defaultsManager

A native macOS app for browsing, editing, backing up, and restoring macOS defaults settings — the same hidden preferences that power users manage via the defaults command-line tool.

⚠️ Use with caution. Changing system defaults can affect the stability and behavior of macOS. Always create a backup before making changes.

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Features

• Browse 234 curated settings across 25 categories and 51 macOS domains
• 3-column layout — category → setting → detail
• Live system values — reads the actual current value from your system
• Edit values with context-aware controls (segmented toggle, radio buttons, text field)
• CLI command preview — shows the exact defaults write … command for the current value with a one-click copy button
• Documented defaults — each entry includes description, type, and the Apple-documented default value
• Global search — search across all 234 settings simultaneously (key, domain, value, category, description)
• Favorites — star any setting to save it; export all favorites as a ready-to-run shell script
• Session change history — every setting changed during the current session is listed in one place, with before/after values
• Backup & Restore
  • Per-entry backup/restore in the detail view
  • Full-system backup via defaults export (one plist per domain)
  • Full-system restore via defaults import
• Restart prompts — after applying a change, the app tells you what needs to restart (Dock, Finder, SystemUIServer) and lets you do it with one click
• Sandbox detection — settings that belong to containerised apps (Safari, Mail, TextEdit…) show a clear warning with a direct link to grant Full Disk Access if needed
• System Settings deep links — jump directly to the related preference pane
• Source links — each entry links to the community source where it was documented
• Editable database — the settings database is a plain JSON file stored in ~/Library/Application Support/defaultsManager/. Add your own entries or modify existing ones; the app merges updates from new app versions without overwriting your customisations.

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Screenshots

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Requirements

macOS	14.0 (Sonoma) or later
Architecture	Apple Silicon & Intel

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Installation

Build from source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/dirkclemens/defaultsManager.git
   cd defaultsManager

2. Open defaultsManager.xcodeproj in Xcode.
3. Select the defaultsManager scheme and your Mac as the run destination.
4. Press ⌘R to build and run.

Note: The app runs without a sandbox (ENABLE_APP_SANDBOX = NO). This is required to send signals to system processes (Finder, Dock, SystemUIServer), run defaults export/import, and access preferences of containerised apps when Full Disk Access is granted. This is intentional for a developer power tool.

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Usage

Browsing settings

Select a category in the left sidebar (sorted A–Z), then a setting in the middle column to see its full detail — description, current system value, documented default, and sources.

The sidebar also provides two smart views at the top:

Sidebar item	Description
⭐ Favorites	All settings you have starred
🔄 Changed	Every setting modified during the current session

Searching

Type in the search field (middle column) to search all 234 settings at once. Results are sorted A–Z and show a category pill so you always know where each setting lives. Clear the field to return to the selected category view.

Editing a value

1. Open a setting in the detail view.
2. Use the editor (segmented toggle, radio buttons, or text field) to set the new value.
3. The Terminal command field below the editor updates live, showing the exact defaults write command. Use the 📋 button to copy it to the clipboard.
4. Click Apply (or ⌘↩) to write the value immediately.
5. If a restart is required (e.g. Dock, Finder), a banner appears with a Restart Now button.

Favorites

Click the ⭐ button in any setting's detail view to mark it as a favorite. Favorites:

• Persist across app restarts.

• Appear in the Favorites sidebar view with category badges.

• Can be exported as a shell script for quick re-application on a new machine:

  Export option	Where
  Copy as Shell Script	Favorites toolbar → Export → Copy as Shell Script
  Save as Shell Script	Favorites toolbar → Export → Save as Shell Script…

The exported script looks like:

#!/bin/bash
# macOS Defaults — Favorites
# Generated by defaultsManager on 2026-04-30T10:43:00Z
# Run with:  bash <filename>

# ── Dock ──────────────────────────
defaults write com.apple.dock autohide -bool true
defaults write com.apple.dock tilesize -integer 48

# ── Finder ──────────────────────────
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true

Session change history

Every time you click Apply, the entry is recorded with its before and after value. Open Changed in the sidebar to review all changes made this session. The badge on the sidebar row shows the running count. The history is cleared when you quit the app.

