Important difference: Royal TSX is not like Tabby
For Royal TSX, your saved sessions are usually stored inside Royal TS documents, not only inside one app config file. Royal TSX documents can be .rtsz or .rtsx, and Royal’s docs list these as Royal TS document formats. (docs.royalapps.com)
Royal TSX also has an Application Document, which stores application-level settings/defaults, but normal connections are usually stored in separate Royal TS documents. Royal’s docs describe the Application Document as a special document for important settings and default tasks, while regular connections should be stored in your own document files. (docs.royalapps.com)
So the safe migration is:
- Copy your Royal TSX document files:
.rtsz/.rtsx - Copy Royal TSX app settings folder
- Copy SSH keys if used
- Handle macOS Keychain carefully if any passwords/certificates are stored there
- Reinstall Royal TSX plugins on the new Mac if needed
Safest Method to Transfer Royal TSX from Old Mac to New Mac
Step 1: Quit Royal TSX on the old Mac
Before copying anything, fully quit Royal TSX.
osascript -e 'quit app "Royal TSX"'
or quit manually from:
Royal TSX → Quit Royal TSX
Step 2: Find all Royal TSX document files
Run this on the old Mac:
find "$HOME" -type f \( -iname "*.rtsz" -o -iname "*.rtsx" \) 2>/dev/null
Common locations may be:
~/Documents
~/Desktop
~/Library/Mobile Documents
~/Dropbox
~/Google Drive
~/OneDrive
These .rtsz / .rtsx files are the most important because they usually contain your saved Royal TSX connections and credentials.
Royal TSX supports password-protected documents. When encryption is enabled, sensitive password fields are encrypted, and opening the protected document requires the document password. (docs.royalapps.com)
Step 3: Backup Royal TSX settings folder
Royal’s community documentation says Royal TSX stores user preferences, settings, and Application Document content here:
~/Library/Application Support/Royal TSX/UserPreferences.config
It also mentions license information may be stored as:
~/Library/Application Support/Royal TSX/License.xml
Create a safe backup:
cd "$HOME/Library/Application Support"
tar -czf "$HOME/Desktop/royaltsx-settings.tgz" "Royal TSX"
Step 4: Backup all Royal TSX documents
Create a folder:
mkdir -p "$HOME/Desktop/royaltsx-documents"
Copy all .rtsz and .rtsx files:
find "$HOME" -type f \( -iname "*.rtsz" -o -iname "*.rtsx" \) 2>/dev/null \
-exec cp -v {} "$HOME/Desktop/royaltsx-documents/" \;
If you have multiple documents with the same filename in different folders, copy them manually instead to avoid overwriting.
Step 5: Create one encrypted backup file
Use an encrypted DMG so the backup is not sitting openly on your Desktop:
mkdir -p "$HOME/Desktop/RoyalTSX-Migration"
mv "$HOME/Desktop/royaltsx-settings.tgz" "$HOME/Desktop/RoyalTSX-Migration/"
mv "$HOME/Desktop/royaltsx-documents" "$HOME/Desktop/RoyalTSX-Migration/"
hdiutil create \
-encryption AES-256 \
-volname RoyalTSXBackup \
-srcfolder "$HOME/Desktop/RoyalTSX-Migration" \
"$HOME/Desktop/RoyalTSXBackup.dmg"
rm -rf "$HOME/Desktop/RoyalTSX-Migration"
Now transfer this file to the new Mac:
~/Desktop/RoyalTSXBackup.dmg
Use AirDrop, USB drive, encrypted external disk, or trusted cloud storage.
Restore on the New Mac
Step 1: Install Royal TSX
Install Royal TSX on the new Mac first.
