Apple Safari on macOS has a built-in session restoration feature. If you have five windows open, each containing a dozen tabs, and you quit Safari (Cmd+Q) or reboot your Mac, the browser will remember your exact state. The next time you click the Safari icon in your dock, it will automatically launch and furiously load every single one of those windows and tabs.
If you are researching a sensitive topic, shopping for a gift for your spouse, or simply bogged down with 50 heavy web apps, you likely do not want that entire messy session to instantly blast onto your screen the next morning. It compromises your privacy and forces your Mac to consume massive amounts of RAM on startup.
You can configure Safari to always launch with a clean, blank slate.
How to Stop Safari from Restoring Windows
You can disable the session restoration directly in Safari’s General preferences.
- Open the Safari browser on your Mac.
- Click on Safari in the top-left menu bar (next to the Apple logo).
- Select Settings (or Preferences on older macOS versions) from the drop-down menu.
- Click on the General tab at the top of the window.
- Look at the very first option, labeled Safari opens with:.
- Click the drop-down menu next to it. By default, it is likely set to “All windows from last session.”
- Change the selection to A new window.
The next time you quit Safari, your session will be permanently cleared from memory. Whenever you open the browser in the future, you will be greeted by a single, fast-loading Start Page, ensuring a private and snappy browsing experience.