How to Fix: Safari Can’t Open the Page Error?

Safari is one of the best browsers, no doubt, but still, there are occasions where you might encounter several issues such as Safari Can’t Open the Page error.

In this error, the website you are trying to visit will not open despite having a working internet connection. I have faced these issues multiple times and most with the websites I frequently visit, including Wikipedia and YouTube.

Now chances of these websites going offline or unresponsive is very rare, so the issues lay inside my macOS or Safari browser somewhere.

In my scenario, the issues always go away after a simple device restart or by cleaning up the history and cache data. But some of my friends face the same error, but these methods were not able to fully solve their problem. This led me to write this comprehensive guide to fix Safari Can’t Open the Page Error on your macOS computer.

Safari Can’t Open the Page Error might occur due to many reasons such as a bad internet connection, damaged cookies, URL doesn’t exist, etc, or it might be due to a server issue.

Related: How to Fix: Cannot Parse Response in Safari Browser?

Apart from this, you don’t need to worry because we are here with some effortless and straightforward tricks to quickly resolve this problem by following the troubleshooting steps below.

Check Internet Connection

This is the first and foremost step that you need to do, check your internet connection, to make sure either it is working correctly or not.

Generally, suppose your Mac, iPhone, iPad, etc., displays an error message that Safari can’t open the page while you are surfing the internet. In that case, it might be possible that this happens due to an inactive internet connection.

iPhone has a special feature where you can limit the internet connection to apps. Make sure you have given Safari permissions to access and use the internet.

1. Open Settings app
2. Choose Mobile Data settings.
3. Scroll down and make sure safari has toggle enabled.
   

Instead of trying too many things, you just need to check that your internet connection is active and functioning well or not. You can try loading google.com or check your internet speed at fast.com.

Moreover, sometimes due to a low battery, the smartphone disables the internet connection temporarily. Before doing anything, make sure that your internet actually works and then load the page again.

Turn Off Safari Extensions

AdBlocker/VPN Extensions often try to interrupt the connection to the website. Hence, this might lead to encounter the error.

Even if you have the latest versions of Safari extensions, turn them off to ensure that they aren’t affecting the Safari browser.

Here are the steps to disable the Safari Extensions on Mac:

1. Launch the Safari browser on your PC/Laptop.
2. Click on the Preferences option from the menu bar, followed by Extensions.
3. Deselect the checkbox located right next to the extension to turn it off.

It may happen that a few websites are blocked by your installed extensions. So, just temporarily disable them while you are browsing and then again enable it by following the same.

Check URL Address

This method is really important for checking the validity of the current URL. So, you need to check the URL address first to make sure that either you’re searching for a valid address or not. This is the most common reason why you are having a Safari can’t open the page error message.

You can cross-verify if the address is correct using a search engine like Google. Just enter the URL and hit the search button to get the correct web address. You can also try checking the URL in any other web browser installed on your macOS.

Hard Refresh the Web Page

Refreshing the page might fix the issue as well. Meanwhile, sometimes due to connection interruption, your web page fails to open and shows that Safari can’t open the page error. So, after connecting to a stable internet connection hard-refreshing the web page might fix this issue.

You can smooth refresh the page by just clicking on the in a circle located near the address URL bar. Holding down the option button on the keyboard help to hard refresh the web page without caches forcibly.

Quit and Relaunch Safari

This is the solution to many problems. This method might often fix the issue where a web page can’t be able to load. So, simply close your Safari browser on your Mac or iOS device and open it again. Perhaps, after quitting and relaunching Safari might fix the issue, and the web page load fine.

If the Safari browser is stuck and not closing, you can try force quit to kill the Safari.

Check DNS and Use Google DNS

Google DNS servers might be one of the reasons why you are having such kind of issue. In such a case, your problem might be resolved by using a custom Google public DNS server.

Some Google public DNS servers are 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. You may also change your DNS settings if you want.

Here are the steps to use Google DNS on Safari iPhone:

1. Open Settings app in iPhone
2. Choose the Wi-Fi menu and select the Wi-Fi you are connected to.
   
3. Scroll down and select the Configure DNS option.
   
4. Switch to Manual and add DNS server details.
   
5. Type 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 as the new DNS server address
6. Hit on the Save command option.

Just check if this resolves the error in the Safari browser on iPhone.

Similarly, we can also change the DNS settings on Mac computers. However, this setup is network-wide and not just limited to the Safari browser.

Here are the steps to change the DNS server settings in Mac:

1. Click on the menu, and choose System Preferences…
   This will open the Preferences window with all the list of options.
2. Click to open Network preferences.
3. In the list at the left, select the network connection you want to use (such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet).
4. Hit on the Advanced command button.
   
5. Switch to DNS tab, then click the button at the bottom of the DNS Servers list.
6. Enter the Google DNS Server addresses — 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
   
7. Hit on the OK command button to save the changes.

This will set the new DNS server address on a mac computer and Safari iOS browser. Just relaunch the website or page that you’re facing loading error to confirm if it is fixed.

Check for Software Update

If the above methods don’t work for you, then update your Safari browser or your system software. So go to your settings menu and check if you have any latest system update available for your device or not.

Moreover, hover to the app store to check if the Safari browser has any update available and install it. Sometimes, this type of problem occurs due to an old version of the software.

Clear Safari Cache and Site Data

This method might be a remedy to your problem. However, clearing your cache and site data on iOS and macOS isn’t a tough job to do. You may need to follow the procedure given below to clear the Safari Web browser cache and site data on your Mac and iOS devices.

Clear Site Data from Mac

1. Go to the Menu bar on your Safari browser followed by Preference.
2. After that, tap on the Privacy option.
3. Hit on Remove All website data command button.
   Then, a confirmation message will pop-up.
4. Tap on it to confirm that you want to remove website data.

Clear Site Data from iOS

1. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Select Safari from the list of applications.
3. Tap on the Clear History and Website Data option.
   This will request confirmation.
4. Hit on the Clear History and Data command button.

This will immediately clear the browsing and site data from the Safari browser. You can now check if the website or page is loading properly or still having the issue.

Try a Different Browser

If the issue persists, then another choice is to go with different web browsers for mac. You may try to open the same URL in a different browser such as Chrome or Firefox or Microsoft Edge.

Related: 5+ Best Browsers for iPhone/iPad (Safari iOS Alternative)

If the website is opened in another browser means the problem is specific with the Safari browser only.

Bottom Line: Fix Safari Can’t Open the Page

Sometimes it’s just an issue with the website itself, so no need to panic just keep checking. In case none of these methods work, then it’s a good idea to load the website on other browsers such as Chrome or Firefox.

Keep a check on browser extensions as they might be blocking certain websites on your Mac.

Related: How to Fix: This Connection is Not Private in Safari Mac?

Let us know what has worked for you to fix the issue with Safari Can’t open the Page error? Like I mentioned, clearing the website cache and site data has helped in resolving the issue.