Where apps hide your files

Bluetooth plists and pairing files on macOS

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

Bluetooth settings are split between a system plist in /Library/Preferences, a per-user ByHost plist and root-only files in /Library/Bluetooth. Here is what each holds, what to leave alone, and the safe order for fixing a misbehaving device.

The locations

Bluetooth settings are not in one file. These are the locations on macOS 15 Sequoia, checked on the Mac used for this guide; other releases may differ in detail:

/Library/Preferences/com.apple.bluetooth.plist
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.Bluetooth.<UUID>.plist
/Library/Bluetooth/

The first holds system-wide Bluetooth settings. On this Mac its name is all lower case; many guides write it com.apple.Bluetooth.plist, and on a Mac's normal case-insensitive disk both spellings reach the same file. The second is a per-user file tied to this particular Mac (the UUID identifies the Mac, so it differs on every machine). The third is a root-owned folder of databases and a device list.

To see them without opening anything, list names, sizes and permissions in Terminal:

ls -lO /Library/Preferences | grep -i bluetooth
ls -la ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost | grep -i bluetooth
ls -laR /Library/Bluetooth

Finder hides ~/Library, and /Library is a folder most people never open. Choose Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G), type the path and press Return, or run open -R with a full path from Terminal to reveal one file.

What each file is

File	What it is
/Library/Preferences/com.apple.bluetooth.plist	System-wide Bluetooth settings. Owned by root, readable by everyone. 411 bytes on the Mac used for this guide, far too small to be a list of devices
~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/com.apple.Bluetooth.<UUID>.plist	Per-user settings for this Mac. Two exist here, both a few hundred bytes, readable only by the owner
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.bluetoothuserd.plist	Settings for the per-user Bluetooth helper process
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothMultitouch.mouse.plist and ...trackpad.plist	Settings for an Apple Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad, such as tracking and gestures, if you have used one
/Library/Bluetooth/Library/Preferences/com.apple.MobileBluetooth.devices.plist	By its name, the list of devices the Mac knows. About 20 KB here, readable by root only
/Library/Bluetooth/com.apple.MobileBluetooth.ledevices.paired.db	By its name, records of paired Bluetooth Low Energy devices. A database, with -shm and -wal companion files
/Library/Bluetooth/com.apple.MobileBluetooth.ledevices.other.db	By its name, records of other low-energy devices the Mac has seen

Everything in /Library/Bluetooth is readable by root (and, for the databases, its group) only, and it can hold pairing details. Do not open, copy or share these files, and do not post their contents in a forum. Apple does not document where the keys for older, non-low-energy devices are kept, so this guide does not claim a location for them.

Apple's routes first

For one misbehaving device, no file editing is needed. Work through these in order:

1. Check the device is switched on, charged and in range. Apple's advice for a Magic Keyboard, Mouse or Trackpad is to switch it off and on again, or connect it to the Mac with its cable for a minute, which pairs and charges it.
2. Turn Bluetooth off and on in System Settings > Bluetooth. If Bluetooth will not turn on, Apple says to restart the Mac and try again.
3. Forget the device and pair it again: in System Settings > Bluetooth, click the info button next to the device, choose Forget This Device… and confirm with Forget Device. Apple's guide also offers Control-clicking the device's name and choosing Forget. Then put the device in pairing mode and connect it.
4. Restart the Mac with the accessories switched off, then switch them on one at a time.

The community resets, and what they cost

On older macOS, holding ⇧⌥ while clicking the Bluetooth menu bar icon showed a debug menu with a reset item. Third-party guides report that the reset item is gone in recent releases (from Monterey on), and Apple does not publish a replacement. What follows is community practice, not an Apple procedure, from gentlest to most drastic.

Restart the Bluetooth service. Third-party guides give sudo pkill bluetoothd, which stops the Bluetooth daemon so that macOS starts it again within a few seconds. Every Bluetooth device drops and reconnects, so keep a wired keyboard and mouse to hand.

Reset the system plist, as a last resort. This needs an administrator password, and you should expect it to unpair your Bluetooth devices, so you will pair every keyboard, mouse and headset again. Keep a wired keyboard and mouse within reach if your only input devices are Bluetooth ones. In this order:

1. Quit apps that use Bluetooth.
2. Back up the file to a folder you own, and check the copy is there:

mkdir -p ~/bluetooth-backup
cp /Library/Preferences/com.apple.bluetooth.plist ~/bluetooth-backup/
ls -l ~/bluetooth-backup

1. In Finder, open /Library/Preferences, drag com.apple.bluetooth.plist to the Trash and enter an administrator password when asked (the file is owned by root).
2. Restart the Mac, then pair your devices again.

To restore, quit the apps again, put the backup back with sudo cp ~/bluetooth-backup/com.apple.bluetooth.plist /Library/Preferences/ and restart. Do not empty the Trash until Bluetooth works the way you want.

Do not edit any of these plists in a text editor. macOS caches preference files, so a hand edit can be ignored or overwritten, and a damaged file can leave Bluetooth switched off. Leave the databases and device list in /Library/Bluetooth alone too; Apple does not describe them as safe to remove.

Which Mac the files belong to

The ByHost file carries an identifier tied to this Mac in its name, so a copy of it means little on another machine. Apple does not document Bluetooth pairings as something that moves with you, so plan to pair headphones, keyboards and mice again on a new Mac. Copying these files between Macs is not a supported way to do it.

Why a normal search misses them

The files live in /Library and ~/Library, which Finder searches and Spotlight results leave out, and several have long names with no word a person would type. A search for "Bluetooth" in Finder finds apps and documents, not these.

Finding the files again

Typing bluetooth.plist or ledevices into Everywhere lists each of these files with its folder, so you can tell the system copy from the per-user ByHost one, or spot your backup, before you act. Pressing ⌘↵ reveals the highlighted file in Finder. It matches names only, never what is inside, which suits files whose contents are private. /Library and ~/Library/Preferences are covered without Full Disk Access, though a file created moments ago in them can wait for the next scan.

Common questions

Where are Bluetooth settings stored on a Mac?

System-wide settings are in /Library/Preferences/com.apple.bluetooth.plist (often written with a capital B), and a per-user file is in ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost/ with a name starting com.apple.Bluetooth. followed by a UUID.

Where does a Mac store Bluetooth pairings?

Not in that plist. Going by their names, the device list and low-energy pairing records are in root-only files in /Library/Bluetooth. Do not open or copy them, because they can hold pairing details.

How do I reset the Bluetooth module on a modern Mac?

Apple no longer offers a reset item. Use Apple's routes first: turn Bluetooth off and on, restart, forget and re-pair the device. Community guides go further with sudo pkill bluetoothd or, as a last resort, removing the system plist after backing it up, which unpairs your devices.

How do I make a Mac forget a Bluetooth device?

Open System Settings, choose Bluetooth, click the info button beside the device and choose Forget This Device, then confirm. Pair it again from the same pane.