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macOS defaults list

property content og:title A list of macOS defaults commands with demos ✨ name content description You've already copied `defaults write` commands. Sometimes you don't know what they do and are not sure they still work. This list of macOS defaults commands is here to help. property content og:description You've already copied `defaults write` commands. Sometimes you don't know what they do and are not sure they still work. This list of macOS defaults commands is here to help. property content twitter:card summary_large_image property content twitter:image https://macos-defaults.netlify.app/media-2x1.webp property content og:image https://macos-defaults.netlify.app/media-2x1.jpg

macOS defaults list

Uncomplete list of macOS defaults commands with demos ✨

🙋 What's a defaults command?

macOS applications and other programs use the defaults system to record user preferences and other information to be maintained when the application isn't running (font for new documents, or the position of an Info panel). Much of this information is accessible through an application's Preferences panel but sometimes they're hidden.

User defaults belong to domains, which typically correspond to individual applications. Applications, system services, and other programs have their own domains, they also share a domain named NSGlobalDomain. If a default isn't specified in the application's domain, it may be specified in NSGlobalDomain.

Each domain has a dictionary of keys and values representing its defaults; e.g. "Default Font" = "Helvetica". Keys are strings, values can be complex data structures comprising arrays, dictionaries, strings, and binary data. They're stored as XML Property List.

The defaults command line interface is a way to interact with these values.

Source: Real-World-Systems

Command line interface basics

Print the help

defaults help

List all domains

defaults domains

List all entries containing word

defaults find ${word}

Show the type for the given domain, key

defaults read-type ${domain} ${key}

Rename old_key to new_key

defaults rename ${domain} ${old_key} ${new_key}

💻 List of commands

Dock

• Position
• Change macOS Dock icon size
• Autohide
• Autohide animation time
• Autohide delay
• Show recents
• Minimize animation effect
• Active applications only
• Scroll to Exposé app

Screenshots

• Disable shadow
• Include date
• Set location
• Display thumbnail
• Choose screenshot format

Safari

• Show full URL

Finder

• Quit
• Show extensions
• Show hidden files
• Path bar
• Default view style
• Keep folders on top
• Default search scope
• Empty bin items after 30 days
• Changing file extension warning
• Save to disk or iCloud by default
• Title bar icons
• Adjust toolbar title rollover delay
• Set sidebar icon size

Desktop

• Keep folders on top
• All icons
• Disks
• External disks
• Removable media
• Connected servers

Menu Bar

• Flash clock time separators
• Set menubar digital clock format

Trackpad

• Click weight (threshold)
• Enable dragging with drag lock
• Enable dragging without drag lock
• Enable dragging with three finger drag

Mission Control

• Rearrange automatically
• Group windows by application
• Switch to Space with open windows
• Displays have separate Spaces

Feedback Assistant

• Autogather

Xcode

• Add Additional Counterpart Suffixes
• Show Build Durations

Simulator

• Set screenshot location

TextEdit

• Set default document format

Time Machine

• Don't offer new disks for Time Machine backup

Activity Monitor

• Update Frequency
• Dock Icon type

Miscellaneous

• Help Menu position
• Enable spring loading for all Dock items
• Show Music song notifications
• Disable application quarantine message
• Key held down behavior
• Focus Follows Mouse
• Close confirm changes popup

🤔 How do I add a command?

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