Safari: Unsupported third-party add-ons may cause Safari to unexpectedly quit or have performance issues
Symptoms
Unsupported third-party add-ons may cause Safari to unexpectedly quit or have performance issues.
Unsupported third-party add-ons may add features to Safari or change its appearance. If you use unsupported third-party add-ons you may encounter issues such as these:
- Safari quits unexpectedly
- Safari runs slowly
- Safari is unable to download files
- Other unexpected behavior
Note: This article does not apply to Internet Plug-Ins such as QuickTime, Java and Adobe Flash. It also does not apply to Safari Extensions.
esolution
Use the add-on's uninstaller, if possible
- Quit Safari.
- Remove any unsupported third-party add-ons you've installed (see if the add-on's installer includes an uninstall feature).
- Open Safari again.
If these steps fix the issue you were having, check the website of the software's developer to see if there is an updated version available, or avoid using the add-on.
Manually uninstall third-party add-ons
If the software doesn't have an uninstall feature, quit Safari and try manually removing the third-party add-on files. These files are usually installed in one or more of the following locations:
- /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/
- /Library/Input Methods/
- /Library/InputManagers/
- /Library/ScriptingAdditions
- ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/
- ~/Library/Input Methods/
- ~/Library/InputManagers/
- ~/Library/ScriptingAdditions
The first four locations listed are in the root-level Library on your hard disk, not the user-level Library in your Home folder.
The tilde (~) represents your Home folder.
- To find the Home folder in OS X Lion, open the Finder, hold the Option key, and choose Go > Library.
- To find the Home folder in Mac OS X v10.6 and earlier, open the Finder and choose Go > Home. Then, click the Library folder.
If the issue is resolved by removing items from the above locations, return the items one-at-a-time and test Safari. That way you can determine which item is causing the issue. Once identified, remove the problematic item and put the others back. Check for updates to the items that are found to cause issues, or report the issue to the add-on developer.
Note: When removing items from the above locations, do not put them in the Trash and empty the Trash. If removing the items does not resolve the issue, you can put them back where they came from. In Mac OS X v10.6 or later, you can use the Put Back feature of the Trash to automatically put them back where they came from.
TKB:1133