Safari (v14.1.2) is Endlessly Crashing in Catalina, How Do I Reinstall?

Question

Safari (v14.1.2) is Endlessly Crashing in Catalina, How Do I Reinstall?

Safari (v14.1.2) is crashing EVERY time I attempt to open it in Catalina 10.15.7. It's been this way for about a year & a half, during which time I used Firefox, but now I want Safari back.

I did a cursory search for Safari in the App Store but didn't find it (which is weird). How can I locate a DMG to reinstall or upgrade Safari?

Thank you in advance.

My machine: iMac14,3 (late-2013, 21.5", quad-core i7, 16GB RAM) with Catalina

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jul 12, 2025 06:05 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

MrHoffman

Community+ 2025

Level 10

140,891 points

Jul 12, 2025 07:22 PM in response to TheUncannyValley

Create a new user login on your iMac, log into that, and check Safari there.

That’ll usually separate the causes of issues into a problem with Safari itself, or issues with Safari add-ons, extensions, or local preferences.

Let us know if that works.

Other potential causes can involve add-on security or privacy or firewall or cleaner apps.

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Answer 2

Jul 13, 2025 12:13 AM in response to MrHoffman

Hi MrHoffman,

Thank you for your quick & straightforward reply. I will try your suggestion right away and let you know what happens.

FYI: one of my all-time favorite schoolteachers was the principal of the middle school I attended in the New York City suburbs from ages 10-12, and his name was also Mr Hoffman. He was a West Point graduate and a very kind man who also happened to be one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. I'll be 58 soon and have not met another "Mr Hoffman" of note since moving on from the school where he worked - you're the first, despite it being somewhat of a common surname, and your comment evokes a similar positive energy. (FWIW, lol)

I'll accept the similarity in tone between the two of you at face value as a pleasant coincidence and keep moving forward, but thought you might find that interesting. All the best.

Edited for clarity.

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