Sometimes you need access to (system) files on your Mac that are normally not visible in Finder. In this tip, we’ll show you how to make it visible.
Hidden files in Finder: this is how you make them visible
Hidden files are often hidden for a reason. For example, system files are not visible in Finder, to prevent accidental changes that prevent your Mac from working properly. In other cases, it concerns files that contain, for example, settings that make programs work properly.
There are several reasons why you might want to edit a hidden file. For example, sometimes you can only change an advanced setting by editing a specific file. Below you will find two methods to make these files visible in Finder.
1. View hidden files through the terminal
With a simple terminal command you can set Finder to automatically show hidden files. To do this, open the Terminal app and copy and paste the command below. It’s good to know that this command will automatically close and restart Finder for you.
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE ; killall Finder
To avoid accidentally breaking something, it is wise to hide the files in question again. You can use the command below for this, which you of course paste in Terminal again.
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE ; killall Finder
2. Unhide hidden files with shortcut
Since macOS Sierra, Apple has put a keyboard shortcut in the operating system to reveal hidden files. To do this, open Finder, then press Command + Shift +. (period) ‘. To reset the setting, simply press this hotkey again.
The advantage of this shortcut is that it is a lot easier to switch on and off again. However, the above Terminal command makes the change permanent, which is useful if you often need to access hidden files.
Also read: Three Ways to Lock Your Mac or MacBook Screen