https://git.herrbischoff.com/awesome-macos-command-line/about/ index : awesome-macos-command-line [master] cgit [switch] logo Use your macOS terminal shell to do awesome User & things. aboutsummaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats [log msg ] [ ] [search] Awesome macOS Command Line A curated list of shell commands and tools specific to macOS. "You don't have to know everything. You simply need to know where to find it when necessary." (John Brunner) Awesome If you want to contribute, you are highly encouraged to do so. Please read the contribution guidelines. For more terminal shell goodness, please also see this list's sister list Awesome Command Line Apps. A Personal Note Not all information contained in this list is always up-to-date with the latest OS releases. Apple does support devices for an extended time frame but they're also costly to purchase. Currently, I don't have the ability to replace my Mid-2014 15" MacBook Pro and it doesn't run Monterey or above. On one hand, the fact that this machine is still running mostly intact is a testament to its hardware and build quality. On the other, the fact that my older OS release will very soon not receive any security updates and bug fixes is a bit unsettling. And well, it directly affects my ability to provide timely updates. So maybe someone from Apple reads this and can do something about that situation. Furthermore, looking at almost 26k GitHub stars for this repository, if only about 14% of the people who this resource is useful for, sponsored me with a one time amount of a single Euro, I could order a new machine that probably lasted me another eight years. It's not something I'd expect, nor think I should. It's entirely my issue. And something to think about. Foreword There's really only one thing I'd like to note here: man pages. Man pages. Man pages. Okay, three things. But this one thing seemed so important, I had to mention it multiple times. If you're not doing it already, you should get into the habit of consulting man pages before searching anywhere else. Unix-style man pages are an excellent source of documentation. There's even a man page for the man command itself: man man It also explains what the numbers in the man pages refer to --- like man(1). Contents * Appearance + Dark Mode + Proxy Icon + Subpixel Anti-Aliasing + Transparency + Wallpaper * Applications + App Store + Apple Remote Desktop + Contacts + Google + iTunes + Mail + Safari + Sketch + Skim + Terminal + TextEdit + Visual Studio Code * Backup + Time Machine * Developer + Vim + Xcode * Dock * Documents * Files, Disks and Volumes + APFS + Disk Images * Finder + Desktop + Files and Folders + Layout + Metadata Files + Opening Things * Fonts * Functions * Hardware + Bluetooth + Harddisks + Hardware Information + Infrared Receiver + Power Management * Input Devices + Keyboard * Launchpad * Media + Audio + Video * Networking + Bonjour + DHCP + DNS + Hostname + Network Preferences + Networking Tools + SSH + TCP/IP + TFTP + Wi-Fi * Package Managers * Printing * Security + Application Firewall + Gatekeeper + Passwords + Physical Access + Privacy Database + Wiping Data * Search + Find + Locate * System + AirDrop + AppleScript + Basics + Clipboard + Date and Time + FileVault + Information/Reports + Installation + Kernel Extensions + LaunchAgents + LaunchServices + Login Window + Memory Management + Notification Center + QuickLook + Remote Management + Root User + Safe Mode Boot + Save Dialogs + Screenshots + Sidecar + Software Installation + Software Update + Software Version + Spotlight + System Integrity Protection * Terminal + Alternative Terminals + Shells + Terminal Fonts * Glossary + Mac OS X, OS X, and macOS Version Information Appearance Dark Mode Exclude App From Dark Mode This is useful for older applications that run properly but haven't been updated to work properly with dark mode. Change app name Notes to the actual application you want to target. # Enable defaults write $(osascript -e 'id of app "Notes"') NSRequiresAquaSystemAppearance -bool true # Disable (Default) defaults delete $(osascript -e 'id of app "Notes"') NSRequiresAquaSystemAppearance Proxy Icon Remove Proxy Icon Hover Delay In macOS 11 (Big Sur), the document proxy icon was hidden by default. This restores the former always-visible state. # Disable defaults write -g NSToolbarTitleViewRolloverDelay -float 0 # Enable (Default) defaults delete -g NSToolbarTitleViewRolloverDelay Subpixel Anti-Aliasing (Font Smoothing) Setting present since macOS 10.14 (Mojave). # Enable defaults write -g CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled -bool false # Disable (Default) defaults write -g CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled -bool true # Per Application defaults write com.apple.textedit CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled -bool false # Revert for Application defaults delete com.apple.textedit CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled Transparency Transparency in Menu and Windows # Reduce Transparency defaults write com.apple.universalaccess reduceTransparency -bool true # Restore Default Transparency defaults write com.apple.universalaccess reduceTransparency -bool false Wallpaper Set Wallpaper # Up to OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) osascript -e 'tell application "Finder" to set desktop picture to POSIX file "/path/to/picture.jpg"' # Since OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) sqlite3 ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db "update data set value = '/path/to/picture.jpg'" && killall Dock Applications App Store List All Apps Downloaded from App Store # Via find find /Applications -path '*Contents/_MASReceipt/receipt' -maxdepth 4 -print |\sed 's#.app/Contents/_MASReceipt/receipt#.app#g; s#/Applications/##' # Via Spotlight mdfind kMDItemAppStoreHasReceipt=1 Show Debug Menu Works up to OS X 10.10 (Yosemite). # Enable defaults write com.apple.appstore ShowDebugMenu -bool true # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.appstore ShowDebugMenu -bool false Apple Remote Desktop Kickstart Manual Pages sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -help Activate And Deactivate the ARD Agent and Helper # Activate And Restart the ARD Agent and Helper sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -activate -restart -agent -console # Deactivate and Stop the Remote Management Service sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -deactivate -stop Remote Desktop Sharing # Allow Access for All Users and Give All Users Full Access sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -configure -allowAccessFor -allUsers -privs -all # Disable ARD Agent and Remove Access Privileges for All Users (Default) sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -deactivate -configure -access -off Remove Apple Remote Desktop Settings sudo rm -rf /var/db/RemoteManagement ; \ sudo defaults delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.RemoteDesktop.plist ; \ defaults delete ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.RemoteDesktop.plist ; \ sudo rm -r /Library/Application\ Support/Apple/Remote\ Desktop/ ; \ rm -r ~/Library/Application\ Support/Remote\ Desktop/ ; \ rm -r ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.RemoteDesktop Contacts Debug Mode # Enable defaults write com.apple.addressbook ABShowDebugMenu -bool true # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.addressbook ABShowDebugMenu -bool false Google Uninstall Google Update ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/ksinstall --nuke iTunes Keyboard Media Keys Works up to OS X 10.10 (Yosemite). System Integrity