By default, there are many hidden files on your Mac and there is a good reason behind it. Most of the files that are hidden have to do with system functions or they contain important data that helps your computer operate. It could also be something that has to do with important settings.<\/p>\r\n
You can also hide a file on purpose if you don\u2019t want someone to see it and this file would be hidden away with the other ones on your Mac.<\/p>\r\n
Hidden files and folders will appear opaque when you unhide them and that is how you can distinguish if they\u2019re hidden or not. You can see that in the screenshot below, the only file or folder that isn\u2019t a hidden one is the Documents folder for example.<\/p>\r\n
![\"hidden](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/hidden-files-on-mac-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\r\n
Let\u2019s take a look at how to show your hidden files and folders if you\u2019re using Finder.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Show Hidden Files While in Finder<\/span><\/h2>\r\nIf you\u2019re in a Finder window and want to display the hidden files and folders that are located there, we can use a simple key command to toggle them either visible or not visible, it\u2019s actually quite simple!<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\t- Navigate to a Finder window and then press the keys Command + Shift + .<\/b> and then you will be able to see the hidden files and folders. If you\u2019re not seeing any right away, it could be the location on your Mac simply doesn\u2019t have anything that is hidden there and you will have to check another location.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
You will notice that they appear slightly different as they have more of an opaque look to the Finder window and they aren\u2019t as bold, they will appear more transparent to help you differentiate between the two.<\/p>\r\n
A popular folder that you may want to view on your Mac would be the Library folder. Let\u2019s talk about what is in the Library folder and how to find it.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Find Your Library Folder on Your Mac<\/span><\/h2>\r\nThe Library folder on your Mac is hidden by default and for good reasons too. Most of the time, you won\u2019t need to go into it but there might be some cases where you decide to or you may just be curious! Either way is fine!<\/p>\r\n
![\"library](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/library-folder-mac-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\r\n
The Library folder on your Mac stores important information in relation to:<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\t- Account settings<\/li>\r\n\t
- Application support data<\/li>\r\n\t
- Preference Files<\/li>\r\n\t
- Containers<\/li>\r\n\t
- Application Scripts<\/li>\r\n\t
- Caches<\/li>\r\n\t
- Cookies<\/li>\r\n\t
- Fonts<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
If you\u2019re wanting to go into these files on your Mac and make changes, then you first have to find and locate your Library folder.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\t- Launch Finder and open a new window by clicking on the Finder icon on your Dock.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Once you have launched Finder, look under Favorites and find your Mac username. Click on it and once inside the folder press the keys Command + Shift + \u201c.\u201d<\/b>. Alternatively, you can open a new Finder window and then navigate to Go in the navbar section and then hold the Option key to display the Library as a selectable option.
![\"library](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/library-folder-1.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t- Click on the Library folder option. It might take you a moment to find it since it will be opaque and not bold like the rest of the files and folders on your Mac.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
You can now view the contents of your Library folder or if you wanted to make changes you can do that as well.<\/p>\r\n
Now, let\u2019s take a look at how to make hidden files and folders visible by using the Terminal. This is a more tech-savvy method, but it does the same thing as using the key command!<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Show Hidden Files by Using the Terminal<\/span><\/h2>\r\nThe Terminal is a very powerful text-based application that we have on our Mac. The great thing about the Terminal is that it allows you to gain access to direct controls over your Mac by using text. There isn\u2019t a graphical user interface (GUI) which can make it seem overwhelming at first, but it\u2019s actually quite simple.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\t- Launch the Terminal.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Once you\u2019ve launched the Terminal, type in the text defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true and then press the return key. This will change the settings to true for showing hidden files and folders on your Mac.
![\"using](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/using-the-terminal-1.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n\t - After you\u2019ve typed in that command, type in killall Finder and then press the return key. This command will force Finder to restart and then launch again so that the change can take effect.
