Useful macOS defaults: Image Capture

2019-06-03 17:00

com.apple.ImageCapture controls what happens when you connect a camera, iPhone, or other image device to your Mac.

Stop apps from opening when you plug in a device

When you connect an iPhone or camera, macOS opens Photos (or another app) by default. To stop this:

defaults -currentHost write com.apple.ImageCapture disableHotPlug -bool true

Note the -currentHost flag. This setting is per-machine.

To let apps open again:

defaults -currentHost write com.apple.ImageCapture disableHotPlug -bool false

Set which app opens for a specific device

You can set this per device through Image Capture itself:

Open Image Capture (in Applications)
Connect your device
Select the device in the sidebar
At the bottom left, find the "Connecting this device opens" dropdown
Choose the app you want, or "No application"

There is no clean defaults command for per-device settings because they are stored with the device's unique identifier.

Read current Image Capture settings

defaults read com.apple.ImageCapture
defaults -currentHost read com.apple.ImageCapture

Notes

The disableHotPlug setting is the most common Image Capture tweak. It stops the annoying habit of Photos opening every time you plug in your phone to charge.

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