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In this article, you will learn about Find hidden files in Mac step by step. So without much to do, let’s get started.
Wanna see your Mac’s hidden files? Be careful—those files are concealed for a purpose. Discover how to safely view and hide important Mac files below.
The nuts and bolts of your Mac, including the operating system and cache memory, are stored in hidden files. Due to the detrimental effects that deleting or otherwise altering these files would have on system performance, they are hidden from view. When troubleshooting problems or performing routine maintenance on your Mac, however, you may need to access these otherwise inaccessible files.
In this article, you will learn-
You can do so in one of three ways on a Mac:
The other storage and system data on your Mac’s hard drive are hidden files such as system files, configuration files, and cache files. The /Library folder on macOS is where you’ll find the system’s hidden files. However, you shouldn’t mess with your Mac’s hidden files unless you know what you’re doing, as doing so could compromise the device’s performance or security if you delete the wrong files.
If you’re interested in seeing what goes on behind the scenes of your Mac, you may do it in a few different ways.
First approach: use Finder
The simplest method for locating concealed files on a Mac is to use Finder. What you should do is this:
To open Finder, double-click its dock icon.
To view hidden files, head to the directory you intend to search.
To use, hit “Command Shift Period” (/). A preview of the folder’s concealed contents will appear.
Repeatedly pressing Command + Shift +. will reveal the files.
On a Mac, you can access the desktop’s hidden files by clicking the desktop and then pressing Command + Shift +.
Second, Use Terminal
The Terminal program is another option for revealing secret folders and files on a Mac. However, this approach is more technical. You may alter your Mac’s behavior by typing commands into Terminal and executing them directly within the operating system.
How to View Hidden Files in Terminal
Find Terminal by clicking the search magnifying glass in Spotlight (or the Finder’s search box). The Terminal app should come up first; select it. You might also launch Finder and go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
Type $ defaults write com. apple. Finder AppleShowAllFiles true into the Terminal text window. With this command, Finder will show you every secret file on your Mac.
To activate the script, hit Enter and then write $ killall Finder into Terminal. Your modifications will take effect after Finder restarts.
You should be able to view the previously concealed files on your Mac now.
Repeat steps 2–4 if you want to re-hide the concealed files. Alter the script so that “true” becomes “false” in Step 2. This is how the Mac file-concealing script will look: In order to restore the $defaults setting, you must type com. apple. Finder AppleShowAllFiles false.
Method 3: Use third-party software
You don’t have to follow easy steps to see secret Mac files. Instead, you can use third-party software and hide them again with a click. If you need to get to secret macOS files a lot, these apps are useful.
The hunter
Funter is a free application whose sole purpose is to display concealed files on Mac. You can easily expose all the hidden files on your Mac, search for specific hidden files, and then re-hide them. While the tool lacks additional file management features, it is ideal for rapidly checking Mac storage without risking unintended system changes.
The forklift
Forklift is a robust file management application that enables you to transfer, sync, evaluate, and rename files between local and cloud storage. It can also reveal concealed files with a click, but it is capable of much more.
If you’re a developer, operate in the cloud, or have a large number of files to manage, Forklift is worth the $20 it costs for life. If you simply wish to display concealed files, you can obtain Funter for free.
It’s possible for Apple to hide some files on your Mac so that changing or removing them could damage your device. You could make your computer useless or put your security at risk if you mess around with secret Mac files without knowing what you’re doing.
Cleaning supplies are likely kept somewhere out of the way in your home. It’s not that these items aren’t useful. They can do harm if they get into the wrong hands. For the same reason, Mac hides some files. You should leave them alone unless you know exactly what they do.
How to hide files on a Mac
Knowing how to hide files from view on a Mac is useful whether you’re trying to eliminate desktop clutter or hide important files.
Read on to learn how to cover your tracks on a Mac.
Open the Terminal app.
Open Terminal and paste in the chflags hidden script. Drag the desired file(s) into the terminal window and drop them there. The path to the file you specified will now appear beside the script you submitted.
Type “Enter.” Your file should now be hidden.
Follow the same steps, but change the script to chflags nohidden to see your hidden file. When you press Enter, the file will show up again.
The first and simplest technique is to use Mac Finder to display hidden files:
- Open the folder in which you wish to look for hidden files.
- At the same moment, press the “Command” + “Shift” + “.” (period) keys.
- The hidden files will appear in the folder as transparent.
- Press the “Command” + “Shift” + “.” (period) combination again to conceal the files.
Why unhide the files on macOS?
There could be valid reasons for you to reveal hidden files. However, Apple conceals files so that the OS cannot be damaged inadvertently. Make sure you know what could go wrong before taking any action. Although there is no real risk in unhiding files, many users do so in order to make changes or get rid of them. It’s important to delete only secure files.
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