Can't edit address book in OSX 10.7

Try turning syncing with MobileMe off, temporarily.

If that doesn't fix the problem (with syncing still turned off), back up the address book with File, Export, Address Book Archive. Close Address Book. Go to your user/Library/Application Support/AddressBook folder and delete the addressbook-v22.abcddb file and reopen Address Book.

If you get it cleared up, then try turning syncing back on.

I am on 10.7 & no matter what I did i couldn't find the Library/ApplicationSupport/AddressBook folder that almost everyone insists is there (well a number of frustrated forum users can't find it). I even 'revealed all hidden folders' in Application Support & searched under Spotlight ... nothing, yet Finder>Services>Reveal found it there!! (credit to Linc Davis https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4459878?answerId=20112285022#20112285022

Now I could delete the Addressbook-v22.abcdmr file. I did this, re-opened my address book app (the Addressbook-v22.abcdmr file returns) and Presto! ... so has my Edit button at the bottom of the Address Book app ... it's taken my a few hours over a few months to get that sorted ... now, back to my life. 😀

Linc Davis wrote:

Triple-click the line below to select it:
~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook
Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select Services▹ Reveal from the contextual menu. What happens?

Hi there

I've tried all of these solutions for Address Book on my MacBook Pro and nothing works for me.

I still can't edit and the change happened when I established an iCloud account to sync too.

The new contacts I added this morning aren't showing on my iPhone yet so I don't know if I can edit them there.

I've tried:

* deleting MailRecents-v4.abcdmrand AddressBook-v22.abcddb but can't empty the trash as 'files in use' even if the program's not open

* tried Terminal commands

* turned syncing off then on again

Are there any more options out there???

Thanks

Cat

Aha!!! This Troubleshooting worked for me::

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3998

Expand:

Troubleshooting iCloud Contacts update or setup issues with Contacts on OS X Mountain Lion (or Address Book on OS X Lion)

Turn iCloud Contacts off and back on.

1. Quit Contacts (or Address Book on OS X Lion).
2. Open System Preferences, and choose iCloud.
3. Remove the checkmark in the checkbox next to Contacts. Click Keep Contacts.
4. Close System Preferences, and wait about a minute.
5. Open System Preferences, and choose iCloud.
6. Replace the checkmark next to Contacts.
7. Close System Preferences.
8. Open Contacts (or Address Book) and test to see if the issue has been resolved.

I tried this but when I deselect Contacts in iCloud preferences the preferences freeze and I have to force quit to close it. If I reopen system preference, iCloud shows Contacts synching selected again.

If I log in to iCloud and look at my contact there, my address book is empty except for a couple of wierd contacts.

Can anyone suggest a solution?

See my post above, and note that the same index file is in each sub folder of the Sources folder. Deleting all of them should clean up the indexes.

I can't turn off Mobile Me synching. Preferences crash if I try to do this...

How do you still have Mobile Me syncing?

Try it without turning it off.

Hi Barney,

Thanks for your help.

Sorry, I meant iCloud. I had just read your previous older post that refered to Mobile Me.

I can't archive address book either.

When I open Address Book after a few seconds my computer slows down to the point where no applications work at all and address book will not function.

On Apple Help Line advice, I upgraded OS to Mountain Lion yesterday to cure this, but this has made it worse. If I open address book I have to restart to be able to do anything.

I now have 30 years of contacts that I can't access. My previous address book, Dynodex, worked fast and perfectly for 20+ years until an OS upgrade made it incompatible and I had to import contacts to Address Book. Since then I had more and more problems. Now I am quite disgruntled....

To back up, make a copy of the AddressBook folder. That is all the Address Book Archive does, except giving it a .abbu extension.

Boot into Safe Mode and see if you can open Address Book and work with it and/or work with the iCloud preferences.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1455