Where is the Contacts data file kept?

It's not hiding. It is located in /Home/Library/Calendars/ folder.

Four Ways to Make the Home/Library Folder Visible

A. This method will make the folder visible permanently. Open the Terminal application in the Utilities folder and paste the following red colored command line at the command prompt: chflags nohidden ~/Library then press RETURN.

B. Click on the Desktop, press the Option (⌥) key, select Library from the Finder's Go menu.

C. Select Go To Folder from the Finder's Go menu. Paste the following in the path field: ~/Library and click on the Go button.

D. In Sierra activate the Finder, press COMMAND-J, set Finder display to Icon view if it is in some other view mode, select your Home folder from the sidebar, check the box labeled, "Show Library Folder.

DarleenMB wrote:

I wish that had solved the problem but it didn't. The metadata is all there but Contacts 10 won't read it.

Were the contacts in an iCloud account or On My Mac?

Maybe I should try reinstalling the previous version of Contacts.

No, that won't help.

Yes, I did miss that, but reading back through I see where you alluded to it.

Can you open the AddressBook folder and take a screen shot of it (cmd-shift-4, then spacebar, and click on window).

Post that screenshot in a reply here. The file is in the Desktop folder. Just drag it into the reply window here.

First, are you certain it is not an iCloud account?

Back up the AddressBook folder to somewhere else.

Then, delete the AddressBook Folder.

Open Contacts then close it (it should just populate with a single Apple contact, I think).

Go back into the AddressBook folder and replace the metadata and Images folders with the ones in your backup.

Delete all three of the addressbook-v22.abcddb files.

Open Contacts.

DarleenMB wrote:

I finally tried this. Still nothing. I don't understand why the Address book cannot find the contacts as the data is obviously all there.

Neither do I. The only thing I can think of is that the format of the metadata files has changed. I thought they were vCard files in the past, but now they are xml files. I don't think that should change the re-indexing, but it does prevent you from Double-clicking one to have it import. It will just open Contacts and not do anything with the file like it does with a vCard file.

With Contacts Open, make a Contacts Archive from the File Menu.

When it finishes exporting, first make sure the contacts are still in the metadata. Right-click on the .abbu file and choose Show Package Contents. It should look like a copy of the AddressBook folder. Look in the metadata folder and make sure the cards are all in there.

If they are in the metadata folder, you can try double-clicking on the abbu file which should then ask to replace the contents of Contacts. However, I don't think that will work as it will just restore the empty database.

Can you confirm that the .abcdp files are in the metadata folder directly inside of the AddressBook folder and not in a subfolder of Sources.

Make sure you still have the original backup of the AddressBook folder.

Take a look at this User Tip: Fix corrupted Contacts database

Is he using iCloud for his contacts?

Are his Contacts present if you log in to iCloud on its website: https://www.icloud.com/#contacts?

For Contacts go to your Home Library:

Home/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/Sources

Durn! I don't know why I wrote "Calendars." Should have been "AddressBook."

If the metadata is there, then you can get it back showing in the index, but since you said my instructions didn't work, I need to know more about the account to help you fix it.