safari file edit view history disappears

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So my safari toolbar (edit, view, history, etc) went away and I can't get it back

Thread starter jazzycat
Start date Feb 27, 2015
Feb 27, 2015

So there are two things going on and I can't seem to fix either of them. First, the page I was on in Safari went from a widescreen format to a standard format, with the grey bars on the side of the page (like watching a standard movie on a widescreen TV). I've tried numerous solutions, everything I can think of, and so far none of them have worked, and I have no idea what I did to cause it in the first place. While trying to fix that, the top safari toolbar was accidentally hidden and there is no "unhide toolbar" or "show toolbar" under the "view" tab. And I tried the "command, shift \" thing and all it did was send me into the format where all the open tabs are reduced to little pages (not sure what that's called). Please help. The hidden toolbar is driving me crazy because I can't drag the whole program now to move it and I have to move the arrow over the top of the page to show it, and the little red, green and yellow dots in the left top corner to close and hide the program are also missing, so I have to actually quit the program just to reduce it, so I can't see other programs I have opened. And I'd really like the pages back to normal. I tried the zoom feature, and it does work to a certain degree, but I don't believe that is the correct solution to the problem because all the pages in all the tabs I had opened have been affected, and that only works on the tab I'm looking at. I have OS X, not sure which safari it is but I recently undated it to the latest version. Thanks bunches! ~K

Are you sure you aren't in some Safari full screen type mode?? Try pressing the esc keyboard key and see if it goes back to normal.

Feb 28, 2015

Well, when I press the escape key, it makes the whole screen smaller, leaving the toolbar at the top of the screen. Then I *can* just pull the sides until it fits under the safari toolbar, but that isn't really the right way to fix the problem. I need to "unhide" the bar. And as far as the pages not fitting the screen, it doesn't help. I will say, some of the new pages I've opened up are opening up correctly, but I'd still like to know what it is I did and how to fix it. Thanks bunches!

safari file edit view history disappears

Yes, pm-r, Yosemite is virtually identical to your screen shot there. pm-r is also on the right track, but it's sort of hard understanding what you're saying without the proper terminology - meaning we have to read it several times to interpret what you mean. A few of terms in use here, just so that it will be easier for others to assist you: Screen - that is the entire display - it is a piece of hardware - like a TV Screen - there is nothing you can do to make the "screen" change sizes. Unless there is some new magical piece of hardware that can change screen sizes from 13" to 15" to 21" and back that I haven't heard about yet. What you can change is the size of a "window". A window is that area that displays the application. A Safari window can be moved around the "screen", minimized, you can drag the edges to change it's size or go into 'Full Screen mode'. That top bar that is normally at the very top of the "screen" all the time in OS X - the one that when you have Safari open, on the left side it will list Safari - File - Edit - View - etc... that is the "Menu bar". The Safari 'toolbar' is the line that has the 3 pretty lights on it along with the back/forward buttons, the area that has the address of the page you are on, and can have many other things there. The "tab bar" in Safari is that single line that shows you the different web pages you currently have open in that window. When you are in 'Full Screen mode', then the Menu bar will be hidden from view unless you move the cursor (that thing that is usually shaped like an arrow is called a cursor) up to the top of the screen. You can exit full screen mode by using the 'esc' key. You can also enter and exit by pressing 'control + command + F' all at the same time or by going to 'View' on the Menu bar, going to the bottom of that drop down menu and selecting Enter or Exit Full Screen.

Mar 1, 2015
Mar 2, 2015

pm-r said: It definitely sounds like you had Safari running in Full Screen mode. The next time it happens, just press the esc key to get back to a normal window view. You should be able the access the hidden menubar and have it pop into view by just moving the mouse pointer as far as it can go whoever your menubar is located, but sometimes there's a bit of a lag before it will show. Until next time…. Click to expand...

Next time it happens just press Escape or, just move your cursor to the top of the screen. The menubar should drop down. On the far right of the Menubar, there will be "double arrows" in a blue box. Just click on that.

Richard Woods

Dec 24, 2015

Missing menu bar in safari To restore the Menu Bar, carry out these steps... Step 1. Press the "esc" key (top LH corner of keyboard) This will minimise your Safari window and the Menu Bar will now be showing as normal. DON'T HIT THE GREEN BUTTON TO RESIZE THE SAFARI WINDOW THOUGH OR YOUR 'PROBLEM' WILL RETURN. Step 2. Click on the new small Safari window which has opened and drag it to the top left hand corner of the screen but just below the Menu Bar. Step 3. Now, Resize the Safari window by dragging the lower right hand corner until it fills the remainder of the screen or until it is a s large as you want. And that's it - Safari is back to normal with the Menu Bar fully restored.

