How to Backup and Restore iTerm2 Settings

Edited 1 day ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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iTerm2 is a popular terminal emulator for macOS. It is widely used by programmers, developers, and IT professionals who need a flexible and customizable command-line interface. iTerm2 offers several features such as split panes, search, autocomplete, and custom color schemes that make it a preferred choice over the default Terminal app in macOS. Given its wide array of configuration options, users often take time to set it up according to their preferences. Thus, backing up and restoring iTerm2 settings is essential to protect these configurations and ensure ease of setting up the same environment on a different machine or after a system refresh.

Why back up iTerm2 settings?

Backing up iTerm2 settings is important for several reasons. First, it helps preserve custom configurations and tweaks that you may have spent hours perfecting. Settings like keyboard shortcuts, color schemes, profiles, and other tweaks can greatly increase productivity. Saving these configurations via backup ensures that if something goes wrong or you reinstall macOS, you won't have to start from scratch.

Secondly, backups allow for easy syncing between different machines. If you use multiple devices in your workflow, having a consistent terminal setup across all of them can be achieved by syncing settings backups. Finally, backups serve as a safety net during system upgrades or migrations. Any changes that occur as a result of software updates or unexpected software problems can be quickly restored with a backup.

Backing up iTerm2 settings

To back up iTerm2 settings, you need to access its preferences directory. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you back up iTerm2 configuration:

Step 1: Locate the Preferences directory

Open iTerm2 and go to Preferences by selecting iTerm2 > Preferences from the menu bar or use the shortcut Cmd + ,.

In the Preferences window, go to the General tab. Make sure that Load preferences from custom folder or URL is checked. This option allows iTerm2 to read settings from the specified location, making it easier to manage different configuration setups.

The preferences directory is typically located at ~/Library/Preferences. The settings file is named com.googlecode.iterm2.plist. However, if you specified a custom location for your preferences, you must back up the settings from that location.

Step 2: Copy the Preferences File

Once you identify the location of your settings file, you'll need to copy it for backup. Open the Terminal application on your macOS and use cp command to copy the file. The file is usually hidden, so you'll use the command line to access it:

cp ~/Library/Preferences/com.googlecode.iterm2.plist ~/Desktop/iTerm2-Backup.plist

This command will copy the com.googlecode.iterm2.plist file to your desktop and rename it to iTerm2-Backup.plist. You can replace ~/Desktop/ with your preferred backup location.

You can also compress the file before saving it using zip command:

zip ~/Desktop/iTerm2-Backup.zip ~/Library/Preferences/com.googlecode.iterm2.plist

This command will create a compressed zip file, which is more portable and less prone to accidental modification.

Step 3: Automate the backup

While manual backups work, automating the process ensures your settings are always up to date. You can create a simple script that performs the backup operation and use macOS's launchd to schedule it.

Create a backup script named backup-iterm2.sh with the following contents:

#!/bin/bash
cp ~/Library/Preferences/com.googlecode.iterm2.plist ~/Desktop/iTerm2-Backup.plist
zip ~/Desktop/iTerm2-Backup.zip ~/Desktop/iTerm2-Backup.plist

To make the script executable, do the following:

chmod +x backup-iterm2.sh

You can use launchd to schedule this script. Create a property list file such as edu.self.iterm2backup.plist with the following contents in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ directory:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>edu.self.iterm2backup</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
      <string>/path/to/backup-iterm2.sh</string>
    </array>
    <key>StartInterval</key>
    <integer>86400</integer>
    <!-- This runs the script every day -->
  </dict>
</plist>

Modify /path/to/backup-iterm2.sh to reflect the actual path to your script. Load the new task with the following:

launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/edu.self.iterm2backup.plist

This setup will ensure that backups run daily, giving you peace of mind.

Restoring iTerm2 settings

Restoring iTerm2 settings is just as important as backing them up. Follow these steps to restore your previously saved configuration:

Step 1: Close iTerm2

Make sure iTerm2 is not running when you restore the settings. This is important because iTerm2 writes to the preference file when it is closed, which may overwrite the restored preferences if the application is open during the process.

Step 2: Copy the backup file

Find your backup file, such as iTerm2-Backup.plist, and move or copy it back to the original preferences directory. Use the Terminal to perform this task:

cp ~/Desktop/iTerm2-Backup.plist ~/Library/Preferences/com.googlecode.iterm2.plist

If you're working from a compressed backup, unzip the file first:

unzip ~/Desktop/iTerm2-Backup.zip -d ~/Library/Preferences/

This command unzips the contents of the backup to the location where iTerm2 wants to keep its preferences file.

Step 3: Open iTerm2

Once you have copied the backup file, you can open iTerm2. The application should load the settings from the restored file, thus replicating your previously backed up environment.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sync iTerm2 settings across multiple devices?

Yes, iTerm2 settings can be synchronized across multiple devices using cloud storage services such as Dropbox or iCloud. By placing the preference file in a cloud storage directory and pointing iTerm2 to load preferences from that location, any changes made on one device will be visible on the others. Just remember to load preferences from the custom folder on all devices.

What happens if I accidentally delete a preferences file?

If you accidentally delete the preference file without backing it up, iTerm2 will recreate the default preference file the next time it runs. However, all your custom settings will be lost, so regularly backing up your settings can prevent such loss.

Conclusion

Backing up and restoring settings in iTerm2 ensures that your customized environment is protected from data loss, simplifying device transitions and disaster recovery. By following the steps above, you can confidently set up and maintain your iTerm2 configuration, increasing your productivity and ease of use, whether you work on one machine or multiple devices. Managing backups regularly is a best practice, and with automated scripts and tools like cloud sync, it's more convenient than ever.

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