How to show hidden files on mac

How to Access Your Mac’s Hidden Files

Messing around with certain macOS files could brick your Mac computer, so Apple has made them hard to find. But if you’re confident in your skills, here’s how to access them safely.

Your computer has backend directories, libraries, and files that help keep the operating system running smoothly. If you were to delete or move any of these files, something could go seriously wrong. It’s why we don’t recommend you playing around with them unless you know what you’re doing.

Windows users can find these files in File Explorer, where it’s easy to make changes and mistakes. In order to prevent Mac users from doing the same, Apple hides many of these files by default in macOS. That means you don’t have to worry about ruining your computer, but it makes things a bit harder when you do need access.

You can view these hidden files on a Mac via Finder or through your Mac’s Terminal app. Just remember that there are few reasons to mess around with these files—like relocating program directories or troubleshooting drivers—and if you’re looking to clear up some hard drive space, there are other ways of accomplishing that.

View Hidden Files in Finder

You can also quickly access the

/Library folder from Finder’s top menu. Click Go to see all the shortcuts for accessing the different folders inside your hard drive. However, if you hold down the Option key, there will be a new Library option with no shortcut visible. Click Library to view the content of the

View Hidden Files in Terminal

Another way of performing this task is by using the macOS Terminal app, which gives you text-based access to the computer’s operating system. Find Terminal under Launchpad > Other > Terminal, then run the following commands:

Type defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true and press Enter

Type killall Finder and press Enter

Once both lines of code run, you should see your hidden files in Finder and any temporary files saved on the desktop. When you want to hide these files again, replace the value true with false, which would look like:

Type defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles false and press Enter

Type killall Finder and press Enter

This method might seem less helpful than going through Finder, but Terminal can also help you hide individual files and folders on your computer. This would be most helpful if you have password-protected files or just want to prevent anyone who uses your Mac from messing around with something that’s not already hidden. Open Terminal and write the following:

chflags hidden [Press Space]

Drag the file you wish to hide into the Terminal window to display its path

Press Enter to hide the file from view

Of course, anyone can find these files using the methods listed above, so this is not a real substitution for file encryption or any other legitimate security measures.

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5 способов как показать скрытые файлы и папки в macOS

В этой статье опишем 5 простых способов как показать скрытые файлы и папки macOS. Воспользоваться ими может даже пользователь с минимальными навыками работы на Mac.

Как и любая другая операционная система, macOS позволяет скрывать файлы и папки. Но просто зайти в настройки и активировать режим отображения скрытых файлов или папок не получится.

В отличие от проводника Windows, на Mac такого переключателя нет. Но отчаиваться не стоит, вариантов решения несколько.

Горячие клавиши

Использование сочетания клавиш — это самый быстрый способ показать скрытые папки и файлы Mac.

Это отобразит все скрытые файлы и папки на Mac мгновенно.

Приложение Терминал

Стандартное приложение Терминал установлено в macOS по умолчанию. Оно позволяет пользователям изменять настройки операционной системы, передавая ей команды и параметры.

В данном методе мы будем вводить команды UNIX в окне приложения Терминал. Это не сложно, все команды ниже проверены мной лично.

Чтобы увидеть скрытые файлы в macOS:

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles 1 && killall Finder

Выглядеть это будет так:

В результате выполнения команды отобразятся все скрытые папки macOS и спрятанные от ваших глаз документы.

Чтобы обратно скрыть скрытые файлы macOS необходимо ввести другую команду:

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles 0 && killall Finder

Этот метод не сложный, но подразумевает, что вы держите под рукой (или может помните наизусть) команды UNIX для ввода в Терминал.

Держать под рукой команды может быть неудобно, если отображать/скрывать файлы с папками приходится часто. Для того чтобы упростить этот процесс воспользуйтесь одним из следующих способов.

Программа Funter

Существует несколько приложений, которые функционируют как расширения Finder. Они позволяют делать скрытые файлы и папки видимыми (или невидимыми) в пару кликов, что делает процесс доступа к ним очень простым.

Среди подобных приложений можно выделить бесплатную программу Funter от команды разработчиков Nektony. Она предназначена для отображения скрытых файлов без использования Терминала или запоминания горячих клавиш.

После установки Funter отображает свою иконку в верхней строке меню. Работа со скрытыми файлами сводится к одному клику — включить или выключить их отображение.

Если нажать на «Использование системы», приложение развернётся и можно увидеть процент использования оперативной памяти и жёсткого диска.

Funter интегрируется в меню macOS (это можно отключить в настройках), что позволяет устанавливать либо снимать атрибут «скрытый» для файлов и папок кликом правой кнопки мыши.

