Web Browser - Troubleshooting Tips for Desktops and Laptops

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Summary

The follow sections detail common troubleshooting topics for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari web browsers.

Allow Pop-up Windows

Many KU web services use pop-up windows to display information. Depending on the service or the browser, you may need to allow pop-ups. Common KU services that use pop-ups include Enroll & Pay, HR/Pay, myKU, MyTalent, and the Student Housing app. To allow pop-ups for the KU domain in your browser, choose the appropriate article below.

Chrome

Chrome:

Open the Chrome settings by clicking the menu icon in the upper right and selecting Settings.
- You can also access the settings page directly by going to chrome://settings in Chrome.
Scroll down to the Privacy and Security section.
Click Site Settings from the bottom.
Scroll down and select Pop-ups and redirects.
Select Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects to unblock popups for all websites, or click the Add button across from Allowed to send pop-ups and type in [*.]ku.edu to only allow pop-ups from KU sites

OR

Edge

Click the three horizontal dots in the upper right corner of the browser
- You can also jump directly to the right page by searching for the URL edge://settings/content/popups in the location bar.
Click Settings.
Select Cookies and Site Permissions from the Settings sidebar.
Click Pop-ups from the site permissions options to add exceptions or change your settings.
Click "Add" in the Allow section to add an exception for KU websites.
Enter ku.edu (without quotes) and click Add.

The change should happen immediately; you need not restart Edge.

Firefox

These instructions detail how to unblock pop-ups for web pages in the KU domain in the Firefox browser. More information is available from Mozilla Support: Frequently Asked Questions.

Open Firefox.
Click the Menu icon.
Select Settings.
Select Privacy & Security.
Scroll down to Permissions and choose Exceptions. This button is next to the Block pop-up windows option.
Type ku.edu into the Address of website field.
Click Allow.
Click Save Changes then close the main Options window to return to Firefox.

Safari

In the Safari app, go to the website for which you want to allow pop-ups.
In the top left of your screen, click on Safari, then click on Settings....
Click Websites.
Click Pop-up Windows in the left menu (scroll down if you cannot see it).
In the pop-up windows menu, choose Allow.
If you choose to select Block and Notify, you must allow pop-up windows by clicking the "Show" button in the Smart Search field (the box where you type website addresses into, at the top of Safari)

Clear Cache & Cookies

At times, cached files can cause errors on websites, including log-in issues and display problems. As a first step in resolving most website issues, KU IT recommends clearing the browser cache and cookies to see if that's the cause of the problem.

For all major browsers, pressing Ctrl + Shift + Del (or Cmd + Shift + Delete on macOS) will pull up the options for clearing your browser cache. More detailed instructions, including screen shots, are included for the following browsers.

After going through the process of clearing cache and cookies, it's recommend you close and reopen your browser.

Chrome

Chrome:

Click the 3 vertical dots at the top right of the Chrome window.
- You can also open the Clearing browsing data window by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Delete or Command + Shift + Delete on Mac. If the Clear Browser Data window opens, skip forward to step 5.
Select Settings.
Under Privacy and security select Clear browsing data.
Update the settings to the following:
- Time range: All time.
- Cookies and other site data: Checked.
- Cached images and files: Checked.
Click "Delete Data."
Close Google Chrome after clearing data.
Reopen your browser to access the site that was giving you trouble.

Edge

Edge:

Click the menu icon (which looks like three horizontal dots) in the upper-right corner of the browser.
Click Settings.
Click on the Cookies and site permissions tab on the left.
Select Manage and delete cookies and site data.
Click See all cookies and site data.
Click the Remove all button.
Click Clear.

Close all tabs and windows of Microsoft Edge that are open in order to complete the process.

Firefox

Firefox:

Option 1:

While in Firefox, press ctrl + shift + delete to bring up the history window.
- Make sure the Time range to clear option is set to Everything.
- Make sure Cookies and Cache are checked.
- Click Clear Now.
Please make sure to close completely out of your browser after the process is finished.

Option 2:

Click on the button with 3 horizontal lines that open the File menu.
Choose Settings.
Go to the Privacy & Security menu on the left, then hit Clear Data.
Click Clear.
Please make sure to close completely out of your browser after the process is finished.

