Safari Won't Reopen To HomePage in Lion

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Level 3

563 points

Safari Won't Reopen To HomePage in Lion

Just installed Lion on three computers but on one, a 2010 Macbook Air, when I launch Safari it opens with a blank address bar. In Safari preferences I have the homepage I want showing properly and if I click on the hompage icon on the tool bar it takes me to the correct homepage but if I restart/relaunch Safari I always get the blank address field. I did remove the com.apple.safari.plist from the preferences folder but after I reconfigured evrything I'm still getting the blank window. On my other two computers Safari is working properly. Can anyone help?

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7), 2010

Posted on Jul 20, 2011 12:06 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 20, 2011 12:57 PM in response to Pappasbike

It's not Lion that is causing this. This is also happening on Snow Leopard. It is the new version 5.1 of Safari.

Apple changed the way new windows open. If you set the "New windows open with" preference to "Homepage", then ALL new windows will now open with your homepage setting, including the initial startup window. Unfortunately, I used to like having the ability to set that preference to "Same Page" while startup would auto open my homepage. Safari (and still all other browsers) used to automatically open your homepage upon launch. This now apparently, is not possible. Maybe it's an inadvertent bug, but if not, if enough people complain, maybe they will change it back.

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Answer 2

Pappasbike Author

Level 3

563 points

Jul 20, 2011 1:14 PM in response to Mark Calice

This is a first for me. Under Snow Leopard all this worked properly, relaunching Safari took me to my homepage and new windows opened to the same page. On two of my computers with Lion it still works this way but on my Macbook Air relaunching Safari just goes to a blank window.

I take that back I just checked the other machines and their Safari preference was set to open new windows with the homepage. That's why my Macbook Air didn't do this, its preference was still set to open to the same page. But prior to Lion all woud open to the homepage when Safari was launched and using the File menu to open a new window would open to the same page. I'm now thoroughly confused but the behavior is different with Lion and whatever version of Safari that came with it.

Message was edited by: Pappasbike

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Answer 3

Jul 20, 2011 1:47 PM in response to Pappasbike

No matter what setting I use Safari always returns to the last web page I used. It did not do this under Snow Leopard. I have cleared the cache and set and reset that it should open to my homepage.

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Answer 4

Pappasbike Author

Level 3

563 points

Jul 20, 2011 3:35 PM in response to William Hamilton2

Under Safari preferences, general is the option to have new windows open to the same page or homepage. I had to select homepage for this, now Safari opens to the homepage when I launch it. However now all new windows open to that page as well which is not what I want but apparently there's no way to have that option as well.

Under System Preferences, general pane there is the option to have application windows open to the same view when quitting and re-opening them. You might try unchecking that to see if it helps also.

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Answer 5

Jul 20, 2011 3:52 PM in response to Pappasbike

Thanks the System Preferences setting that finally solved it.

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Answer 6

Jul 20, 2011 3:56 PM in response to Pappasbike

Hi.

I also found the solution that worked.

Go to System Preferences/click General/ Make the check box "Restore windows when quitting and re-opening apps" emty.

Safari will now open in the home page if you have set that in Safari's preferences.

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Answer 7

Jul 20, 2011 10:38 PM in response to Pappasbike

Yes, that worked.. unchecking "Restore windows when quitting and re-opening apps" under "Number of recent items:" in General pane of System Preference. Thank you, Mr Peter! 🙂

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Answer 8

Jul 21, 2011 12:43 AM in response to Pappasbike

It has to be a bug. if it has been changed for a reason, I'm sure curious as to what that reason might be.

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Answer 9

philout

Level 1

0 points

Jul 21, 2011 3:32 AM in response to Pappasbike

Would you guys mind if I put some trouble into this post ?? 🙂

I was used to use Top Sites as a default home page and whenever I opened a new tab or window on Snow Leopard (previous version of Safari 5.1), and now, even the box unchecked box in the General Preferences, I still get my last visited page opened whenever I launch Safari after quitting it with the Command-Q shortcut....

I've read on forums that is caused by the "resume" feature of Lion...

How the **** can we turn that off ??

Also I have the same problem under Aperçu.................. and they call it "change", "revolutionnary" ???

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Answer 10

Jul 21, 2011 9:12 AM in response to Sergeant Karma

Unfortunately, there is no "Restore windows when quitting and re-opening apps" under General prefs in Snow Leopard.

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Answer 11

Jul 21, 2011 2:09 PM in response to Pappasbike

I am using Safari 5.1 and Lion. It worked as expected when it was Safari 5.0 and Snow Leopard. Not sure what caused the problem, Lion (most likely) or Safari. I'm finding more and more things about this "Upgrade" that are really a step or 4 backwards. getting annoyed.

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Answer 12

Jul 21, 2011 9:09 PM in response to Pappasbike

Yes, it must be a bug. The way to get around it is to close all Safari windows first, then Quit Safari. Seriously, you now need TWO actions to correctly close Safari where previously you only needed ONE. Ugh!

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Answer 13

Jul 21, 2011 10:48 PM in response to Pappasbike

I agree with the frustration. Although, I have found that you can press cmd-option-q to Quit and discard Windows which will allow Safari to open your Home page on startup. I expect that you should also be able to hold down the Option key and clicking Quit if you're a mouser instead of a keyboard rat. This keeps it down to one step instead of two.

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Answer 14

Jul 22, 2011 3:45 AM in response to Pappasbike

Frustrating.

I hate it when Apple change things, and don't tell you. I used to open Safari to a folder in my bookmarks bar. It would open three tabs, all being the days news. Loved it.

Now, with Lion and Safari 5.1, it ALWAYS goes to the last tabs open. I've switched the "restore windows..." setting in system prefs, general, as well as setting in Safari prefs, new window opens with "tabs for homepage". Nup. Still doesn't work.

It really makes me wonder how much testing they do before release. Sure, there may be no bugs as such, but changing the fundamental way a very common program opens, and apparently not leaving any way of fixing it...

Arghhhh!!!!!

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Answer 15

Jul 22, 2011 8:37 AM in response to jcbigears

The first time I unchecked the box in System Prefs, Safari did not change its behaviour. I then changed the Recent Applications pop-up to None and then Safari worked as before. I've since changed the Recent Apps back to 10 and Safari still acts as before and opens the Home page upon startup. This whole "Opening the last windows" thing in Safari was causing me a huge problem last night as I had gone to a site that had redirected me to a spam sort of site that was hanging Safari. I would Quit Safari but end up right back there when starting Safari. It was like an infinite loop that I couldn't get easily out of. I'm not particularly fond of this behaviour in safari or any other app for that matter. The fixes mentioned in previous posts with some tweaking does appear to fix this though. I would rather this be a manageable setting within Safari Prefs instead of being a global change in System Prefs.

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