Reset Mac OS X Terminal to default

Question

I accidentally renamed my "Basic" terminal profile under Terminal -> Preferences -> Settings. I renamed it back but this got me wondering if there was a way to reset all terminal settings to defaults. So for example if I renamed "Basic" to "Foo" is there a command or way to reset it back to "Basic" without having to select it and rename?

Is it just a matter of deleting the .plist file in ~/Library?

Solution 1

Correct. Just quit Terminal.app, and make a backup of the following file, then delete it.

~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Terminal.plist

Terminal will create a new, default one once you restart it. Your preferences are stored in that preference list file – a normal Dictionary.

Solution 2

Yes, there’s a command to restore all the built-in settings profiles (each item in the Settings list is called a “settings profile” or “profile”):

In the Preferences window, in the Settings panel:

1. Click the action (gear) button at the bottom of the list.
2. Choose Restore Defaults.

This will reset modified profiles and recreate any that have been deleted or renamed. Custom profiles are left as-is. (In your specific case this means that your renamed “Basic” will remain and a new “Basic” will be created.)

Comments

[slhck]

Heh, how could I miss that? :) +1

[Nicolas Barbulesco]

Strangely, I cannot reset my Terminal app to the default settings. I had chosen Novel rather than Basic, and now the Terminal keeps giving me Novel. And a bug !

[slhck]

I heard that on OS X Mavericks, the preferences are all cached, so this might be an explanation if you're on 10.9.

[Nicolas Barbulesco]

Prefs cached ?? This sounds like a troubleshooting horror.

[Nicolas Barbulesco]

I am on Mavericks.

[amiralles]

Hats off sir. I don't know either...

[Chris Page]

Deleting the Terminal preferences file is overkill and unnecessary: there is a command to restore the default profiles. See my answer: superuser.com/a/448679/81175

[slhck]

@ChrisPage You may have noticed that more than three years ago I commented on your answer and gave it a +1 ... Also, the OP asked whether it is a matter of deleting a .plist file, which it actually is.