Funter практически не потребляет ресурсы Mac, поддерживает русский язык и позволяет разом решить проблему отображения скрытых файлов на Mac.

AppleScript

В этом способе мы создадим исполняемый файл, при клике по которому будут отображаться скрытые папки и файлы Mac. Запоминать команды с горячими клавишами или ставить сторонние программы не нужно.

AppleScript — это язык, разработанный для того, чтобы помочь автоматизировать повторяющиеся или трудоёмкие действия на macOS. С его помощью можно сделать скрытые файлы видимыми.

Работа с AppleScripts происходит через стандартный инструмент операционной системы «Редактор скриптов». Найдите его через Launchpad и запустите.

Создайте новый документ, скопируйте и вставьте следующий код в окно редактора:

Должно получиться так:

Нажмите кнопку «Запустить скрипт » в окне программы, после чего выберите необходимое действие:

Со храните этот файл, чтобы можно было использовать его позже.

Папка Library

Библиотечная папка Library на Mac является системной, она скрыта по умолчанию. Можно использовать Терминал, горячие клавиши и другие способы, чтобы попасть в неё. Но есть способ проще.

Для этого нужно предпринять следующие шаги:

Кликните по папке, открыв её содержимое. При этом документы на Mac вне папки Library останутся невидимыми.

На этом всё, если остались вопросы — задавайте их в комметнриях ниже. Выбирайте наиболее подходящий вариант и используйте его.

Show hidden files on Mac

Like any operating system, macOS keeps important files hidden to prevent them from being accidentally deleted and, as a result, from system damage. However, in some cases, you may need to show hidden files on your Mac, for example, to explore the Library folder and clear old logs, caches or other junk files.

There are four possible methods on how to show hidden files on a Mac:

applies to: macOS

Important notes about hidden files on Mac and the methodology used to write this article

Video Guide

Before diving into the ways on how to show hidden files on Mac, let me explain a little more about hidden files.

What are hidden files on Mac?

Hidden files on a computer are files that are kept invisible from the users. You can recognize hidden files by their name and icon type. Firstly, hidden file names begin with a dot (or period). Secondly, the file icon is translucent.

Hidden files are invisible

Hidden files are visible

MacOS creates hidden files that are needed for the system to operate. Applications also create hidden files, such as cache files, logs, preferences, etc. Most of them are located in the Library folder, which is also hidden. These files are not visible for security reasons and to keep them separate from files created and used by the user. However, not all hidden files are necessary and many of them you can safely remove.

When deleting hidden files on Mac, you should be careful and not remove important data, that as a result can damage your system. If you accidentally remove system files to Trash, you have chances to recover them. For this, you need to right-click the file in Trash and select Put back. If for some reasons, you can’t recover files from Trash or you have already emptied the bin, the only chance to recover them is to use third-party data recovery software.

Now. let’s see what is the easiest way to show and operate hidden files on Mac.

How to show hidden files on Mac with Funter

The easiest way to manage this task is to use the free Funter application.
Funter allows you to find, hide, and search for hidden files on your Mac in just a few clicks.

How to show hidden files on Mac

Your Mac has entire libraries and directories hidden away from view. But those files aren’t made invisible just to keep your folders looking clean. They’re secluded for a reason — deleting, modifying, or moving one could seriously impair your macOS performance. In other words, those hundreds of files are what helps your operating system run without a hitch.

However, if you need to access one of these files, don’t worry. Apple offers several ways to show the hidden files Mac has. Let’s take a look at how Mac can show hidden files.

Why unhide the files on macOS?

You may have a legitimate reason to unhide files. But Apple hides files to prevent accidental damage to the operating system. Before you do anything, make sure you understand the risks. While there is nothing dangerous about unhiding files, many users tend to do this with the purpose of tinkering with or deleting something. Only delete files you know are safe to remove.

Lastly, since a major reason for deleting files is to gain free storage, it might be worth reminding you about alternatives that don’t require touching Mac’s hidden files. For example, NordLocker. It’s a secure cloud with a free 3 GB plan, end-to-end encryption both in the cloud and locally, and backup as well as the ability to offload your files and save device storage.

Showing hidden files via Mac Finder

The first and easiest method is using Mac Finder to show hidden files:

Mac terminal: show hidden files

Another way is by using the Mac Terminal to show hidden files:

Once you run the script, the hidden files should show up in Finder. When you’re done, tuck away the files again by following these steps:

You can also use Terminal to hide your specific files from prying eyes. To obscure something from view on your Mac, follow these steps:

Keep in mind that anyone can reveal the folders you just hid by using the same methods. If you want to secure your data from snoopers properly, consider NordLocker’s Mac file encryption. This way, no one else but you will be able to see the contents of the files.

