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Use a trick of the Finder.
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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983
T h e R o a d L e s s T r a v e l e d
When an OS X program acts up, try this: Trash the prefs
March 17, 2004
By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2004, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2004, The Post-Standard
Macs usually know how to behave. But what do you do when your favorite program suddenly starts acting up? I'll let you in on a simple cure this week.
Longtime Mac users might already know about this little trick. Refugees from Windows probably have never heard of it.
It's expressed in three little words: "Trash the prefs." Memorize that phrase. ("Sis, boom, bah! Trash the prefs!")
The "prefs" are "preferences." Apple requires all Mac applications to store their configuration data in a folder named "Preferences." In Mac OS X, each application stores its preferences in a separate file within that folder. Trashing the prefs -- dragging the configuration file to the trash can so that it is no longer available for use -- forces the application to create new preferences the next time it runs. This usually fixes the problem the program was having.
(Mac programs usually behave well on their own. But when the user changes a preference setting to a non-standard value or when a faulty disk drive messes up those settings, getting rid of them clears out the bad stuff.)
The sequence works like this: Quit the program, trash the prefs, rerun the program. It's that simple.
Because OS X is a version of Unix, it has systemwide files and user-specific files. So there are two Preferences folders, not just one. But each one is easy to find. To find the main Preferences folder, open your main hard drive icon (usually called "Macintosh HD") and then open the Library folder. You'll find the main Preferences folder there. To locate the user preferences folder, open the Library folder within your home folder; you'll see you own Preferences folder there.
Note that the main Preferences folder and the user Preferences folder are named the same. The only difference is their location. When you need to trash the prefs of a specific program, look for its preferences in your own folder first. If you find them, trash them. If you can't find them in your own storage area, look in the main Preferences folder.
Those are the basics. But I have two added tips that make this much easier.
The first tip helps you locate the right preferences file. The second helps you avoid a big mistake.
Locating the right preferences file: Every program you run -- and that includes any programs you run only once just to try them -- creates a preferences file. After a while you probably will have many more preferences than you ever thought possible. How do you find the one you're looking for?
Your Mac can find it for you, using a trick of the Finder. Make any kind of change to the application's preferences -- change something slightly and then change it back, if you're worried about making a permanent change -- to force the application to save a new copy of its preferences. Then open a finder window on the Preferences folder, chose the list view and click the header that sorts the list by time and date. (Click it again to reverse the sort if it's backwards.) Your new preferences file will be at the top.
Avoiding a mistake: Sometimes programs store all sorts of vital data in their preferences files. If you'd like to force the application to run with new preferences without trashing the old ones, drag the preferences file to the desktop instead of the trash. Delete it later if that's OK, or move it back if you find you need the old one.
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