Safari is slow, freezes or keeps crashing
Quick answer
Quit Safari and reopen it holding Shift, then install any macOS update. If it's still slow or crashing, turn off extensions one at a time in Safari > Settings > Extensions.
Why it happens
Safari usually slows down or crashes because of an extension, a heavy website, or saved data for one site that has gone bad. An out-of-date macOS can also cause it, since Safari's fixes come with macOS updates. When Safari says a webpage was reloaded because a problem occurred, the part of Safari showing that page crashed and Safari reloaded it. If the message says the page was using significant memory, that page used too much memory.
How to fix it
If Safari is frozen, open the Apple menu, choose Force Quit, pick Safari and click Force Quit.
Apple menu›Force Quit…
Hold Shift and click Safari in the Dock. It opens without restoring your old windows, which often clears a page that keeps crashing it.
Go to System Settings > General > Software Update and install anything waiting.
General›Software Update
In Safari > Settings > Extensions, untick all extensions. If Safari is quick again, turn them back on one by one until the slowdown comes back, and leave that one off.
Safari›Settings…›Extensions
Still not fixed?
Close tabs you aren't using. Dozens of open tabs, especially video or social sites, use a lot of memory and make everything sluggish.
If one site always crashes Safari, remove its saved data in Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, then sign in again.
Safari›Settings…›Privacy
Check how much memory your Mac has left in Activity Monitor's Memory tab. If it's always under pressure, quit other apps while you browse.
Activity Monitor›Memory
Restart your Mac. If Safari still crashes on every site after all of this, contact Apple Support, and mention whether it happens in a new user account too.
Questions people ask
Why does Safari say this webpage was reloaded because a problem occurred?
The part of Safari showing that page crashed, so Safari reloaded it. If it keeps happening on one site, remove that site's data and turn off extensions. A message that mentions significant memory is different: that page used too much memory, so close other tabs.
Why is Safari so slow after a macOS update?
Your Mac often does background work after an update, and an older extension may not work well with the new version. Give it a day, and turn off extensions to test.
How do I open Safari without the old tabs?
Hold Shift while you click Safari in the Dock. It opens with a fresh window instead of reopening the last session.
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