How to Show Hidden Files on Mac

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 tell you how to show hidden files on Mac.

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Part 1. Find out Hidden Files with Paths Part 2. Show Hidden Files via Terminal Part 3. Change A Hidden File to Normal Part 4. How to Hide Files on Mac Part 5. Conclusion

Part 1. Find out Hidden Files with Paths

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

Click Go menu and select Go to Folder ... in the list.

Show Hidden Files Go

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.

Press the Enter button on the keyboard or click OK to reach the hidden file.
After the folder turns up, press Command + Shift + Period(.)to view the hidden file. The hidden files can be shown to you with obscure colors, 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 them 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.

Open Terminal.

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

Copy and paste the following code into Terminal and press Enter.

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

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 colors, 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:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE
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.

Open Terminal.
Copy and paste the code below:

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

Drag a hidden file in the Terminal.
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 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

Open Terminal.
Copy and paste the following code into the Terminal.

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

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

Then the file or folder’s path will turn up in the 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 Mac Cleaner to find hidden files

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

mac cleaner icon Mac Cleaner Scan your Mac quickly and clean junk files easily. Check the primary status of your Mac including the disk usage, CPU status, memory usage, etc. Speed up your Mac with simple clicks. Free Download

Let us see the steps below.

Download and install Mac Cleaner.
Click Junk Cleaner to scan hidden files.
Review and select unwanted hidden files to clean up.
Click Clean and wait for the cleanup process.

Find Hidden Files on Mac

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Part 5. Conclusion

By learning about the ways to hide your files and show your hidden files on your Mac, you can guarantee and secure your privacy on your 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 questions about 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.