Discover how to reset your favorite browser. Browsers throw up during use. Fixing issues like browser crashes, slowness, page not displaying, or plugins not responding comes with specific solutions.
However, the most recommended solutions fail. «?How do I reset my web browser?» is the question you ask when no solution works to fix your weird browser. In this article, let us explain how reset your favorite browserbe it Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari.
Generally, a reset is required when there are no options for your browser to work. The problem can occur for many reasons:
- You may have unknowingly modified advanced browser settings.
- You installed a browser extension or program on your computer that changed your browser settings.
- Due to malware attack, such as browser redirection to unrequested page or unknown toolbars.
Resetting the browser can help fix basic browser issues. However, a restart may not solve all problems.
Resetting the browser will change all settings and return to its original state when you installed it on your computer. Depending on your browser, resetting may cost you some data loss. Below are the things that usually happen when you restart the browser:
- Programs and extensions added to improve browser functionality will be removed or disabled.
- All your custom settings like new tab page, home page, search engine settings, and pinned tabs will be reset to the initial settings.
- The reset will delete stored browser data and cookies, which will remove logged sessions and auto-login features.
However, resetting the browser will not affect the following:
- The reset does not affect your stored passwords.
- Your bookmarks/favorites and browsing history will not be affected.
If resetting your browser doesn’t resolve the issue, you may need to uninstall and reinstall your browser.
How to reset Google Chrome
The most popular Google Chrome browser allows you to reset all settings to default in a few clicks.
- Open the Google Chrome browser on your computer.
- Click on the three vertical dots button shown at the top right to open the browser menu.
- Select the “Settings” option from the menu items.
Open Chrome Settings
- In the search box, type “Reset” to find the “Reset and clean” settings options.
- Click on the “Restore settings to their original defaults” link.
Reset settings to their original defaults
- Chrome will display a dialog to confirm the action. Be sure to read the information in the dialog and click the “Reset Settings” button to reset.
Reset settings in Chrome
This action will reset Chrome by disabling all extensions, clearing custom settings, deleting cookies, removing custom search engines, and removing pinned tabs.
However, saved passwords, recent history, and bookmark data will not be affected.
How to reset Mozilla Firefox
In case you are using Firefox, it also allows you to restore the default browser settings. Unlike Chrome, it has a slightly different procedure. The best part is that Firefox creates a backup folder called “Old Firefox Data” to recover any important data from the old settings.
If everything works fine after restarting Firefox, you can simply delete the backup folder to free up some space.
- Open the on your computer.
- Click on the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner of the browser to open the browser menu.
- Select the “Help” icon at the bottom of the menu.
Select the help option in Firefox
- From the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option.
Troubleshooting Information
- Alternatively, enter ” about:support ” without the quotes in the address bar to open the troubleshooting information page.
- Check the box that has a title “Give Firefox a tweak” and click the “Refresh Firefox…” button (if you want to restart Firefox without add-ons, use the safe mode option).
Tune up Firefox
- In the next pop-up window, select the “Update Firefox” option. The action will remove all customizations and plugins and restore browser settings to default.
Update Firefox
- Firefox will restart and display a message to restore all windows and tabs or choose the ones you want.
As mentioned, you can recover data that is not available after reset from the “Old Firefox Data” folder on the desktop.
How to reset Edge Chromium
Microsoft released a new version of Edge browser running on Chromium engine to fix its issues. However, you are likely to face some issues especially when you are in the beta version.
The best option to fix the browser is to reset the browser to its default state. Unlike the previous version of Microsoft Edge browser, the current version of Edge Chromium is easy to reset.
- Launch Microsoft Edge browser on your desktop.
- Select the “Settings and more” option in the upper right corner of the browser. Also, you can use the shortcuts “Alt + F” on Windows and “Command + Control + Comma” on Mac to open the menu.
- Select the “Settings” option from the menu.
Settings menu and more in Edge
- Select the “Reset Settings” option in the settings menu. On the right side, select the “Restore settings to default” option.
Reset settings in Edge
- Confirm the action by clicking the “Reset” button.
Reset Edge
Edge browser will reset the new tab page, home page, search engine, and pinned tabs. It will disable all installed extensions and delete stored cookie data. However, saved passwords, favorites, and history are not affected in Edge.
Reset Safari on macOS
Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browsers offer the same interface on Windows and Mac. Therefore, you can follow the instructions above on both Windows and Mac to reset the browser.
However, Apple does not provide any option to reset the default Safari browser on macOS. You also cannot delete and reinstall the app from your Mac. The only option you have is to clear your browser history to remove the stored content.
- You can do this simply by going to the “Safari > Clear History…” menu.
- Select “all history” from the dropdown menu against the “Clear” option.
- Click the “Clear History” button to remove all data stored on all your connected devices.
Clear Safari history on macOS
Also, you can enable develop menu and clear cache data in Safari.
To time to reset your favorite browser, most mobile browsers experience functionality issues due to insufficient storage or unwanted bugs. Unlike desktop browsers, mobile browsers share an almost similar interface.
What varies are the customizations made by the respective users of the device. However, you won’t find a simple reset option like the desktop interface. You need to clear the history and clear the app cache to reset the app.
If you are using Android, here are simple steps to reset your favorite mobile browser.
- Go to the “Settings” section and navigate to the “Applications” option.
- Touch the target browser app to open the information section.
- You can remove the storage and cached data in the relevant sections.
- The browser will be reset to default settings.
If you find that the issues are not fixed after resetting, you may need to delete the app (including its data) and reinstall the latest version from the Google Play Store again.
Just like in macOS, the Safari browser in Apple’s iOS also doesn’t offer any option to reset or delete the browser app. What you can do is clear the browser cache to remove the history.
- Tap on the “Settings” app to go to the settings page.
- Scroll down to find the Safari app and tap or swipe down to open the search box and type Safari to search for and open the browser settings page.
- Scroll down Safari settings and tap “Clear history and website data” to delete the content stored in the browser.
The Google Chrome, Edge, and Firefox apps also don’t offer the option to reset the browser. You simply have to delete the app and reinstall it from the App Store to reboot.
Ending
Although resetting your browser can help you fix problems, you may lose your data. Therefore, please follow the instructions above and make sure to read the details in the reboot dialog before taking action.
On mobile devices, you have no other options to remove and reinstall apps like Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.
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