Protection was introduced in OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) which prevents system Launch Agents from being unloaded. # Stop Responding to Key Presses launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.rcd.plist # Respond to Key Presses (Default) launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.rcd.plist From OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) on, you can either disable SIP or resort to a kind of hack, which will make iTunes inaccessible to any user, effectively preventing it from starting itself or its helpers. Be aware that for all intents and purposes this will trash your iTunes installation and may conflict with OS updates down the road. sudo chmod 0000 /Applications/iTunes.app Mail Show Attachments as Icons defaults write com.apple.mail DisableInlineAttachmentViewing -bool true Vacuum Mail Index The AppleScript code below will quit Mail, vacuum the SQLite index, then re-open Mail. On a large email database that hasn't been optimized for a while, this can provide significant improvements in responsiveness and speed. (* Speed up Mail.app by vacuuming the Envelope Index Code from: http://web.archive.org/web/20071008123746/http://www.hawkwings.net/2007/03/03/scripts-to-automate-the-mailapp-envelope-speed-trick/ Originally by "pmbuko" with modifications by Romulo Updated by Brett Terpstra 2012 Updated by Mathias Tornblom 2015 to support V3 in El Capitan and still keep backwards compatibility Updated by Andrei Miclaus 2017 to support V4 in Sierra *) tell application "Mail" to quit set os_version to do shell script "sw_vers -productVersion" set mail_version to "V2" considering numeric strings if "10.10" <= os_version then set mail_version to "V3" if "10.12" <= os_version then set mail_version to "V4" if "10.13" <= os_version then set mail_version to "V5" if "10.14" <= os_version then set mail_version to "V6" if "10.15" <= os_version then set mail_version to "V7" if "11" <= os_version then set mail_version to "V8" end considering set sizeBefore to do shell script "ls -lnah ~/Library/Mail/" & mail_version & "/MailData | grep -E 'Envelope Index$' | awk {'print $5'}" do shell script "/usr/bin/sqlite3 ~/Library/Mail/" & mail_version & "/MailData/Envelope\\ Index vacuum" set sizeAfter to do shell script "ls -lnah ~/Library/Mail/" & mail_version & "/MailData | grep -E 'Envelope Index$' | awk {'print $5'}" display dialog ("Mail index before: " & sizeBefore & return & "Mail index after: " & sizeAfter & return & return & "Enjoy the new speed!") tell application "Mail" to activate Since the above AppleScript mainly uses shell commands anyway, here's a shell script version of the same functionality. It's usable from Big Sur onwards. Feel free to send a patch for newer systems. I currently don't have the money for a machine capable of running macOS 12+. #!/bin/zsh # # Speed up Mail.app by vacuuming the Envelope Index # Written by Marcel Bischoff # AppleScript original by "pmbuko" with modifications by Romulo # OS_VERSION=$(sw_vers -productVersion | cut -d. -f 1,2) MAIL_RUNNING=$(ps aux | grep -v grep | grep -c "Mail\$") MAIL_VERSION="V2" if [ $MAIL_RUNNING -gt 0 ]; then osascript -e 'tell application "Mail" to quit'; fi if [ 1 -eq "$(echo "11 <= ${OS_VERSION}" | bc)" ]; then MAIL_VERSION="V8"; fi SIZE_BEFORE=$(ls -lnah ~/Library/Mail/${MAIL_VERSION}/MailData | grep -E 'Envelope Index$' | awk {'print $5'}) /usr/bin/sqlite3 ~/Library/Mail/${MAIL_VERSION}/MailData/Envelope\ Index vacuum SIZE_AFTER=$(ls -lnah ~/Library/Mail/${MAIL_VERSION}/MailData | grep -E 'Envelope Index$' | awk {'print $5'}) printf "Mail index before: %s\nMail index after: %s\n" $SIZE_BEFORE $SIZE_AFTER Safari Change Default Fonts defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2StandardFontFamily Georgia defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2DefaultFontSize 16 defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2FixedFontFamily Menlo defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2DefaultFixedFontSize 14 Develop Menu and Web Inspector # Enable defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeInternalDebugMenu -bool true && \ defaults write com.apple.Safari IncludeDevelopMenu -bool true && \ defaults write com.apple.Safari WebKitDeveloperExtrasEnabledPreferenceKey -bool true && \ defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2DeveloperExtrasEnabled -bool true && \ defaults write -g WebKitDeveloperExtras -bool true # Disable (Default) defaults delete com.apple.Safari IncludeInternalDebugMenu && \ defaults delete com.apple.Safari IncludeDevelopMenu && \ defaults delete com.apple.Safari WebKitDeveloperExtrasEnabledPreferenceKey && \ defaults delete com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2DeveloperExtrasEnabled && \ defaults delete -g WebKitDeveloperExtras Get Current Page Data Other options: get source, get text. osascript -e 'tell application "Safari" to get URL of current tab of front window' Use Backspace/Delete to Go Back a Page # Enable defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2BackspaceKeyNavigationEnabled -bool true # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.Safari com.apple.Safari.ContentPageGroupIdentifier.WebKit2BackspaceKeyNavigationEnabled -bool false Sketch Export Compact SVGs defaults write com.bohemiancoding.sketch3 exportCompactSVG -bool true Skim Turn Off Auto Reload Dialog Removes the dialog and defaults to auto reload. defaults write -app Skim SKAutoReloadFileUpdate -boolean true Terminal Focus Follows Mouse # Enable defaults write com.apple.Terminal FocusFollowsMouse -string true # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.Terminal FocusFollowsMouse -string false TextEdit Create an Untitled Document at Launch defaults write com.apple.TextEdit NSShowAppCentricOpenPanelInsteadOfUntitledFile -bool false Use Plain Text Mode as Default defaults write com.apple.TextEdit RichText -int 0 Visual Studio Code VSCodeVim Key Repeat # Enable defaults write com.microsoft.VSCode ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false # Disable (Default) defaults delete com.microsoft.VSCode ApplePressAndHoldEnabled Subpixel Anti-Aliasing Setting present since macOS 10.14 (Mojave). See also system-wide setting: Subpixel Anti-Aliasing # Enable defaults write com.microsoft.VSCode CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled -bool false && \ defaults write com.microsoft.VSCode.helper CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled -bool false && \ defaults write com.microsoft.VSCode.helper.EH CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled -bool false && \ defaults write com.microsoft.VSCode.helper.NP CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled -bool false # Disable (Default) defaults delete com.microsoft.VSCode CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled && \ defaults delete com.microsoft.VSCode.helper CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled && \ defaults delete com.microsoft.VSCode.helper.EH CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled && \ defaults delete com.microsoft.VSCode.helper.NP CGFontRenderingFontSmoothingDisabled Backup Time Machine Activation # Enable sudo tmutil enable # Disable sudo tmutil disable # Start backup immediately tmutil startbackup # Stop backup immediately tmutil stopbackup Change Backup Interval This changes the interval to 30 minutes. The integer value is the time in seconds. sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto StartInterval -int 1800 Exclude Files sudo tmutil addexclusion /path/to/file/or/folder Local Backups Whether Time Machine performs local backups while the Time Machine backup volume is not available. # Status defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine MobileBackups # Enable (Default) sudo tmutil enablelocal # Disable sudo tmutil disablelocal Since macOS 10.13 (High Sierra), you cannot disable local snapshots. Time Machine now always creates a local APFS snapshot and uses that snapshot as the data source to create a regular backup, rather than using the live disk as the source, as is the case with HFS formatted disks. Manage Backup Volumes # Info tmutil destinationinfo # Remove current destination tmutil removedestination # Set physical disk destination tmutil setdestination /path/to/volume/or/volume/name # Set network destination tmutil setdestination -p smb://10.20.30.40/share Prevent Time Machine from Prompting to Use New Hard Drives as Backup Volume sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine DoNotOfferNewDisksForBackup -bool true Show Time Machine Logs This little script will output the last 12 hours of Time Machine activity followed by live activity. #!