Reasons for a slow Mac browser: Troubleshooting guide

Updating your browser

Running an old version might slow you down and leave you less secure. Updates usually bring speed boosts and bug fixes.

Updating Safari

In Safari, updates come with macOS updates. For this:

1. Go to the Apple menu.
2. Select System Settings.
3. Click General from the left sidebar.
4. In the right panel, tap Software Update.
5. Click on the Check for Update button.
6. Once your Mac is done checking for updates, choose between the Update Tonight or Update Now options.

Updating Google Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Go to Menu (three vertical dots in the right corner) → select Settings.
   Alternative: use the Command +, shortcut.
3. At the bottom of the list to the left, click on the About Chrome tab.
4. Wait for Chrome updates automatically → click on Relaunch.

Updating Firefox

1. Open Firefox.
2. Click the menu button (three horizontal lines in the top-right corner).
3. Select Settings.
4. In the left sidebar, click General.
5. Scroll down to the Firefox Updates section.
6. Click Check for updates → if an update is available, Firefox will download it.
7. Press Restart to Update Firefox to finish.

Updating your browser in App Cleaner & Uninstaller

Keeping your browsers up to date has never been easier. With App Cleaner & Uninstaller, you can quickly check for, install the latest versions, and enjoy faster performance, improved stability, and up-to-date security, all without hunting through menus.

1. Download and run App Cleaner & Uninstaller.
2. Switch to the Updates tab in the sidebar.
3. Find your browser in the list of applications with available updates.
4. Click Update.

Wait for the update to finish, then restart your browser for the changes to take effect.

Checking for and installing macOS updates

Your browser relies on your system. If macOS is outdated, you’ll feel it. But before getting macOS updated, it will be a nice move to do a backup of your system to iCloud or, even more, back up your Mac in Time Machine. Then, you are free to go the update way:

Apple menu → System Settings → General → Software Update → Update Now.

Scanning for malware or unwanted software

Not every slowdown comes from your browser or macOS. The culprit may hide deeper – in the form of malware, adware, or shady apps running in the background. These don’t just eat up system resources; they can hijack your browser, flood you with ads, or redirect your searches.

Here’s what I usually check for:

• Pop-ups that keep coming back. Even after you close them.
• Weird toolbars or panels. If you don’t remember installing it, you don’t need it.
• Browser redirects. You type in one site, but land somewhere completely different.
• Excessive CPU or memory usage. Your Mac heats, and browser drags.

If you spot these, it’s time to act. Here’s what you can do:

• Check Activity Monitor for strange processes hogging CPU or memory, and quit those processes.
• Run a malware scanner for Mac of your choice to detect, catch, and neutralize threats.
• Check your Applications folder for suspicious or unfamiliar apps, keeping in mind strange processes from Activity Monitor and malware scanner search results.
• Use App Cleaner & Uninstaller to delete unwanted apps, but also hidden files, leftover data, and any shady software that might slow your browser down in a quick-safe-four-click manner: open tool → select app → click uninstall → confirm.

Turning off antivirus, VPN, or firewall

As ridiculous as it sounds, sometimes the very tools meant to protect you can drag your browser down. Antiviruses, poorly configured VPNs, or firewalls add an extra step that can slow down page loading in browsers.

Not every program does this, but some are notorious for cutting your speed in half. A quick test is simple: temporarily turn off your antivirus, disconnect your VPN, or pause your firewall, then reload the same page. If it suddenly feels faster, you’ve found the bottleneck.

Now it’s up to you – keep the protection and live with a bit of lag, or switch to lighter software that guards you without getting in the way.

Clearing your browser’s cache and cookies

Each time you browse, your Mac quietly saves two types of data: cache and cookies. Cache holds site elements like images and scripts so pages load faster on your next visit, while cookies store login details, preferences, and tracking information.

Both are useful, but when the cache grows too large or cookies pile up with outdated or unnecessary data, your browser can actually slow down instead of speeding up. Clearing them from time to time gives your browser a clean slate, improves loading speed, and helps resolve odd website glitches.

Clearing browsing data in Safari

1. Launch Safari.
2. In the top menu bar, click Safari → Settings (or press Cmd + ,).
3. Switch to the Advanced tab.
4. At the bottom, enable Show features for web developers.
5. From the Safari menu bar, choose Develop → Empty Caches.
6. Restart Safari to finish the cleanup.

Clearing browsing data in Chrome

1. Launch Google Chrome.
2. In the top menu, click on Chrome → Clear Browsing Data.
3. In the pop-up window, go to the Advanced tab.
4. In the Time range section, select All time.
5. Pick the data types to remove – browsing history, download history, cookies and other site data, cached images and files, autofill info, downloads, and more.
6. Click Delete data.
7. Relaunch Chrome.

