Malwarebytes products provide a safer, faster and more secure browsing experience, but they do not fix issues with your browser. Below are some common browser issues that may impact your browsing experience, and tips on how secure your online activity.
Common browser issues
Browser is slow or unresponsive
If your browser is slow to load a website, unresponsive or shows an error message, see these Apple articles:
- If Safari is slow, stops responding, quits unexpectedly, or has other issues
- If Safari doesn't load a page or webpage items are missing
Browser appearance changed
If you see an unfamiliar website, search box, or advertisement when you open your browser, it's possible something you downloaded or installed caused those changes. Browser preferences can be restored to their default settings, which may resolve changed setting issues.
Note: Resetting your browser settings may impact the way you usually use your browser. Review the instructions carefully to understand what settings of your browser are affected.
- Set your homepage in Safari on Mac
- Safari for Mac: Search preferences in Safari
- Install and manage Safari extensions on your Mac
Receiving unwanted ads
If pop-up advertisements are appearing in your browser, consider blocking advertisements directly from your browser.
To help prevent unwanted pop-ups, refer to the Apple article: How to block pop-ups in Safari.
Browser notifications
You can allow certain websites to send notifications to your computer. These notifications may resemble advertisements and appear in the upper-right corner of your screen, even if your browser is closed. If you are seeing advertisements, it's possible notifications were enabled for a specific website.
If you want to stop seeing notifications from a specific website, refer to Apple's article: Customize website notifications in Safari on Mac.
TIP - For a safer and faster browsing experience, install Malwarebytes Browser Guard.
Secure online activity
Connecting to a site securely
Web addresses indicate if data transferred between a web browser and a website is done securely. Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) is the secure version of HTTP (the protocol used to transfer data). HTTPS is encrypted, increasing the security of data transfer, which is very important when sensitive data is being accessed or sent, like when logging in to your email inbox, or your web banking site.
All websites should use HTTPS, particularly the ones that require a login.
In addition to the web address protocol, browsers include an icon that shows the site's security status. When secure, the information sent and received will be encrypted and can't be intercepted by bad actors, but it doesn't tell you about the site's reputation. Find out more about connecting securely to websites below:
- If you see a "Not Secure" warning while browsing the web with Safari
- Avoid fraud by using encrypted websites in Safari on Mac
Internet connection is not secure
When using a public internet connection, like in a coffee shop or library, it is usually not a secure network, because it is available to everyone. If a network isn’t secure, and you log into an unsecured site, other users on the network may see what information you access, send and receive.
If using a public internet connection, here are some things you can do to keep your information secure:
- Connect to websites securely: we tell you how to check if the connection to a website is secure in the previous section.
- Use mobile data: using mobile data, which is usually encrypted, and isn't shared with other users, is a safer option than a public connection.
- Use a VPN app: VPNs encrypt your online activity and make it look like your Internet traffic is coming from a VPN server rather than your own IP address. By using a VPN, people can’t find out who you are, where you are, or what you’re looking at.
TIP - To protect your online privacy and secure your WiFi connection, install Malwarebytes Privacy VPN.
If you have similar issues on multiple devices
If you're having any of the issues above in more than one of your devices, it's possible your network is compromised. To troubleshoot issues with your network, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for assistance.
If the articles above did not help, refer to Apple Support to search for your inquiry.