/bin/sh filter='processImagePath contains "backupd" and subsystem beginswith "com.apple.TimeMachine"' # show the last 12 hours start="$(date -j -v-12H +'%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')" echo "" echo "[History (from $start)]" echo "" log show --style syslog --info --start "$start" --predicate "$filter" echo "" echo "[Following]" echo "" log stream --style syslog --info --predicate "$filter" Toggle Backup While on Battery # Status sudo defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine RequiresACPower # Enable (Default) sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine RequiresACPower -bool true # Disable sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine RequiresACPower -bool false Time Machine Statistics # List all backups tmutil listbackups # Show differences tmutil calculatedrift /path/to/backup/folder/plus/machine/name/folder Verify Backup Beginning in OS X 10.11, Time Machine records checksums of files copied into snapshots. Checksums are not retroactively computed for files that were copied by earlier releases of OS X. sudo tmutil verifychecksums /path/to/backup Developer Vim Compile Sane Vim Compiling MacVim via Homebrew with all bells and whistles, including overriding system Vim. brew install macvim --HEAD Neovim Install the modern Vim drop-in alternative via Homebrew. brew install neovim Xcode Install Command Line Tools without Xcode xcode-select --install Remove All Unavailable Simulators xcrun simctl delete unavailable Dock Add a Stack with Recent Applications Obsolete since macOS 10.14 (Mojave). See Show Recent Apps. defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-others -array-add '{ "tile-data" = { "list-type" = 1; }; "tile-type" = "recents-tile"; }' && \ killall Dock Add a Nameless Stack Folder and Small Spacer defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-others -array-add '{ "tile-data" = {}; "tile-type"="small-spacer-tile"; }' && \ killall Dock Add a Space defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{"tile-type"="spacer-tile";}' && \ killall Dock Add a Small Space defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{"tile-type"="small-spacer-tile";}' && \ killall Dock Auto Rearrange Spaces Based on Most Recent Use # Enable (Default) defaults write com.apple.dock mru-spaces -bool true && \ killall Dock # Disable defaults write com.apple.dock mru-spaces -bool false && \ killall Dock Automatically Hide # Enable defaults write com.apple.dock autohide -bool true && \ killall Dock # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.dock autohide -bool false && \ killall Dock Icon Bounce Global setting whether Dock icons should bounce when the respective application demands your attention. # Enable (Default) defaults write com.apple.dock no-bouncing -bool true && \ killall Dock # Disable defaults write com.apple.dock no-bouncing -bool false && \ killall Dock Lock the Dock Size # Enable defaults write com.apple.Dock size-immutable -bool true && \ killall Dock # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.Dock size-immutable -bool false && \ killall Dock Reset Dock defaults delete com.apple.dock && \ killall Dock Resize Fully resize your Dock's body. To resize change the 0 value as an integer. defaults write com.apple.dock tilesize -int 0 && \ killall Dock Scroll Gestures Use your touchpad or mouse scroll wheel to interact with Dock items. Allows you to use an upward scrolling gesture to open stacks. Using the same gesture on applications that are running invokes Expose/ Mission Control. # Enable defaults write com.apple.dock scroll-to-open -bool true && \ killall Dock # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.dock scroll-to-open -bool false && \ killall Dock Set Auto Show/Hide Delay The float number defines the show/hide delay in ms. defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-time-modifier -float 0.4 && \ defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-delay -float 0 && \ killall Dock Show Hidden App Icons # Enable defaults write com.apple.dock showhidden -bool true && \ killall Dock # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.dock showhidden -bool false && \ killall Dock Show Only Active Applications # Enable defaults write com.apple.dock static-only -bool true && \ killall Dock # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.dock static-only -bool false && \ killall Dock Show Recent Apps Setting present since macOS 10.14 (Mojave). # Disable defaults write com.apple.dock show-recents -bool false && \ killall Dock # Enable (Default) defaults write com.apple.dock show-recents -bool true && \ killall Dock Single App Mode When clicking an application icon in the Dock, the respective windows will come to the front, but all other application windows will be hidden. # Enable defaults write com.apple.dock single-app -bool true && \ killall Dock # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.dock single-app -bool false && \ killall Dock Documents Convert File to HTML Supported formats are plain text, rich text (rtf) and Microsoft Word (doc/docx). textutil -convert html file.ext Files, Disks and Volumes Create an Empty File Creates an empty 10 gigabyte test file. mkfile 10g /path/to/file Disable Sudden Motion Sensor Leaving this turned on is useless when you're using SSDs. sudo pmset -a sms 0 Eject All Mountable Volumes The only reliable way to do this is by sending an AppleScript command to Finder. osascript -e 'tell application "Finder" to eject (every disk whose ejectable is true)' Repair File Permissions You don't have to use the Disk Utility GUI for this. sudo diskutil repairPermissions / Beginning with OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), system file permissions are automatically protected. It's no longer necessary to verify or repair permissions with Disk Utility. (Source) Set Boot Volume # Up to OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) bless --mount "/path/to/mounted/volume" --setBoot # From OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) sudo systemsetup -setstartupdisk /System/Library/CoreServices Show All Attached Disks and Partitions diskutil list View File System Usage A continuous stream of file system access info. sudo fs_usage APFS Present since macOS 10.13 (High Sierra). There is no central utility and usage is inconsistent as most functionality is rolled into tmutil. Convert Volume from HFS+ to APFS /System/Library/Filesystems/apfs.fs/Contents/Resources/hfs_convert /path/to/file/system Create New APFS Filesystem /System/Library/Filesystems/apfs.fs/Contents/Resources/newfs_apfs /path/to/device Create Snapshot tmutil localsnapshot Delete Snapshot tmutil deletelocalsnapshots