Using Safari with proxy server credentials

Recently I have installed Apple’s Safari browser and found a problem with my proxy server. My proxy server requires credentials, in the case of IE and Firefox this is my Windows account credentials which the browser will automatically present. Other browsers like Opera and Chrome ask me to enter my username and password before the first page is rendered. they even have a checkbox to remember the credentials so I am not prompted before every page request.

With Safari the experience we pretty much as expected, after installation I was prompted for my credentials before the first page like this.

The problem with Safari is that if you select the “Remember my password” checkbox it does remember the credentials however it will never ask for you to re-enter them. This would not be a problem but unfortunately I am required to change my password periodically. Other browsers will try with the saved password and then prompt me to re-enter my credentials however Safari does not it just silently fails to connect to the internet like this.

There is a solution but it was not straightforward to find.

The first thing I tried was to attempt to reset Safari so that it would forget that I had told it to remember my credentials. I did try Reset Safari… from the Settings menu

There even appeared to be an option that would specifically reset my credentials, however it didn’t work.

I did try searching the internet for an answer however all I found was someone who was obviously having the same problem on the apple site. Eventually I stumbled over the answer by chance a colleague had the same problem and was able to provide a solution.

The solution is to delete the keychain file as shown here, obviously this file will be in a folder named after your username. Also please note that deleting this file worked for me, it might cause your computer to explode or your cat to run away, use this advice with caution and at your own risk. I would think it is prudent to save the keychain file before you delete it.

I would have added this advise to the question thread on the apple support site however the thread has been closed, without an answer, so I cannot add to it. Ho hum.

After deleting the keychain file, the next time that Safari was used it prompted me for my credentials again, I now need to delete this file every time I change my password.