Switching from Mackup to ConfigSync (Before macOS Breaks It Again)

For years, Mackup was the go-to tool for Mac developers who wanted to sync their app configurations. The concept was simple: move your config files to Dropbox or iCloud Drive, then create symlinks back to the original locations. Every Mac using the same cloud storage account would automatically stay in sync.

Then macOS Sonoma 14 arrived and deprecated support for symlinks in iCloud Drive. The file_sync_only mode that relied on symlinks stopped working reliably. Configs would silently fail to sync, or worse, iCloud would replace your symlinks with copies, breaking the entire chain.

Mackup introduced a copy storage engine as a workaround, but without symlinks, there is no automatic sync — you must manually run mackup backup every time you change a setting. At that point, you are not really getting much value from the tool.

Beyond the symlink issue, Mackup has other limitations that have become harder to ignore. There is no encryption — your configs sit in plaintext in Dropbox or iCloud. There is no secrets management. There is no support for Linux. And you are completely dependent on a third-party cloud storage provider.

ConfigSync was designed from the ground up for the post-symlink world. Files stay in their original locations. Sync happens through ConfigSync’s own encrypted cloud storage — no Dropbox, no iCloud Drive, no third-party dependency. Everything is encrypted with AES-256-GCM before it leaves your machine.

It works on macOS Sonoma, Sequoia, and every future macOS release because it does not rely on symlinks or cloud storage provider features. It also works on Linux, so if you ever need to sync between a Mac and a Linux machine, you are covered.

Step 1: Check what Mackup manages. Look at your Mackup configuration to see which applications are being synced.

Step 2: Restore original files. Before migrating, use Mackup’s own uninstall command to move files back from cloud storage to their original locations and remove all symlinks.

Step 3: Install ConfigSync.

Step 4: Map Mackup apps to ConfigSync modules. Many applications that Mackup supports have corresponding ConfigSync modules. Modules track all related config files for an application automatically.

Step 5: Add remaining apps manually. For applications that do not have a built-in ConfigSync module, add their config files directly.

Step 6: Push to ConfigSync.

Here are the most common Mackup applications and their ConfigSync equivalents.

Works on macOS Sonoma and beyond. No symlinks means no compatibility issues with current or future macOS releases. ConfigSync tracks files in their original locations and syncs encrypted copies — Apple cannot break this approach.

Real encryption. Mackup stores your configs in plaintext in Dropbox or iCloud. Anyone with access to your cloud storage can read your git config, SSH config, shell history, and everything else. ConfigSync encrypts every file with AES-256-GCM before it leaves your machine. The cloud storage never sees plaintext data.

No Dropbox or iCloud dependency. ConfigSync uses its own encrypted cloud storage. You do not need a Dropbox subscription, and you are not at the mercy of iCloud Drive’s sync reliability (which, as many developers know, can be inconsistent).

Secrets management. Store API tokens, database passwords, and cloud credentials in ConfigSync’s encrypted secret store. Mackup had no concept of secrets — everything was treated as a regular config file.

Cross-platform support. If you ever work on a Linux machine, ConfigSync works there too. Mackup is macOS-only.

Package tracking. ConfigSync tracks your Homebrew formulae, casks, npm global packages, and more. When you set up a new Mac, configsync pull --install restores both your configurations and your installed applications.