How to Stop Safari from Annoyingly Auto-Reloading Webpages

Apple Safari integrates built-in memory management algorithms designed to keep web browsing smooth even under constrained system resources.

Under normal circumstances, when available memory drops below a certain threshold, Safari automatically suspends inactive background tabs to free up RAM for active pages. When you switch back to one of those dormant tabs later, the browser silently reloads the content.

However, I recently encountered an infuriating bug: opening a new link would trigger an uncontrollable loop of constant automatic page reloads (Auto Reload), completely breaking the browsing experience and driving me up the wall.

The standard theoretical fix is straightforward—ensure the operating system has sufficient free RAM for Safari. But for chronic tab hoarders like me who routinely keep dozens of tabs open at any given moment, that is easier said than done.

Common workarounds often suggested online include “restarting the browser” and “clearing browser cache” to manually dump occupied RAM.

Yet neither of these is an ideal solution. Restarting the browser merely treats the symptoms temporarily—the reload loops return before long. Clearing cache is even worse: you get logged out of every website and lose your open sessions, solving one inconvenience by causing five more.

Is there a more fundamental fix? Of course—“don’t open so many tabs!” (laughs). While that pristine tab minimalism doesn’t suit my habits, I have indeed met people who keep their browser tabs so obsessively clean it borders on asceticism.

Thankfully, through trial and error, I discovered a practical setting tweak that successfully stopped the frantic reload loop on iPadOS. While results may vary depending on system version, it is well worth testing.

Refer to the screenshot below: navigate to the iPadOS “Settings” app and open the “Safari” preferences pane.

Figure 1: Safari Settings on iPadOS.

Under the “Search” section, locate the “Safari Suggestions” toggle (enabled by default). Turn off this feature. Once disabled, newly opened tabs should immediately stop their relentless automatic reload loops, restoring sanity to your browsing sessions.