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After using Safari for awhile, drop down boxes appear no matter where I click on screen --- e.g., clicking back arrow gives "Customize Tool Bar." I have no idea why these boxes are appearing, and I'd like to disable them permanently, if possible.
IMAC (RETINA 5K, 27-INCH, MID 2015), OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)
You may have a Safari extension or third party plug-in installed that's causing the drop boxes. It's easy to troubleshoot.
From the Safari menu bar click Safari > Preferences then select the Extensions tab. Uninstall one extension at a time, quit and relaunch Safari to test.
If it's not an extensions issue, try troubleshooting third party plug-ins.
Back to Safari > Preferences. This time select the Security tab. Deselect: Allow plug-ins. Quit and relaunch Safari to test.
If that made a difference, instructions for troubleshooting plugins here.
You are right-clicking instead of left-clicking. That could be because you're using two fingers to press the trackpad or Magic Mouse, or because you're using a third-party mouse that's misconfigured.
Thanks Carolyn, but I had no extensions installed and had already deselected plug-ins.
You could be correct about the position of my fingers on the mouse, but if so, why don't the drop-down boxes appear immediately? Sometimes I work for an hour or more before they start appearing
What kind of mouse are you using? Have you installed any third-party software to modify its behavior?
A corded Mac mouse --- I stopped using the newer wireless mouse because I thought it might be the problem.
Sorry --- no software installed.
System Preferences > Trackpad > Point & Click
Uncheck and recheck all three boxes and test.
No trackpad installed...
Check the settings in the Mouse pane of System Preferences.
Only two options --- Tracking Speed and Double-Click Speed. Bluetooth mouse not active.
Please read this whole message before doing anything.
This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
Step 1
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
Step 2
The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.
Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem.
Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.
Hi Linc,
The problem with the drop-down boxes didn't recur under the test procedures in Step 1 or Step 2, but I'm not certain what that means. As mentioned, the problem usually shows up only after I've been using a browser for awhile and it's possible that I simply didn't wait long enough. Our family is heading out early tomorrow morning on a holiday until the end of the month, so I won't be able to repeat the test until we get back. But I will certainly do so, and wanted to thank you for all your help to this point.
Try running this program and then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by Etresoft, a frequent contributor. Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown.
How do I disable unwanted drop boxes in Safari?