com.apple.TimeMachine.2018-01-26-044042 ```` #### List Snapshots ```sh tmutil listlocalsnapshots / Mount Snapshot Snapshots are read-only. mkdir ~/mnt /System/Library/Filesystems/apfs.fs/Contents/Resources/mount_apfs -s com.apple.TimeMachine.2018-01-26-044042 / ~/mnt Disk Images Create Disk Image From Folder Contents hdiutil create -volname "Volume Name" -srcfolder /path/to/folder -ov diskimage.dmg If you'd like to encrypt the disk image: hdiutil create -encryption -stdinpass -volname "Volume Name" -srcfolder /path/to/folder -ov encrypted.dmg By default, you'll be prompted for a password. You can automate that by piping in a password: echo -n YourPassword | hdiutil create -encryption -stdinpass -volname "Volume Name" -srcfolder /path/to/folder -ov encrypted.dmg Burn Disk Images to DVD This command applies to .iso, .img and .dmg images. hdiutil burn /path/to/image_file Create Temporary High-Performance Disk The disk is backed by physical RAM and will be several times faster than an SSD. The contents of the disk cannot be recovered after it has been ejected. The example below is for a 500 MiB RAM disk, adjust as needed. # Up to macOS 10.14 (Mojave) let DISKSIZE=500*2048 && \ diskutil erasevolume HFS+ "RAM Disk" `hdiutil attach -nomount ram://$DISKSIZE` # From macOS 10.15 (Catalina) on let "DISKSIZE = 500*2048" && \ diskutil erasevolume HFS+ "RAM Disk" `hdiutil attach -nomount ram://$DISKSIZE` Disable Disk Image Verification defaults write com.apple.frameworks.diskimages skip-verify -bool true && \ defaults write com.apple.frameworks.diskimages skip-verify-locked -bool true && \ defaults write com.apple.frameworks.diskimages skip-verify-remote -bool true Make Volume OS X Bootable bless --folder "/path/to/mounted/volume/System/Library/CoreServices" --bootinfo --bootefi Mount Disk Image hdiutil attach /path/to/diskimage.dmg Unmount Disk Image hdiutil detach /dev/disk2s1 Write Disk Image to Volume Like the Disk Utility "Restore" function. sudo asr -restore -noverify -source /path/to/diskimage.dmg -target /Volumes/VolumeToRestoreTo Finder Desktop Show External Media External HDs, thumb drives, etc. # Enable defaults write com.apple.finder ShowExternalHardDrivesOnDesktop -bool true && \ killall Finder # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.finder ShowExternalHardDrivesOnDesktop -bool false && \ killall Finder Show Internal Media Built-in HDs or SSDs. # Enable defaults write com.apple.finder ShowHardDrivesOnDesktop -bool true && \ killall Finder # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.finder ShowHardDrivesOnDesktop -bool false && \ killall Finder Show Removable Media CDs, DVDs, iPods, etc. # Enable defaults write com.apple.finder ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop -bool true && \ killall Finder # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.finder ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop -bool false && \ killall Finder Show Network Volumes AFP, SMB, NFS, WebDAV, etc. # Enable defaults write com.apple.finder ShowMountedServersOnDesktop -bool true && \ killall Finder # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.finder ShowMountedServersOnDesktop -bool false && \ killall Finder Files and Folders Clear All ACLs sudo chmod -RN /path/to/folder Increase Number of Recent Places defaults write -g NSNavRecentPlacesLimit -int 10 && \ killall Finder Show All File Extensions defaults write -g AppleShowAllExtensions -bool true Set Protected Flag This is equivalent to Finder "Locked" status. # Disable (Default) sudo chflags -R nouchg /path/to/file/or/folder # Enable sudo chflags -R uchg /path/to/file/or/folder Show Hidden Files # Show All defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles true # Restore Default File Visibility defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles false Show Full Path in Finder Title defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool true Toggle Folder Visibility in Finder By default, the ~/Library folder is hidden. You can easily show it again. The same method works with all other folders. # Hidden (Default) chflags hidden ~/Library # Visible chflags nohidden ~/Library Layout Show "Quit Finder" Menu Item Makes possible to see Finder menu item "Quit Finder" with default shortcut Cmd + Q # Enable defaults write com.apple.finder QuitMenuItem -bool true && \ killall Finder # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.finder QuitMenuItem -bool false && \ killall Finder Smooth Scrolling Useful if you're on an older Mac that messes up the animation. # Disable defaults write -g NSScrollAnimationEnabled -bool false # Enable (Default) defaults write -g NSScrollAnimationEnabled -bool true Rubberband Scrolling # Disable defaults write -g NSScrollViewRubberbanding -bool false # Enable (Default) defaults write -g NSScrollViewRubberbanding -bool true Expand Save Panel by Default defaults write -g NSNavPanelExpandedStateForSaveMode -bool true && \ defaults write -g NSNavPanelExpandedStateForSaveMode2 -bool true Desktop Icon Visibility # Hide Icons defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop -bool false && \ killall Finder # Show Icons (Default) defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop -bool true && \ killall Finder Path Bar # Show defaults write com.apple.finder ShowPathbar -bool true # Hide (Default) defaults write com.apple.finder ShowPathbar -bool false Scrollbar Visibility Possible values: WhenScrolling, Automatic and Always. defaults write -g AppleShowScrollBars -string "Always" Status Bar # Show defaults write com.apple.finder ShowStatusBar -bool true # Hide (Default) defaults write com.apple.finder ShowStatusBar -bool false Save to Disk by Default Sets default save target to be a local disk, not iCloud. defaults write -g NSDocumentSaveNewDocumentsToCloud -bool false Set Current Folder as Default Search Scope defaults write com.apple.finder FXDefaultSearchScope -string "SCcf" Set Default Finder Location to Home Folder defaults write com.apple.finder NewWindowTarget -string "PfLo" && \ defaults write com.apple.finder NewWindowTargetPath -string "file://${HOME}" Set Sidebar Icon Size Sets size to 'medium'. defaults write -g NSTableViewDefaultSizeMode -int 2 Metadata Files Disable Creation of Metadata Files on Network Volumes Avoids creation of .DS_Store and AppleDouble files. defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteNetworkStores -bool true Disable Creation of Metadata Files on USB Volumes Avoids creation of .DS_Store and AppleDouble files. defaults write com.apple.desktopservices DSDontWriteUSBStores -bool true Opening Things Change Working Directory to Finder Path If multiple windows are open, it chooses the top-most one. cd "$(osascript -e 'tell app "Finder" to POSIX path of (insertion location as alias)')" Open URL open https://herrbischoff.com Open File open README.md Open Applications You can open applications using -a. open -a "Google Chrome" https://herrbischoff.com Open Folder open /path/to/folder/ Open Current Folder open . Fonts Clear Font Cache for Current User To clear font caches for all users, put sudo in front of these commands. atsutil databases -removeUser && \ atsutil server -shutdown && \ atsutil server -ping Get SF Mono Fonts Starting in macOS 10.15 (Catalina), the Utilities apps (including Terminal.app) are now found in the /System folder. cp -v /Applications/Xcode-beta.app/Contents/SharedFrameworks/DVTKit.