Dec 09, 2019 Show/Hide Hidden Files – The Shortcut. This is the easiest way to reveal hidden files and folders. The terminal method below will reveal all the hidden files on your Mac: Open the Terminal app on your Mac (Applications Utilities). Or use Spotlight to search and open the app. In Terminal, enter the following command and hit.
All computer systems, including macOS, contain hidden files and folders. Your Mac hides some files and folders by default. Your Mac is configured to not display hidden files. In general, you should not touch, move or edit these hidden files. These are important system-related files and folders and they perform some essential and sometimes critical functions. macOS stores system settings in hidden files and folders. They are hidden to prevent you from accidentally deleting, moving around or modifying these important files.
You may sometimes need to see hidden files for various reasons. For example, sometimes, some of our articles suggest deleting preference files (these are usually hidden files) by accessing the hidden Library folder as a troubleshooting tip. It may be necessary to access them to fix a Mac problem that you may be experiencing.
See also: Mac Displaying Wrong, Generic Document Icons For Files & Folders, Fix
This article explains how you can display and hide hidden files and folders, including the Library folder, on your Mac.
Important: Viewing these hidden files and folders is a simple process. However, if you do not know what you are doing precisely, do not touch these files.
Show/Hide Hidden Files – The Shortcut
This is the easiest way to reveal hidden files and folders. Here is how:
- Open an active Finder window
- And press these keys together: Shift, Command (⌘), and period symbol (.)
- Pressing these keys will reveal the files
- If you want to hide them, press again to hide them.
Show/Hide Hidden Files – Terminal
The above shortcut method will not work for the Desktop. The terminal method below will reveal all the hidden files on your Mac:
- Open the Terminal app on your Mac (Applications > Utilities). Or use Spotlight to search and open the app.
- In Terminal, enter the following command and hit enter:
For this new change to take effect, we will need to relaunch Finder. Here is how (you can also use the Terminal method which is explained below):
- Press and hold the Option key
- Right-click the Finder icon in the Dock while holding down the Option key
- Click Relaunch
Now, you will see all of your hidden files. To hide them again, open Terminal and enter the following command and hit enter:
You will again need to relaunch Finder after this. You can restart Finder by following the steps that we explained above, or you can use the Terminal app. Here is how:
- Open Terminal
- Enter the following command and hit enter
How to access the hidden Library folder
The library folder contains user account settings, preference files, and other important data. This folder is hidden by default. There are two ways to access this folder. You may choose one to reveal this folder:
Method 1:
- Go to Finder
- Press and hold the Option key
- While pressing the Option key, click Go from the menu bar
- Click Library from the drop-down menu
Method 2:
- Go to Finder
- Click Go and Go to Folder
- This will open a dialogue box, type ~/Library
- Click Go
See also: AMPDevicesAgent? What Is It?
Mac app to free up space. Are you among the many Mac users who depend on Spotlight when searching for folders and files? Then you are not alone. It is understandable because the tool is convenient to use. In fact, it is a good and reliable assistant when sorting disorganized data. However, did you know that your Mac has hundreds or thousands of useless hidden files that Spotlight cannot see and are taking up too much of your disk space? Well, we have solutions that can help you show hidden files on mac but before we give out help, allow us to discuss a few important things.
The Hidden Files on Mac and the Reason Why They Are Hidden
Turn off mac mail app. Files that are preceded by a “.” are not always visible in a normal file list. Also, folders like /bin, /etc/, and /usr are hidden away. By default, macOS hides all critical system folders and files. Others are kept out of view because they may be too confusing to understand for typical Mac users.
Now, no matter how familiar you are with your Mac, there are instances when you cause data loss or damage if you mess up with these files. You can either accidentally change them or worse, delete them, resulting in a catastrophic system-wide issue. That is obviously the reason they are hidden away.
Use Terminal to Show All Files on Mac
The first solution involves using the Terminal to show hidden files on your Mac.
- Launch Terminal. Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
- Once it is launched, type in the command defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true.
- On your keyboard, press
- Relaunch Terminal by typing killall Finder. Now, you can view all hidden files.
- If you wish to hide the files again, simply type in the Terminal Window this command: defaults write apple.FinderAppleShowAllFiles false.
- Now, press
- Finally, relaunch Finder by typing the command killall Finder.
Show Hidden Files Using Show Hidden Files App
Here is an easy way to view hidden files on Mac. Use the Show Hidden Files application. This app makes searching hidden files as easy as possible. You can even delete any useless hidden data with just one click!
- Download Show Hidden Files app from the Mac App Store.
- Install and launch the app.
- In the search field, input the file or folder name. For example, you can type in “cache”.
- A list of hidden files and folders will be shown to you. Select one item and then click the Show in Finder button or the arrow sign.
- The file or folder will then be shown in the
- From there, you can manage and view the hidden files.
- Once you close or relaunch Finder, the hidden file or folder will become invisible again.
Use the Show Hidden Files App and a Special Script
There is another way to use the Show Hidden Files app to view the hidden files you have on Mac. Use a special script! Follow the steps below:
How to use mac mail. Set up Exchange account access using Mac OS X 10.10 or laterIf you're running Mac OS X version 10.10 or later, follow these steps to set up an Exchange email account:.Open Mail, and then do one of the following:.If you've never used Mail to set up an email account, the Welcome to Mail page opens. Go to step 2.If you've used Mail to create email accounts, select Mail Add Account.Select Exchange Continue.Enter the name, email address and password for your Exchange account Sign In.Choose the Mac apps you want to use with this account.
- Download Show Hidden Files app from the Mac App Store. If you already have it, then proceed to step 3.
- Install the app.
- Download the following archives and unpack them:
- HideHiddensAndRelaunchFinder
- ShowHiddensAndRelaunchFinder
- Go to Finder and go to this directory: ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.nektony.FindFiles. To do this, open the Finder window ->Go -> Go to Folder. Type ~/Library/Application Scripts/com.nektony.FindFiles.
- Move the archives you downloaded and unpacked in step 3 to the com/nektony.FindFiles Be sure you don’t change the file names of the scripts.
- Relaunch the Show Hidden Files There should be a new option in its window. Click on the Grant Access button to confirm and verify access to the Home folder.
- Once you have successfully followed the steps, you can already enable or disable the feature to show or hide hidden files and folders.
- To enable or disable the visibility of files, you just have to use the Switch
Summary
Mac Os X Show Hidden Files
It is important to understand that there are many hidden files and folders in your Mac’s system. While some of them play an integral role, others only eat up your Mac’s memory space. Even so, you should not modify or delete them unless you are completely aware and certain of their roles. After all, you can’t afford to mess up with the system.
In addition, some of the methods may require a bit of manual labor and a little of your time. But if you are not that confident with your technical skills, we suggest you install Tweakbit MacRepair first. If things seem too confusing, seek assistance from Apple experts. Take your Mac to the nearest iStore and ask an Apple genius to show the hidden files for you.
Delete Hidden Files On Mac
DOWNLOAD NOW!
If you’re running into errors and your system is suspiciously slow, your computer needs some maintenance work. Download Outbyte PC Repair for Windows, Outbyte Antivirus for Windows, or Outbyte MacRepair for macOS to resolve common computer performance issues. Fix computer troubles by downloading the compatible tool for your device.