Updates
- App To Show Hidden Library Files Mac Download
- Mac Show Hidden Files Shortcut
- Mac Show Hidden Files Terminal
January 26th 2018: Added shortcut method available on macOS Sierra keyboard.
September 22nd 2016: Method of showing/hiding hidden files tested and working on macOS Sierra.
December 22nd 2015: Method of showing/hiding hidden files tested and working on Mac OS X El Capitan.
Hold down the Alt (Option) key when using the Go menu. The user Library folder is listed below the current user's home directory. Note: After you open the Library folder, you can drag the Library icon from the top of that window to the Dock, sidebar, or toolbar to make it readily accessible. May 01, 2019 All Mac systems contain hidden files and folders. These are often preceded by a full stop or a slash, and are kept out of sight of the user either to. How to Show Hidden Files on a Mac - MacRumors. Dec 12, 2016 The User Library folder is hidden by default in MacOS Catalina, MacOS Mojave, macOS High Sierra, and macOS Sierra, but some advanced users may wish to show and access the /Library/ folder, which contains preference files, caches, and application support data.
It seems like every day I search Google for the command to show hidden files on Mac OS X, not to mention Googling for the command to then hide those hidden files a few minutes later.
Today I decided to make a short and easy to remember alias to speed up the process. All I need do now is type showFiles and hideFiles whenever I need to show/hide OS X’s hidden files. Here’s how you can do it too.
The Quickest Way to Show/Hide Hidden Files
Since the release of macOS Sierra, when in Finder, it is now possible to use the shortcut:
Press once to show hidden files and again to hide them. If you’re using a version earlier than macOS Sierra, see Show/Hide Hidden Files using Terminal Aliases to setup a toggle command via terminal.
Thanks to Guido Schlabitz for making me aware of this new shortcut.
Show/Hide Hidden Files the Long Way
The long way to show hidden Mac OS X files is as follows:
- Open Terminal found in Finder > Applications > Utilities
- In Terminal, paste the following:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES - Press return
- Hold the ‘Option/alt’ key, then right click on the Finder icon in the dock and click Relaunch.
Relaunch Finder by right clicking the Finder Icon whilst holding the ‘Option/alt’ key
This will show all hidden files. To hide them again, follow the same steps but replace the Terminal command with:
It’s not the longest set of instructions or the biggest command to commit to memory but if you’re doing this a lot, it’s worth spending a few minutes now to save yourself a lot more time in the future.
Show/Hide Hidden Files using Terminal Aliases
A Terminal alias is a name or shortcut for one or multiple commands. Using an easy to remember alias, we can turn the above four step process into just one.
An alias can be made temporarily (just for the use of one terminal session) or permanently. As we want this to be a shortcut used now and in the future, let’s make it permanent:
- Open Terminal found in Finder > Applications > Utilities
- In Terminal, paste the following:
sudo nano ~/.bash_profile - Enter your Mac’s administration password if required, then hit return
- At the bottom of the open .bash_profile file, paste the following:
alias showFiles='defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES; killall Finder /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app' Below that, paste the following:
alias hideFiles='defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles NO; killall Finder /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app'- Press ctrl + O and hit return to save the file
- Press ctrl + X to exit the file and return to the command line
- In Terminal, paste the following:
source ~/.bash_profileto refresh your profile and make the aliases available
Now when you want to show hidden files, all you need type in Terminal is showFiles, then hideFiles when you want to hide them.
If you want to modify the behaviour or alias names, let’s take a closer look at the commands you just added:
alias tells Terminal we’re adding a new alias.
showFiles is the name of the alias. Change this to what you wish.
We then give the alias two commands. The first being:
This is the command to show hidden files and is ended with a semi-colon ; so we can then use the second command:
This will relaunch the Finder (to replicate the step of holding the ‘Option/alt’ key then right clicking the Finder icon in the dock).
Conclusion
With the aliases set up, all you need do in the future is type showFiles and hideFiles to show and hide Mac OS X’s hidden files respectively.
App To Show Hidden Library Files Mac Download
Aliases can be used to speed up your interaction with the Terminal. Set up an alias for navigating to your most used directories, to commit to a GitHub repo and so on.
macOS will hide some files and folders from users. So what are hidden files on Mac and how to view hidden files? What's more, can I delete hidden files to troubleshoot problems on Mac? Read on to find the answer!
What Are Hidden Files on Mac?
Like visible files, hidden files take up memory space and can be edited or deleted, except that they are invisible to users.
Almost every computer system hides some files and folders from users. For Apple, it hides the important files for the macOS system and apps to run, for example preferences, caches, logs, etc. on Mac. The folders, such as ~/Library, /usr, /bin, and the files like .plist, .htaccess are the hidden folders and files on Mac that most users want to access.
The reasons why users want to show hidden folders or files on Mac are usually that they need to delete or view the system files or app data to fix software problems or make change on the computer. What's more, some apps allow users to hide regular files, say to protect privacy, but sometimes users forget where they hide the files and now want to unhide the files.
Why Does Mac Hide Files and Folders?
The answer is simply to keep the files secure, in case that ordinary users may delete some system files by mistake, as many the hidden files are important, even essential to a certain app or to the macOS to run. What's more, too much files and folders showing up on the Finder will look like a mess in users' eyes.
4 Ways to Show and View Hidden Files on Mac
1. Find Hidden Files on Mac with App
If you want to delete hidden files, such as caches or residual files of uninstalled apps, it can be tiring to view and to find various hidden files and folders on Mac. In this case, FonePaw MacMaster must be your best helper because it's can easily show hidden folders and files on Mac. It not only show caches, logs, etc. in ~Library and more, but also it can show the files of an app, including the preferences and other data of the app. What's more, it is easy to use. You don't need to suffer the drudgery of finding unwanted and invisible files in thousands of folders in Mac. Why not have a try? Download it right now and follow the steps to find hidden files on Mac.
Step One: Get Started
Download and install MacMaster for Mac, then open it.In the window that pops up, choose 'System Junk' and select 'Scan' button.
Step Two: Scan and Delete System Junk
On the right side, the system junks will be sorted by file types, which is clear enough to show what these files are for, without the worry of deleting important files by mistake.
Select all the unwanted files (cache files are recommended) and click 'Clean'. Or you if need to view the hidden files in Finder, click the magnifier icon, the hidden files will immediately shows up.
Tips: Delete Apps and Hidden App Files on Mac
If you want to find the hidden files of apps, actually, you can also use MacMaster. Just launch MacMaster, select 'Uninstaller' on the left side of the homepage, then select any apps listed on it. It will reveal the app and its related files. To view the hidden app files, click the magnifier icon to reveal the files. To remove hidden files and even the app, select the files and the app to completely remove them from your Mac.
Isn't it easy? It's free to download. Why not have a try to free up your Mac?
2. Show Hidden Files on Finder with Shortcut
Since macOS Sierra, a new keyboard shortcut to show hidden files is added. You can easily show hidden files on Mac in the following steps.
Step 1 Open the Finder.
Step 2 In the left column, select Devices then open the Macintosh HD folder.
Step 3 Press Cmd + Shift + . (dot) at the same time then all the hidden files will show up.If you would like to hide the files again, press Cmd + Shift + . (dot).
3. Show Hidden Files on Mac with Terminal
Mac Show Hidden Files Shortcut
If you use the Terminal command line interface to view hidden files and folders which is not the easier way, follow the guide:
Step 1 Open Terminal. You can find it in the Utilities folder in Applications, or use the Go menu in the Finder.
Step 2 Type this command: defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true. Hit Return.
Step 3 Then type: killall Finder. Press the Return button.
Now you can go to Finder > Device and select your Macintosh HD folder to view the hidden files.
To hide the files again, go to Terminal and enter defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles false, and then killall Finder.
4. View Hidden ~/Library folder on Mac
Many users just want to view the Library folder (~/Library). So, there is a simple way to open this folder alone by using the GO menu.
Step 1 Open the Finder, which is in the Dock.
Step 2 Click on the Go menu and choose Go to Folder.
Step 3 Type '~/Library' in the text box.
Or you can do it the other way:
On the Finder, hold down Alt (Option) and select Go from the dropdown menu bar.
The ~/Library folder will be revealed.
In a nutshell, the hidden files are mainly important files to the macOS or to installed apps, and they are hidden simply to keep them secure. To view hidden files on Mac, there are a lot of ways listed above, but make sure you won't delete any necessary files on your Mac. Does this passage help? Feel free to give us a like!
Mac Show Hidden Files Terminal
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