- What Is Mac Os X Library Folder For Windows 10
- Mac User Library Folder Missing
- What Is Mac Os X Library Folder Windows 10
The Library folder, at the root level of your Mac OS X Lion hard drive, is like a public library; it stores items available to everyone who logs into an account on this Mac. You can find three Library folders on your hard drive: the one at the root level of your OS X disk. Jan 17, 2012 How To Unhide the Library Folder in Mac OS X Lion. Mac OS X (10.7.2) Posted on Jan 17, 2012 10:33 PM. Reply I have this question too.
Home > Articles > Apple > Operating Systems
␡- The Layers of Mac OS X: Aqua
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
There is more than one way to think about dividing up a pizza. First, there is the familiar method of dividing it into slices. Alternatively, you could divide it into layers: topping, cheese, sauce, crust. Theoretically, you could also divide it into its basic ingredients: flour, water, tomatoes, garlic, milk. Each method makes a different contribution to your enjoyment of the pizza. The first method (slices) is best when you're getting ready to eat the pizza; the second is best when you are deciding what to order (such as pepperoni with extra cheese); the third is best if you are concerned about nutrition (needing to know the exact ingredients to calculate calories).
The same is true for Mac OS X. There are multiple ways to look at it and take it apart. Each way makes its own contribution to your understanding of the OS. In this chapter, I look at the major ways to 'take apart' Mac OS X. Having at least a minimal knowledge of Mac OS 9 will help, as I occasionally make comparisons between the two OS versions. But even if you've never used Mac OS 9, you'll be able to follow along.
In This Chapter
The Layers of Mac OS X: Aqua
The Layers of Mac OS X: Application Environments
Cocoa
Carbon
Classic
Java
Putting it together
The Layers of Mac OS X: Graphics Services
Quartz
Multimedia: OpenGL and QuickTime
The Layers of Mac OS X: Darwin
Mach
BSD (Unix)
Domains: An Overview
System domain
Local domain
User domain
Network domain
The Libraries of Mac OS X: /System/Library
Core Services
CFMSupport
Extensions
Fonts
Frameworks
PreferencePanes
Printers
QuickTime
ScreenSavers
Services
Sounds
StartupItems
The Libraries of Mac OS X: /Library
Application Support
ColorSync
Contextual Menu Items
Desktop Pictures
Documentation
Fonts
Internet Plug-Ins
Modem Scripts
Preferences
Printers
Receipts
StartupItems
The Libraries of Mac OS X: Users/'Home'/Library
Application Support
Caches
Favorites
Font Collections
Fonts
Internet Search Sites
Keychains
Preference Panes
Preferences
Application-specific folders
Fonts in Mac OS X: Font Formats
TrueType fonts
PostScript fonts
OpenType fonts
Bitmap fonts
Identifying font formats
Fonts in Mac OS X: Working with Fonts
Font Panel window
Font smoothing and Mac OS X
International language support: basics
International language support: troubleshooting
Font utilities
The Layers of Mac OS X: Aqua
Aqua is the name given to what most users think of when they think of Mac OS X: the user interface, the Finder, the Dock, the windows, the translucent buttons, the high-resolution icons, the menus, and all the rest. Many users may never explore Mac OS X beyond its Aqua layer.
From this perspective, a user upgrading from Mac OS 9 will feel quite at home, at least initially. Much still works the same way. You still double-click icons in the Finder to launch them; you still choose the Save command from an application's File menu to save a document; you still open a folder icon to see its contents.
What Is Mac Os X Library Folder For Windows 10
But you will soon notice some significant differences: a new column view, a very different Apple menu, the Dock. I discussed the basics in Chapter 3, when I presented an overview of Mac OS X.
Related Resources
- Book $55.99
- Book $55.99
- Book $55.99
The invisible Library subfolder of your Home folder is the repository of everything that OS X needs to customize your Mac to your tastes. If you want to add something to a Library folder, it’s usually best to add it to your Home/Library folder.
You won’t spend much time (if any) adding things to the Library folder or moving them around within it, and that’s probably why it’s now hidden from sight. Still, it’s a good idea for you to know what’s in your Home/Library.
The public Library folder is used to specify preferences for all users on this Mac. This Library folder, however, is all about you and your stuff.
Be cautious with all Library folders. OS X is very persnickety about how the folders and files within it are organized. You can add items to and remove items safely from most public or Home Library folders, but leave the folders themselves alone. If you remove or rename the wrong folder, you could render OS X inoperable.
It’s like the old joke about the guy who said to the doctor, “It hurts when I do that,” and the doctor replies, “Then don’t do that.”
To find your hidden Home/Library folder, do this:
Mac User Library Folder Missing
Hold down the Option key on your keyboard.
Click the Go menu.
The (formerly) invisible Library folder appears in the Go menu as long as the Option key is pressed.
Select Library and release the mouse button.
You should see several folders in the Home/Library folder; the exact number depends on the software that you install on your Mac. You probably have folders called Mail, Safari, Logs, and Preferences, for example.
If you don’t want to have to do this dance every time you want to open your Home/Library, select your Home folder in the Finder and choose View→Show View Options (or press Command+J). Enable the Show Library Folder check box and your Home Library will be visible evermore (or at least until you deselect the check box).
What Is Mac Os X Library Folder Windows 10
Some of the most important standard folders in the Library folder include the following:
Application Support: Some applications store their support files here; others store theirs in the main (root-level) public Library folder.
Fonts: This folder is empty until you install your own fonts here. The easiest way to install a font is to double-click its icon and let the Font Book utility handle it for you. Here’s how to install a font manually:
To install a font that only you can use: Drag the font file’s icon to the Fonts folder in your Home/Library. The font is available only to this user account (because other users can’t use fonts stored in yourHome/Library folder).
To install a font for all users of this Mac: Drag the font file’s icon into the Fonts folder in the public Library folder — the one at root level that you see when you open your hard drive’s icon.
Preferences: The files here hold the information about whichever things you customize in OS X or in the applications you run. Whenever you change a system or application preference, that info is saved to a file in the Preferences folder.
Don’t mess with the Preferences folder! You should never need to open or use this folder unless something bad happens — say, you suspect that a particular preferences file has become corrupted (that is, damaged). Just forget that you know about this folder and let it do its job.
If you don’t know why you’re doing something to a folder (other than the Fonts folder) in your Home/Library, don’t do it. There must be some good reasons why Apple decided to hide the Home/Library folder in OS X Yosemite, and one of them is to keep you from accidentally screwing something up.