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Keyboard Maestro's macros file and backups

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

Keyboard Maestro keeps every macro in a single plist inside your hidden Library. Here is the path, what sits beside it, and how to back up, restore or move your macros without losing them.

The location

~/Library/Application Support/Keyboard Maestro/Keyboard Maestro Macros.plist

Every macro and macro group you have is in that one file, inside the Keyboard Maestro support folder:

~/Library/Application Support/Keyboard Maestro

Keyboard Maestro's forum, including replies from its developer, gives this path. It is inside the hidden Library: choose Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G) in Finder and paste it, or run this in Terminal:

open ~/Library/Application\ Support/Keyboard\ Maestro

What else is in the folder

Forum users who help others with backups list these files next to the macros:

File	What it holds
Keyboard Maestro Macros.plist	All your macros and groups
Keyboard Maestro Clipboards.plist	Named clipboards
Keyboard Maestro Clipboard History.plist	The clipboard history
Keyboard Maestro Dictionaries.sqlite	Dictionaries
Keyboard Maestro Variables.sqlite	Your variables

The same advice adds that the list is subject to change at any time, so the safe unit to back up is the whole folder, not individual files. Some preferences live outside it, in ~/Library/Preferences/com.stairways.keyboardmaestro.* (separate files for the app, the editor and the engine). Those hold preferences, not macros: restoring them alone brings no macros back.

Do not edit these files by hand. The macros file is Keyboard Maestro's working data, and the variables and clipboard files can hold values you would not want to paste anywhere.

The built-in backups

Keyboard Maestro keeps its own earlier copies. The manual says the File > Revert Macros menu can take your macros back to how they were when you first launched Keyboard Maestro, or yesterday, or several days ago. The developer calls the mechanism undocumented and subject to change, and says it saves a revision the first time there is an editor change on a new date, so days with no edits leave gaps.

The developer has also said where they live: a folder per major version, named like Revisions Version 11, holding about ten dated copies of the macros file. List yours:

ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/Keyboard\ Maestro | grep -i revis

That prints names only. About ten copies, made only on days you edit, is a short-term safety net, not a backup.

If you deleted a macro by mistake, the developer's advice is to quit and relaunch the Editor, use Revert Macros to go back to a useful time, copy or export the lost macros, then revert to the Editor Launch state and paste or import them. That way you recover the macros without losing newer edits to others.

Restore from your own copy

Restoring the macros file replaces every macro with the copy's state. The order matters:

1. In the Editor, choose File > Quit Engine, then Keyboard Maestro > Quit Keyboard Maestro Editor. Quitting the Editor alone leaves the Engine running.
2. Copy the current support folder somewhere safe first, so you can undo the restore.
3. Put the backed-up Keyboard Maestro Macros.plist into the folder.
4. Check that the file and folder belong to you (ls -l shows the owner) and open Keyboard Maestro again, which starts the Engine too. The developer says that, with correct ownership and both apps not running, that is all a macros restore needs. If you also restored the com.stairways preference files, he adds that you may need to restart the Mac, because the system can cache them.

Moving to a new Mac

You have three routes:

• Export and import: select macros or a macro group in the Editor and choose File > Export > Export Macros, or File > Export > Export All Macros as Folder for everything. On the new Mac use File > Import > Import Macros Safely, which imports them disabled so nothing fires before you check it. This moves macros only.
• Copy the support folder and the preferences: a long-standing forum answer is to install Keyboard Maestro on the new Mac and copy the Keyboard Maestro folder and the com.stairways.keyboardmaestro.* preference files, with both apps quit on both Macs. This also carries variables and named clipboards. The developer warns that the copied preferences give the new Mac the same Mac identifier. If you will keep using both Macs, the manual's Macro Syncing page gives two defaults delete commands to reset that identifier on one of them.
• Sync: see below.

Macro syncing

Keyboard Maestro can keep macros in step across Macs through a sync file in a shared folder: choose File > Start Syncing Macros, then Create New on the Mac with your macros and Open Existing on the others. File > Reveal Macro Sync File shows where the file is later. The manual is blunt about three things. Only macros are synced, not preferences, clipboards or variables. You can only sync between identical versions of Keyboard Maestro. And syncing is all or nothing: Open Existing destroys the second Mac's current macros, so export them first.

The manual also warns that iCloud Drive can take a long time to sync between Macs and lose changes. A sync file in Dropbox, or a similar service with version history, gives a second restore route as a side effect.

What deleting does

Moving Keyboard Maestro Macros.plist away empties your macro list, and the clipboard and variable files go the same way if you remove the whole folder. If you are clearing the folder to fix a problem, quit both apps, move the folder to the Trash instead of deleting it, and keep an export of your macros.

For space, the revisions are the usual culprit, since each copy is a full macros file and images in actions make it large. The developer has said you can trash a Revisions Version folder for a version you no longer run, and dated files older than you would ever revert to. Quit both apps first. View > Sort Macros by > Size in the Editor shows which macros make the file large.

Why a normal search misses it

~/Library is hidden in Finder, and Spotlight and Finder searches leave it out of normal results. A macro exported with Export Macros is saved wherever you chose, under a name you gave it.

Finding it again

Type Keyboard Maestro Macros into Everywhere to find the live plist and any copies you made of it, or .kmmacros to find every macro export you have saved, wherever it landed. Press ⌘↵ to reveal one in Finder. Application Support and Preferences are covered without extra setup, though a file saved seconds ago may wait for the next scan. Everywhere matches names only, so it cannot search for a macro by its action or hotkey.

Common questions

Where does Keyboard Maestro store macros?

In one file, ~/Library/Application Support/Keyboard Maestro/Keyboard Maestro Macros.plist. The Keyboard Maestro folder also holds clipboards and variables.

How do I back up Keyboard Maestro macros?

Quit the Engine and the Editor, then copy the whole Keyboard Maestro support folder. For macros alone, use File > Export > Export Macros, or Export All Macros as Folder, in the Editor.

How do I restore a deleted Keyboard Maestro macro?

Quit and relaunch the Editor, use File > Revert Macros to go back to an earlier point, copy or export the macro, then revert to the Editor Launch state and paste or import it. Revisions are saved only on days you make changes, and only about ten are kept.

Does Keyboard Maestro sync variables and clipboards between Macs?

No. The manual says only macros are synced, not preferences, clipboards or variables. Use File > Start Syncing Macros for macros, and copy the support folder to move the rest.