Quick fixes for page loading issues in Safari (Incomplete page content, etc.)

In some cases, Safari will spontaneously become unable to reliably load the full content of certain Web pages. This may result in an error indicating that the document contains no data, partial loads of pages no matter how many times the Refresh button is pressed, and more.

There are a few quick fixes that generally resolve these issue:

• Empty the Safari Cache (an option in the application menu ["Safari"])
• Clear the browser history (an option in the "History") menu.
• Delete the file com.Apple.Safari.plist, located in ~/Library/Preferences/ (various settings may be lost)
• Delete the Icons directory from ~/Library/Safari/ (the small icons that load in the URL field will no longer be cached)
• Delete site-specific cookies by opening the Safari Preference pane (accessible via the application menu ["Safari"]), then opening the "Security" tab and selecting "Show Cookies." Remove cookies that correspond to the sites you are experiencing issues with.
• Failing the above options, reset Safari. This is accomplished by choosing "Reset Safari" from the Safari menu. Resetting Safari clears the history, empties the cache, clears the Downloads window, and removes all cookies. It also removes any saved user names and passwords or other AutoFill data and clears Google search entries.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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