[Bug] Missing "Audio" Menu & Exclusive Mode - Plexamp 4.12.4 - macOS Tahoe 26.2 (M3)

Plex Labs
1

Hello everyone,

I’m reaching out because I’ve hit a wall trying to configure Plexamp (v4.12.4) on my MacBook Pro M3 running macOS Tahoe 26.2.

Despite being a Lifetime Plex Pass subscriber since 2021 (the golden ticket icon is visible in my profile), the “Audio” menu is completely missing from the Settings sidebar. I am unable to access “Exclusive Mode,” “Sample Rate Matching,” or select my external DAC.

The DAC is visible in Playback settings and playable, but not customizable via Audio menu.

System Details:

  • App Version: 4.12.4 (Official DMG version)

  • OS: macOS Tahoe 26.2

  • Hardware: MacBook Pro M3

  • External Audio: Fosi K7 DAC

The Issue:

  1. The “Audio” section simply doesn’t appear between “Language” and “Experience”.

  2. The “Advanced” toggle is nowhere to be found in the Settings UI.

  3. The settings.json file in ~/Library/Application Support/Plexamp is consistently empty ({}), even after clean reinstalls or manual edits. It seems the app is failing to write or persist any configuration on macOS Tahoe.

Everything I’ve tried so far:

  • Clean Reinstall: Deleted the entire ~/Library/Application Support/Plexamp folder. Downloaded the DMG directly from plexamp.com.

  • Permissions: Granted “Full Disk Access”, and “Local Network” in macOS System Settings.

  • Manual Config: Tried to force "advanced": true and "exclusiveMode": true by editing settings.json while the app was closed. The app ignores the file or overwrites it.

  • Terminal Commands: Used tccutil reset and defaults write commands to force advanced settings. No luck.

  • UI Tweaks: Tried zooming out (Cmd -) to see if the Advanced toggle was hidden by a DPI bug, and checked the “Cast” menu for hidden settings.

As an audiophile, the Exclusive Mode is the main reason I use Plexamp on my desktop. Without it, the macOS system mixer interferes with the audio quality.

Is this a known compatibility issue with the new macOS Tahoe 26.2 CoreAudio layer or the M3 chip architecture?

I’m attaching a screenshot of my Settings screen showing the missing menu despite the active Plex Pass.

Thanks in advance for any help!

CleanShot 2025-12-28 at 17.11.45
CleanShot 2025-12-28 at 17.11.45346×510 19.2 KB

2

Settings > Playback > Audio Output?

3

Not that. That is fine. I’m talking about the Exclusive Mode in Audio Menu, that I’m not reaching.

In that path there is no option for drivers or Exclusive Mode.

4

That option has never been in Plexamp.

5

Are there any plans for Exclusive mode? Plexamp would be the go-to player for me, but not having an exclusive mode is a deal breaker, given listening quality overrides UI for me. What’s the fun in not having exclusive mode for a player where the creators aim to target audiophiles anyway? From your landing page: “Imagine loving music so much that you pour your heart, soul, and engineering know-how into creating a completely custom music player for audiophiles just like you.”