This repository aims to list all scriptable MacOS settings. I have tried to identify the keys for each setting in the System Settings GUI and a handful of standard MacOS applications.
The settings are organised by their respective pane in System Settings. Most settings have been tested on macOS 13 (Ventura) and macOS 14 (Sonoma).
Some settings are still missing. They are marked with TODO. If you can identify them, feel free to create a pull request. Also, I didn't have the time to identify the settings for all default macOS apps.
To find out what defaults key changes a setting, try the following method:
defaults read > before.txt
# change setting in GUI
defaults read > after.txt
diff before.txt after.txtThis doesn't always work, as some settings are not stored in standard .plist files, but in sqlite databases or .plist files in non-standard locations. Also, sometimes you have to use the defaults -currentHost read option to find the corresponding key.
I got many settings from tiiiecherle and Mathias Beynens.