The web has changed drastically: web apps have become more common over the past decade, and billions of people are now connected through the web globally. There are several browsers available that dictate how most users receive content. Different users prefer using different browsers at their convenience.
But the problem that users might face is that when a website is launched it displays perfectly on browsers like IE, Firefox, and Chrome on Windows but when viewed using Safari on the Mac it may not. This is why testers must test websites or web apps on every possible platform before launching them.
The Safari web browser is not cross-platform; it is limited only to macOS and iOS. However, if testers want to check how their website looks on this browser but they don’t own a Mac they can use Safari for Windows or any other operating system by emulating this browser on Windows using a virtual machine with their computer as the server.
In this article, we will explore the Safari browser for Windows, including what Safari is, what its features are, and its benefits. While discussing we will also see if Safari is reliable for use on Windows, and what is the need for installing Safari for Windows. So let’s start.
Safari browser
Safari is the most popular web browser for macOS developed by Apple Inc. The browser is known for its incredible speed, energy efficiency, minimal resources usage and robust user privacy features, making it a tough competitor in the world of web browsers.
It is not just a simple but a high-performing web browser that allows users to access their saved passwords and credit cards through the iCloud Keychain. They can also view links, add their reading list, and pay for goods and services using Apple Pay, one of the secure contactless payment systems.
Some standout features of the Safari browser
Safari browser online has managed to impress its users by releasing the latest version very often with unique features and simple design. Some of the best features that make Safari stand out are mentioned below.
Improved intelligent tracking prevention- This feature restricts long-term tracking based on client-side first-party cookies to verify unwanted cache entries.
Dark mode for the web- This feature enables color scheme customizations for websites even in dark mode, making the browser more comfortable and calm by changing the color scheme. This makes web pages more accessible to read at night time.
Protection from unsafe sites- With this feature Safari users remain protected from fraudulent malware and adware websites. This is done by preventing these sites from loading and giving a warning if the site looks suspicious.
Tabbed browsing- This is opening and switching between multiple web pages in a single window.
Reader view- The Reader View feature simplifies web pages, making it easier to read articles without distractions by cleaning up the page, and removing ads, distractions, and confusing menus. Users can easily read on iPhones and iPads where some websites can be hard to navigate.
AirPlay- Apple AirPlay feature allows users to play audio, video, device screens, and photos, from a web page to their TV or any other device together. By clicking on the AirPlay icon on compatible videos users can watch them on different portable screens.
Forms autofill- This allows automatic and secure completion of online forms.
Resizable text fields- This allows resizing text fields on any website by just grabbing the corner and dragging.
Private browsing- Allows keeping users’ online activities private with a single click.
More browsing space- Safari is all about making the browsing experience better. The browser frame is single pixel wide, and users see a scroll bar only when they need it.
Full history search- Safari browser sometimes acts as a super-smart detective by providing a full history search to find a website users visited a long time ago.
Easy bookmarks- This is to organize the bookmarks just like users organize music in iTunes.
Pop-up blocking- This is to say goodbye to annoying pop-up ads and pop-under windows.
Inline find- This allows searching any text on any website with the integrated Find banner.
SnapBack- This allows instantly snap back to search results or the top level of a website.
Benefits of using Safari browser for Windows
There are various web browsers available but the release of Safari browsers has set the bar higher. Safari also runs smoothly on the user’s Windows PC. All of these have made browsing a joyful experience for users. Here we will discuss some of the benefits of using Safari.
Speed
Safari claims to be the world’s fastest browser. There is no need to wait for pages to load, ensuring a smooth browsing experience. Whether users are searching for something, checking the latest news, or current stock prices, Safari makes sure to provide everything that users need at blazing speed.
Privacy and security
Safari is the only browser that respects the user’s privacy. Its Intelligent Tracking Protection provides the latest update that blocks third-party tracking cookies and a built-in password manager for generating strong, unique passwords. When users load insecure pages it also provides added warnings to them. users can maintain their privacy by turning on Do Not Track, an emerging privacy standard.
Safari profiles
Safari Profiles lets users organize their tasks better. They can split their history, bookmarks, and other things into different profiles according to their personal and work tasks; they can even switch between them easily.
Autofill passwords
Remember passwords are no longer required, Safari users can enter into an account with the help of a face ID. They would have to enter their credentials once. Safari was the first browser to provide suggestions to users for an auto-generated super-strong password. Additionally, it offers saving passwords to a keychain.
