How to Fix Safari Not Loading Webpages on Mac

Safari is deeply integrated into macOS, making it one of the most efficient web browsers you can use. However, when you type in a web address and are met with a blank white screen or a “Safari Can’t Find the Server” error, that efficiency does not matter.

If your Wi-Fi is working perfectly fine in other apps but your browser refuses to cooperate, here is how to fix Safari not loading webpages on your Mac.

1. Try a Private Browsing Window

Before changing any system settings, you need to isolate the problem. Is Safari completely broken, or is your personal browsing data just corrupted?

1. Open Safari.
2. Click File in the top menu bar, then click New Private Window (or press Shift + Command + N).
3. Try to load the webpage in this new window.

If the webpage loads perfectly in the Private Window, the problem is not your network. The issue is being caused by a corrupted cookie, a bad cache file, or an active extension in your main profile.

2. Clear Safari’s Website Data and Cache

If the Private Window trick worked, your next step is to clear out the corrupted files from your main browser profile.

1. Open Safari normally.
2. Click Safari in the top left menu bar, then select Settings (or Preferences on older macOS versions).
3. Click the Privacy tab at the top of the window.
4. Click the Manage Website Data button.
5. A list of websites will load. Click Remove All, then confirm your choice.

This will log you out of most websites, but it will completely flush out the broken code that was preventing pages from loading.

3. Disable Safari Extensions

Third-party extensions, particularly ad-blockers and privacy shields, frequently update in the background. Sometimes, a bad update causes the extension to mistakenly block the entire webpage instead of just the advertisements.

1. Go back to Safari > Settings.
2. Click the Extensions tab.
3. Uncheck the box next to every single extension to disable them.
4. Try loading the webpage again.

If the page loads, turn your extensions back on one by one until the page breaks again. Once you find the culprit, you can uninstall that specific extension or contact its developer.

4. Turn Off iCloud Private Relay

If you pay for iCloud+, Apple includes a feature called iCloud Private Relay. It acts somewhat like a VPN, encrypting your Safari traffic and hiding your IP address from websites.

Unfortunately, many websites (especially banking sites and corporate portals) actively block Private Relay traffic, causing Safari to hang indefinitely.

1. Click the Apple Logo in the top left corner and open System Settings.
2. Click on your Apple ID / Name at the very top of the left sidebar.
3. Click iCloud.
4. Scroll down and click on Private Relay.
5. Toggle the switch to the Off position.

Restart Safari and try the webpage again. If the site loads, you can choose to leave Private Relay off permanently, or only turn it off when visiting that specific strict website.