The hidden files and folders can now be opened, modified, and deleted. (After: The same view before changing Finder defaults to show hidden files.) You’ll notice that all of the now-visible hidden files appear in a somewhat “transparent” format (see screenshots below): (Before: The “Computer” view (from the Finder Go menu) before changing defaults.) The following before and after screenshots shows the same “Computer” view before and after running the Terminal command. If you’re not comfortable using the command line and Terminal, then you may wish to skip ahead to the temporary method of viewing hidden files.Ģ) For all Macs running macOS High Sierra (10.13), Sierra (10.12), OS X El Capitan (10.11), OS X Yosemite (10.10) and OS X Mavericks (10.9), the following command string changes the default settings of macOS to show all files:ĭefaults write AppleShowAllFiles TRUE killall FinderĪfter typing after the Terminal prompt, press the Return key to change the defaults. This method of making all files visible to users requires familiarity with the Terminal app, which is found in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder. In this article, we’ll go through two methods to view hidden files - changing the default settings for macOS so that the Finder shows all files all the time, and a keyboard shortcut that allows users to temporarily see hidden files.Ĭhanging the Default Settings of macOS to Show All Files Next, it can marked as hidden in Terminal using the chflags command. ) can be placed in front of the file name, which is used by the Finder to make the file invisible most of the time. These files are hidden by one of several methods. Advanced Mac users may need to view, edit, or delete certain hidden files and folders from time to time, so in this Tech 101 article we’ll show you just how easy it is to view those “invisible” files. But did you realize that there are also hidden files and folders on your Mac? These are usually files that are hidden from users for one reason or another - configuration data or system level files, for example. There are two ways to access this folder.When you look inside a folder on a Mac, you see a collection of files and folders that can be acted upon - you can open files and folders, delete them, move them, and so on. The library folder contains user account settings, preference files, and other important data. Killall Finder How to access the hidden Library folder Enter the following command and hit enter.You can restart Finder by following the steps that we explained above, or you can use the Terminal app. You will again need to relaunch Finder after this. To hide them again, open Terminal and enter the following command and hit enter: defaults write AppleShowAllFiles NO Now, you will see all of your hidden files. Right-click the Finder icon in the Dock while holding down the Option key.Here is how (you can also use the Terminal method which is explained below): In Terminal, enter the following command and hit enter:ĭefaults write AppleShowAllFiles YESįor this new change to take effect, we will need to relaunch Finder.Or use Spotlight to search and open the app. Open the Terminal app on your Mac (Applications > Utilities).The terminal method below will reveal all the hidden files on your Mac: The above shortcut method will not work for the Desktop. If you want to hide them, press again to hide them.Pressing these keys will reveal the files.And press these keys together: Shift, Command (⌘), and period symbol (.).This is the easiest way to reveal hidden files and folders. However, if you do not know what you are doing precisely, do not touch these files. Important: Viewing these hidden files and folders is a simple process. This article explains how you can display and hide hidden files and folders, including the Library folder, on your Mac. See also: Mac Displaying Wrong, Generic Document Icons For Files & Folders, Fix It may be necessary to access them to fix a Mac problem that you may be experiencing. 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. You may sometimes need to see hidden files for various reasons. They are hidden to prevent you from accidentally deleting, moving around or modifying these important files. macOS stores system settings in hidden files and folders. These are important system-related files and folders and they perform some essential and sometimes critical functions. In general, you should not touch, move or edit these hidden files. Your Mac is configured to not display hidden files. Your Mac hides some files and folders by default. All computer systems, including macOS, contain hidden files and folders.
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