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Skillsmacos-defaults

macos-defaults

Office & productivity

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Updated 10-16 07:48

About this skill

macOS Defaults

Applies the quality-of-life defaults write tweaks developers actually want, with the correct apply step for each domain and verification afterwards. These keys are undocumented implementation details — this skill exists because half the copy-pasted commands on the internet are stale (wrong domain, dead key, missing apply step).

When NOT to use

  • FileVault / firewall / Touch ID sudo → macos-security-baseline
  • Installing apps (Raycast, Rectangle, …) → mac-dev-apps
  • Shell/prompt configuration → zsh-setup
  • Editor settings → editor-setup

Safety rails

  • Show the user the grouped command list and confirm before applying — several tweaks change visible state (Dock contents, Finder views).
  • Dock decluttering keeps a keep-list (Apps launcher, Notes, the user's daily apps) — never strip the Dock bare unasked. The full reset (persistent-apps -array) removes all pins; it deletes no apps and is reversible by re-pinning, but it's an explicit request, not a default.
  • Only QoL preferences here — never write security-, update-, or Gatekeeper-related domains.
  • After a macOS major upgrade, re-verify with defaults read before re-applying; keys drift across majors.

Workflow

  1. Pick the set. Offer the curated groups below; apply only what the user wants. The full verified key table with GUI equivalents and per-version caveats is in references/verified-defaults.md — consult it before adding anything not listed here.

  2. Snapshot before writing (real rollback — defaults delete only restores factory behavior, not the user's previous values):

for k in "com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles" "com.apple.dock autohide" "NSGlobalDomain KeyRepeat"; do
  echo "$k = $(defaults read $k 2>&1)"; done > ~/defaults-before-$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S).txt
defaults export com.apple.dock ~/dock-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S).plist   # before ANY Dock change, esp. clearing pins

(Snapshot every key you're about to write, not just these three.)

  1. Apply (each block ends with its apply step):
# --- Finder ---
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true        # hidden files (Cmd+Shift+. toggles too)
defaults write com.apple.finder ShowPathbar -bool true
defaults write com.apple.finder ShowStatusBar -bool true
defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleShowAllExtensions -bool true
defaults write com.apple.finder FXPreferredViewStyle -string "Nlsv" # list view
defaults write com.apple.finder FXDefaultSearchScope -string "SCcf" # search current folder
defaults write com.apple.finder FXEnableExtensionChangeWarning -bool false
defaults write com.apple.finder _FXSortFoldersFirst -bool true
defaults write com.apple.finder NewWindowTarget -string "PfHm"      # new windows open home
killall Finder

# --- Dock ---
defaults write com.apple.dock autohide -bool true
defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-delay -float 0
defaults write com.apple.dock show-recents -bool false
defaults write com.apple.dock mru-spaces -bool false                # stop reordering Spaces
# Optional decluttering, ASK FIRST - don't strip the Dock bare: keep the
# productivity staples (the Apps/Launchpad launcher, Notes, the user's
# daily apps). Ask for the keep-list; removing individual icons is drag-off
# or right-click -> Options -> Remove from Dock. Full reset only on request
# (clears EVERY pin - the user re-pins the keepers afterwards):
# defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array
killall Dock

# --- Keyboard (needs logout/login to take effect) ---
defaults write NSGlobalDomain KeyRepeat -int 2
defaults write NSGlobalDomain InitialKeyRepeat -int 15
defaults write NSGlobalDomain ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false  # hold-to-repeat, no accent popup
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAutomaticSpellingCorrectionEnabled -bool false
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAutomaticCapitalizationEnabled -bool false
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAutomaticQuoteSubstitutionEnabled -bool false
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAutomaticDashSubstitutionEnabled -bool false
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAutomaticPeriodSubstitutionEnabled -bool false

# --- Screenshots ---
mkdir -p "$HOME/Screenshots"                                        # folder MUST exist first
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location -string "$HOME/Screenshots"
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type -string "png"           # Tahoe defaults to HEIC on HDR displays
defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool true
killall SystemUIServer 2>/dev/null || true                          # legacy apply; immediate on Tahoe

# --- Save/print panels expanded (set both key variants; applies to apps
# --- launched AFTER the change - no killall helps) ---
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSNavPanelExpandedStateForSaveMode -bool true
defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSNavPanelExpandedStateForSaveMode2 -bool true
defaults write NSGlobalDomain PMPrintingExpandedStateForPrint -bool true
defaults write NSGlobalDomain PMPrintingExpandedStateForPrint2 -bool true

# --- .DS_Store suppression on network/USB volumes (needs logout/login) ---
defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores -bool true
defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteUSBStores -bool true

  1. Manual (GUI-only) steps — tell the user, don't script:

    • Spotlight (optional tradeoff): System Settings → Spotlight → Search Privacy… — excluding the source directory (~/Developer) stops build/node_modules indexing CPU spikes, at the cost of Spotlight search over source files. Offer it, don't default it.
    • Safari Develop menu: Safari → Settings → Advanced → "Show features for web developers" (the old IncludeDevelopMenu defaults key is dead since Safari 17, and Safari's sandbox ignores terminal writes without Full Disk Access).
    • Trackpad tap-to-click / three-finger drag: use System Settings — the defaults keys for trackpad are the flakiest (cfprefsd caching).

  2. Verify and report — one defaults read spot-check per APPLIED group, treated as a failure if it mismatches:

defaults read com.apple.finder ShowPathbar                    # Finder group: 1
defaults read com.apple.dock autohide                         # Dock group: 1
defaults read NSGlobalDomain KeyRepeat                        # Keyboard group: 2
defaults read com.apple.screencapture location                # Screenshots group: chosen path
defaults read NSGlobalDomain NSNavPanelExpandedStateForSaveMode2      # Panels group: 1
defaults read com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores      # .DS_Store group: 1

Tell the user which changes need logout/login (keyboard, .DS_Store group) vs app relaunch (panels) vs already live (Finder/Dock/screenshots).

Output spec

Done means: each requested group applied, apply-steps run, the per-group spot-check matches, the before-snapshot file exists, and the user knows what needs a logout. Rollback on request: restore values from the snapshot (defaults write them back), or defaults import com.apple.dock <backup.plist> && killall Dock for the Dock.

Gotchas

  • The screenshot folder is not auto-created — a nonexistent location silently falls back to Desktop.
  • _FXShowPosixPathInTitle (full path in Finder title) is effectively dead on modern macOS — use the path bar instead; don't recommend it.
  • com.apple.symbolichotkeys edits (e.g. freeing Cmd+Space for Raycast) are fragile across versions — do that in the GUI (System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts).
  • Writes that "don't stick": quit the target app first, or killall cfprefsd after writing; sandboxed apps (Safari) need their GUI.