134 MACWORLD JUNE 2019
HELPDESK MAC 911back (or consulting it via
JavaScript on the credit
union’s webpage) that
causes the server the
expel the error. I expect in
my case it’s because I
have both business and
personal accounts at the
institution, and log in and
out of them at different
times. The error is in their
system design, which
doesn’t create unique
tokens for each session,
and thus retrieves data
meant for another account and has a little
software meltdown.
You can check whether stored website
data is the problem by opening a private
browser tab in Safari (File → New Private
Window), visiting the site, and logging in.
Private browsing windows don’t send any
stored information, cookies or otherwise,
and only retain site-specific details for as
long as the tab in the private browsing
window remains open. Launching another
browser can let you cross check as well,
like Chrome or Firefox.
If the site loads fine in private browsing
or another browser, the problem then is
surely stored data. Safari lets you purge
data on a domain-by-domain basis:
- In Safari, select Safari > Preferences.
- Click the Privacy button.
3. Click Manage Website Data.
4. In the Search box at the upper right,
enter part or all of the domain of site in
question. It’s best to enter the least amount
of information. So if the domain is bank.
com, but they have secure.bank.com and
loans.bank.com you enter just bank.com. - Select the items that match, click
Remove All, and confirm the removal. This
only deletes locally stored information, not
material from the remote site. - Close the preferences dialog box
and log in fresh.
(Note in step 4 that you may have to
wait for a while for the data to load if you
are a heavy browser user. For me, on many
occasions, the list never populates—it just
says “Loading Website Data” indefinitely. I
have to close the dialog and open it again,
The Manage Website Data area lets me delete locally stored
data associated with a site, like cookies and databases.