Hide a File or Folder on a Mac. RELATED: How to Hide Files and Folders on Every Operating System. To find and recover hidden photos, documents, movies, and other files on your Mac, just follow the tutorial below. Step 1: Download, install, and launch iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac on your computer. Step 2: Select the drives that contain the hidden files and click on 'Next'. This will scan for all lost and invisible files on this drive.

1. Show All Files Mac
2. Terminal Mac Show Hidden Files
3. Show Hidden Files Mac Download Version
4. Show Hidden Files Mac Download Softonic
5. How To Show Hidden Files On Mac

Aug 31,2020 • Filed to: Mac Recovery • Proven solutions

“How to view hidden files on Mac? I accidentally made some files hidden on Mac, but now I can’t seem to access them at all!”

This is one of the common queries of both Mac and Windows users these days. Just like any other operating system, Mac also allows us to hide files and folders for our privacy. Though, after doing that, users can’t seem to show hidden files on Mac. There are times when they wish to see files on Mac of certain applications or saved components (like cache or temp files) that are hidden. No matter what your requirements are – you can easily learn how to find hidden files on Mac after reading this guide. Not one, but 5 simple and stepwise solutions are listed to show hidden files on Mac right here.

Part 1: What are Hidden Files on Mac?

As the name suggests, hidden files or folders on Mac won’t be shown by default on the Finder. Nevertheless, they would occupy space on your Mac storage. By default, users are not able to view hidden files on Mac. Though, you can take some extra measures to find them. A user can hide any file or folder that they wish to. Mac itself also hides tons of files like cache, hidden application component, background backup files, preferences, log files, system files, and so on. Most of these files are important for macOS, but are not needed by the user to access frequently.

Part 2: Where are Hidden Files Located on Mac?

Ideally, hidden folders can be located anywhere on Mac. Most of them are present on the macOS directory where logs, preferences, cache, and other system files are stored. Additionally, they are present in the app folder to store temporary data. Users can also hide any file or folder of their choice and thus, it can be present anywhere on your system. Since they would be hidden, you can’t see them the usual way while browsing your Mac’s directory.

Part 3: How to Show Hidden Files on Mac?

You might already know that Mac has a user-friendly interface and file system. There are native as well as third-party solutions to see hidden files on Mac. Here are some of the common solutions on how to view hidden files and folders on Mac.

Method 1: Use Finder

If the hidden files and folders are already visible on Mac, then you can simply access them via Finder. Just open the Finder window that way you like and browse the file system. You can find shortcuts on the left to explore and view the stored files on the right. This will display all the hidden files and folders on your Mac. You can also take the assistance of a Spotlight search to look for any specific file as well.

Method 2: Find Hidden Folders in the Library

In case if the files and folders are hidden on Mac, then you can view them with this approach. Though, it will only work to view hidden files on Mac stored in the Library folder. All you got to do is hold the Alt (Option) key on your Mac keyboard and go to the Finder menu on the top. Click on Go > Library from here to open the Library folder and show all files on Mac stored in its ~/Library.

Method 3: Use Terminal

The Terminal gives a hassle-free solution to enter the needed commands to macOS. In this way, users can alter their system settings bypassing the existing commands and parameters. Though, you should be cautious while working with Terminal as a wrong command can make some drastic changes in Mac. You can access Terminal directly from the Spotlight or go to Finder > Applications > Utility to open the app on Mac.

Once Terminal is launched, enter the following command:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles true; killall Finder

This will provide a permanent solution to show hidden files on Mac. Now, whenever you would launch Finder, you can see the hidden files and folders on it without any trouble. In order to hide them again, you can type the same command and change the Boolean expression from “true” to “false”.

Method 4: Use the Shortcut 'CMD + Shift +'.

If you are looking for a fast and temporary solution to view hidden files on Mac, then consider these keyboard shortcuts. Access the Finder menu and click on “Go” to visit your computer or any other folder. Now, press the Command + Shift + . (Period) keys at the same time. This will show the hidden files and folders on Mac instantly. Just press the keyboard shortcuts again to hide these files.