Clearing browsing data in Firefox

1. Open Firefox.
2. In the top menu, go to History → Clear Recent History.
3. Set the time range to clear to Everything.
4. Under History, tick items you want to clear.
5. Click Clear.
6. Restart Firefox.

Clearing browser caches with App Cleaner & Uninstaller

If you don’t want to dig through each browser’s settings to clear caches manually, there’s a faster way. App Cleaner & Uninstaller lets you delete all browser data in a few clicks. Instead of switching between browsers’ menus, you can remove bulky caches in one shot, freeing up space, fixing glitches, and giving your Mac browser a real speed boost.

1. Run the App Cleaner & Uninstaller.
2. Select your browser in the list of applications.
3. Switch to the Expert mode → tick Caches.
4. Click Remove → confirm.

Installing an ad-blocking extension

Modern websites often overload pages with ads, from large banners to looping animations and video pop-ups. The more ads a page has, the heavier it becomes for your browser to load, which can noticeably slow things down. Adding an ad blocker helps cut out this clutter, speeding up page loads and giving you a cleaner, smoother browsing experience.

Disabling ads in Safari

Speaking of Safari, I have been using and can recommend AdGuard for Safari; it’s lightweight, effective, and works great with macOS. Since Safari extensions are standalone apps, you can download this ad-blocking extension from the App Store.

Disabling ads in Chrome

For Chrome, try AdBlock – one of the most popular ad blockers. To add in Chrome:

1. Launch Chrome.
2. Click the three dots menu in the top-right corner.
3. Go to Extensions → Visit Chrome Web Store.
4. Search for AdBlock → click Add to Chrome → confirm with Add extension.

   

Disabling ads in Firefox

For Firefox, AdGuard AdBlocker is worth trying – it blocks banners, trackers, and video ads without slowing down the browser. To install it in Firefox:

1. Open Firefox.
2. Click the three horizontal lines menu in the top-right corner.
3. Select Extensions and themes.
4. In the search bar, type AdGuard AdBlocker → hit Return.
5. Click Add to Firefox → confirm with Add.

Managing and removing unnecessary extensions

Extensions like password managers, ad blockers, productivity tools can be helpful but too many of them act like anchors, slowing down your browser. Some keep running scripts in the background, eating CPU and memory even when you don’t need them.

To regain speed, review your setup and either disable add-ons you rarely use or delete extensions you don’t need at all. A lighter browser almost always feels faster.

Disabling and deleting extensions in Safari

Safari handles extensions differently from Chrome or Firefox. Today, Safari extensions are installed as standalone apps from the App Store, which means you can’t always remove them just from Safari’s settings.

1. Open Safari.
2. In the Menu bar in the top-left corner, click Safari.
3. Select Safari Extensions.
4. If you want to turn an extension off, uncheck it.
5. If you want to proceed with uninstalling it, select an extension → click Uninstall. Then, you will see an alert saying the extension is part of an application other than Safari.
6. Click Show in Finder.
7. In the Applications folder, control-click the extension → choose Move to Trash.
8. To fully clean up, remove leftover files tied to the extension: In Finder, press Command + Shift + G. Paste these paths one by one → search by the extension’s name → move any matches to Trash:

   • ~/Library/Containers/

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Group Containers/

     Copy

   • ~/Library/Application Scripts/

     Copy

   • /private/var/folders/

     Copy

     Type the extension name in the search box, select the folders filter, move to trash all results starting with /private/var/folders/ and relating to the extension.

   • /private/var/db/receipts/

     Copy

   
9. Empty the Trash to finish.

Disabling and deleting extensions in Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. In the top-right corner, click the Menu (⋮).
3. Choose Extensions → Manage Extensions.
4. Toggle off or click Remove for extensions you don’t need.
5. To make sure Chrome runs clean, restart your browser.

Disabling and deleting extensions in Firefox

Firefox keeps extension management centralized in its Add-ons Manager:

1. Open Firefox.
2. Click the Menu (☰) → choose Extensions and themes.
3. Select the Extensions tab.
4. Check out the extensions you have.
5. To disable an extension, toggle it off.
6. To delete the extension, click the three dots next to it → choose Remove.
7. Restart Firefox to apply changes.

Resetting a browser

Even after updates, cache clearing, and deleting extensions, your browser may still feel glitchy. In such cases, a full reset can work for you. Reset strips away custom settings, cached data, and hidden clutter, bringing the browser back to default. While you’ll lose some personalization, this tip delivers the quickest fix for browser bottlenecks.

Resetting a browser with App Cleaner & Uninstaller

1. Open App Cleaner & Uninstaller.
2. In the Applications list, find your browser and right-click it.
3. Select Reset Application.
4. Confirm a full reset.