Do macOS 13 Accessibility Settings Sync to iCloud?

macOS 13 (Ventura) does not automatically back up or sync your accessibility settings across devices via iCloud. While Apple allows synchronization of certain data types like Safari bookmarks, Keychain credentials, and Reminders, macOS system-level preferences—including Accessibility configurations—remain tied to the local machine. To safeguard or transfer these preferences, users must rely on local backup solutions like Time Machine or manually migrate configuration files.

Why Accessibility Settings Do Not Sync via iCloud

In macOS 13, Apple treats accessibility configurations as machine-specific hardware profiles. Features such as Display Contrast, Zoom, Pointer Controls, VoiceOver, and Spoken Content are tailored to the physical display, input devices, and hardware capabilities of a single Mac. Because iCloud is designed primarily for document, media, and app data synchronization rather than macOS system environment cloning, it omits the Accessibility preference pane from its sync architecture.

How Accessibility Data Is Stored in macOS 13

All modifications made under System Settings > Accessibility are saved locally on your startup disk. The operating system writes these preferences into property list (.plist) files located primarily within the user's hidden Library folder:

  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.universalaccess.plist
  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Accessibility.plist

Because these files reside outside the standard iCloud Drive sync folders, changes made on one Mac will never automatically appear on another Mac signed into the same Apple ID.

How to Back Up Accessibility Settings on macOS 13

Since iCloud does not provide an automated cloud backup for these settings, you must use alternative methods to protect and transfer your accessibility setup:

  1. Time Machine Backup: The most reliable way to back up macOS 13 settings is via Time Machine. A standard Time Machine snapshot captures the user Library folder, ensuring all accessibility configurations can be fully restored to the same Mac or migrated to a new Mac using Migration Assistant.
  2. Manual File Export: You can manually copy the relevant .plist files from ~/Library/Preferences/ to an external drive or iCloud Drive. Moving these files to the corresponding directory on another Mac running macOS 13 will replicate most accessibility behaviors after a system restart.
  3. VoiceOver Specific Export: If you rely extensively on VoiceOver, macOS includes a built-in feature to export preferences. Open VoiceOver Utility (Command + F5, then Control + Option + F8), select File > Export Preferences, and save the configuration file directly to an external drive or iCloud Drive for manual import onto another Mac.