Find Home Library Mac

Some troubleshooting procedures require you to navigate to and view a hidden folder on Mac. You can access the Library folder with the Go To Folder command or from the Terminal app. Access the Library folder in Finder: In Finder, choose Go Go To Folder In the Go To The Folder field, enter /library/ Click Go. Access the Library folder directly through the Terminal: Click the Spotlight Search. Mac OS X doesn’t have an obvious way to view the exact text based path to a folder (otherwise known as a directory) in the finder window. You can have it show a graphical path, but getting just the text based path to a directory (for use in the Terminal for example) requires a couple of extra steps.

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Learn how to access the hidden Library folder in your Home folder on your Mac so you can tweak app settings and access app files.

Inside the home folder on your Mac is a Library folder that stores app-specific files and settings, personal settings, and some data. The files and settings in the Library folder should be left alone for the most part. But, you may want to tweak the settings for an app, which may require accessing the Library folder. Or, maybe an app backs up data to the Library folder and you want to copy that to an external drive.

As of Mac OS X Lion (10.7), the Library folder in your home folder is hidden by default. That doesn’t mean you can’t get to it. It’s hidden so you don’t accidentally delete settings and data, damaging apps in the process. So, if you decide you want to access the Library folder, be very careful.

Today we’re going to cover different ways of accessing the hidden Library folder in your home folder and how to make it permanently available in Finder.

What is the Path to the Library Folder?

The Library in your home folder is written as ~/Library. The tilde (~) character is a shortcut for your home directory. For example, on my Mac, that would expand to /Users/lorikaufman/Library.

Access the Library Folder Using the Go to Folder Option

If you want to access the Library folder only occasionally, you can use the Go to Folder option in Finder.

Open Finder or just click on the desktop. Head to Go > Go to Folder, or hit Cmd + Shift + G.

Type:~/Library in the Go to the folder box on the dialog box and click Go or press Enter.

If you have one or more Finder windows open, the Library folder opens in the currently active window. If no Finder windows are open, a new one opens to the Library folder.

Access the Library Folder Using the Terminal

If you prefer using the command line, you can access the Library folder using the Terminal.

Go to Utilities > Terminal in the Applications folder. To access the Library folder directly in the Terminal, type:cd ~/Library at the prompt to switch to the Library folder.

You can type:ls at the prompt to get a detailed folder listing. You can work with the files in the Library folder directly on the command line. Just be careful.

You can also use the Terminal to open the Library folder in a Finder window. Type:open ~/Library at the prompt and hit Enter.

Access the Hidden Library Menu Option in Finder

The Library folder is available on the Go menu in Finder, but it doesn’t show on the menu by default.

To temporarily show the Library option on the Go menu, open the menu and press the Option key. The Library folder shows up between Home and Computer on the Go menu. Keep the Option key pressed while you move your mouse down the menu and select Library.

If you’re using a Windows keyboard with your Mac, press the Alt key.

Show the Library Folder Permanently in Finder

If you access the Library folder often, you can permanently show the Library option on the Go menu and the Library folder in your Home folder.

Open Finder and head to your Home folder using the left pane or by pressing Cmd + Shift + H. Then, go to View > Show View Options, or hit Cmd + J.

A dialog box displays with options you can set for your Home folder. Check the Show Library Folder box at the bottom of the dialog box. The Library folder now shows up in your Home folder in Finder windows and the Library option becomes permanently available on the Go menu.

When you permanently show the Library folder in Finder, you can hit Cmd + Shift + L to open it in a Finder window, in addition to selecting the Library option on the Go menu.

Happy Tweaking, But Be Careful

The Library folder is hidden by default for a good reason. So, before tweaking settings and changing files in the Library folder, make sure you know what you’re doing.

Before you set up Home Sharing

Update all of your Apple devices to the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS. On your PC, make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes for Windows.
Connect all of your devices to the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.
Make sure that all of your devices are signed in with the same Apple ID and authorized to play purchases using that Apple ID.

Apps and features might vary by country or region. Learn more about what's available in your country or region.

Set up Home Sharing

Before you can use Home Sharing, you need to set it up on your Mac or PC.

How to set up Home Sharing on your Mac

Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences.
Click Sharing.
Click Media Sharing.
Select Home Sharing and sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.
Click Turn On Home Sharing.

How to set up Home Sharing on your PC

Open iTunes for Windows.
If you're not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.
From the menu bar at the top of the iTunes window, choose File > Home Sharing > Turn on Home Sharing.

You can use Home Sharing with up to five computers that are connected to your home Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.

Use Home Sharing

On your Mac or PC, you can use Home Sharing to see shared libraries from other computers that are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and signed in with the same Apple ID.

To see a shared library from a computer on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV, you need to be signed in with the same Apple ID as the computer and connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

On your Mac

You can use Home Sharing to access your media library across computers that are on the same Wi-Fi network. And you can stream music, movies, and TV shows from one authorized computer to another. Just make sure that your computers are powered on, awake, and have the Music app or iTunes for Windows open.

To access your media library:

Open the Music app.
If you're not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.
In the sidebar, click Library.
Click the media library.

To go back to your music library, click Eject in the sidebar.

On your PC

You can use Home Sharing to stream music, movies, and TV shows from one authorized computer to another. Just make sure that your computers are powered on, awake, and have the Music app or iTunes for Windows open.

To see all of your shared libraries, click Music in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

To use Home Sharing to access your computer's media library on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, sign in to Home Sharing on your device:

To see a music library, go to Settings > Music. To see a video library, go to Settings > TV > iTunes Videos.
Under Home Sharing, tap Sign In.
Sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.

After you sign in, connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer, and open the Music app, Apple TV app, or iTunes for Windows on your computer.

See shared music

Open the Music app and tap Library.
Tap Home Sharing. Don't see it? Tap Edit, select Home Sharing, then tap Done.
Choose a shared library.

See shared videos

Open the TV app.
Tap Library.
Choose a shared library.

Find Library On My Computer

On your Apple TV

To use Home Sharing to access your computer's media library on your Apple TV, sign in to Home Sharing on your Apple TV:

Find Downloads On Mac

Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Home Sharing.
Select Turn on Home Sharing.
Sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.