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Fonts/SFMono-* ~/Library/Fonts From macOS 10.12 (Sierra) on, they are included in Terminal.app. cp -v /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app/Contents/Resources/Fonts/SFMono-* ~/Library/Fonts In older OS versions, you need to download and install Xcode 8 beta for this to work. Afterwards they should be available in all applications. cp -v /System/Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app/Contents/Resources/Fonts/SFMono-* ~/Library/Fonts Functions Please see this file. Hardware Bluetooth Up to OS X 10.12 (Sierra) the Bluetooth daemon is named blued instead of bluetoothd. You need to adjust the killall command accordingly. # Status defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth ControllerPowerState # Enable (Default) sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth ControllerPowerState -int 1 # Disable sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth ControllerPowerState -int 0 && \ sudo killall -HUP bluetoothd Harddisks Force Trim Enable Trim for non-Apple SSDs. This command is present since OS X 10.10 (Yosemite). trimforce Hardware Information List All Hardware Ports networksetup -listallhardwareports Remaining Battery Percentage pmset -g batt | egrep "([0-9]+\%).*" -o --colour=auto | cut -f1 -d';' Remaining Battery Time pmset -g batt | egrep "([0-9]+\%).*" -o --colour=auto | cut -f3 -d';' Show Connected Device's UDID system_profiler SPUSBDataType | sed -n -e '/iPad/,/Serial/p' -e '/iPhone/,/Serial/p' Show Current Screen Resolution system_profiler SPDisplaysDataType | grep Resolution Show CPU Brand String sysctl -n machdep.cpu.brand_string Infrared Receiver # Status defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.driver.AppleIRController DeviceEnabled # Enable (Default) defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.driver.AppleIRController DeviceEnabled -int 1 # Disable defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.driver.AppleIRController DeviceEnabled -int 0 Power Management Prevent System Sleep Prevent sleep for 1 hour: caffeinate -u -t 3600 Show All Power Management Settings sudo pmset -g Put Display to Sleep after 15 Minutes of Inactivity sudo pmset displaysleep 15 Put Computer to Sleep after 30 Minutes of Inactivity sudo pmset sleep 30 Check System Sleep Idle Time sudo systemsetup -getcomputersleep Set System Sleep Idle Time to 60 Minutes sudo systemsetup -setcomputersleep 60 Turn Off System Sleep Completely sudo systemsetup -setcomputersleep Never Automatic Restart on System Freeze sudo systemsetup -setrestartfreeze on Chime When Charging Play iOS charging sound when MagSafe is connected. ## Up to macOS 10.12 (Sierra) # Enable defaults write com.apple.PowerChime ChimeOnAllHardware -bool true && \ open /System/Library/CoreServices/PowerChime.app # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.PowerChime ChimeOnAllHardware -bool false && \ killall PowerChime ## From macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) on # Enable (Default) defaults write com.apple.PowerChime ChimeOnNoHardware -bool false && \ open /System/Library/CoreServices/PowerChime.app # Disable defaults write com.apple.PowerChime ChimeOnNoHardware -bool true && \ killall PowerChime Input Devices Keyboard Auto-Correct # Disable defaults write -g NSAutomaticSpellingCorrectionEnabled -bool false # Enable (Default) defaults write -g NSAutomaticSpellingCorrectionEnabled -bool true # Show Status defaults read -g NSAutomaticSpellingCorrectionEnabled Full Keyboard Access Enable Tab in modal dialogs. # Text boxes and lists only (Default) defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleKeyboardUIMode -int 0 # All controls defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleKeyboardUIMode -int 3 Key Repeat Change the "press and hold" behavior. # Enable defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false # Disable (Default) defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool true Key Repeat Rate Sets a very fast repeat rate, adjust to taste. defaults write -g KeyRepeat -int 0.02 Launchpad Reset Launchpad Layout You need to restart Dock because Launchpad is tied to it. # Up to OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) rm ~/Library/Application\ Support/Dock/*.db && \ killall Dock # From OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) defaults write com.apple.dock ResetLaunchPad -bool true && \ killall Dock Media Audio Convert Audio File to iPhone Ringtone afconvert input.mp3 ringtone.m4r -f m4af Create Audiobook From Text Uses "Alex" voice, a plain UTF-8 encoded text file for input and AAC output. say -v Alex -f file.txt -o "output.m4a" Disable Sound Effects on Boot sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=" " Mute Audio Output osascript -e 'set volume output muted true' Set Audio Volume osascript -e 'set volume 4' Play Audio File You can play all audio formats that are natively supported by QuickTime. afplay -q 1 filename.mp3 Speak Text with System Default Voice say 'All your base are belong to us!' Startup Chime Older Macs: # Enable (Default) sudo nvram BootAudio=%01 # Disable sudo nvram BootAudio=%00 From 2016 models on: # Enable sudo nvram StartupMute=%00 # Disable (Default) sudo nvram StartupMute=%01 Video Auto-Play Videos in QuickTime Player defaults write com.apple.QuickTimePlayerX MGPlayMovieOnOpen 1 Networking Bonjour Bonjour Service # Disable sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist ProgramArguments -array-add "-NoMulticastAdvertisements" # Enable (Default) sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist ProgramArguments -array "/usr/sbin/mDNSResponder" "-launchd" DHCP Renew DHCP Lease sudo ipconfig set en0 DHCP Show DHCP Info ipconfig getpacket en0 DNS Clear DNS Cache sudo dscacheutil -flushcache && \ sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder Hostname Set Computer Name/Host Name sudo scutil --set ComputerName "newhostname" && \ sudo scutil --set HostName "newhostname" && \ sudo scutil --set LocalHostName "newhostname" && \ sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.smb.server NetBIOSName -string "newhostname" Network Preferences Network Locations Switch between network locations created in the Network preference pane. # Status scselect # Switch Network Location scselect LocationNameFromStatus Set Static IP Address networksetup -setmanual "Ethernet" 192.168.2.100 255.255.255.0 192.168.2.1 Networking Tools Ping a Host to See Whether It's Available ping -o herrbischoff.com Troubleshoot Routing Problems traceroute herrbischoff.com SSH Permanently Add Private Key Passphrase to SSH Agent Prior to macOS 10.12 (Sierra), ssh would present a dialog asking for your passphrase and would offer the option to store it into the keychain. This UI was deprecated some time ago and has been removed. Instead, a new UseKeychain option was introduced in macOS 10.12 (Sierra) allowing users to specify whether they would like for the passphrase to be stored in the keychain. This option was enabled by default on macOS 10.12 (Sierra), which caused all passphrases to be stored in the keychain. This was not the intended default behavior, so this has been changed in macOS 10.12.2. (Source) ssh-add -K /path/to/private_key Then add to ~/.ssh/config: Host server.example.com IdentityFile /path/to/private_key UseKeychain yes Remote Login # Enable sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ssh.plist # Disable (Default) sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ssh.plist TCP/IP Show Application Using a Certain Port This outputs all applications currently using port 80. sudo lsof -i :80 Show External IP Address Works if your ISP doesn't replace DNS requests (which it shouldn't). dig +short myip.opendns.com @resolver1.opendns.com Alternative that works on all networks. curl -s https://api.ipify.org && echo Show Network Interface Information Undocumented flag of the scutil command. scutil --nwi