How to clear your browser from junk on Mac

Your browser may be the root of the problem in slowing down your computer operation. In this article, we will consider what can be done to make your Mac run faster.

1. Restart your Mac

Browsers are masters in slowing down your operating system. If you notice that web-browser slows down your Mac OS X, it means that it’s time to restart it. Theoretically, Mac OS X can work without being restarted for ages. But sometimes it’s worth to reset it or switch off. If last time you did it a long time ago, then restarting the Mac will remove the garbage that accumulated during this time and could be a reason for slowing down your system. This will speed up Mac OS X.

2. Clear the browser cache

You can clear the cache directly from the web-browser settings:

Microsoft Internet Explorer:

Browser-menu (if the menu bar is hidden, press the Alt key) “Tools”> “Delete Browsing History”> “Temporary Internet Files”> “Delete Files” button> OK.

Mozilla Firefox:

Browser-menu (if the menu bar is hidden, press the Alt key) Tools> Clear Recent History> Erase Recent History window> Cache flag> OK.

Google Chrome:

“Settings and management” browser menu > “Tools”> “Clear browsing data”> “Clear browsing data” or “Clear history”> “Delete the following items” > Clear cache flag> Delete scanned page or Clear history button.

Opera:

Menu “Tools” or the browser’s sidebar (press the Alt key) “Settings”> “General settings”> Settings window> Advanced tab> menu on the left side History window> Disk cache field> Clear button> OK.

Safari:

Browser menu “Edit”> “Clear cache memory”> “Clear” button.

But the easiest way to clean your computer of junk is to use a particular program. For example, the universal utility CleanMyMac will cope with this task in a few minutes. It removes the DNS, web-browser cache, and other system elements. You only need to open the program, mark the services and applications whose data you want to erase, and start the cleaning process.

3. Delete browser history

When a user visits sites on the Internet, the browser automatically creates and stores on the device the history of all visited web resources and search queries. If desired, this information can be deleted, which will not only protect the confidentiality of data but also free up the amount of memory it takes. When you remove your browsing history, your browser will delete:

• History of viewed web pages;
• List of open web pages in chronological order;
• List of frequently visited sites;
• Cookies;
• Recent searches;
• Icons of open web pages;
• Sites added to “Quick Site Search”;
• Sites are requesting permission to track the user’s location.

4. Close unused browser tabs

It is handy but straightforward advice. On the Mac, it is easy to open many tabs at the same time. Perhaps you have discovered more than you need. If you see many open tabs, close them if you do not plan to use them soon. Try to reduce the number of extensions and open tabs simultaneously to reduce the load on the processor and free up more RAM. This will free up additional resources, and your Mac OS X will work faster.

5. Choose a relevant browser

Quite frankly, Google Chrome on the Mac OS is not that very productive, when compared with the same version for Windows. Especially it concerns such an aspect as battery consumption – Google Chrome on Mac is ruthless in this regard. Therefore, it is recommended to use the native web surfer for Mac – Safari. The standard Safari browser is optimized for macOS. Any other option like Chrome or Opera will consume significantly more RAM and will quickly discharge the MacBook battery. Make Safari your default browser and use Chrome when you need to use some unique extensions or visit sites that do not open correctly in Safari.