Safari icon

If Safari can’t use your address book

If Safari is having trouble using your address book, you may need to adjust permissions.

To adjust permissions:

Step 1

Open your hard disk, open the Users folder, and then open your home folder (the one named after you).

Step 2

Click the Library folder to select it, and then choose File > Get Info to open the Library Info window.

Step 3

Click the arrow next to “Sharing & Permissions” to expand this section.

On earlier versions of Mac OS X, the section is labeled “Ownership & Permissions.”

Step 4

Choose Read & Write from the pop-up menu next to your user name. You may need to click the lock icon and supply your password.

On earlier versions of Mac OS X, the pop-up menu appears next to the words “You can.”

Step 5

Open the Action (gear) menu and choose “Apply to enclosed items.” Click OK when a prompt asks if you’re sure.

On earlier versions of Mac OS X, click the “Apply to enclosed items” button.

Step 6

Click the lock icon again to prevent further changes.

Safari uses the address book for two reasons: It checks to see if any of the contacts in the address book have websites listed, and it uses Address Book data to automatically fill in forms on the web that require your address, phone number, and so forth.

Related Topics

Automatically completing forms

If bookmarks are missing

Organizing bookmarks