Just discovered that all of the Contacts "On My Mac" are gone. It is further complicated in that syncing with iCloud across several iOS devices has meant large sections of my Contacts "iCloud" got overwritten/deleted. Where does Mac OS X 10.8 keep the Contacts database? I was hoping to use TimeMachine to locate a previous copy of the Contacts database and restore it.
Mac Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)
Your user folder's Library/Application Support/AddressBook. Turn off syncing with iCloud and restore the whole folder. You can get to that folder in Time Machine by typing cmd-shift-g and then typing, ~/Library/Application Support/ into the dialog box.
Appreciate the response. However, it turns out I dont have a Library/Application Support/ folder in my user directory. I only have this folder in my Macintosh HD volume, and there is no AddressBook folder here. Other suggestions?
The AddressBook folder would only appear in the user Library folder. Indeed, it must appear there. A user directory without a Library/Application Support folder would be almost if not totally inoperative. The Library folder in the user folder is hidden by default, so it can be difficult to find.
Barney's process should have taken you there, but here's a related way that may be easier:
Press and hold down the Option key.
Pull down the Go menu in Finder.
Select Library.
You can now release Option.
You should then be able to browse into the Application Support folder.
Where is Mountain Lion Contacts database?
