All Internet Browsers Have Disappeared

For starters... if your browsers (or any applications) are randomly disappearing, it would seem you have a more significant problem. This is, however, unlikely. When you say Firefox and Safari have "disappeared", do you mean they no longer appear in your dock? If that is the case, you should be able to find them in your Applications folder as well (Safari would be there by default... you would have to actually put Firefox there). If they are not in your Applications folder, just type "firefox" in Spotlight to see if it finds the locations for you (you may have accidentally moved it). If you did accidentally delete it, it would still be in your trash (provided you have not emptied it). If all else fails, if you can get access to any other computer with internet access, you can download the installers for Safari and Firefox and simply put them on an inexpensive USB flash drive and then re-install them on your Mac. The installer for Safari should also be on your restore media in a folder called "Optional Install".

"and the default"

As far as I know, Safari is the default browser. Which browser do you have that is "default?"

If you cannot locate your browsers original apps within the Application folder, then use Spotlight to search for them.

Try running +repair disk+ from your *software install DVD* and afterwards, run +repair permissions+ *from your HD.*


If your browsers still are missing after doing the above and the previous poster's suggestions, then you will need to custom install Safari from the install DVD & update it from Software Update. Firefox & all your other browsers will need to be downloaded from their website.