How to show hidden folders and files in Mac OS - Aviation and computer notes. How to show hidden files and folders macOS View hidden files on mac

In the Mac OS environment, it becomes especially relevant. However, there are several pitfalls in his decision, which we will deal with.

The essence of the problem

The fact is that in Mac OS it is not so easy to make hidden files and folders visible,

because the standard means " System settings"The Finder does not provide such an opportunity. However, do not despair. The question of how to display on a Mac? has two main answers. You can use the terminal or the FinderToggleHiddenFiles program, which is based on the Automator.

Terminal usage

Launch a terminal window. To do this, open "Programs", then "Utilities" and "Terminal". In the window that appears, enter the following couple of lines of text (instead of square brackets "" use a space):
defaultswritecom.apple.finderAppleShowAllFilesTRUE
killallFinder

Then press "enter". After the procedure, open windows in the Finder will close, immediately opening again. Thus, the question of how to display hidden folders in the Mac OS universe will be resolved. However, this is not all, since there is

reverse command. To stop Mac OS from showing up, enter the following text into the terminal (and then press "enter"):

defaultswritecom.apple.finderAppleShowAllFilesFALSE
killallFinder.

Automator

To use the second method in solving the problem, download the FinderToggleHiddenFiles application on your computer, install it on the Mac operating system. From the moment this is done, it will be possible to activate or deactivate the desired function by starting the program.

Other features of Mac OS

So, we have dealt with the main question, how to display hidden folders,

however, the operating system has a number of other features that not everyone knows about. It is impossible not to mention some of these functions because of their special usefulness.

You can create a folder with the required content. Imagine that you have a certain number of files that are scattered all over the desktop, but you want to collect them in a single directory. If we talk about the traditional way, you have to do everything manually: first create a folder, then select objects, excluding the icon of the folder itself, and finally transfer the contents to the directory.

However, it allows you to select all the necessary files, click on the right mouse button and use the provided creation option with the specified content in the menu that appears.

Another feature of the system is the ability to merge folders. Thus, you can automatically combine the contents of two folders. Apple has officially introduced this feature, but users have to figure out how to use it themselves.

Suppose you have two folders named the same and located in different directories. You can transfer them to a single directory, after which the usual one will appear with a replacement suggestion, but if these folders of the same name have different objects, another dialog box will appear, but it will have an additional feature - merging. By selecting this function, you will get a single folder that will be filled with the contents of both originals.

Option 1

With the help of the program Terminal you can enable or disable the display of system and hidden files and folders in MAC OS X

Launch the Terminal program (located in Applications/Utilities/ or search for it with spotlight)

enter the command in the terminal window (the defaults write command makes changes to the configuration files):

Defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true

press enter. This command will change the Finder settings. For them to take effect, you must restart the Finder process with the command:

Killall Finder

press enter.
Hidden files will now show up in Finder.
If after work you need to hide them, this is done with the same command, but with the false parameter

Defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool false

And restart Finder again

Killall Finder

Option 2

If you have to deal with hidden files fairly regularly, you can use AppleScript to avoid launching the terminal. For this, it is necessary to open the AppleScript program and input in the editor window the code:

Set dialogResult to display dialog "Show hidden files..." buttons ("YES", "NO") copy the dialogResult as list to (buttonpressed) if buttonpressed = "YES" then do shell script "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true" else do shell script "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool false" end if do shell script "killall Finder"

Then click the "Compile" button. And then save as an app or as a script, the app can be pasted into the dock or onto the desktop.
If in the "save" mode there is no choice in what form to save this script for displaying hidden files, you can use the "export" command in the file menu.

Option 3

Change the visibility flag of an individual file. It is especially convenient for managing individual files, such as .htaccess (does not always work, I will write about this file separately).
In the terminal, go to the folder with the file and execute the command

Chflags nohidden FileName

Instead of a file name, a folder name can be used, for example, the command:

Chflags nohidden ~/Library

Will make the hidden folder of the library visible, respectively, the command

How to make a file or folder invisible (hidden) in OS X

This action is done by the same command chflags, but as a flag (feature) is used hidden , for example:

Chflags hidden ~/Library

Sets the sign of a hidden folder in Mac OS X. In this case, this is Library (Library), located in the user folder

By default, hidden folders and files are not displayed in Mac OS. They, in principle, are not needed most often by users, and not every mac driver may need them, and certainly not every day.