TFTP Start Native TFTP Daemon Files will be served from /private/tftpboot. sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/tftp.plist && \ sudo launchctl start com.apple.tftpd Wi-Fi Join a Wi-Fi Network networksetup -setairportnetwork en0 WIFI_SSID WIFI_PASSWORD Scan Available Access Points Create a symbolic link to the airport command for easy access: sudo ln -s /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport /usr/local/bin/airport Run a wireless scan: airport -s Show Current SSID /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport -I | awk '/ SSID/ {print substr($0, index($0, $2))}' Show Local IP Address ipconfig getifaddr en0 Show Wi-Fi Connection History defaults read /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences | grep LastConnected -A 7 Show Wi-Fi Network Passwords Exchange SSID with the SSID of the access point you wish to query the password from. security find-generic-password -D "AirPort network password" -a "SSID" -gw Turn on Wi-Fi Adapter networksetup -setairportpower en0 on Package Managers * Fink - The full world of Unix Open Source software for Darwin. A little outdated. * Homebrew - The missing package manager for OS X. The most popular choice. * MacPorts - Compile, install and upgrade either command-line, X11 or Aqua based open-source software. Homebrew Full Uninstall ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/uninstall)" Printing Clear Print Queue cancel -a - Expand Print Panel by Default defaults write -g PMPrintingExpandedStateForPrint -bool true && \ defaults write -g PMPrintingExpandedStateForPrint2 -bool true Quit Printer App After Print Jobs Complete defaults write com.apple.print.PrintingPrefs "Quit When Finished" -bool true Security Application Firewall Firewall Service # Show Status sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --getglobalstate # Enable sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --setglobalstate on # Disable (Default) sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --setglobalstate off Add Application to Firewall sudo /usr/libexec/ApplicationFirewall/socketfilterfw --add /path/to/file Gatekeeper Add Gatekeeper Exception spctl --add /path/to/Application.app Remove Gatekeeper Exception spctl --remove /path/to/Application.app Manage Gatekeeper Especially helpful with the annoying macOS 10.15 (Catalina) system popup blocking execution of non-signed apps. # Status spctl --status # Enable (Default) sudo spctl --master-enable # Disable sudo spctl --master-disable Passwords Generate Secure Password and Copy to Clipboard LC_ALL=C tr -dc "[:alnum:]" < /dev/urandom | head -c 20 | pbcopy Physical Access Launch Screen Saver # Up to macOS 10.12 (Sierra) open /System/Library/Frameworks/ScreenSaver.framework/Versions/A/Resources/ScreenSaverEngine.app # From macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) /System/Library/CoreServices/ScreenSaverEngine.app/Contents/MacOS/ScreenSaverEngine Lock Screen /System/Library/CoreServices/Menu\ Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession -suspend Screensaver Immediate Lock # Status defaults read com.apple.screensaver askForPasswordDelay # Enable (Default) defaults write com.apple.screensaver askForPasswordDelay -int 0 # Disable (Integer = lock delay in seconds) defaults write com.apple.screensaver askForPasswordDelay -int 10 Screensaver Password # Status defaults read com.apple.screensaver askForPassword # Enable defaults write com.apple.screensaver askForPassword -int 1 # Disable (Default) defaults write com.apple.screensaver askForPassword -int 0 Privacy Database The tccutil command manages the privacy database, which stores decisions the user has made about whether apps may access personal data. You need to close all applications except Terminal before running any of these commands. # Full Reset for All Applications sudo tccutil reset All # Reset Adress Book Access sudo tccutil reset AddressBook # Reset All Permission for Terminal.app sudo tccutil reset All com.apple.Terminal Wiping Data Note: The srm command appears to have been removed on MacOS after 10.9. There is a note on an Apple support page hinting as to why: With an SSD drive, Secure Erase and Erasing Free Space are not available in Disk Utility. These options are not needed for an SSD drive because a standard erase makes it difficult to recover data from an SSD. Securely Remove File srm /path/to/file Securely Remove Folder srm -r /path/to/folder/ Securely Remove Path (Force) srm -rf /path/to/complete/destruction Search Find Recursively Delete .DS_Store Files find . -type f -name '.DS_Store' -ls -delete Locate Build Locate Database sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.locate.plist Search via Locate The -i modifier makes the search case insensitive. locate -i *.jpg System AirDrop AirDrop over Ethernet on Unsupported Macs # Enable defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser BrowseAllInterfaces -bool true && \ defaults remove com.apple.NetworkBrowser DisableAirDrop # Disable (Default) defaults delete com.apple.NetworkBrowser BrowseAllInterfaces && \ defaults write com.apple.NetworkBrowser DisableAirDrop -bool true AppleScript Execute AppleScript osascript /path/to/script.scpt Basics Compare Two Folders diff -qr /path/to/folder1 /path/to/folder2 Copy Large File with Progress Make sure you have pv installed and replace /dev/rdisk2 with the appropriate write device or file. FILE=/path/to/file.iso pv -s $(du -h $FILE | awk '/.*/ {print $1}') $FILE | sudo dd of=/dev/rdisk2 bs=1m Restore Sane Shell In case your shell session went insane (some script or application turned it into a garbled mess). stty sane Restart sudo reboot Shutdown sudo poweroff Show Build Number of OS sw_vers Uptime How long since your last restart. uptime Clipboard Copy data to Clipboard cat whatever.txt | pbcopy Convert Clipboard to Plain Text pbpaste | textutil -convert txt -stdin -stdout -encoding 30 | pbcopy Convert Tabs to Spaces for Clipboard Content pbpaste | expand | pbcopy Copy data from Clipboard pbpaste > whatever.txt Sort and Strip Duplicate Lines from Clipboard Content pbpaste | sort | uniq | pbcopy FileVault Automatically Unlock FileVault on Restart If FileVault is enabled on the current volume, it restarts the system, bypassing the initial unlock. The command may not work on all systems. sudo fdesetup authrestart FileVault Service # Status sudo fdesetup status # Enable sudo fdesetup enable # Disable (Default) sudo fdesetup disable Information/Reports Generate Advanced System and Performance Report sudo sysdiagnose -f ~/Desktop/ Installation Create Bootable Installer # macOS 11 (Big Sur) sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --nointeraction --downloadassets # macOS 10.15 (Catalina) sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --nointeraction --downloadassets # macOS 10.14 (Mojave) sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --nointeraction --downloadassets # macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app # macOS 10.12 (Sierra) sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app # OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app # OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app * For confirmation before erasing the drive, remove --nointeraction from the command. * The optional --downloadassets flag is new in macOS 10.14 (Mojave). It downloads assets which may be required during installation, like updates. * The --applicationpath flag is deprecated since macOS 10.14 (Mojave) and will throw an error if used. Download Older OS Versions Version Codename Download Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah n/a Mac OS X 10.1 Puma