5 steps to solve the most common browser problems

For most people, web browsers are an integral part of our daily lives, allowing us to access everything on the Internet: news, social media, music and videos, emails, and more.

Therefore, if there is any problem with the browser, this glitch will become a big problem. The good news is that it is not necessarily difficult to find out what the problem is, as long as you know what you are doing.

The basic troubleshooting steps for any browser problem are the same, so no matter what your problem is, you should try these steps one by one. We're focusing on desktop browsers here, but you can easily apply these tips to their mobile app versions as well.

1. Check your internet connection

When troubleshooting any computer problems, you need to determine the exact cause before doing anything else. Otherwise, you may tamper with something that doesn't need to be fixed. In this case, this means making sure that your browser is broken, not your internet connection.

The easiest way to test this is to try using a different browser and see if it can connect to the internet. You can also try different devices (such as smartphones and tablets) and different apps (such as music or movie streaming apps) to see if they can access the internet.

If everything else can connect to the network, then yes- your web browser seems to be broken. If nothing else can't access the network, then you're not seeing a browser issue, but a home network issue. Fortunately, we also have troubleshooting methods for this issue.

2. Check your browser extension

Nothing can mess up the browser more than an extension, which means if you have problems surfing the web, there is a chance that there will be an add-on to be responsible. First go to the browser's list of extensions and evaluate them. They should be easy to find in any browser, but if you are using Google Chrome, click on three dots (top right corner) and go to More Tools and then Extensions Program .

First, we recommend uninstalling any extensions that are no longer used to reduce browser bloat and removing any potential expired code that may cause problems. Every time you delete one or more extensions, you need to restart your browser—ideally your computer—this will help you see if the changes are valid.

When you have only the key extensions you actually use, uninstall them one by one to see if it solves the problem. If you find an extension is the culprit, check if there are alternatives available, or contact the browser developer for more support.

3. Clear cache

Browsers usually save parts of the website on your device—these files are called caches. For example, if the background image on the website has not changed, there is no need to re-download it every time you visit. This is how caching helps your browser load websites faster. However, if the cache database is corrupted in some way, there will be an occasional problem.

This may mean you will end up seeing older versions of the web pages, or have problems using interactive components on the website. The latter happens because your browser may be confusing whether it should load newer code from the network or older code from disk.

The solution is to clear the browser's cache and start from scratch. (Pro tip: It is also valuable to do this regularly regardless of whether you have problems or not.) If you are not sure how to do this in your browser, you should be able to find instructions online. For example, in Safari, select Safari and go to Preferences, Privacy, and Manage website data. There, click the Delete all buttons.

4. Open your browser settings

Settings on the browser can sometimes cause the page to be corrupted. This can cause the buttons or forms to not work, or the entire part is lost. Specifically, this happens when you set your browser as strictly as possible when you block tracking cookies and aggressive ads on the web. So if this happens to you, you may have to choose between occasionally dealing with a broken website and having code snippets track all your activity on the web to sell you later.

In the browser's main settings page, you should see a section titled "Privacy, Cookies, and Tracking". For example, in Microsoft Edge, click three dots (top right corner), and select Set, and select Privacy, Search, and Services. Under the title Tracking Protection, there are three options - Basic, Balance and Strict. You will notice that the last option has a warning that it may cause parts of the website to stop working.

So if you are using Microsoft Edge and you see strange behavior on your website when tracking protection is set to Strictly , try choosing Balance or Basic . In other browsers, you won't see the exact same options, but there will be something similar, so you should be able to easily lower the blocking level of ads and tracking programs. If you find that some sites can only work with tracking enabled, you must decide whether to give up part of your online privacy or to give up using the site altogether.

5. Update and reinstall your browser

If you still have trouble getting your browser to work properly, uninstall it from your system, then re-download and install it. This will ensure that you are running a clean, latest software version and should clear any temporary files or options that may be corrupted.

In Windows, you can open Settings from the Start menu, then select Applications, and then select Apps and Features To uninstall the browser - click on the three dots next to the browser, and then click Uninstall . On macOS, drag the browser's icon from the Applications tab in Finder to the Trash icon in the dock to delete it from disk. Then, you can re-download your browser online.

A feature that Firefox provides that other browsers do not have is the refresh tool. It's like factory resetting your phone, it will restore all settings and additional information to its original state without having to uninstall the browser and reinstall it. To access it, click the menu button (three lines, top right corner) and select Help, More Troubleshooting Information and Refresh Firefox.

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