Using Hidden Preferences

DEVONthink is well known for being a highly configurable application with an abundance of preferences options. However, not all preferences are as broadly needed but may be useful to a smaller but still substantial group. To address this, DEVONthink has some hidden preferences available.

Select Help > DEVONthink 3 Help, then navigate into the Documentation > Appendix > Hidden Preferences. You will find discussion of the use of the preferences, an example using a terminal command for adding plain text extensions, and a list of available hidden preferences. Here are a few of the available preferences…

• DisableHighlightColorMapping: Turn this on to use the same highlight color in dark and light mode instead of adjusting the color for each.
• DisableActivityWindow: Turn this on to keep Window > Activity from appearing, e.g., during a sync operation.
• DisableBadgeLabel: Turn this on to disable showing a badge of items on DEVONthink’s dock icon.

After reading the description of the preference, you can click the On or Off link to enable or disable the specific preference. A relaunch of DEVONthink isn’t required but there’s no ill effect if you do quit and relaunch it.

In macOS Monterey, changes made by Apple have broken the links in our Help. Here’s a workaround for how you may still use the hidden preferences…

1. Open DEVONthink’s _Help > DEVONthink 3 Help and navigate to Documentation > Appendix > Hidden Preferences.
2. Control- or right-click the On or Off link for the desired preference, ​and choose ​Copy Link​.
3. Open your browser, e.g., Safari, and paste the link into the address bar.
4. Press Return and click OK for opening the link in DEVONthink.
5. Quit and relaunch DEVONthink if needed. The preference should be applied.