Safari is the browser of choice for many Mac users, thanks to energy optimization and deep integration with Apple services such as iCloud. Occasionally, Safari will warn you that a website is using significant energy, but what does that mean and how do you fix it?
What does Safari’s “vital energy” warning mean?
This warning will appear at the top of a tab, just above the content of a web page. This does not mean that the webpage has crashed or become irresponsible, but that the webpage is using more resources than you can be comfortable with if you are running on battery.
Safari is telling you that keeping this web page active will drain your battery quickly, possibly due to an element on the page, such as a script or embedded video. Advertising can also cause this problem because they often introduce too many overheads on the website.
Related: How to show battery percentage on Mac
You can see the effects of Safari by opening the Activity Monitor (find it in Spotlight or find it under Applications> Activity Monitor.) Click the “Energy” tab, and then click the “Energy Impact” column to lower it. Rearrange in order to see the most energy-intensive process.
At any time, you can see a list of apps that are using significant energy by clicking on your battery icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
Things you can try.
If you are using the web page in question or you want to keep it open, there is nothing wrong with plugging your laptop into the main and continuing what you were doing. This will counteract the extra power consumption so you can finish your work without losing battery power.
Related: How to check the health of your MacBook battery.
Sometimes, the warning starts with an error and reloading the page may resolve the issue. Don’t be surprised if the warning comes back, especially in the case of web applications such as Google Sheets or Spotify’s web player. Restarting your Mac can also help.
If Safari is out of date, the warning may be due to a mismatch with an element on the web page. Try installing any pending updates under System Preferences> Software Update and try again.
There are other things you can do to improve your safari stability. While they are unlikely to fix this particular bug, disabling the plugin can protect you, and removing unused extensions can speed up your browser.
Hold the second browser.
Safari is probably the best browser for the majority of Mac users. It is good for energy use, integrates with Apple services like iCloud, and generally performs well in terms of compatibility and responsiveness.
With that in mind, it’s always a good idea to install a second or third browser for times when you’re having problems. We recommend Chrome or Firefox, two of the best supported browsers on the web.