Most likely, you will be unable to view all of your Mac’s show hidden files and folders. Anyone who alters such files risks damaging the Mac’s software and hardware, thus Apple conceals them. That is not to say you cannot view or access your Mac’s private files. In this column, I will show you how to see secret macOS files and folders. To avoid issues, carefully follow the procedures below.
How to access hidden Mac files and folders in Finder
- Start up Finder.
- Select the directory that has the documents you wish to reveal from hiding.
- Hold down Command and Shift at once.
- From now on, the secret files will be mostly see-through.
- You may hit on them to get to them.
- From that point forward, you’ll have the option to see every one of the secret files and folders.
Go back to the window you were in before and press the same set of keys again to hide folders.
How to Show hidden Mac files and folders with Terminal
The same things will happen if you use Terminal. To see secret files on a Mac, you need to take a few extra steps, though:
- Start up Finder → Type “Terminal” into the search bar and press “Return.”
- Pick out Terminal and open it.
- Follow the means in this copying by pasting them. The “Return” key should be hit after every section.
-
- write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true as a default
- killer All Finder
The Finder window is going to quit and then restart to show all the secret folders. It will look like the secret folders and files are blacked out or only shown in part.
How to access hidden files in ~/Library
You have to go to ~/Library on a Mac to get to internal secret files. I’ll show you a few different ways to get to your Mac’s Library underneath.
Using keyboard shortcut
- Start up Finder.
- Do this: Command + Shift + H.
- If you press those keys together, you’ll go to the Home folder.
- If you want to see the secret folders, hit Command + Shift +.
After that, press the same key again to hide. - Get into the Library area.
View using “Go to Folder”
- Start up Finder.
- On the title bar, click “Go.” Then, choose “Go to Folder.”
- Type ~/Library and press “return.”
You can also open Finder, click Go, and then choose Home to get to the Home area and files.
How to Maintaining Library folder visibility
If you know how to get to the Library folder in different ways, let’s look at how to always view and get to the Library folder like you would any other folder.
- You can open the Home area in any of the ways listed above.
Press Command + Shift + H to do it. - Press Command, Shift, and. to see the folders that are hidden.
- Pick up the Library folder and move it to the left, next to the Favorites tag.
How to Find hidden Mac SSD/HDD files (Macintosh HD)
In addition to the files in the Home and Library folders, there are a great many others hidden away on your Mac.
- Start up Finder → In the menu bar at the top, click.
- Pick Out Settings.
- To see the name of your Mac, go to Locations and click on Sidebar.
It’s usually the first choice.
- Go back to the finder.
- To get to your Mac, click on its name under the Locations tag.
- Pick the drive you need to utilize.
I am now opening Macintosh HD.
You have arrived in the root area. You can make the secret files grayed out or partly see-through.
If you want to see and get to secret folders and files on macOS, press Command + Shift +. or use the Terminal.
Changing any of those files, however, might disrupt the system’s operation and is, thus, strongly discouraged.
How to access Mac external drive secret files
- Start up Finder.
- You need to open the secondary drive to find the files that are hidden.
- To show hidden files again, press Command + Shift +.
You can also use Terminal.
You are able to view all of Mac’s secret files. No matter what kind of USB drive you have the steps are pretty much the same.
FAQs
Why is my Mac file hidden?
Your Mac may contain a large number of folders with hidden files or folders within. This is especially probable if you’ve concealed them. However, if you conceal a file by hand, it will remain hidden in the same location from which you performed the procedures.
See what others miss 😉
Human brains are naturally curious, and they seek out the unknown. The following steps will help you find Mac secret files if curiosity is driving you. Please leave comments if you have any questions. You don’t need to hide them!
