TextEdit won't open

[fielker]

TextEdit won't open. I can only access files using Pages. I've tried a Restart, but no effect. I have an iMac 10.7.5.

 

[RadDave]

TextEdit won't open. I can only access files using Pages. I've tried a Restart, but no effect. I have an iMac 10.7.5.

Hello - are you trying to open TextEdit from the dock? Have you gone into Finder -> Applications and tried to open the app from that location (assume its icon is there)? If so, you may have a 'broken' alias to the dock - delete and create a new one.

Please post back if this is not the issue - good luck! Dave

 

[fielker]

That doesn't work either. What now?

 

[fielker]

I've tried going back in Time Machine to when TextEdit was working and restoring, but that doesn't work either.

 

[RadDave]

That doesn't work either. What now?

I've tried going back in Time Machine to when TextEdit was working and restoring, but that doesn't work either.

Relative to my post, please clarify whether the TextEdit icon is present in your Applications folder, and if so, that you were unable to start the app from there - correct?

Also, please provide some more information - you are on an old OS X version, so what are the specifics of your computer - also, when did TextEdit stop working, e.g. after an OS download, other software installation, a hardware change - just trying to determine if you can relate this non-function of the app to some change on your computer?

If you have more than one user on your computer, you might want to sign out of your account and into another one to see if something in your account settings may be the issue, i.e. does TextEdit work in another user's account? Let us know if any of these suggestions help - Dave

 

[chscag]

I've tried going back in Time Machine to when TextEdit was working and restoring, but that doesn't work either.

You may have a corrupt TextEdit Plist causing it to crash before it opens. Try deleting all the TextEdit Plist files. Don't worry about removing them, new ones will be created.

The Plist files are located:

Macintosh HD/Users/your user name/Library/Preferences/

You will have to unhide your user library first before you can see the files you need to delete.

 

[fielker]

There are many files with a suffix 'plist' (and some of those with a further suffix 'lockfile'). do I delete them all, or are there only some relating to TextEdit?

 

[chscag]

Only delete those pertaining to TextEdit. And you can safely delete the lock file also. Let us know if that helps.

 

[fielker]

There don't seem to be any plist items relating to TextEdit. Which ones are they?

 

[chscag]

You should have at least one plist entry looking something like this:

com.Apple.TextEdit...........plist

Just make sure you're looking in the correct library. It's your user library, not the system library which is not hidden.

 

[fielker]

I think I may be looking in the wrong Library, which is at Macintosh HD>Library>Preferences.

Macintosh HD>Users takes me to a 'fielker' folder looking like a house, but the folders it contains are Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Dropbox, Movies Music, Pictures and Public. Also to a Shared folder which contains a Library folder which only has Application Support …

Spotlight doesn't give me any Preference folders at all.

HELP!

 

[chscag]

OK, here is the complete path you need to follow - remembering that your user library folder is hidden.

Macintosh HD/Users/fielker/Library/Preferences/com.apple.TextEdit.........plist

Remove all the plist files that pertain to TextEdit.

Here's how to show your hidden user library folder: Use your Finder, click on "Go" at the top menu, and then click on go to folder, type in "library" if it's not already there.

 

[fielker]

Problems here.

Macintosh HD/Users/fielker, as I said, does not list Library.

Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences does not contain any TextEdit item.

Macintosh HD/System/Library does not contain Preferences.

Finder/Go to the folder says “The folder can’t be found”.

 

[chscag]

OK, I think we're going to have to kill this thing with a different gun. Alright, see if you can follow this:

Open your terminal application - Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal.app

Type the following or copy this into your terminal app and then press enter:

chflags nohidden ~/Library/

Exit the terminal by typing in exit or just close it. After doing that, follow the path that I gave you above in my other reply. However, this time you won't have to click on Go from the Finder because your User Library folder is now visible to you.

Good luck and stick with it.

 

[fielker]

OK, I did all that, and found 6 TextEdit plist files which I removed. Since that appeared to have no effect I did a Restart. Now there are 2 preferences: TextEdit.LSSharedFileList.plist and a similar lockfile.

Trying to open a TextEdit file, a ‘Restore windows’ window opened. I clicked on the Restore Windows button.

Still unable to open TextEdit!

 

[fielker]

Tried later to open a TextEdit file and the Restore Windows window popped up/ I clicked on Restore Windows; a file appeared, I closed it, which before I was not able to do.

I don’t know why there was a delay, but TextEdit now seems to be working!

Many many thanks for your help.