jgoshawk

Q: Can't edit or delete mac contacts

Mac contacts has gone kaflooey for me. I can't delete a card (the option is grayed out). I can't edit a card either. The edit button works as usual (it lets me type in the contact card) but when I click "Done" my changes disappear. Things disappear: I make a new card, and enter data, and only part of the data stays on the card. Then a few minutes later, I revisit the card and all the data except the name is gone.

 

I suspect this has some connection with iCloud, but I can't figure it out.

 

Help?

 

JSScreen Shot 2013-05-02 at 10.37.15 PM.png

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on May 2, 2013 8:38 PM

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Q: Can't edit or delete mac contacts

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  • by dyllio,

    dyllio dyllio Sep 26, 2014 11:18 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 2 (235 points)
    Sep 26, 2014 11:18 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Step 1 worked for me too.  Had to run it twice but now my contacts are working.   Thank you!!!

  • by Silverfern,

    Silverfern Silverfern Oct 3, 2014 6:15 AM in response to jgoshawk
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 3, 2014 6:15 AM in response to jgoshawk

    It may not be the system. It may be that you have allowed some other software to add contacts to your address book. Sorry, but I think going into recovery mode and resetting all permissions is a bit extreme.

     

    I had the same problem, but it was because I had enabled Mac to access my LinkedIn contacts. Once I un-enabled this, the cards that remained are ones that I can add or delete. It also, thankfully, removed birthday reminders from my Mac calendar about colleagues' birthdays. (Really, I don't need to know this. If I am close enough to them, I'll already know about it.)

     

    Go to Contacts ==> Preferences ==> Accounts

     

    Then I clicked on "LinkedIn" and unchecked the box to un-enable access.

  • by Captain Dim,

    Captain Dim Captain Dim Dec 1, 2014 12:33 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 1, 2014 12:33 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks so much for this suggestion, Linc. It worked a charm for my Contacts, too, after Yosemite sent them south.

  • by johnmcgrann,

    johnmcgrann johnmcgrann Dec 3, 2014 6:02 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 3, 2014 6:02 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks for this advice - I was experiencing the same problem and your simple, thorough explanation perfectly solved it for me.

  • by Steve Klass,

    Steve Klass Steve Klass Feb 8, 2015 8:18 PM in response to jgoshawk
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 8, 2015 8:18 PM in response to jgoshawk

    Solved my issue as well. But I wish I knew just what was done to make it happen.

     

    Anyone with enough Unix knowledge to describe what happened in terminal?

  • by Joey5518,

    Joey5518 Joey5518 Nov 7, 2015 1:49 PM in response to Silverfern
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 7, 2015 1:49 PM in response to Silverfern

    I found this to be true the hard way, by trial and error. You have to go to the source of the contacts be it linked-in or gmail, or iCloud. The apple official instruction to go to the contact and click delete only applies to mac and iOS contacts.  Go to preferences and disable the account or go to  - example gmail- and delete from there.

  • by Kite005,

    Kite005 Kite005 Dec 13, 2015 3:52 PM in response to jgoshawk
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 13, 2015 3:52 PM in response to jgoshawk

    This might be somewhat unrelated but I could not delete certain contacts and I went into system preferences, accounts, and unchecked the "contacts" in them and the unwanted ones disappeared.

  • by bilca68,

    bilca68 bilca68 Dec 16, 2015 8:24 AM in response to Kite005
    Level 1 (115 points)
    Dec 16, 2015 8:24 AM in response to Kite005

    I had the same issue: my contacts I wanted deleted were not in iCloud but in LinkedIn

    Contacts does not show the source where the particular contact is stored.

  • by Larry Williams,

    Larry Williams Larry Williams Aug 4, 2016 4:09 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (124 points)
    Peripherals
    Aug 4, 2016 4:09 PM in response to Linc Davis

    You are very thorough with your explanations.  You must do this for a living. 

     

    My Unix is a little rusty (20 years ago) but I can understand the intent of the commands.

     

    It worked for me too. 

     

    Thank you.

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