deleting .plist

is it safe to delete .plist files

iMac 24″, macOS 13.5

Posted on Oct 24, 2023 11:29 AM

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11 replies

Oct 24, 2023 12:35 PM in response to marishka999

First, there is no reason to ever install or run any 3rd party "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus, VPN or security apps on your Mac.  This documents describe what you need to know and do in order to protect your Mac: Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community and Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support.  


There are no known viruses, i.e. self propagating, for Macs.  There are, however, adware and malware which require the user to install although unwittingly most of the time thru sneaky links, etc.   


Anti Virus developers try to group all types as viruses into their ad campaigns of fear.  They do a poor job of the detecting and isolating the adware and malware.  Since there are no viruses these apps use up a lot of system resources searching for what is non-existent and adversely affect system and app performance.


There is one app, Malwarebytes, which was developed by a long time contributor to these forums and a highly respected member of the computer security community, that is designed solely to seek out adware and known malware and remove it.  The free version is more than adequate for most users.  


Uninstall the Norton A/V software according to the developer's instructions.



Oct 24, 2023 12:30 PM in response to marishka999

Norton, nor any anti-virus tool will continue to show these false positives and never find any true virus. I recommend that you fully remove Norton anything following the vendor's removal instructions.


Unlike Microsoft, Apple has taken steps to secure the operating system from invasive software. The following explains that: Apple Platform Security - Apple Support


However, unless you only download software from the original application vendor, you may inadvertently install other forms of malware, for which we recommend that you use the free evaluation of Malwarebytes for Mac. It will find and remove malware/adware if present. Afterwards, if you choose, you can remove the product from its Help menu.


Oct 24, 2023 12:49 PM in response to marishka999

marishka999 wrote:

I've used Mac all my life but endings like
settings.dat, .log, .dmp and .txt
keep filling up my computer (Ventura)

now I know I need to keep the .plist files anyway.

All of those will be quite prevalent, probably more than you're aware. But they should not be "filling up" your Mac, storage-wise.

I think I've seen some log files grow somewhat large, but not significant unless they were running away. The log system will automatically prune them.

Oct 24, 2023 3:09 PM in response to marishka999

marishka999 wrote:

Thanks so much. Guess I'm just worried that having so many will affect the quality of my Mac. I feel a lot of relief from your answers. I even plan to delete some of my applications that I no longer use or have replaced with alternatives. I plan to keep up with updates for Mac. Thanks again, everyone.

As long as you keep a good bit of free space, there won't be a problem.

deleting .plist

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