Viewing hidden files on a Mac using file managers

Another way to reveal hidden files is by using third-party file managers. File managers make the process relatively easy. Here’s how to show hidden files on Mac with ForkLift:

That’s it! Now you can tinker with the files as you see fit. But don’t forget to be careful — accidentally moving or deleting one of these files can disrupt your computer’s performance.

John believes that the best things in life are simple. He uses the same approach when he’s writing about online security. John says that his #1 pet peeve is phishing scams. Ironically, his favorite non-work related activity is fishing.

How to Show Hidden Files on MacOS with a Keyboard Shortcut

Modern versions of Mac OS offer a super-fast and easy way to reveal invisible files on a Mac, all you need to use is a keyboard shortcut. With a simple keystroke, you can instantly show hidden files on a Mac, and with another strike of the same keyboard shortcut, you can instantly hide the hidden files again too. This is by far the fastest way possible to show and hide invisible files on a Mac. You won’t need to use the defaults command to show hidden files (though it still works), instead you can just use the handy keyboard shortcut anywhere in the Finder or a file access dialog.

To use the hidden files keyboard shortcut, you’ll need a modern version of Mac OS system software, including macOS Mojave, High Sierra, and macOS Sierra, anything beyond 10.12 should support the invisible files toggle keyboard shortcut.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, hidden files and hidden folders on a Mac are typically either system level items, configuration data, or some other file or folder which is usually hidden from the average end user for a reason. Thus, revealing hidden files is usually only necessary for more advanced Mac users, whether it’s to view, edit, or modify some particular invisible file or folder, or contents therein.

How to Show Hidden Files on Mac with a Keyboard Shortcut

Using the Show Hidden Files Keyboard Shortcut is incredibly simple, here’s how it works:

Here is an example of what the Macintosh HD directory looks like after hidden files are made visible, and after hidden files are made invisible again, this is demonstrated in animated GIF format so that you can see the hidden files appearing and disappearing:

As you can see the hidden files and folders become visible and invisible as the keyboard shortcut is pressed.

Note that with hidden files made visible, they will become visible in all folders on the Mac, just like what happens if you use the defaults command to show hidden files in Mac OS and Mac OS X. The big difference between modern Mac OS releases and earlier versions of system software is that now the Command + Shift + Period keyboard shortcut is available to show and hide invisible items in the Finder, whereas before you had to use the defaults write command in the Terminal to reveal or hide those files and folders. If you prefer the command line approach for whatever reason, it is still available to modern Mac OS releases.

How to Hide Hidden Files on Mac with Keyboard Shortcut

And of course you can quickly toggle to hide the hidden files again and make them no longer visible by using the same keyboard shortcut:

Toggling the hidden files keyboard shortcut will impact all folders on the Mac.

Command + Shift + Period is the Keyboard Shortcut for Toggling Hidden Files in Mac OS

Just remember that pressing down Command + Shift + Period in the file system of Mac OS will hide or show invisible files.

The visual indicator of hidden files and folders is fairly obvious. Here’s a folder (root Macintosh HD) with hidden files invisible, the default state:

And here’s that same folder with hidden files made visible via the keyboard shortcut, as you can see there are many more items in the same directory but they are hidden from the usual Finder view of the user. Each hidden file or folder is represented by the faded opaque icon and name:

If this keyboard shortcut sounds familiar to you and you’re a longtime Mac user, it’s probably because the Command Shift Period trick has long worked to toggle viewing of invisible items in Open and Save dialog boxes, it’s just that now that same keyboard shortcut can toggle the visibility of invisible items in the general Finder of Mac OS as well.

As mentioned before, you can still show and hide hidden files in Mac OS with a defaults command if you want to, or you can enable with a defaults command and hide them again with the aforementioned keystroke, but the defaults string syntax is simply no longer necessary to gain quick access to the hidden files.

Again, this keyboard shortcut trick only applies to modern MacOS releases, earlier versions of system software will need to use the command line method instead.

Whether you show or hide invisible files on the Mac is entirely up to you, but generally speaking having them made visible is most appropriate for advanced Mac users who need to access the hidden directories or files that are scattered throughout Mac OS. Absolutely do not remove, modify, or delete any hidden files without knowing what you’re doing, many of them are configuration files for various apps, programs, and functionalities, or are necessary components to Mac OS and software.