Where Does Mac Terminal Store Profiles?
Mac Terminal keeps profiles and window groups in one Preferences plist. Exported groups save as terminal files wherever chosen.
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Mac Terminal centralizes everything in one plist. Profiles with window settings plus window groups share the file under the Apple bundle. Exported groups save wherever picked for sharing.
Caching rewrites on quit, so edit while closed. App location migrated across system folders over releases without changing the bundle. Copy the plist plus any exported group files for full moves.
Where Terminal stores this, by platform
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Terminal.plist
Profiles plus window groups in one Apple plist with caching behavior. Exported groups save to chosen terminal files. Edit only while fully quit.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up Terminal profiles?
Copy ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Terminal.plist with Terminal fully quit. Profiles and window groups share the file with caching caveats. Exported group files travel separately from chosen spots.
Where are Terminal window groups?
They live inside the same plist rather than separate files. Export and import flows write chosen terminal files for sharing. Quit before direct edits since the app rewrites on exit.
Where is Terminal.app itself?
It moved across OS generations from Applications to System Applications. Bundle identity stays constant while the path shifts. Quote the identifier rather than the app location.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.