Safari address bar keeps going missing

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Level 1

1 points

Safari address bar keeps going missing

Most days when I launch Safari there is no address bar there. I can get it from the menus or by hitting Cmd+L. If I click on a link in a page it goes again. The only way to keep it is to open another tab from a shortcut (I have a few in the dock) when the address bar is visible. From then on (during that session) the address bar will stay. If I open a new tab the address bar is there, but if I open a new window it is not. When I turn the machine off and come back to it the next day we start all over again. Just some of the time when I start in the morning the address bar is there. More often than not it isn't (must depend on the direction of the wind or something). This has been going on for ages now. Nobody seems to have any ideas. It would be great to find a solution.

Posted on Apr 17, 2011 11:10 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Eme

Level 5

5,636 points

Apr 17, 2011 11:18 AM in response to jhmaw

Have you tried Safari in a new or test account? If not I'd start there.

System preferences, System, Accounts click the + create a new account.

🙂

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Answer 2

Apr 17, 2011 11:30 AM in response to jhmaw

Hi,

From your Safari menu bar click Safari / Preferences then select the Extensions tab. If you have any installed, turn that off, then relaunch Safari.

If you don't have any Extensions installed, go back to Safari / Preferences and select the Security tab. Deselect: Enable plug-ins. Relaunch Safari. If that made a difference, then you have a Safari unsupported add on installed that causing the glitch. Troubleshooting help for that here. http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3230?viewlocale=en_US

Carolyn 🙂

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Answer 3

jhmaw Author

Level 1

1 points

Apr 17, 2011 3:28 PM in response to Eme

Hi Eme.

Thanks for the reply. Safari a test account seems to behave OK (on first test anyway). Strange thing is that I had the same (bad) behaviour on my previous install of the operating system on another partition, but maybe that is because I copied my user folder from the old install to the new one.

I assume that would suggest that the problem is in my user folder. I am guessing that the next step is to remove the Safari plist files that are in the user folder one at a time and see if that helps? That is about the extent my knowledge, so if I have that wrong I would appreciate the guidance.

Many thanks.

John

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Answer 4

jhmaw Author

Level 1

1 points

Apr 17, 2011 3:29 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

Hi Carolyn.

Thanks for the reply. I already had Extensions off but Enable Plug-ins was on (although I don't think I have any), so I turned it off. Still the same behaviour. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Many thanks.

John

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Answer 5

Apr 17, 2011 3:35 PM in response to jhmaw

Troubleshooting the Safari .plist file.

Quit Safari.

Open a Finder window. Select your Home Folder in the Sidebar on the left. It has a small house icon. Then open the Library folder then the Preferences folder.

Move the com.apple.Safari.plist file from the Preferences folder to the Desktop.

Relaunch Safari. If that made a difference, move the .plist file to the Trash. Otherwise, move it back to the Preferences folder.

🙂

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Answer 6

Apr 17, 2011 3:44 PM in response to jhmaw

Hello,

By your description it seems that you have just hidden the toolbar.

Try the first option in the View menu (Show Toolbar).

Toggling the toolbar can be done via a keyboard shortcut, command-shift-\, maybe that's what hid it in the first place.

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Answer 7

jhmaw Author

Level 1

1 points

Apr 17, 2011 3:49 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

Hi Carolyn.

That certainly looks to have fixed it. It's behaving as normal (well, normal for most people) now. Thank you very much.

By removing that plist file have I lost anything other than my preference settings in Safari?

Thanks again for the help.

John

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Answer 8

BillMBP

Level 1

10 points

Apr 17, 2011 3:56 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

FYI: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1138099

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Answer 9

Apr 17, 2011 4:16 PM in response to jhmaw

By removing that plist file have I lost anything other than my preference settings in Safari?

No, you are good to go.

😎

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Answer 10

jhmaw Author

Level 1

1 points

Apr 17, 2011 5:01 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

Many thanks. Really appreciate it. All the best.

John

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Answer 11

Apr 17, 2011 5:05 PM in response to jhmaw

You're welcome John 🙂

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Answer 12

Eme

Level 5

5,636 points

Apr 17, 2011 5:43 PM in response to Eme

I'm happy to hear you've sorted your missing toolbar John, thank you for letting us know.

Mia

Message was edited by: Eme - p.s - gorgeous photos John!

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Answer 13

jhmaw Author

Level 1

1 points

Apr 19, 2011 12:44 PM in response to jhmaw

Spoke too soon. This morning Safari started up without the address bar again. I hoped it was a one-off, but have just restarted the computer and same again. As before I can get it back, but it will go if I click on anything within a web page. The only way to "fix" it for is to use a shortcut to a page that I have placed in the dock and open a second tab. Then the address bar stays put in that window and sometimes (sometimes not) when opening new windows.

Very puzzling.

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Answer 14

Jan 21, 2012 8:11 PM in response to jhmaw

Address bar was missing for days. Feeling like a traitor I started to use Firefox. Finally I called a savvy friend, wasted an hour of time trying all the suggestions on this page, then went into 'View' again and under View I noticed and clicked "reset toolbar", and - eureka! There it was: the Address and Search bar, just waiting to be dragged back into the Toolbar from whence I must have carelessly dragged it out!

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Answer 15

Feb 12, 2012 8:26 PM in response to jhmaw

Try right clicking on the tab and then click on Hide Tool Bar.

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