If clearing cache and cookies does not resolve browser issues, try refreshing Firefox

Open Menu. Then, click Help.
Click More troubleshooting information.
Click Refresh Firefox on the right side of this page.
Click Refresh Firefox in the confirmation window.
Firefox will then restart, and this window will come up. Click Done.
Firefox will reopen to this page. Choose whether you want all or some tabs reopened, and click Let's go!

Safari

Safari:

Two methods:
1. Shortcut Method:
  - In the browser, press Command + Shift + Delete on your keyboard. Skip to step 4.
2. Preferences Method:
  - On the menu bar select Safari
Select Settings....
Select Privacy, then select Manage Website Data.
Select Remove All.
Select Remove Now.
Select Done.
Restart your browser.

Enable Third-Party Cookies

Systems such as Canvas and Microsoft Integration with OneDrive require you to allow Third-party Cookies. To enable third-party cookies in your browser, choose the appropriate method below.

Chrome

Chrome:

Click the menu icon in the top right corner; this icon looks like three vertical dots.
Select the Settings button in the drop-down menu.
Click Privacy and Security.
Click Third-party Cookies.
Click Allow third-party cookies.

Edge

Edge:

Click the menu icon in the top right corner; this icon looks like three horizontal dots.
Select the Settings button in the drop-down menu.
Click Cookies and sites permissions.
Click Manage and delete cookies and site data.
Ensure that Block third-party cookies is unchecked.

Firefox

Firefox:

Click the three-bar menu icon in the top right.
Select Settings.
Select Privacy & Security from the left sidebar.
Click Custom.
Ensure that Cross-site tracking cookies, and isolate other cross-site cookies is selected under the blocked cookies preferences.

Safari

Safari:

Occasionally you will need to enable third-party cookies in Safari, such as for using "Remember Me for 30 Days" with Duo or for certain media tools within Canvas courses.

Open Safari.
Click the Safari menu from the title bar along the top of the screen on your Mac.
Select Preferences. You can also open the preferences directly by holding the command and comma keys (Cmd+,) while Safari is open.
Select Privacy.
Confirm that the checkboxes next to Prevent cross-site tracking and Block all cookies are both not selected.
Close the Preferences window and restart the browser. You can do this by holding the command and Q keys (Cmd+Q) or by selecting "Quit Safari" from the Safari menu.

Open a Private Browsing Window

There are times when it is necessary to open a private browsing window, either to circumvent logged in accounts (without having to log out of them) or to prevent a website from accessing the browser cache. Check your browser below for instructions on how to open a private browsing window; there are typically two ways to do so.

Chrome

Chrome:

Click the menu icon in the upper right corner of the Chrome window. This icon looks like three dots.
Select New incognito window.

The Chrome incognito window opens with a grey user interface, and will say You have entered incognito mode.

Keyboard Shortcut:

Windows: Ctrl + Shift + N
macOS: Cmd + Shift + N

Edge

Edge:

Click the menu icon in the upper right corner of the Edge window. This icon looks like three dots.
Select New InPrivate Window.

The Edge InPrivate window opens with a grey UI, and will say "InPrivate Browsing" at the top of the page. The user avatar in the upper right (next to the menu icon) also displays InPrivate while using this window.

Keyboard Shortcut:

Windows: Ctrl + Shift + N
macOS: Cmd + Shift + N

Firefox

Firefox:

Click the menu icon in the upper right corner of the Firefox window. This icon looks like three horizontal lines.
Select New Private Window.

The Firefox private browsing window looks the same, and the new tab page has a purple background with the message, You’re in a Private Window.

Keyboard Shortcut:

Windows: Ctrl + Shift + P
macOS: Cmd + Shift + P

Safari

Safari:

Click the File menu on the Menu bar.
Select New Private Window.

Keyboard Shortcut:

macOS: Cmd + Shift + N

Safari uses a dark grey location bar to indicate a private browsing window. The new tab page also shows an alert at the top letting the user know that Private Browsing is enabled.

Trusted Sites

Setting a website as a trusted site notifies your web browser that the website is a reliable source and grants permission to your web browser to allow it to display anything from that website.

Chrome

Click the menu icon in the upper right corner of the Chrome window. This icon looks like three dots.
Select Settings.
Click Privacy and Security.
Click Third-party Cookies.
Under Sites allowed to use third-party cookies, click Add.
Enter [*.]ku.edu then click Add.