Method 5: Recover/Show/View Hidden Files with Mac Data Recovery Software [Recommended]

If you don’t want to go through any unwanted hassle to show all files on Mac, then consider using Recoverit (IS) for Mac. Ideally, it is a complete data recovery application that can retrieve all kinds of lost or inaccessible content on Mac. As a result, it will automatically show the hidden files on Mac storage as well. You can view these files and recover them to any location of your choice. Yes – it is as simple as that. All you need to do is follow a quick click-through process to recover hidden files from Mac.

Recoverit (IS) for Mac

A Life Saver to Solve Your Data Loss Problems!

• The application supports more than 1000 different file formats for photos, videos, audios, documents, compressed files, and more. You can recover all kinds of files, irrespective of their extensions.
• You can view hidden files not only from Mac’s internal hard drive, but also from external sources. This includes SD cards, USB drives, hard disks, MP3 cameras, and so on.
• The interface will let you preview the recovered data and selectively save it to any other location of your choice.
• You can even get your data back from a lost partition, accidentally deleted content, corrupt files, and every other kind of inaccessible content.
• The application is available for free (the basic version) and supports every leading macOS version, including the macOS 10.15 release.

Here’s how you can take the assistance of Recoverit (IS) and learn how to view hidden files on Mac.

Step 1 Install and launch the program

Download, install and launch the data recovery application on your Mac.

Step 2 Pick a location to scan

Furthermore, you need to select a location where you wish to extract the hidden files and folders. This can be any partition or the entire Mac hard drive. You can connect an external device and select it from here as well.

Step 3 Scan and Find Hiden Files

After you've picked a location to scan, click on the 'Start' button to complete the scanning process. Here you can easily halt the process in between or see the progress from an on-screen indicator.

To save time, you can use inbuilt filters within the application to narrow the search on the basis of different factors, so that you can let the application find your target hidden files quickly.

Step 4 Preview and save hidden files

Just wait for a few minutes as Recoverit (IS) application will scan the selected location and extract all files from Mac. In the end, it will display the results under different categories. You can visit any category from the left panel and preview the file on the right. To look for a specific file, you can use its search option as well. Make the needed selections and click on the “Recover” button to save them to a trusted location in the end.

Now when you know five different ways to show hidden files and folders on Mac, you can easily try the preferred solution. Though, if you use Recoverit (IS), then you can also get back the lost or deleted content from your Mac. In today’s world, it is important to keep a recovery tool handy. Since you might encounter an unexpected loss of data on Mac, the application will make sure that you get your deleted files back in no time.

By Nathan E. Malpass, Last updated: August 27, 2019

For the cause of protecting your privacy or others, you perhaps prefer to hide some of your files on your Mac. It is a reachable and convenient function for users of Mac. However, after hiding your files on your Mac, do you know the way to show hidden files? Go reading! This article aims to tells you how to show hidden files on Mac.

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Part 1. Find out Hidden Files with Paths

There is a simple way to find out your hidden files on your Mac.

1. Click Go menu and select Go to Folder ... in the list.
   
2. Type the path of a hidden file in the pop-up window, for instance, ~/Desktop/Hide.
   

Note:~ represents the user folder. Then the second part is the place in which your hidden file is. The last part is the name of your hidden file. If you have a hidden file named Location saved in Downloads, you can type ~/Downloads/Location in the column.

Show All Files Mac

3. Press the Enter button on the keyboard or click OK to reach the hidden file.
4. After the folder turns up, press Command + Shift + Period(.)to view the hidden file. The hidden files can be shown to you with obscure color, different from normal files on your Mac.
   

Note: Even though the hidden files could not be shown on your Mac, you can also directly locate and view it via the path in Finder.

Part 2. Show Hidden Files via Terminal

If you have no idea of the path of your hidden files, you can also have a try on this method.

1. Open Terminal.

Path: Launchpad> Other> Terminal or press Command + Space to type Terminal and press Enter to finish.

