macOS 12 (Monterey) ~/Library/SyncedPreferences/com.apple.finder.plist is missing

In macOS 11 and earlier, I used to read Finder tags and their colors from the property list file ~/Library/SyncedPreferences/com.apple.finder.plist.

In macOS 12, it seems that this file does no longer exist. Since there are no obvious changes to the list of tags in Finder > Preferences > Tags, which was (partly) based on the file above, I wonder whether the synced preferences file is gone for good, has been moved to a different location or has been deliberately made inaccessible?

Is there an alternative way in macOS 12 to get the list of tags and their colors, apart from searching the entire file system using NSMetadataQuery?

Thanks.

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There is, AFAIK, no good way to get the list of tags you’re looking for.

Reading system preferences like this isn’t supported, so I can’t answer your specific questions on that topic.

At the time you started down this path, did you file an enhancement request for a proper API to get the info you need? If so, what was the bug number?

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eskimo
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  • Indeed, there is no good way, so I have to find and live with a workaround. I had not filed an enhancement request before, but did so now (FB9751288). Thanks for the suggestion.

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    foxandrabbit

  • Thanks for the bug report.

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    eskimo
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