How to Show Hidden Files on a Mac [macOS Ventura/Monterey Tip]

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Your Mac hides its libraries and folders from you. But these folders aren't hidden just to keep your Finder window tidy. These hundreds of files are what make your operating system tick.

But what to do when you need to show hidden folders on Mac to view or edit some files you couldn't find? This article will provide you with effective ways to preview, recover, and show missing folders and files on your Mac.

Before you can view and edit hidden folders on a Mac, there are a few things you should know:

• Apple hides folders to prevent accidental damage to the operating system.
• There might be risks of errors before you conduct any operation.
• Only delete the folder if you are sure that it's safe to do so.
• If you accidentally delete important files, immediately recover deleted files from Mac trash.

View and Recover Missing Folders/Files on Mac

As we've mentioned earlier, you can recover accidentally deleted folders on a Mac. In other cases, files might be hidden due to malware attacks or macOS errors. Therefore, you might need the assistance of a third-party data recovery tool to get your files back. In this case, we recommend using the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac utility. This application allows you to quickly find and restore disappeared folders on Mac. Below are some remarkable features of the Data Recovery Wizard tool.

• Recover from Mac Trash: Retrieve data lost due to emptied trash, accidental deletion, or other reasons.
• During the recovery process, you can also recover unsaved Word, Excel, and PDF on Mac.
• The recovery process only takes three steps. It's easy to understand.
• You can preview all recovered files and folders.

The software is in a trial version, allowing you to use it for free to scan and preview all lost folders. After verifying that the software works effectively, you can purchase it to recover your lost folders and files.

Note: You can create a backup first by clicking “Disk Backup” on the left. The software will recover the deleted files from the backup image, which can prevent further damage to your disk and data, making it safer and more reliable.

Step 1: Scan the Deleted Files

Select the hard drive, external drive, or SSD from where your important data and files were deleted, and then click “Start Scan” to look for lost files.

Step 2: Filter out lost files

The software will perform a quick and deep scan and try to find as many deleted files as possible on the selected volume. You can filter the required files by “Type” and “Path.”

Step 3: Recover the deleted files

Double-click to preview the deleted files and then hit the “Recover” button to get them back.

How to Show Hidden Files on a Mac Permanently

This article will teach you how to view and show hidden folders on your Mac using the Finder, Terminal, or keyboard shortcuts. Keep in mind that altering, renaming, or deleting hidden files on your Mac can cause serious issues, so proceed with caution. You can watch the video tutorial first to learn how to show hidden files.

• 00:00 - Overview of the video's content
• 00:25 - Hiding files on a MacBook M1 Pro
• 01:12 - Viewing hidden files on an M1 MacBook Pro
• 01:44 - Unhiding files on a MacBook Pro M1

• Solution 1: Show Hidden Folders on Mac: Finder
• Solution 2: View Hidden Folders on Mac: Terminal
• Solution 3: Unhide Folders on MacBook: Keyboard Shortcut

Solution 1: Show Hidden Folders on Mac Finder

The easiest way to do this on a Mac is to show hidden files through the Finder:

Step 1. Click the “Mac Finder” icon in your Mac's Dock. This will open a new Finder window.

Step 2 Tap "Go." It's in the top menu bar. This prompts a drop-down menu.

Step 3: Click "Computer." It's in the middle of the drop-down menu.

Click on the "Go" section.

Step 4: Double-click the hard drive icon containing the hidden folder.

5. Press “Shift”+“Command”+“.” This will show hidden folders in your Mac's hard drive. Hidden folders appear gray.

Solution 2: View Hidden Folders on a Mac with Terminal

Alternatively, you can use the Mac Terminal to show hidden folders:

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How to Open and Use Terminal on Mac

How to open Terminal on Mac? You may think using Terminal is complicated. But it can handle many tasks on your Mac. Read More >>

Step 1. Type “Terminal” into the search bar on your Mac to launch it. Alternatively, click “Go” in the menu bar, then select “Applications,” scroll down and click “Utilities,” and then click “Terminal.”