n/a Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar n/a Mac OS X 10.3 Panther n/a Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger n/a Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard n/a Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard n/a Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Direct Download OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Direct Download OS X 10.9 Mavericks n/a OS X 10.10 Yosemite Direct Download OS X 10.11 El Capitan Direct Download macOS 10.12 Sierra Direct Download macOS 10.13 High Sierra App Store macOS 10.14 Mojave App Store macOS 10.15 Catalina App Store macOS 11 Big Sur App Store macOS 12 Monterey App Store Kernel Extensions Display Status of Loaded Kernel Extensions sudo kextstat -l Load Kernel Extension sudo kextload -b com.apple.driver.ExampleBundle Unload Kernel Extensions sudo kextunload -b com.apple.driver.ExampleBundle LaunchAgents Please see this file. LaunchServices Rebuild LaunchServices Database To be independent of OS X version, this relies on locate to find lsregister. If you do not have your locate database built yet, do it. sudo $(locate lsregister) -kill -seed -r Login Window Set Login Window Text sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow LoginwindowText "Your text" Memory Management Purge memory cache sudo purge Show Memory Statistics # One time vm_stat # Table of data, repeat 10 times total, 1 second wait between each poll vm_stat -c 10 1 Notification Center Notification Center Service # Disable launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.notificationcenterui.plist && \ killall -9 NotificationCenter # Enable (Default) launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.notificationcenterui.plist QuickLook Preview via QuickLook qlmanage -p /path/to/file Remote Management See also: Apple Remote Desktop. Prevent Double Password Entry When logging into a Mac remotely via Apple Remote Desktop or VNC, you are sometimes required to enter your password a second time after connecting to the Mac. While you can disable this behavior, it is explicitly not recommend to turn this functionality off unless you are certain that no one else will be able to access your Mac physically when you are away. # Disable sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.RemoteManagement.plist RestoreMachineState -bool false # Enable (Default) sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.RemoteManagement.plist RestoreMachineState -bool true Remote Apple Events # Status sudo systemsetup -getremoteappleevents # Enable sudo systemsetup -setremoteappleevents on # Disable (Default) sudo systemsetup -setremoteappleevents off Root User # Enable dsenableroot # Disable (Default) dsenableroot -d Safe Mode Boot # Status nvram boot-args # Enable sudo nvram boot-args="-x" # Disable (Default) sudo nvram boot-args="" Save Dialogs Significantly improve the now rather slow animation in save dialogs. defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSWindowResizeTime .001 Screenshots Take Delayed Screenshot Takes a screenshot as JPEG after 3 seconds and displays in Preview. screencapture -T 3 -t jpg -P delayedpic.jpg Save Screenshots to Given Location Sets location to ~/Desktop. defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Desktop && \ killall SystemUIServer Save Screenshots in Given Format Sets format to png. Other options are bmp, gif, jpg, jpeg, pdf, tiff. defaults write com.apple.screencapture type -string "png" Disable Shadow in Screenshots defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool true && \ killall SystemUIServer Set Default Screenshot Name Date and time remain unchanged. defaults write com.apple.screencapture name "Example name" && \ killall SystemUIServer Software Installation Install PKG installer -pkg /path/to/installer.pkg -target / Sidecar Use on Incompatible Macs This may or may not work, depending on the age of the machine. # Enable defaults write com.apple.sidecar.display AllowAllDevices -bool true && \ defaults write com.apple.sidecar.display hasShownPref -bool true # Disable (Default) defaults delete com.apple.sidecar.display Software Update Ignore Specific Software Update The identifier can be found via softwareupdate --list. In the example below, being on macOS 10.14 (Mojave), will ignore all update prompts to macOS 10.15 (Catalina), since the latter removes 32-bit support. sudo /usr/sbin/softwareupdate --ignore "macOS Catalina" Install All Available Software Updates sudo softwareupdate -ia Set Software Update Check Interval Set to check daily instead of weekly. defaults write com.apple.SoftwareUpdate ScheduleFrequency -int 1 Show Available Software Updates sudo softwareupdate --list Set Software Update Server This should only be done for testing purposes or unmanaged clients. To use network-wide, either correctly set up DNS along with Apple SUS service and bind your clients via OpenDirectory. Alternatively, use Reposado together with correct network DNS settings to make resolution transparent. Margarita looks nice to have as well. # Use own SUS sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate CatalogURL http://su.example.com:8088/index.sucatalog # Reset to Apple SUS sudo defaults delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate CatalogURL Software Version Show System Software Version There are several ways to obtain different levels of detail. sw_vers -productVersion system_profiler SPSoftwareDataType defaults read loginwindow SystemVersionStampAsString Spotlight Spotlight Indexing # Disable mdutil -i off -d /path/to/volume # Enable (Default) mdutil -i on /path/to/volume Erase Spotlight Index and Rebuild mdutil -E /path/to/volume Search via Spotlight mdfind -name 'searchterm' Show Spotlight Indexed Metadata mdls /path/to/file System Integrity Protection Reboot while holding Cmd + R and open the Terminal application. You will need to reboot for the commands to take effect. # Status csrutil status # Enable (Default) csrutil enable # Disable csrutil disable Date and Time List Available Timezones sudo systemsetup -listtimezones Set Timezone sudo systemsetup -settimezone Europe/Berlin Set Clock Using Network Time # Status sudo systemsetup getusingnetworktime # Enable (Default) sudo systemsetup setusingnetworktime on # Disable sudo systemsetup setusingnetworktime off Set Menu Bar Clock Output Format # System Preferences > Date & Time > Time options # Analogue sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock IsAnalog -bool true # Digital (Default) sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock IsAnalog -bool false # System Preferences > Date & Time > Flash the time separators # Enable sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock FlashDateSeparators -bool true # Disable (Default) sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock FlashDateSeparators -bool false # Thu 18 Aug 23:46:18 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Checked [HH:mm] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE d MMM HH:mm:ss" # Thu 23:46:18 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Checked [HH:mm] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE HH:mm:ss" # 18 Aug 23:46:18 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Checked [HH:mm] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "d MMM HH:mm:ss" # 23:46:18 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Checked [HH:mm] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "HH:mm:ss" # Thu 18 Aug 11:46:18 pm # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Checked [a] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE d MMM h:mm:ss a" # Thu 11:46:18 pm # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Checked [a] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE h:mm:ss a" # 18 Aug 11:46:18 pm # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Checked [a] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "d MMM h:mm:ss a" # 11:46:18 pm # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Checked [a] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "h:mm:ss a" # Thu 18 Aug 11:46:18 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE d MMM h:mm:ss" # Thu 11:46:18 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE h:mm:ss" # 18 Aug 11:46:18 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "d MMM h:mm:ss" # 11:46:18 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Checked [:ss] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "h:mm:ss" # Thu 18 Aug 23:46 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Checked [HH:mm] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE d MMM HH:mm" # Thu 23:46 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Checked [HH:mm] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE HH:mm" # 18 Aug 23:46 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Checked [HH:mm] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "d MMM HH:mm" # 23:46 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Checked [HH:mm] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "HH:mm" # Thu 18 Aug 11:46 pm # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Checked [a] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE d MMM h:mm a" # Thu 11:46 pm # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Checked [a] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE h:mm a" # 18 Aug 11:46 pm # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Checked [a] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "d MMM h:mm a" # 11:46 pm # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Checked [a] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "h:mm a" # Thu 18 Aug 11:46 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE d MMM h:mm" # Thu 11:46 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Checked [EEE] # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "EEE h:mm" # 18 Aug 11:46 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Checked [d MMM] sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "d MMM h:mm" # 11:46 # System Preferences > Date & Time > Display time with seconds - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Use a 24-hour clock - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show AM/PM - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show the day of the week - Unchecked # System Preferences > Date & Time > Show date - Unchecked sudo defaults write com.apple.menuextra.clock DateFormat -string "h:mm" # Apply changes immediately sudo killall SystemUIServer (Source) Terminal Ring Terminal Bell Rings the terminal bell (if enabled) and puts a badge on it. tput bel Alternative Terminals * Alacritty - Cross-platform, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator. * iTerm2 - A better Terminal.app. * kitty - Modern, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator. Shells Bash Install the latest version and set as current user's default shell: brew install bash && \ echo $(brew --prefix)/bin/bash | sudo tee -a /etc/shells && \ chsh -s $(brew --prefix)/bin/bash * Homepage - The default shell for OS X and most other Unix-based operating systems. * Bash-it - Community Bash framework, like Oh My Zsh for Bash. fish Install the latest version and set as current user's default shell: brew install fish && \ echo $(brew --prefix)/bin/fish | sudo tee -a /etc/shells && \ chsh -s $(brew --prefix)/bin/fish * Homepage - A smart and user-friendly command line shell for OS X, Linux, and the rest of the family. * The Fishshell Framework - Provides core infrastructure to allow you to install packages which extend or modify the look of your shell. * Installation & Configuration Tutorial - How to Setup Fish Shell with Fisherman, Powerline Fonts, iTerm2 and Budspencer Theme on OS X. Zsh Install the latest version and set as current user's default shell: brew install zsh && \ sudo sh -c 'echo $(brew --prefix)/bin/zsh >> /etc/shells' && \ chsh -s $(brew --prefix)/bin/zsh * Homepage - Zsh is a shell designed for interactive use, although it is also a powerful scripting language. * Oh My Zsh - An open source, community-driven framework for managing your Zsh configuration. * Prezto - A speedy Zsh framework. Enriches the command line interface environment with sane defaults, aliases, functions, auto completion, and prompt themes. * zgen - Another open source framework for managing your zsh configuration. Zgen will load oh-my-zsh compatible plugins and themes and has the advantage of both being faster and automatically cloning any plugins used in your configuration for you. Terminal Fonts * Anonymous Pro - A family of four fixed-width fonts designed with coding in mind. * Codeface - A gallery and repository of monospaced fonts for developers. * DejaVu Sans Mono - A font family based on the Vera Fonts. * Fantasque Sans Mono - Designed with functionality in mind, and with some wibbly-wobbly handwriting-like fuzziness that makes it unassumingly cool. * Hack - Hack is hand groomed and optically balanced to be your go-to code face. * Inconsolata - A monospace font, designed for code listings and the like. * Input - A flexible system of fonts designed specifically for code. * Meslo - Customized version of Apple's Menlo font. * Operator Mono - A surprisingly usable alternative take on a monospace font (commercial). * Powerline Fonts - Repo of patched fonts for the Powerline plugin. * Source Code Pro - A monospaced font family for user interfaces and coding environments. Glossary Mac OS X, OS X, and macOS Version Information Version Codename Release Date Most Recent Version Rhapsody Grail1Z4 / August 31, DR2 (May 14, 1998) Developer Release Titan1U 1997 Mac OS X Server Hera March 16, 1.2v3 (October 27, 2000) 1.0 1999 Mac OS X n/a March 16, DP4 (April 5, 2000) Developer Preview 1999 Mac OS X Public Kodiak September n/a Beta 13, 2000 Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah March 24, 10.0.4 (June 22, 2001) 2001 Mac OS X 10.1 Puma September 10.1.5 (June 6, 2002) 25, 2001 Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar August 24, 10.2.8 (October 3, 2003) 2002 Mac OS X 10.3 Panther October 24, 10.3.9 (April 15, 2005) 2003 Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger April 29, 10.4.11 (November 14, 2005 2007) Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard October 26, 10.5.8 (August 5, 2009) 2007 Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard August 28, 10.6.8 v1.1 (July 25, 2009 2011) Mac OS X 10.7 Lion July 20, 10.7.5 (September 19, 2011 2012) OS X 10.8 Mountain July 25, 10.8.5 (12F2560) (August Lion 2012 13, 2015) OS X 10.9 Mavericks October 22, 10.9.5 (13F1911) (July 2013 18, 2016) OS X 10.10 Yosemite October 16, 10.10.5 (14F2511) (July 2014 19, 2017) OS X 10.11 El Capitan September 10.11.6 (15G22010) (July 30, 2015 9, 2018) macOS 10.12 Sierra September 10.12.6 (16G2136) 20, 2016 (September 26, 2019) macOS 10.13 High Sierra September 10.13.6 (17G14042) 25, 2017 (November 12, 2020) macOS 10.14 Mojave September 10.14.6 (18G9323) (July 24, 2018 21, 2021) macOS 10.15 Catalina October 7, 10.15.7 (19H1323) (July 2019 21, 2021) macOS 11 Big Sur November 12, 11.6 (20G165) (September 2020 13, 2021) macOS 12 Monterey October 25, 12.4 (21F79) (May 16, 2021 2022) macOS 13 Ventura tba 13.0 beta 3 (22A5295h) (July 6, 2022) License Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. generated by cgit v1.2.3 (git 2.25.1) at 2022-12-07 23:01:28 +0000