diff --git a/docs/html/topics/configuration.md b/docs/html/topics/configuration.md
index eb392ecd493..2d63ac1413f 100644
--- a/docs/html/topics/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/html/topics/configuration.md
@@ -29,11 +29,10 @@ complexity for backwards compatibility reasons.
 ```{tab} Unix
 
 Global
-: {file}`/etc/pip.conf`
+: In a "pip" subdirectory of any of the paths set in the environment variable
+  `XDG_CONFIG_DIRS` (if it exists), for example {file}`/etc/xdg/pip/pip.conf`.
 
-  Alternatively, it may be in a "pip" subdirectory of any of the paths set
-  in the environment variable `XDG_CONFIG_DIRS` (if it exists), for
-  example {file}`/etc/xdg/pip/pip.conf`.
+  This will be followed by loading {file}`/etc/pip.conf`.
 
 User
 : {file}`$HOME/.config/pip/pip.conf`, which respects the `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` environment variable.
diff --git a/news/10585.bugfix.rst b/news/10585.bugfix.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9e78a4609cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/10585.bugfix.rst
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Restore compatibility of where configuration files are loaded from on MacOS (back to ``Library/Application Support/pip``, instead of ``Preferences/pip``).
diff --git a/src/pip/_internal/utils/appdirs.py b/src/pip/_internal/utils/appdirs.py
index 5e334126b61..16933bf8afe 100644
--- a/src/pip/_internal/utils/appdirs.py
+++ b/src/pip/_internal/utils/appdirs.py
@@ -17,24 +17,36 @@ def user_cache_dir(appname: str) -> str:
     return _appdirs.user_cache_dir(appname, appauthor=False)
 
 
+def _macos_user_config_dir(appname: str, roaming: bool = True) -> str:
+    # Use ~/Application Support/pip, if the directory exists.
+    path = _appdirs.user_data_dir(appname, appauthor=False, roaming=roaming)
+    if os.path.isdir(path):
+        return path
+
+    # Use a Linux-like ~/.config/pip, by default.
+    linux_like_path = "~/.config/"
+    if appname:
+        linux_like_path = os.path.join(linux_like_path, appname)
+
+    return os.path.expanduser(linux_like_path)
+
+
 def user_config_dir(appname: str, roaming: bool = True) -> str:
-    path = _appdirs.user_config_dir(appname, appauthor=False, roaming=roaming)
-    if sys.platform == "darwin" and not os.path.isdir(path):
-        path = os.path.expanduser("~/.config/")
-        if appname:
-            path = os.path.join(path, appname)
-    return path
+    if sys.platform == "darwin":
+        return _macos_user_config_dir(appname, roaming)
+
+    return _appdirs.user_config_dir(appname, appauthor=False, roaming=roaming)
 
 
 # for the discussion regarding site_config_dir locations
 # see <https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/1733>
 def site_config_dirs(appname: str) -> List[str]:
-    dirval = _appdirs.site_config_dir(appname, appauthor=False, multipath=True)
     if sys.platform == "darwin":
-        # always look in /Library/Application Support/pip as well
-        return dirval.split(os.pathsep) + ["/Library/Application Support/pip"]
-    elif sys.platform == "win32":
+        return [_appdirs.site_data_dir(appname, appauthor=False, multipath=True)]
+
+    dirval = _appdirs.site_config_dir(appname, appauthor=False, multipath=True)
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
         return [dirval]
-    else:
-        # always look in /etc directly as well
-        return dirval.split(os.pathsep) + ["/etc"]
+
+    # Unix-y system. Look in /etc as well.
+    return dirval.split(os.pathsep) + ["/etc"]
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_appdirs.py b/tests/unit/test_appdirs.py
index e59931b6652..cdb15e7a1a3 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_appdirs.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_appdirs.py
@@ -99,7 +99,6 @@ def test_site_config_dirs_osx(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
         monkeypatch.setenv("HOME", "/home/test")
 
         assert appdirs.site_config_dirs("pip") == [
-            "/Library/Preferences/pip",
             "/Library/Application Support/pip",
         ]
 
@@ -107,7 +106,10 @@ def test_site_config_dirs_osx(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
     def test_site_config_dirs_linux(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
         monkeypatch.delenv("XDG_CONFIG_DIRS", raising=False)
 
-        assert appdirs.site_config_dirs("pip") == ["/etc/xdg/pip", "/etc"]
+        assert appdirs.site_config_dirs("pip") == [
+            "/etc/xdg/pip",
+            "/etc",
+        ]
 
     @pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform != "linux", reason="Linux-only test")
     def test_site_config_dirs_linux_override(
@@ -129,7 +131,10 @@ def test_site_config_dirs_linux_empty(
     ) -> None:
         monkeypatch.setattr(os, "pathsep", ":")
         monkeypatch.setenv("XDG_CONFIG_DIRS", "")
-        assert appdirs.site_config_dirs("pip") == ["/etc/xdg/pip", "/etc"]
+        assert appdirs.site_config_dirs("pip") == [
+            "/etc/xdg/pip",
+            "/etc",
+        ]
 
 
 class TestUserConfigDir: