari could be related to third-party add-ons

Safari may experience performance issues, including quitting unexpectedly, running slowly, an inability to download files properly, and other unexpected problems.

Joe Aimonetti MacFixIt Editor
Joe is a seasoned Mac veteran with years of experience on the platform. He reports on Macs, iPods, iPhones and anything else Apple sells. He even has worked in Apple retail stores. He's also a creative professional who knows how to use a Mac to get the job done.
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Joe Aimonetti
Safari may experience performance issues, including quitting unexpectedly, running slowly, an inability to download files properly, and other unexpected problems. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms when running Safari, follow these simple steps to help restore Safari's full capabilities.

First things first: quit Safari. If you have installed any third-party add-ons, see if they include an uninstaller (often located in the same disk image as the installer). Run the uninstaller and attempt to run Safari again to test for problems. If Safari's performance is restored, check the add-on developer's website to see if they have an updated version, compatible with the latest version of Safari.

If the add-on(s) causing the issues do not have an uninstaller, you can manually uninstall them. The files for Safari add-ons are located in a number of places on your Mac (and could be located in more than one spot).
In your root-level:

  • Library > Internet Plug-Ins >
  • Library > Input Methods >
  • Library > Input Managers >
  • Library > ScriptingAdditions >
In your user-level:
  • Library > Input Methods >
  • Library > Input Managers >
  • Library > ScriptingAdditions >

Other performance issues can be related to Internet plug-ins, such as QuickTime or Adobe Flash or, if your version of Safari supports them, Safari Extensions. Be sure you have the latest versions of each of your extensions as well as QuickTime (available in Software Update) and Flash (available from adobe.com).

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