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Help all of a sudden I can't open my address book!?!

I can't open my address book. Whe I click on it and the menu bar on the top changes to address book but nothing shows on my screen. If I right click and choose "show all windows" then it appears but disappears when I try to click on it to use it. Any ideas how I could fix this? I have tried shutting down and restarting my computer.

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on Apr 18, 2012 5:45 PM

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48 replies

Apr 19, 2012 1:02 PM in response to rachelfromnapier

It's just a general pref file for AB nothing to with your contacts. As you see, it rebuilds itself.


Create a new User go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > "+" (make it an admin acct) and test the apps in this new account, if they work the problem is isolated to your User and not systemwide.


If the issue is limited to your user account try starting up in Safe Mode (It will take more time to startup because it runs a directory check.)


If your apps functions correctly that way, go to System Preferences >> Accounts >> Login Items and remove them. Boot normally and test.


If the issue is systemwide then, you may be able to repair by booting cmd-r to your recovery Volume and re-installing Lion. This will be an "install in place" and shouldn' teffect your data and settings.

Apr 19, 2012 4:44 PM in response to macjack

It is only isolated to my user, the test user I set up worked fin as do my children's accounts which have parental controls. I can't seem to get the computer to start in safemode (or at least can't see anything that tells me that I am in safe mode). Following the instructions in your link I shut the computer down, then held down shift after the tone.

Apr 19, 2012 8:44 PM in response to rachelfromnapier

Are you using iCloud? If so, sign out of iCloud and see if you can open AB.


If not, Quit AddressBook and delete this file: com.apple.AddressBook.savedState/ located in the Home Library/ Saved Application State folder.


If that doesn't work, go to Home Library and open Address Book Plug-ins folder and move the contents to the desktop. Open AddressBook and check.

Apr 19, 2012 9:16 PM in response to Glenn Leblanc

hi Glenn, I am using Icloud so have signed out of that - a little scary as it deleted all my work appointments out of calender. But I am trusting that it will all come back when I sign back in 🙂.


I can't find the file that you want me to remove. More to the point I can't find the saved application state folder. I have found the library folder but am not sure if this is the same or different to the home library? Sorry I am still a bit of a novice when it comes to macs.

Apr 19, 2012 9:59 PM in response to rachelfromnapier

Back up all data if you haven’t already done so. Before proceeding, you must be sure you can restore your system to the state it’s in now.


Quit Address Book if it’s running. If you use iCloud, disable contact synchronization in the iCloud preference pane.


In the Finder, select Go ▹ Go to Folder... from the menu bar, copy the text on the line below into the box that opens, and press return:


~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/Metadata


Move the selected folder to the Desktop, leaving the Finder window open for now.


Relaunch Address Book and test. If there’s no improvement, quit the application and put back the item you moved, overwriting the newer one that may have been created in its place. Otherwise, delete the item.

Apr 19, 2012 10:36 PM in response to rachelfromnapier

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:


Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)


In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.


If you’re running Mac OS X 10.7 or later, open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the page that opens.


Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Try the action again. Post any messages that appear in the Console window – the text, please, not a screenshot.

Help all of a sudden I can't open my address book!?!

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