2. Copy and paste the following code in Terminal and press Enter.

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

3. Again, copy and paste the following code in Terminal and press Enter.

killall Finder

It is going to command Finder to show all your hidden files on Mac. The hidden files can be shown to you with obscure color, different from normal files on your Mac.

Tips: If you want to cease the process of Finder to show your hidden files, please copy and paste the code below to cancel the command and get the files not shown. Press the Enter button after each step:

1. defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE
2. killall Finder

It is convenient for you to create an Automator script to help you show and hide files on your Mac with a press. When pressing a key or choosing one option, the script would begin to implement the command to show your hidden files.

Part 3. Change A Hidden File to Normal

Except for the previous two ways to show hidden files on your Mac, you have another choice to show the hidden files. It is to change them to normal files.

1. Open Terminal.
2. Copy and paste the code below:

chflags nohidden (remember to add a space in the end of “nohidden”)

Terminal Mac Show Hidden Files

3. Drag a hidden file in Terminal.
   
4. Press Enter in Terminal. The selected hidden file now can be shown normally on your Mac.
   

Tips: If you ever hide the file in Terminal(the way introduced in Create a hidden file in Part 4), you could click the up arrow icon to your previous commands. Then, you can find out the command to hide files and change the “hidden” status to “nohidden” with a left arrow key. Later, press the Enter to complete.

Part 4. How to Hide Files on Mac

The former three parts are the ways to tell you how to show hidden files on your Mac. Then, in this part, it is about ways for you to easily hide files on Mac.

Although Mac provides its users with the function of hiding files, it is not direct for users to find out the path to hide files. Mac needs you to set up a “hidden” attribute first before you hide a file, unlike Windows and Linux. In addition, the hidden files are automatically set to be not shown in Finder and other applications on Mac.

Create a hidden file

1. Open Terminal.
2. Copy and paste the following code in Terminal.

chflags hidden (remember to add a space at the end of “hidden”)

3. Drag a file or a folder from Finder to Terminal.
4. Press Enter.

Then the file or folder’ s path will turn up in Terminal. After you press the Enter button, the file or folder disappears. It means that the file or folder has been hidden in Finder by default.

Use PowerMyMac to hide files

You can also hide files on your Mac through a third-party application. PowerMyMac is the best choice for you here. You could not only hide your files but also encrypt them as well.

Let us see the steps below.

Tips: The following images are under the dark mode on Mac.

1. Download and install PowerMyMac.
   
2. Select ToolKit.
   
3. Click the Hide button in Hide And Encrypt.
   
4. Set and confirm your password in the first time when you enter this page.
   
5. Drag a file in the screen and hide it.
   

Note: There is a switch button below. Turn the button off, the file you dragged in the last step could be shown again.

6. Back to the previous page, enter the password you set just now and choose the Encrypt button in Hide And Encrypt.
   
7. Now, the file cannot be read in the previous path. You can view it directly on the Encrypt page, however.
   

Show Hidden Files Mac Download Version

Note: If the file is in the list of Hide, although it is not hidden, it cannot be encrypted. If you need to encrypt this file, you need to remove the file out of the list first.

1. Tick the file in Hide list.
2. Turn the switch on.
3. Press the Reset button at the right bottom.

Show Hidden Files Mac Download Softonic

In a Windows system, you can also rename your files with a dot to hide them, like “.Secret”. However, you are not available to rename your files or folders from Finder window in this way. Thus, you are suggested to hide your folders in Terminal or with the help of PowerMyMac.

How To Show Hidden Files On Mac

Part 5. Conclusion

Learning about the ways to hide your files and show your hidden files on your Mac, you can guarantee and secure your privacy on Mac. If you share one Mac with others in the office or other places, it is time for you to know these extremely crucial operations on how to hide or encrypt some personal or confidential files and folders on Mac.

If any question of showing hidden files on Mac, please feel at ease to let us know. You can write down your comments below or send an email to contact us.