Containerised app settings (Safari, Mail, TextEdit…)

Some settings belong to sandboxed apps whose preferences are stored in ~/Library/Containers/. These require Full Disk Access for defaultsManager to read or write them. If access is missing, the detail view shows an orange banner with an Open Privacy & Security Settings button.

Steps to enable:

1. Click Open Privacy & Security Settings in the banner.
2. Add defaultsManager to the Full Disk Access list.
3. Relaunch defaultsManager.

Backup & Restore

Action	Where
Back up a single setting	Detail view → Backup Current Value
Restore a single setting	Detail view → Restore
Back up all settings	Toolbar → Backup All
Restore all settings	Toolbar → Restore All

Backup All exports every domain as a .plist file to:

~/Library/Application Support/defaultsManager/domain_backup/

Restore All re-imports all exported plists via defaults import.

Editing the settings database

Click Edit Parameters JSON in the toolbar to reveal macos-defaults.json in Finder. The file is a JSON array of objects:

{
  "domain": "com.apple.dock",
  "key": "autohide",
  "value": "false",
  "type": "bool",
  "category": "Dock",
  "description": "Automatically hide and show the Dock.",
  "all_values": ["false", "true"],
  "sources": ["https://macos-defaults.com/dock/autohide.html"],
  "settings_url": "x-apple.systempreferences:com.apple.preference.dock",
  "restart_action": "Dock"
}

Field	Required	Description
domain	✅	Preference domain (e.g. com.apple.dock, NSGlobalDomain)
key	✅	Defaults key name
value	✅	Documented default value
type	✅	bool, integer, float, string, array, dict, data
category	✅	Sidebar category name
description		Human-readable description
all_values		Array of allowed values — rendered as radio buttons
sources		Array of reference URLs
settings_url		x-apple.systempreferences: deep link
restart_action		Dock, Finder, SystemUIServer, logout, or none

When the app updates, new entries are merged in automatically. Your existing entries and edits are never overwritten.

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Architecture

defaultsManager/
├── Models.swift                # DefaultEntry, DefaultValueType, BackupEntry, SidebarItem
├── DefaultsStore.swift         # Loads & merges JSON; exposes entries, categories, search
├── SessionStore.swift          # In-memory change history for the current session
├── FavoritesStore.swift        # Persistent favorites (UserDefaults); shell script export
├── BackupManager.swift         # Per-entry and full-domain backup/restore
├── ApplyManager.swift          # Wraps `defaults read/write`; detects container/FDA issues
├── RestartActionResolver.swift # Maps entries → restart actions; performs kill(pid, SIGTERM)
├── SettingsURLResolver.swift   # Maps domains → System Settings deep links
├── ContentView.swift           # Root NavigationSplitView + toolbar + progress modal
├── DomainListView.swift        # Left column — Favorites, Changed, and category list
├── KeyListView.swift           # Middle column — searchable entry list with indicators
├── DetailView.swift            # Right column — value, editor, CLI preview, backup, restart
├── ChangedView.swift           # Session change history with before/after diff
└── FavoritesView.swift         # Favorites list with export toolbar

Settings database

macos-defaults.json is bundled with the app and copied to Application Support on first launch. Sources:

Source	Description
macos-defaults.com	Community-maintained, well-documented defaults reference
mathiasbynens/dotfiles	The canonical macOS dotfiles reference, widely used in the community
FrancesCoronel/dotfiles	Community dotfiles with additional macOS tweaks
jessfraz/dotfiles	Developer-focused macOS defaults collection
SixArm/macos-defaults	Curated macOS defaults reference list
ChristopherA/macOS defaults gist	Annotated gist of macOS preference keys

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Contributing

Pull requests are welcome. To add or correct entries in the settings database, edit defaultsManager/macos-defaults.json and open a PR.

Please verify any new defaults key against actual macOS behavior before submitting.

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License

MIT — see LICENSE for details.