Previous Recipients List gone

Or should I check ~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/MailRecents-v4.abcdmr now in Time Machine?

(by the way when I look at that file in Sierra, it says it was updated in 2013)

I found another post where user mentioned the same issue where Time Machine had not backed this file. See Re: previous recipients

I doubt restoring from the old 2103 file from Time Machine will help, but first let's check your current MailRecents-v4.abcdmr file.

• Do you see the 3 MailRecents files on your Mac?
• What date shows for this file? (Mine is October 29, 2016. I tested in a new User and the recent files are not added until I opened Mail.)

~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/MailRecents-v4.abcdmr

Let me know what you find.

I suggest you first update.

Download macOS Sierra 10.12.3 Combo Update

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1905

MORE INFO ON WHY RUNNING COMBO FIXES ISSUES

Apple updates available from the Software Update application are incremental updates. Delta updates are also incremental updates and are available from Apple Downloads (software updates are generally smaller than delta updates). The Combo updates contain all incremental updates and will update files that could have become corrupted.

Combo updaters will install on the same version as they're applying--no need to roll back or do a clean install.

"Delta" updaters can only take you from one version to the next. For example: 10.12.2 to 10.12.3. If somehow the 10.12.2 is missing something it should have, and that something isn't changed between 10.12.2 and 10.12.3 it will still be stale after the delta update.

10.12.3 was released today. Have you updated?

I believe the recent addresses are stored in the following location. Compare the size of the file on your Mac to the file in Time Machine. Wait before replacing. I would like to see this confirmed first.

~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook/MailRecents-v4.abcdmr

Note: it's best to add users to AddressBook rather than rely on recent addresses.

Update first. Mail has received fixes in each update. It's important that you update. Often problems exist that were fixed in an update that was never installed.

We can address the MailRecents files after you update.

I'm afraid there will be no restore. My understanding is the list is built from messages received. Since Mail is not populating this file, we will need create new MailRecents files.

First try these steps:

Go to the User's Library

Scroll to Application Support/AddressBook

Make a backup copy of this entire "AddressBook" folder. (in case things goes wrong.

Delete the three MailRecents files

Scroll to Containers

Delete the com.apple.mail folder

~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail

Log out under the Apple in the Menu bar.

Log in

Delete the trash.

Open Mail and see if it adds new MailRecents files

If it still fails...

In Contacts, export your contacts as .abbu file.

File Export > Contacts Archive

Quit both Mail and Contacts.

Go to User’s Library.

Navigate to ~/Library/Application Support/AddressBook

Make a backup copy of this entire "AddressBook" folder. (in case things goes wrong.

Delete the file AddressBook-v22.abcddb

Delete the MailRecents files

Restart Contacts app (on Mac) and the abcddb file will be repopulated.

Open Mail and the MailRecents files should be added back.

Let me know what happens.

I had the same after updating from 10.12.2 to 10.12.3. I noticed that Mail wasn't autocompleting mailaddresses I typed, and when I looked at Window->Previous Recipients, it was empty, where it used to have hundreds of addresses.

I restored the folder ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.corerecents.recentsd/Data/Library/Recents from a recent Time Machine backup, rebooted my Mac and everything is back again :-)

Ignore the ~/Library/Application\ Support/AddressBook/MailRecents-v4.xxxx files. They were used to store the Previous Recipients in OS X 10.9 and earlier.