There are several options for displaying hidden folders and files on a MAC:

• Look once, after closing the folder, when you return to it, hidden files will again become invisible;
• Enable permanent display of hidden folders and files;
• Use third party application to control the display of hidden objects in Mac OS.



Consider all three options:

1. You can quickly check a certain folder for hidden objects using a keyboard shortcut CMD + SHIFT + .(Command + Shift + dot), moreover, you can use both left and right CMD and SHIFT.

2. You can enable the permanent display of hidden folders and files using a command executed through the console (terminal).

• Open the Terminal program, paste from the clipboard or manually write the line:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES



• Press the Enter key
• Press the key " Option on the keyboard and click right click mouse on the Finder icon and select the line " Restart"

In order to return the settings to the original ones, you need to run the following command in the terminal:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles NO

(similar to the previous one, only at the end instead of YES is NO)

Also restart the Finder (or restart your Mac) for the settings to take effect.

3. Installing free app funter, can be with a flick of the wrist With a quick mouse click, turn on and off the display of hidden files and folders in your MAC. Once installed, the Funter application will hang in the system tray (in the top menu bar) and allow you to quickly show and hide hidden files and folders again.

This method, on the one hand, is convenient and is the simplest, but, on the other hand, installing some additional application - wasting system resources on it and relying on the decency of the developer is not very attractive.

Output: the best option to see hidden files and folders on Mac OS - the first one is using keyboard shortcuts CMD + SHIFT + .(Command + Shift + period).



How to make a file or folder hidden on Mac OS?

Unfortunately, as in OS Windows, you cannot check the box to make the file hidden in Mac OS. Here without command line(without a terminal) is no longer enough. So:

1. Download the Terminal application.

2. Write a command

chflags hidden

Next, after a space, you need to specify the path to the file that you want to make hidden. In order not to suffer with specifying the correct path manually, use the "DRAG-AND-DROP" technology - grab the file with the mouse, drag it to the Terminal program window and release it. The correct path will be added by itself, after which the command will look like this:

chflags hidden /Users/user/Desktop/777/1.txt

Execute the command by pressing the Enter key. As a result, the 1.txt file located in the folder named 777 on the Desktop will become hidden.

How to make a hidden file or folder on Mac OS not hidden?

Similarly to the previous example, using the Terminal program, write and execute the command:

chflags no hidden /Users/user/Desktop/777/1.txt

Difference: NOhidden instead of hidden.

Not like a Windows computer hiding files and folders on your Mac not as easy as it seems. What can you do?

Never worry, because if you're wondering how can you hide your folders and files on your Mac I'll show you the steps for this trick here.

This way, you will be sure that all those important files and folders that you have on your Mac will definitely be safe.

All the files you have on your Mac may contain important files for business purposes such as business data, personal information, and other important things.

Because of this, choosing to hide certain files and folders on your Mac computer is a great way to keep those files safe and private at all times.

Part 1. Steps to Hide Files on Mac

To let you know how you can hide your files and folders on your Ma c, we have several safe and secure solutions you can make.

While some of the solutions here are a little tricky, just make sure you carefully check every detail of every instruction.

Now let's move on to the easy way. use to hide your files on Mac.

Step 1. Open the software and select Toolkit. Then select Hide.

Tips: you need Set and confirm your password the first time you use this feature.

Step 2: Drag the file and hide it

Drag the file to the screen and hide it. click Hide button to complete this step.

Note: Below is the toggle button. Turn off the button and the file you dragged at this point may reappear on your Mac.

So easy, right? iMyMac - PowerMyMac also allows you to encrypt your files. The steps are as simple as the Hide process.

Part 2: Using Terminal to Hide Files on Mac

Solution 1: Use Your Terminal to Hide Files and Folders on Mac

Terminal is one of the default apps on your Mac that will definitely help you hide your files and folders. If you want to know how you can do it, just follow the instructions below.

Step 1: Click "Finder" and search for terminal on this Mac.

Step 2: After that, go ahead and launch Terminal.