Open it once, then quit it.
osascript -e 'quit app "Royal TSX"'
Step 2: Mount the encrypted backup
hdiutil attach "$HOME/Downloads/RoyalTSXBackup.dmg"
Step 3: Restore Royal TSX settings
Backup existing new-Mac settings first:
mv "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Royal TSX" \
"$HOME/Library/Application Support/Royal TSX.backup.$(date +%F-%H%M%S)" 2>/dev/null
Restore old settings:
tar -xzf "/Volumes/RoyalTSXBackup/royaltsx-settings.tgz" \
-C "$HOME/Library/Application Support"
Step 4: Restore Royal TSX documents
Create a safe location:
mkdir -p "$HOME/Documents/Royal TSX Documents"
Copy documents:
cp -R "/Volumes/RoyalTSXBackup/royaltsx-documents/"* \
"$HOME/Documents/Royal TSX Documents/"
Then open Royal TSX and use:
File → Open
Open your .rtsz or .rtsx files.
If the documents are encrypted, Royal TSX will ask for the same document password. Royal’s documentation confirms password-protected documents require the encryption password to open. (docs.royalapps.com)
Step 5: Copy SSH keys if Royal TSX uses key-based SSH
Royal TSX SSH sessions may depend on your local ~/.ssh keys.
On the old Mac:
tar -czf "$HOME/Desktop/ssh-backup.tgz" -C "$HOME" .ssh
Transfer it safely.
On the new Mac:
tar -xzf "$HOME/Downloads/ssh-backup.tgz" -C "$HOME"
chmod 700 "$HOME/.ssh"
find "$HOME/.ssh" -type f -name "*.pub" -exec chmod 644 {} \;
find "$HOME/.ssh" -type f ! -name "*.pub" -exec chmod 600 {} \;
Add key to macOS SSH agent if needed:
ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
Change id_ed25519 if your private key has a different name.
Step 6: Handle macOS Keychain carefully
If Royal TSX or your SSH/RDP setup stored anything in macOS Keychain, copying .rtsz files may not be enough.
Apple says if you migrate data using Setup Assistant, keychains are automatically transferred. If not, Apple recommends export/import through Keychain Access, but also notes that passwords in Keychain Access cannot be exported normally, and Local Items / iCloud Keychain items need iCloud Keychain rather than manual copying. (Apple Support)
So for Keychain-backed items, safest options are:
| Situation | Best Option |
|---|---|
| Moving to a new personal Mac | Use Apple Setup Assistant / Migration Assistant |
| Using iCloud Keychain | Sign in with same Apple ID and enable iCloud Keychain |
| Certificates/private keys | Export/import using Keychain Access if export is allowed |
| App/server passwords stored only in Keychain | You may need to re-enter them manually |
Step 7: Reinstall Royal TSX plugins
Royal TSX uses plugins for different connection types. For example, RDP, SSH/Terminal, and Web connections may require their corresponding plugins. Okta’s Royal TSX setup guide also lists Remote Desktop, Terminal, and Web plugins as required for those connection types. (Okta Docs)
On the new Mac:
Royal TSX → Plugins
Install the same plugins you used before, commonly:
| Use Case | Plugin |
|---|---|
| SSH sessions | Terminal plugin |
| RDP sessions | Remote Desktop plugin |
| Web sessions | Web plugin |
| SFTP/SCP | File Transfer plugin |
Recommended Final Checklist
| Item | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
.rtsz / .rtsx documents | Yes | Main connection/session data |
~/Library/Application Support/Royal TSX | Yes | App settings, Application Document, license/config |
| Document passwords | Yes | Needed to open encrypted documents |
~/.ssh folder | If SSH keys used | Needed for key-based login |
| macOS Keychain | If passwords/certs stored there | Use Migration Assistant/iCloud Keychain where possible |
| Royal TSX plugins | Yes | Reinstall same plugins on new Mac |
| External password managers | If used | Royal TSX supports external credential sources like 1Password, LastPass, and KeePass. (Royal Apps) |
Final practical advice
For Royal TSX, do not copy only this folder:
~/Library/Application Support/Royal TSX
That may bring settings, but it may not bring your actual connection documents if they were saved elsewhere.
The most reliable migration is:
Royal TSX documents + Royal TSX settings + SSH keys + Keychain/iCloud credentials + plugins