macOS Sonoma 14 users report Safari freezing, crashing or not functioning as expected

The macOS Sonoma 14 update, while anticipated for its improvements, has brought a set of challenges for users, with reports emerging of Safari freezing, crashing, or not functioning as expected. Users have initially reported a slowdown in their Mac’s performance after the Sonoma update.

And now, users are experiencing freezing and crashing issues, particularly when performing various tasks such as attempting to save documents or playing large videos in QuickTime. Another concern users are facing is the inability to wake the system when detaching from power or an external monitor during sleep or standby, which is leading to unintended system reboots.

Moreover, it seems that several functionalities on Macs are broken after the update. I’ve come across numerous reports which points out that the macOS Sonoma is crashing when accessing the TV app, mirroring Mac to TV, or using Final Cut Pro. Also, certain apps including Safari web browser are crashing on macOS Sonoma, that were working smoothly on the prior versions.

A significant portion of reported issues centers around the Safari browser. Users have voiced complaints about web pages not loading or refreshing, indicating a broken experience with Safari after the Sonoma update. While some Chrome users have reported similar problems, it appears that the impact is more pronounced on the Safari web browser.

As per the reports I’ve seen on Apple forum, Safari freezes and some features don’t work when users try to click on them, while for others, status bar is glitching. Some even pointed out that the several websites on Safari browser are only partially loading.

In addition to Safari-related woes, users are encountering Bluetooth issues. There are reports of Bluetooth on macOS Sonoma automatically turning on and off, causing disruptions and inconvenience for users.

While Apple hasn’t yet acknowledged the issue, we hope that they will swiftly address and resolve these concerns in a future software update. In the meantime, here are some basic troubleshooters that you can try.

Update Safari and macOS: Make sure to keep both the system and Safari up to date. Apple frequently releases updates to address known issues.

Clear Safari cache: Clearing the cache in Safari can resolve issues related to web page loading. To clear the cache, go to the ‘History’ menu in Safari, and select ‘Clear History’. Now, choose “all history’ and click ‘Clear History’.

Check Safari extensions: Some Safari extensions might be incompatible with the latest update. Hence, you can try disabling or removing them and see if the issue persists.

Restart your Mac: While restarting the system hasn’t proved to be a viable solution, you can still try and reboot your system as simple restart can often resolve temporary glitches.

Reset Safari settings: If Safari is still misbehaving, you can try resetting it to default settings. And to do that, open Safari, and go to Safari Menu. Now, select ‘Preferences’ and navigate to ‘Privacy’ tab. You need to click on ‘Remove all website data’ to reset the settings. After that, restart the browser to see if the issues persist.

Bluetooth troubleshooting: If you’re facing Bluetooth issues, here are some basic troubleshooting steps that you can try to mitigate it. Turn off Bluetooth, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on. If that doesn’t help, remove paired devices and re-pair them.

That said, we will update this article with latest information if and when we come across anything noteworthy.

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated Apple section, so be sure to follow them as well.

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