macOS defaults

Appearance

Removable media ​

Hide removable media (CDs, DVDs and iPods) on desktop

  • Tested on macOS:
    • Monterey
    • Big Sur
  • Parameter type: bool

Set to false ​

Hide removable media

bash
defaults write com.apple.finder "ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop" -bool "false" && killall Finder
defaults write com.apple.finder "ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop" -bool "false" && killall Finder

Set to true (default value) ​

Show removable media

bash
defaults write com.apple.finder "ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop" -bool "true" && killall Finder
defaults write com.apple.finder "ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop" -bool "true" && killall Finder

Read current value ​

bash
defaults read com.apple.finder "ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop"
defaults read com.apple.finder "ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop"

Reset to default value ​

bash
defaults delete com.apple.finder "ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop" && killall Finder
defaults delete com.apple.finder "ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop" && killall Finder