Step Two: Type defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true and press “Enter.”

Step 3: Type killall Finder.

Step 4: Press “Enter” again.

When running the script, you should be able to access the hidden folder in the Finder.

Let's learn more methods to show hidden files on Mac. Also, don't forget to bookmark this article by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter, or any other SNS.

Solution 3: Show MacBook Folders via Shortcuts

This method shows how to use your Mac keyboard to quickly find hidden folders. Here's how to do it.

Step 1: Open the folder in which you want to find a hidden folder.

Step 2: Press Command + Shift + >.

The hidden folder will appear in the directory as a transparent icon.

Step 4: Press Command + Shift +>. again to hide the folders.

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This guide shows you how to instantly get your icons back on Mac. Learn how to recover lost desktop files and icons with the Mac Data Recovery Wizard.

How to Hide Files and Folders on a Mac

Using the shortcut Command + Shift + .(dot) is easy, but not always safe. It's better to use a terminal command to hide files and folders on Mac.

This may seem complicated, but don't worry – just follow the steps and important instructions, and you'll be fine.

Step 1: Open the Terminal.

Step 2: Type in chflags hidden.

Step 3: Drag the folder you want to hide into the Terminal window.

Step four: Create a new folder and move into it anything you want to hide.

Step 5: Press “Enter” to hide the files and folders.

Conclusions

Here's everything you need to know about showing hidden folders on a Mac. Whether your folder is missing or was hidden by the system, this article will help you get it back. Exercise caution when dealing with hidden folders. It's easy to cause significant damage if you don't know what you're doing. If you've lost important data or system files, try using professional data recovery software – Tool Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hidden Folders on a Mac

Here are 4 additional questions about unhidden folders on a Mac. Click here to see the answers.

1. How do I unhide hidden files?

Press “Command,” “Shift,” and the “.” (period) key at the same time. This will cause hidden files to appear in the folder in a translucent state.

**How to view all folders on a Mac?** Here's how to view all folders on your Mac: 1. Open Finder: Click on the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen, choose "Finder," or press `Command + Space` on your keyboard to open Spotlight search, type "Finder," and then press Enter. 2. Navigate to the sidebar in the Finder window: You'll typically see options like "Favorites," "Devices," "Shared," "Folders," and "Bookmarks." Click on "Folders." 3. At the bottom of the sidebar, you'll see your main folders (e.g., "Documents," "Downloads," "Pictures," etc.). To view all other folders, expand the "Users" folder under "Home." Click "Users," and then expand your user folder. 4. Within your user folder, you'll find "Desktop," "Documents," "Downloads," "Library," and more. The "Library" folder contains hidden system folders. If you need access to them, press `Command + Shift + .` (period) to show hidden files. 5. If you want to view the entire file system in Finder, go to "Go" > "Go to Folder…" in the menu bar (or use the shortcut `Command + Shift + G`). In the dialog box that appears, type `/`, which will take you to the root directory. Please note that some system folders and hidden files may be invisible or inaccessible to regular users for the sake of maintaining system stability and security.

To open a Finder window on your Mac, click the Finder icon in the Dock. To show the Path Bar temporarily, click View > Show Path Bar or press Option.

The location of the file or folder, along with any nested folders that contain it, appears near the bottom of the Finder window.

3. Are there hidden files on my Mac?

Open the “Macintosh HD” folder in Finder by clicking the hard drive icon under “Places.” To show hidden files, press Command + Shift + Period (.). You can do this in the “Documents,” “Applications,” and “Desktop” folders as well.

4. Why Have My Hidden Files on Mac Disappeared?

This could be due to accidental loss or deletion of files during any operation, or due to unavailability of password to retrieve them. Don't panic, as a Mac Data Recovery Wizard tool can easily recover your files and directories. You can easily get back all your lost files.