![\"still](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/still-using-the-terminal-1-1.jpg\")
<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nNow, when you use Finder all of your hidden files and folders should now be visible to you. You can check this by going to either your Desktop as there usually are hidden files there that should now be visible to you.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Recover Deleted Hidden Files Using Disk Drill<\/span><\/h2>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for a hidden file and can\u2019t find it, there could be a chance that you\u2019ve deleted it. If you think that is the case, we can use Disk Drill to try and recover the deleted hidden file.<\/p>\r\n
You will notice that they appear slightly different as they have more of an opaque look to the Finder window and they aren\u2019t as bold, they will appear more transparent to help you differentiate between the two.<\/p>\r\n
A popular folder that you may want to view on your Mac would be the Library folder. Let\u2019s talk about what is in the Library folder and how to find it.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Find Your Library Folder on Your Mac<\/span><\/h2>\r\nThe Library folder on your Mac is hidden by default and for good reasons too. Most of the time, you won\u2019t need to go into it but there might be some cases where you decide to or you may just be curious! Either way is fine!<\/p>\r\n
<\/p>\r\n
The Library folder on your Mac stores important information in relation to:<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\t- Account settings<\/li>\r\n\t
- Application support data<\/li>\r\n\t
- Preference Files<\/li>\r\n\t
- Containers<\/li>\r\n\t
- Application Scripts<\/li>\r\n\t
- Caches<\/li>\r\n\t
- Cookies<\/li>\r\n\t
- Fonts<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
If you\u2019re wanting to go into these files on your Mac and make changes, then you first have to find and locate your Library folder.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\t- Launch Finder and open a new window by clicking on the Finder icon on your Dock.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Once you have launched Finder, look under Favorites and find your Mac username. Click on it and once inside the folder press the keys Command + Shift + \u201c.\u201d<\/b>. Alternatively, you can open a new Finder window and then navigate to Go in the navbar section and then hold the Option key to display the Library as a selectable option.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Click on the Library folder option. It might take you a moment to find it since it will be opaque and not bold like the rest of the files and folders on your Mac.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
You can now view the contents of your Library folder or if you wanted to make changes you can do that as well.<\/p>\r\n
Now, let\u2019s take a look at how to make hidden files and folders visible by using the Terminal. This is a more tech-savvy method, but it does the same thing as using the key command!<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Show Hidden Files by Using the Terminal<\/span><\/h2>\r\nThe Terminal is a very powerful text-based application that we have on our Mac. The great thing about the Terminal is that it allows you to gain access to direct controls over your Mac by using text. There isn\u2019t a graphical user interface (GUI) which can make it seem overwhelming at first, but it\u2019s actually quite simple.<\/p>\r\n
\r\n\t- Launch the Terminal.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Once you\u2019ve launched the Terminal, type in the text defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true and then press the return key. This will change the settings to true for showing hidden files and folders on your Mac.<\/li>\r\n\t
- After you\u2019ve typed in that command, type in killall Finder and then press the return key. This command will force Finder to restart and then launch again so that the change can take effect.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
Now, when you use Finder all of your hidden files and folders should now be visible to you. You can check this by going to either your Desktop as there usually are hidden files there that should now be visible to you.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Recover Deleted Hidden Files Using Disk Drill<\/span><\/h2>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for a hidden file and can\u2019t find it, there could be a chance that you\u2019ve deleted it. If you think that is the case, we can use Disk Drill to try and recover the deleted hidden file.<\/p>\r\n
<\/p>\r\nIf you\u2019re wanting to go into these files on your Mac and make changes, then you first have to find and locate your Library folder.<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Launch Finder and open a new window by clicking on the Finder icon on your Dock.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Once you have launched Finder, look under Favorites and find your Mac username. Click on it and once inside the folder press the keys Command + Shift + \u201c.\u201d<\/b>. Alternatively, you can open a new Finder window and then navigate to Go in the navbar section and then hold the Option key to display the Library as a selectable option.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Click on the Library folder option. It might take you a moment to find it since it will be opaque and not bold like the rest of the files and folders on your Mac.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
You can now view the contents of your Library folder or if you wanted to make changes you can do that as well.<\/p>\r\n
Now, let\u2019s take a look at how to make hidden files and folders visible by using the Terminal. This is a more tech-savvy method, but it does the same thing as using the key command!<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Show Hidden Files by Using the Terminal<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
The Terminal is a very powerful text-based application that we have on our Mac. The great thing about the Terminal is that it allows you to gain access to direct controls over your Mac by using text. There isn\u2019t a graphical user interface (GUI) which can make it seem overwhelming at first, but it\u2019s actually quite simple.<\/p>\r\n
- \r\n\t
- Launch the Terminal.<\/li>\r\n\t
- Once you\u2019ve launched the Terminal, type in the text defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true and then press the return key. This will change the settings to true for showing hidden files and folders on your Mac.<\/li>\r\n\t
- After you\u2019ve typed in that command, type in killall Finder and then press the return key. This command will force Finder to restart and then launch again so that the change can take effect.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
Now, when you use Finder all of your hidden files and folders should now be visible to you. You can check this by going to either your Desktop as there usually are hidden files there that should now be visible to you.<\/p>\r\n
<\/span>How to Recover Deleted Hidden Files Using Disk Drill<\/span><\/h2>\r\n
If you\u2019re looking for a hidden file and can\u2019t find it, there could be a chance that you\u2019ve deleted it. If you think that is the case, we can use Disk Drill to try and recover the deleted hidden file.<\/p>\r\n
- Click on the Library folder option. It might take you a moment to find it since it will be opaque and not bold like the rest of the files and folders on your Mac.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n
![\"Disk](\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/sidebar-ban-96.png\")
\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n