Preferential Treatment for Mac

Quick summary

Corrupted macOS preference files can cause app glitches. You can check them manually from the Terminal with macOS’s plutil utility, but if you prefer a graphical option, Preferential Treatment offers a simpler interface to locate and remove bad preference files.

Available methods

• Preferential Treatment — a user-friendly app that scans preference files, shows the file paths, and highlights the exact problem for each entry.
• Terminal + plutil — the built-in command-line tool that validates plist files for anyone comfortable using Terminal commands.

Cleanup procedure

• Start with a scan using Preferential Treatment to get a clear, visual report of any suspect preference files.
• Examine the scan results to identify each problematic plist and note its full path and the reported error.
• Remove the corrupted preference files using the app’s delete function; if you prefer, you can delete them manually in Finder or Terminal.
• If an app continues to misbehave after removing its preference file, uninstall it and then install a fresh copy from a trusted source.
• Save or export the scan log from Preferential Treatment so you have a record of what was found and removed.

Tips and considerations

Preferential Treatment makes validating and removing bad preference files accessible without using Terminal, and its clear output helps you understand what went wrong. As a precaution, keep backups or export the scan report before deleting anything, and reinstall related applications when necessary to ensure a clean configuration.