Edge

Open Control Panel and select Internet Options.
Click the Security tab and selelct Trusted Sites as the zone.
Click on Sites.
Enter the URL and click Add.

Firefox

Adding Trusted Sites to Firefox

Go to the site you want to add to your Allow list.
Tap the shield icon next to the address bar.
Tap the switch next to Enhanced Tracking Protection to turn off protection for that site.

That website will be added to your Allow list and Tracking Protection will turn off when you visit that site.

Safari

Enter website URL in the address bar.
Click the Share icon in the upper right side of the window.
Select Add Bookmark.
Under Add this page to:, then select the arrow for the drop-down menu and select Favorites.
Click Add.

Turning off Browser Extensions

Browser extensions allow programs to perform tasks within your web browser, such as grammar checking, screen display & appearance, and software integrations.

Chrome

On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, select More Extensions Manage extensions.
Turn the extension off by clicking on the slider.

Edge

Click the menu icon in the upper right corner of the Edge window. This icon looks like three dots.
Select Extensions.
Select Manage extensions.
Select the toggle next to the extension you want to turn off.

Firefox

Disabling an extension will turn it off without removing it.

Click the menu button, click Add-ons and themes, and select Extensions.
The Add-ons Manager Manage Your Extensions page will open in a new tab.
Scroll through the list of extensions, click the blue toggle for the extension you wish to disable.

Safari

Choose Safari > Settings (or Preferences), then click Extensions.
To turn off an extension, deselect its checkbox.

Viewing Saved Credentials

If you are able to access an account with a saved credential, but unable to log in with a typed password, you may be able to confirm the password you're typing against the saved credential on your device. To view the saved credentials, follow the instructions detailed below.

Note that a saved credential is not always or necessarily a correct one, and viewing it is no guarantee of access to an account.

Chrome

Chrome:

Click the menu icon in the upper right corner of the window. If you are using Chrome on macOS, open the Chrome menu on the title bar.
Select Settings.
Select Autofill and Passwords.
Click Google Password Manager.
Locate the credentials you want to view. You can use the search bar to narrow down the results.
Click the eye icon next to the password to view it. You will need to enter your computer password before you are able to view the saved credential.

OR

Click the menu icon in the upper right corner of the window
Select Passwords and autofill.
Click Google Password Manager.
Locate the credentials you want to view. You can use the search bar to narrow down the results.
Click the eye icon next to the password to view it. You will need to enter your computer password before you are able to view the saved credential.

Edge

Edge:

Click the menu icon in the upper right corner of the window.
Select Settings.
Choose Passwords in the Your Profile section.
Locate the credential you want to view.
Click the eye icon next to the password to view it. You can also click the three dots to the right of the password to choose the option to copy the password to your clipboard without viewing it.

Firefox

Firefox:

Click the menu icon in the upper right corner of the window.
Select Passwords.
- You can also type about:logins in the location bar to go directly to the Firefox password manager.
Click the credential you want to view. You can narrow down the list by using the Search bar.
Click the eye icon next to the password to view the saved password, or click Copy to copy the credentials.

Safari

Safari:

Open the Safari menu in the macOS title bar.
Select Settings....
Click Passwords.
Enter your computer password to gain access to the saved credentials.
Select a credential to view the saved password.

Article Changelog

4/15/2026

All article alt-text updated and article content reorganized into section headers.

1/24/2026

Article updated to basic visual standard.

Details

Article ID: 18760

Created

Thu 9/19/24 10:25 AM

Modified

Wed 4/15/26 1:30 PM

Web Browser - Troubleshooting Tips for Desktops and Laptops

Body

Summary

Allow Pop-up Windows

Chrome

Edge

Firefox

Clear Cache & Cookies

Chrome

Edge

Firefox

Enable Third-Party Cookies

Chrome

Edge

Firefox

Safari

Open a Private Browsing Window

Chrome

Edge

Firefox

Safari

Trusted Sites

Chrome

Edge

Firefox

Safari

Turning off Browser Extensions

Chrome

Edge

Firefox

Safari

Viewing Saved Credentials

Chrome

Edge

Firefox

Safari

Article Changelog

Details

Details

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