PLIST (property list)
Also known as: property list, .plist file, Info.plist, plist file
A PLIST (property list, .plist) is an Apple file that stores settings and configuration as structured key–value data, in either human-readable XML or a compact binary form. macOS and iOS apps use them for preferences, app metadata, and launch settings.
- Apple’s key–value format for settings and metadata
- Comes in human-readable XML or compact binary
- App preferences live in ~/Library/Preferences
What a plist holds
Property lists store simple typed data — strings, numbers, dates, booleans, arrays, and dictionaries — which makes them ideal for settings rather than documents. Every app preference you change on a Mac is usually written to a .plist in your user Library.
A key example is Info.plist, the file inside every app bundle that declares its name, version, identifier, and required permissions. App preferences live in ~/Library/Preferences as files like `com.apple.Safari.plist`.
XML vs binary plists
Plists come in two encodings: a verbose XML form you can open in a text editor, and a compact binary form that opens as gibberish in plain text but is smaller and faster to read. Both hold the same data, and Apple tools convert freely between them.
Deleting an app’s preference plist is generally safe — the app simply recreates a default one — but it resets that app’s settings, so treat it as a reset rather than cleanup.