Step 3: Drag and drop all the files and folders you want to hide. Once you do this, your path path will be shown on your screen.

Just hit "Return" and notice that the file is gone on your Mac.

Solution 2: Using Disk Utility to Encrypt Your Folders

By encrypting your files and folders, you can also keep them safe and private because only you can access them.

This is how you can try to encrypt your files and folders with Disk Utility.

#1: Launch Disk Utility. Just type Disk Utility in the Spotlight search and press Enter.

#2: Go to the menu bar and select "File" then "New" and then "Disk image from folder".

#3: After that, select the file or folder you want to encrypt and click "Picture". Once done, name it and make sure you select "AES 256-bit Encryption" from the dropdown next to "Encryption".

Part 3: How to View Your Files and Foleder on Your Mac

Now that you know how to hide your files and folders on your Mac, it's time to learn how you can view hidden files and folders.

Here we have established a step by step method to show hidden files and folders on your Mac computer. Just go ahead and follow these steps.

Step 1: To view the hidden file on your Mac, launch Terminal on your Mac computer.

Step 2: After launching the Terminal, enter these commands and complete them by pressing the Return button.

default write.com .apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

Part 4: Display Files on Mac

As we said above, you still don't know how to hide hidden files and folders on your Mac computer.

The solution to this is actually very simple. Just go ahead and run the same command mentioned above. These are the commands you use when viewing hidden files.

Here is a step by step method for you.

Step 1: In order for you to be able to display the file or folder, you will still need to launch the terminal on your Mac

Step 2: After that, go ahead and type these commands: chflagsnohidden and then after that end the process by pressing the spacebar.

Step 3: Go ahead and show the files by going to your terminal on your Mac computer. And then once you're in the terminal, go ahead and type in the following keys and end it by hitting the spacebar.

Step 4: After completing these steps, drag all your hidden files and folders to the terminal and then press the Enter key.

THE NOTE: If you remember the exact path to your files and folders, you can simply enter it in the Terminal.

However, if you don't remember the path to the hidden files or folders, you can simply follow the steps above in the Finder and then drag and drop the hidden files into the terminal.

Part 5: Conclusion

As you can see, it is indeed possible that you can actually hide your files and folders on your Mac computer. By doing this with your files and folders, you will feel safe, especially if these files and folders contain important information.

As you can see, there are many ways you can do this with your files and folders using your Mac computer.

After working with MacOS X for a while, you may at some point find that the system is hiding something from you. You can notice this either by running a special `ls -la` command in the terminal, or by connecting any removable media (flash, hdd) that you worked with from MacOS X to another system (for example, MS Windows) - you probably you will be surprised that there are much more files and folders than you expected to see.

If you have been working with computers for a long time, then you know that Operating Systems often hide from the user's eyes service information that they need to work, but useless for someone who works with the system. In the case of MacOS X, this applies to directory and application configuration files, files deleted in the trash, Spotlight indexing data, and a number of other files. The rule also applies that any file whose name contains a dot (.) as the first character is hidden.

But what if you still need to see hidden files? For example, in text editor do you need to change the instructions in the .htaccess file (this file may contain some behavioral settings for the Apache web server)? I can suggest 3 ways to solve this issue.

Option 1 - Terminal.app
, then copy the command there

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles 1 && killall Finder

You should now be able to see hidden files in both Finder and dialog boxes opening files in various applications.
To hide the files again, paste the line into the terminal

defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles 0 && killall Finder

Option 2 - write a small utility
Open the Script Editor (Script Editor.app) and place the following AppleScript instructions in its window

set vis to do shell script "defaults read com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles"
if vis = "0" then
do shell script "defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles 1"
else
do shell script "defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles 0"
end if
tell application "Finder" to quit
delay 1
tell application "Finder" to activate

After that, save the file as a Program (having thought of a name first) in some directory (while leaving all program options unselected). Now find your new program in the Finder and run it: it will automatically change the file display mode to the opposite. Those. if you have disabled the display of hidden files, the program will enable it; and vice versa.

Option 3 - download a ready-made solution
I have already completed the steps from the second method I proposed, and here you can download the resulting reVisible.app utility

Save this file wherever you like and run it when needed.

In the future, I will try to upload all such utilities immediately in a compiled form.