Improved battery life
Safari is designed in such a way that enables users the opportunity to maximize their laptop’s battery life while browsing. It is great for saving battery compared to other browsers. Using Safari over other browsers like Chrome or Firefox costs as much as an hour of battery life daily.
Intuitive User Interface
Safari provides a clean and intuitive user interface with a unified search and address bar, a bookmarks bar, and a customizable start page. The top-right corner provides buttons for functions like adding bookmarks, viewing browsing history, and managing extensions.
Why use Safari for Windows
Due to the ever-evolving advancements in the tech industry, the demand for Safari browser for Windows OS has been on the rise to make the application cross-platform.
Safari is the default browser for macOS and its older versions are available for Windows users, but there are no more updates from Safari for Windows. The last update of Safari was released in 2012, and since then; Apple has discontinued the service due to compatibility and security-related issues.
You may probably wonder, why bother installing Safari for Windows if there is no official release for years of the Safari browser to come from Apple. For day-to-day use of a regular user of Windows, it is not recommended to install it as it is now outdated. They can use better options like MS Edge, Chrome, or Firefox which are available with the latest features and security updates. But for developers, designers, and UI testers it comes in handy, they may use an older version of Safari on Windows for testing purposes.
Safari being an easy-to-use web browser with unique functions and tools, gives a competitive edge over other browsers in the market. Therefore the Safari browser for Windows operating system has been adjusted for usability as the best alternative to browsers built with Google’s Chromium engine.
How do you test Websites on Safari without having a Mac?
Safari is the native default browser of Apple devices. It is an ideal browser for testing any web application or website because of its fast responsiveness.
However, being a platform-specific browser, it cannot be used on other platforms. If testers and website developers want to use it for testing purposes on other platforms they need to have access to a Mac (iMac or Macbook).
To address this problem, There are various ways that testers can implement to test their web application on the Safari browser without owning a Mac.
Read also:How Much Does Windows 11 Cost? Pricing Breakdown
Using a virtual machine
There is no need to worry if testers don’t have a Mac to run their tests on the Safari browser. With the help of a macOS virtual machine, they can easily conduct testing on a Windows local host using their PC or system as the server.
By configuring a few settings at the hardware and the software level, for example, choosing the amount of disk space and RAM to allocate to each operating system, testers can perform testing as they would on a native macOS environment. However, their computer must have enough power to sustain this configuration.
LambdaTest offers a reliable hosted virtual machine with different operating systems and browsers, including Safari on macOS for user interaction.
Getting remote access to macOS device
Having access to a physical macOS device, testers can remotely connect to it from their Windows machine using various remote desktops. This enables them to control and test Safari on the macOS device without needing to physically access it.
Using Cross-Browser testing tools
Running a website on multiple browsers is imperative to ensure a seamless user experience. Opting for special cross-browser testing tools is the best option to overcome the challenge of testing websites on Safari without a Mac. These tools involve checking cross-browser compatibility by seeing how the website or web app looks and functions across multiple browsers as well as mobile devices in one go.
Numerous cross-browser testing tools are available to choose from, and they are ideal for testing various websites on Safari. LambdaTest is one such AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that allows testing websites on various browsers including Safari without any additional cost. Using this platform testers can access and test Safari on real macOS environments directly from the Windows machine through a web browser.
It also allows running the latest version of the web browsers that are not compatible with the user’s operating system, including the latest version of Safari, which is not available on Windows.
LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform where users can perform manual and automated testing at scale by running a combination of multiple operating systems and browsers of their choice at once. It is a highly scalable platform that allows users to perform both real-time and automation testing by providing access to a cloud of more than 3000 environments, real mobile devices, and browsers.
With its automated screenshots and recording videos, testers can easily find complicated bugs, analyze test runs, and immediately share reports via Slack, Microsoft Teams, and more to deliver bug-free websites and apps. Additionally, to speed up test execution and get test results faster it allows running tests in parallel.
Conclusion
Safari browser stands out for its cool feature set that offers a blend of simplicity and efficiency, making it easy for everyone. If a tester wishes to use an older version of Safari browser on Windows for testing purposes they can install the browser from unofficial online platforms.
However, this procedure could be better for a regular Windows user for day-to-day use. For a streamlined and secure browsing experience users may consider looking for alternative browsing solutions, because it has been quite a long time since Safari has yet to introduce any recent Windows official update.
