# Safari in Lion - 32 bit mode vs 64 bit mode



## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

Just now I've finally found out how to switch Safari 5.1.4 from 32 bit mode to 64 bit mode.

What a difference in speed, Why didn't I notice this before.
All this time I've been surfing in the slug slow 32 bit mode.

Argh!!!


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

I just turned mine to 64-bit but have not noticed anything that noticeable in terms of speed. It was fast, fast, fast before and it's fast, fast, fast now. Of course I only have 3GB of RAM (all this machine can hold) so that may have something to do with it.


----------



## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

deleted


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

In my case, I had deliberately set it to 32-bit only for a specific purpose: to continue running a deprecated plug-in (no longer necessary since Safari 5). I just forgot to undo my old handiwork.

As for how, here's how to make ANYTHING in Snow or Lion run in 32-bit:

1. Get info on the application
2. Check the box that says "Run in 32-bit mode" (or uncheck if you want it to run in 64-bit mode, of course)

This option exists because some things (like older Photoshop plug-ins, as an example) require 32-bit mode in order to work sometimes. It can also be useful in troubleshooting problems. In fact, that's how I found that I had forgotten to uncheck the 32-bit mode in Safari: after upgrading to 5.1.4, some functions in YouTube weren't responding. I checked to see if I was running in 64-bit and no, I wasn't. Set that back to 64-bit and YouTube (et al) now worked perfectly.


----------



## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

^^^ Ditto to chas_m's answer

Sorry, Forgot to tell everyone about "The get info box"

I found out about it when I kept getting an error with a 1Password helper app for Safari,
I did a search for 1Password helper error and it told me how to change my Safari app to 64 bit,
Changing Safari to 64 bit corrects the 1Password helper error with Safari 5.1.4 in Lion.

(BTW...I have 8 gb's of RAM)

Cheers!


----------



## tilt (Mar 3, 2005)

I have 8 gigs of RAM and Safari is unusable for me. I launch Safari, it beachballs for like a minute or so, then anything I click, including the menu at the very top of the screen results in beachballs for another minute or so.

Any website I visit, beachballs every few seconds while the page is loading, and if I ever open a few bookmarks all at once in various tabs, then I may as well give up and go home - it beachballs endlessly that I have to force-quit Safari.

It has been like this for a few months now. I now use Chrome, much as I dont like using a Google browser.

Cheers


----------



## csonni (Feb 8, 2001)

I never really noticed any speed increase. Is there any negative hits at all? More resources used?


----------



## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

csonni said:


> I never really noticed any speed increase. Is there any negative hits at all? More resources used?


I just noticed that it was slug slow in 32 bit mode,
Glad that I got that error when I did though.

I was afraid I'd have to switch to another browser,
I love Safari, Couldn't imagine ever getting used to using Firefox.

It's night and day for me now though,
32 bit compared to 64 bit is that big of a difference.

Windows jump open now and online games no longer lag.


----------



## fjnmusic (Oct 29, 2006)

Did the switch to 64 bit thing on my 2008 MacBook. Haven't noticed any speed change, but I do feel better just knowing.


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

tilt said:


> I have 8 gigs of RAM and Safari is unusable for me.


While I don't think I can help you with that problem, I'm glad you seem to be aware that this is not the typical Safari experience. If you can, you might try turning off "top sites," that might be the source of the issue (older versions of Safari could occasionally corrupt the "Top Sites" db, causing many of the symptoms you describe).


----------



## tilt (Mar 3, 2005)

Thanks Chas! I turned off top-sites when I first got my Mac and it has been turned off since (never liked that feature). However, I once again started to use Safari today, just to see if it is still the frustration that it used to be. Well, an hour into it now and it beachballed only once on me, when I clicked on the link in the thread about the big boulder crushing a car and someone's home in Ohio. But that did not crash the whole browser, it beachballed for a while and then the site finally loaded and I was able to click elsewhere agin after that.

Cheers


----------



## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

chas_m said:


> While I don't think I can help you with that problem, I'm glad you seem to be aware that this is not the typical Safari experience. If you can, you might try turning off "top sites," that might be the source of the issue (older versions of Safari could occasionally corrupt the "Top Sites" db, causing many of the symptoms you describe).


Just curious and I would love to know how and where to turn Off Top Sites, ie: so they don't keep getting downloaded or added except perhaps using "Private Browsing". SL 10.6.8.

I managed to with Leopard by changing the write permissions on the, I believe the folder: ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.Safari/Webpage\ Previews directory


----------



## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

pm-r said:


> Just curious and I would love to know how and where to turn Off Top Sites,


Safari Prefs. Yer welcome:


----------



## pm-r (May 17, 2009)

SINC said:


> Safari Prefs. Yer welcome:


Thanks SINC, but that option only seems to remove the Top Sites icon from the Bookmarks Bar, and the Top Site images keep getting installed, ie: it doesn't *stop* them.

And why the Safari developers decided that I needed to have *TWO* bloody images stored for every single web page I visit, a jpg AND a png file, only God know I guess.

And yes, I include the top site clearing option when clearing my Safari history which helps a bit.


----------

