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I am using Safari 14.1.2 on macOS 10.14.6, and when I try to open a http page in Safari (typing an address as "http://..." (without an "s")) I get the error

Safari can’t open the page “https://...” because Safari can’t establish a secure connection to the server “...”.

Is there a way to open such a page nevertheless in Safari? This is for testing purposes only, (to test the rendering of this non-public page, visible only through VPN), so there is no security concern? I know what I am doing!

Any option or preferences I can change so Safari can open a http page?

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  • Did you include the protocol ("http:") when typing the address?
    – nohillside ♦
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 10:59
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    Yes, the address started with "http:// ...", but safari added a "s" on its own
    – Alex
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 11:32
  • What is the full address you're entering? (the key to why Safari automatically went to https might lie here)
    – jksoegaard
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 11:50
  • jks is correct HSTS is likely at play, but we need to know more about what specific URL you are hitting to help you with steps to diagnose if the linked question doesn’t sort it. Some days HSTS feels more like Home Sewage Treatment System and not a security feature
    – bmike ♦
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 18:39

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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There is the chance that Safari is remembering past HTTPS redirection. Open Safari > Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data. Search for the website and delete it's entry (this will clear caches, local stored data about the website, and HSTS policies which redirect HTTP to HTTPS preemtively).

If this doesn't fix the issue, then the site is redirecting to HTTPS for you, when it shouldn't be. The site will need to be reconfigured not to do this.

You can circumvent it because there are two types of HTTPS issues:

  1. Invalid/expired/non-trusted certificate: this issue can be circumvented by asking Safari to ignore the problem and continue on
  2. Unable to establish secure connection: communicating over HTTPS is failing completely. There's nothing to override because the line of communication is not working. It must be switched back to regular HTTP to fix.
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    I removed all websites in Open Safari > Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data, but it still does not work. The "http://" is being replaced by "https://" again.
    – Alex
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 14:16
  • @Alex Then it is the server doing this, you can't change it. The server is saying "communicate with HTTPS" - but when Safari follows its instructions, the server is saying "what's HTTPS"
    – Ezekiel
    Commented Feb 7, 2022 at 20:11
  • I am having the same issue with my localhost on macOS Mojave > Safari 14.1.2
    – anjanesh
    Commented Apr 22, 2023 at 5:01

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