Safari is an exceptional browser and there are no two ways about it. With Apple leading the charge against ad trackers on the internet with its anti-tracking policy, Safari has been a safe haven for users who want to protect their privacy.
That being said, while Safari might win the race when it comes to protecting its users but more often than not is not able to match up to its competitors in the game of extensible features.
However, many of us are extensively using safari on a daily basis. Some want to hold on to that last ounce of privacy on the net, and others do not want to install a 3rd party browser on their Macs or iPhones.
Whatever may be your case for using Safari. One thing is for sure, with years of use, Safari accumulates tons and tons of website data which might slow down your browser or in worst cases, your devices as well.
Reset Safari to Default Settings on Mac
To everybody’s shock, there’s no ‘Reset Safari’ button on any of the apple devices. As a result, we are bound to perform a list of steps not every user might be comfortable with. Anyways, resetting Safari consists of resetting 3 components :
- History
- Website Data
- Cache
We are going to reset the components on a first-come-first-serve basis. So let’s get started.
Reset History
First, Launch Safari from the Launchpad or from dock of your Mac.
Next, click on the ‘History’ tab from the menu bar. Next, click on the ‘Clear History…’ option from the list.
After that, choose ‘all history’ option from the drop-down. Then, click on ‘Clear History’ button.
Reset Website Data
First, Launch Safari from the Launchpad or from the dock of you Mac.
Next, click on the ‘Safari’ tab present on the menu bar. Now, click on the ‘Preferences’ option from the list.
After that, go to the ‘Privacy’ pane and click on ‘Manage Website Data’ button.
Now, click on ‘Remove All’ button from the bottom left corner of the pane.
Next, click on ‘Remove Now’ button to confirm.
Reset Cache
First, Launch Safari from the Launchpad or from the dock of you Mac.
Next, click on the ‘Safari’ tab from the menu bar. Then, click on the ‘Preferences’ option from the list.
After that, go to the ‘Advanced’ pane. Now, check the ‘Show Develop menu in the menu bar’ option.
As a result, the ‘Develop’ tab would now be visible in the menu bar. Click on it, and then choose the ‘Empty Caches’ option from the list.
Reset Safari to Default Settings on iPhone
Resetting safari is pretty straight forward on iPhone and requires just couple of steps.
Launch the ‘Settings’ app on your iPhone from the home screen.
Next, scroll down and locate ‘Safari’ from the list and tap on it.
After that, scroll down till you find the ‘Clear History and Website Data’ option on the screen and then tap on it, once located.
Now, tap ‘Clear History and Data’ from the pop-up alert menu to confirm.
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