How to show hidden files on Mac OS.
Spend enough time troubleshooting your Mac and you will find that there are many files that you cannot see. Apple intentionally hides certain files from users to prevent them from accessing, editing or deleting them. These files are usually important macOS system files, so they are hidden for good reason.
If you want to show hidden files on macOS to see what Apple has hidden from view, you can use the Finder or Terminal app to open them in the Finder.
Use Finder to Show Hidden Apps
Finder is the easiest way to show hidden files on macOS. You just need to open the folder and use the keyboard shortcut to show and hide hidden files.
1. Select Finder from the toolbar, which is usually at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select Go from the menu bar.
3. Select the Computer to access the root folder on your hard drive.
4. Press Command-Shift-Period to open hidden files, which will be grayed out on the screen.
4. When finished, press Command-Shift-Period to hide the files again.
Use Terminal to Show Hidden Files
The terminal app is another way to show and hide hidden files on macOS. The terminal is not as user-friendly as the Finder app. However, these commands are useful if you are using the Terminal application and are familiar with how it works.
1. Select Launchpad from the toolbar, which is usually at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select the folder named Other on the launcher.
3. Select the Terminal application to open it.
4. Enter the following line into the terminal:
by default write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles true; killall Finder.
5. Press Return to run the script.
This first half of the command changes the ShowAllFiles parameter to true, which displays all files, including those that were previously hidden. The other half is the killall command, which restarts the Finder and displays hidden files.
Use Terminal to Hide All Files
When you’re done with hidden files, it’s a good idea to hide the files again so that you don’t accidentally change or delete them. Follow the same first four steps above to open Terminal, or just press Command + Space to open Spotlight and type Terminal.
1. Select Launchpad from the toolbar, which is usually at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select the folder named Other on the launcher.
3. Select the Terminal application to open it.
4. Enter the following line into the terminal:
by default write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles false; killall Finder.
5. Press Return to execute the command.
This command sets the ShowAllFiles parameter to false, which hides hidden files. Again, the second line is the killall command, which restarts the Finder and removes hidden files from view.
Why You Should Keep Files Hidden
Be careful when working with hidden files as they are usually hidden for a specific reason. Most of these files are essential system files that are used by macOS or applications you have installed. If these hidden files are changed or removed, your operating system and applications may not function as expected. You may even have to reinstall macOS to get things working again.
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