Why safari won't ask to save certain user/password?

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Level 1

10 points

Why safari won't ask to save certain user/password?

Hello, I am new to Macs and this forums.

I'm having a small problem with safari is not asking me to save the username and password for certain sites, why is that? I understand that paypal has the "autocomplete=off" but I was able to edit the webcore, so now PayPal is saved. Yes I know that this might be dangerous but my computer never leaves my house.

so its *not asking* for:
MacRumors.com
Hotfile.com
MacUpdate.com
BilletService.no

and *it is asking/saving* for:
PayPal.com
Fileserve.com
drupal.org
deviantart.com
flickr.com (yahoo)
eBay.com
facebook.com
Google.com
etc..

why could this be?

MacBook Pro i7 2.8 8GB, Mac OS X (10.6.6), Safari 5.0.3 (6533.19.4)

Posted on Jan 20, 2011 6:20 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Carolyn Samit

Level 10

165,615 points

Jan 20, 2011 10:15 AM in response to philberndt

Hi,

Go to Safari / Preferences then select the Autofill tab.

Make sure: user names and passwords is selected.

If that box was already checked, open Keychain Access. Select Passwords on the left. Delete all keychains for sites you have problems logging into to.

The next time you visit a site that requires a user name and password, type that information in then click Yes when prompted. A new keychain will be saved for you.

While you have the Keychain Access app open, from the menu bar click Keychain Access / Keychain First Aid. Enter your admin password then select the Verify button, click Start. If necessary, click Repair.

Carolyn 🙂

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Answer 2

philberndt Author

Level 1

10 points

Jan 20, 2011 12:16 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

thank you Carolyn, but, Safari has never asked me to save these passwords, so they are not on the KeyChain, it's just on the mentioned sites that the passwords are not asked for; MacRumors.com, Hotfile.com, MacUpdate.com, BilletService.no and _NEW ONE_ namecheap.com.

Autofill turned on (other sites are working).
I have never clicked on "Never save password for this site."

this is really frustating

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Answer 3

Jan 20, 2011 12:28 PM in response to philberndt

Hi,

If you have anti virus software installed, that could be part of the problem.

Try logging into another account on your Mac. See if Safari will save login data there. Make sure and go to Safari / Preferences - Autofill and check the: *user names and passwords* box first.

Check Safari / Preferences - Extensions. Might be an extension preventing you from saving login info.

Could be a third party plugin. Troubleshooting help for that here.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3230?viewlocale=en_US

🙂

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Answer 4

philberndt Author

Level 1

10 points

Jan 20, 2011 1:07 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

Ok, still no luck:

No Anti-Virus installed
Cleaned all folder indicated in http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3230?viewlocale=en_US
Removed Extensions
Created a new user account and tested it there.

Could you make an account in one of the sites to see if its just me?

thank you.

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Answer 5

Jan 20, 2011 1:32 PM in response to philberndt

Created a new user account and tested it there.

What happened when you tried Safari and logging into sites there? If you still had problems there, then in your admin account launch Disk Utility. Select MacintoshHD in the Sidebar on the left then select the FirstAid tab then click: Verify Disk.

If Disk Utility reports problems, follow the instructions here.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1782?viewlocale=en_US

I don't want to create a login for a site I won't use but I don't have any problems with autofill on Facebook or Google, so I don't think it's the sites. Some banking and investments sites won't allow for autofill.

🙂

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Answer 6

philberndt Author

Level 1

10 points

Jan 20, 2011 1:55 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

Carolyn Samit wrote:
What happened when you tried Safari and logging into sites there?

Safari did not ask to save passwords for hotfile.com or macrumors.com

FYI, facebook and google are working with no problems.

did the disk check and it checks out fine.

Well i would like to thank you for all your support but I will give this up, i will try to see how things go with 1password and maybe i'll buy it.

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Answer 7

Jan 20, 2011 2:37 PM in response to philberndt

That's a shame to purchase a third party password utility, but give it a try. Make sure and always check for updates for 1Password. It's up to the developer of the software to update their software when Apple updates Safari.

*Try this first before you try* 1Password. Repair permissions in your admin account.

Launch Disk Utility. (Applications/Utilities) Select MacintoshHD in the panel on the left, select the FirstAid tab. Click: Repair Disk Permissions. When it's finished from the Menu Bar, Quit Disk Utility and restart your Mac. If you see a long list of "messages" in the permissions window, it's ok. As long as you see, "Permissions Repair Complete" when it's finished... you're done.

If you see any warnings re: SUID messages, they can be safely ignored, information here: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1448?viewlocale=en_US 

Restart your Mac. See if that makes a difference.

Thank you for the stars 🙂

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Answer 8

60wpm

Level 2

146 points

Jan 29, 2011 1:39 AM in response to Carolyn Samit

Thanks Carolyn for all the good info about Keychain Access, cookies, Autofill, etc. -- I think this is the right track for this issue/problem.

Alas, I have tried your first few ideas --learned a bit -- but no success; but will follow up on the useful links you have to support documents.

Meanwhile, I do two things:
1. I've shortened my Administrator password to two (2) letters. (Nobody else uses this computer).
2. I use Firefox and it has an Extension called iMacro and you can record a sequence of keystrokes, clicks and text entry and then Save that and then Play it when you want to log in to sites that won't auto-remember your password. This is useful for my Bank Account, which never has saved my password.

Meanwhile...thanks for your ideas. I hack around a bit more.

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Answer 9

60wpm

Level 2

146 points

Feb 11, 2011 5:49 AM in response to 60wpm

Two weeks after my post, above:

I Solved the Problem - I reinstalled Mac OSX 10.6.6 (It was rather painless)

My Mail is working again. Safari now also again remembers passwords.

Um...There use to be, in the recent past, an 'Archive and Install,' features but this appears to be gone. So I just:
1. Backed up all data to an external Firewire drive using Time Machine
2. Inserted my Mac OSX Installation disk, carefully selected 'Customize,' unchecked everything except 'Essential System Software." Clicked Install.

Nothing on my computer was disrupted or lost. I didn't need to Restore from Time Machine. Mail and Safari now working as they should. (Note: all this with latest Snow Leopard).

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Answer 10

JGuess92

Level 1

0 points

Jan 20, 2016 6:02 PM in response to philberndt

I am hoping that years later you have figured this out. I was able to figure out a workaround that worked for me. So, in case anyone in the future needs to fix this problem, I thought I would share...

If you need to change your password for a site you had an old password and Safari does not prompt you to change your password when you login with your new one:

1) Safari > Preferences > Passwords > Select website that you need to update your password > Click "Remove"

Then to re-add your new password or to add a password for a site that you were never prompted...

2) Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access > Add (+ button on bottom of window)

3) Copy & paste website url to line that says "Keychain Item Name"

4) Account Name = your user name for that site

5) Password = your password or updated password for that site

6) Click "Add"

Then.... go to that site (make sure you are logged all the way out). Go to the url and Safari should Autofill your data.

Hope this helps someone in the future!

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