Dec 25, 2015

That's a neat trick. How did you hit on that? Sent from my iPhone using Mac Forums

Rod Sprague said: That's a neat trick. How did you hit on that? Sent from my iPhone using Mac Forums Click to expand...

Feb 6, 2017

Richard Woods said: To restore the Menu Bar, carry out these steps... Step 1. Press the "esc" key (top LH corner of keyboard) This will minimise your Safari window and the Menu Bar will now be showing as normal. DON'T HIT THE GREEN BUTTON TO RESIZE THE SAFARI WINDOW THOUGH OR YOUR 'PROBLEM' WILL RETURN. Step 2. Click on the new small Safari window which has opened and drag it to the top left hand corner of the screen but just below the Menu Bar. Step 3. Now, Resize the Safari window by dragging the lower right hand corner until it fills the remainder of the screen or until it is a s large as you want. And that's it - Safari is back to normal with the Menu Bar fully restored. Click to expand...

Or you can just Option-click the green button and go sort of full screen without covering the menubar or the Dock.

Or simply note where 'View' is on the Menu Bar when not in Full Screen Mode. Some applications go into Full Screen. Move the cursor to where approx view lives, it will come up and bottom line 'Exit' and away you go.

Feb 7, 2017

Rod Sprague said: That's a neat trick. How did you hit on that? Click to expand...

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4 Ways to get Hidden Browser Toolbars Back

Last Updated: May 16, 2024 Fact Checked

On Google Chrome

On microsoft edge.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 925,881 times. Learn more...

Where did your toolbars go? Here's what you can do to get your toolbars back in Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. Since mobile browsers don't allow for additional toolbars, you cannot perform these steps on mobile. This wikiHow article shows you how to restore a missing toolbar in your computer's web browser.

Get Your Toolbars Back

Get out of full-screen mode if you're opening your browsers in it. To do this, press "F11" or "Fn + F11" (Windows) or click the green circle in the top left corner of your browser (Mac).
Make sure the toolbar's extension is enabled. Go to "Extensions" and check to see if the toolbar is listed there or if it is enabled.
If all else fails, run a virus scan to make sure your system isn't buggy due to an infection.

Step 1 Make sure that you aren't using Chrome in full-screen mode.

Windows - Press F11 (or Fn + F11 ).
Mac - Hover your mouse at the top of the screen, then click the green circle in the top-left corner of the screen when it appears.

Click the three-line menu icon (also called the hamburger icon) in the top right corner of your screen, then click More tools > Extensions .
If you can't find the toolbar that you want from this list, you may first have to reinstall the extension .
Check the " Enabled " box to the right of the toolbar extension, then check the "Allow in incognito" box below the toolbar if you want to use the toolbar in incognito mode.

Select Bookmarks
Click Show bookmarks bar

You can also click Show Path Bar and Show Tab Bar here if you're missing the URL text box or the tab view at the top of Safari.
If you see Hide Toolbar here instead, click Hide Toolbar and then click Show Toolbar to re-activate it.

Click Customize Toolbar...
Click and drag items from the menu up onto the toolbar.

Windows - Press F11 (or Fn + F11 ) to exit full-screen mode.

Click View (on Windows, press the Alt key first)
Select Toolbars
Click a toolbar that you want to enable (e.g., Bookmarks Toolbar )
Repeat for remaining toolbars if needed.

Click Customize...
Make sure that "Toolbars" is selected in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the page.
Click and drag toolbar options from the middle of the page to the upper-right side of the window.

You can repeat this process for other missing or hidden toolbars by clicking the "Back" arrow in the top-left side of the menu and then selecting a different service.

Community Q&A

Toolbars don't always carry over from one version of a browser to another. If you recently updated your browser, your toolbar might not be compatible anymore. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Some toolbars will slow down your browser, and you should get rid of them to speed it up again. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Alter the Size of Your Windows Desktop Taskbar

↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-apps-in-full-screen-mchl9c21d2be/mac#:~:text=On%20your%20Mac%2C%20move%20the,the%20top%20of%20the%20screen .