6 Ways to Fix Certain Websites Not Loading on Mac

Quick Tips

• Is your Mac not loading certain websites? Start the solution hunt with a simple restart.
• Sometimes, the network you’re connected to can be glitchy. Connect to a different network or forget the network and re-connect it.

Basic Fixes

• Restart your Mac: Start the solution hunt by restarting your Mac. To do so, click the Apple logo at the top-left corner and select Restart.
• Update macOS: For many users, updating helped load the websites on their Macs. To do so, open System Settings on your Mac > General > Software Update.
• Try a different network: A network could hinder websites from loading. Check your internet speed. If it’s not good enough, contact your service provider.

Fix 1. Forget Network and Reconnect

Forgetting a network prevents your device from reconnecting with that particular network automatically. Once done, reconnect to your preferred network. Here’s how to do so.

Step 1: Open System Settings on your Mac. Head to Wi-Fi > select Details of the Wi-Fi you’re connected to.

Step 2: Tap on Forget This Network to forget the network.

Now, reconnect to the network.

2. Delete Plist File for Safari

If your Safari is not loading certain pages, we advise clearing plist files for the Safari app. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open Finder and tap on Go in the menu bar.

Step 2: Now, press and hold the Option key on your keyboard. You will see Library in the drop-down menu. Click on it.

Step 3: In the list of apps, scroll and tap on Safari.

Step 4: Delete the following file com.apple.Safari.plist if you see it.

3. Clear Cache for Chrome

If your Chrome isn’t loading particular pages or websites, it is time to clear the application’s cache. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Open a tab on Google Chrome. Tap on the three dots at the top-right corner > Settings.

Step 2: Select Privacy and security on the left > Clear browsing data on the right.

Step 3: In the pop-up, select All time. Further, check the box for Cached images and files and select Clear data.

4. Reinstall Google Chrome

If your Google Chrome is causing problems, we suggest uninstalling and reinstalling the Google Chrome app on your Mac. Follow the steps below to do so.

Step 1: Open Finder on your Mac and go to Applications. Scroll down and right-click on Google Chrome.

Step 2: In the pop-up, select Move to Bin.

Step 3: Now, reinstall Google Chrome.

5. Turn off Limit IP Address Tracking

While the concept sounds Latin and Greek, limiting IP address tracking conceals your IP address. This feature limits browsing speeds. Disable it as follows.

Step 1: Go to System Settings > Network > Wi-Fi.

Step 2: Under the Wi-Fi, select Details.

Step 3: In the pop-up, disable the toggle for Limit IP address tracking.

Note: While this fix could help you load web pages faster, we wouldn’t recommend this as a permanent measure. As, you could expose your IP address to tracking. So, use this if you are in dire need of the pages to load. Else, try other fixes.

6. Change DNS Server

Changing the DNS server is an excellent solution to the website not loading issue on Mac as per several users. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open System Settings > Network > Wi-Fi.

Step 2: Under the Wi-Fi, select Details.

Step 3: In the pop-up, select DNS on the left pane. Then, tap on the plus sign. Make 1.1.1.1 as your DNS.

Note: 1.1.1.1 is CloudFlare DNS. It is publicly available, safe, and fast.