This article has been archived and is no longer updated by Apple.

Change a Mac client's default save location using Profile Manager

If you're an IT professional managing a number of Mac clients, you can use Profile Manager to change the default save location from iCloud to local storage.

When your clients create new documents in some apps, the default save location might be set to iCloud if the user is signed in to an iCloud account. You can use Profile Manager to change the default save location on managed Macs using OS X Mavericks or Yosemite:

  1. Use Profile Manager in OS X Server to create a Custom Settings payload.

  2. Type in the preference domain name .GlobalPreferences (be sure to include the initial period).

  3. Enter a key of NSDocumentSaveNewDocumentsToCloud.

  4. Set the key's type to Boolean.

  5. Leave the checkbox under the Value column deselected to set the key's value to False.

After saving these changes, push this profile out to your client Macs. When you create a new document, these Macs no longer select iCloud as the default save location in apps.

If you’re not using Profile Manager, you can create your own profile, or use this example. Distribute your profile to your clients from an email message or a webpage. You can also use over-the-air profile delivery and configuration, or a Mobile Device Management server to distribute your profile.

Published Date: