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How To Show Hidden Files in Finder

Discussion in 'Apple Guides' started by Administrator, Jun 17, 2018.

  1. Administrator

    Administrator Administrator Staff Member

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    How To Show Hidden Files in Finder

    1. Open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal
    2. Copy/paste the following and hit enter

    Code (Text):
    defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles YES
    3. To view changes, restart Finder. To do this enter:

    Code (Text):
    killall Finder
    4. To re-hide all hidden files:

    Code (Text):
    defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles NO
    5. Restart Finder again. To do this enter:

    Code (Text):
    killall Finder
    For simplicity, download ShowAllFiles,

    an app version of the basic terminal commands to show and hide hidden files in the Finder.

    More Showing / Hiding Info:

    • To open a single hidden file, launch the app you want to use (like TextEdit, TextWrangler...) then choose Open. In the Open window press Cmd+Shift+. to show hidden files (press it again to hide them), then choose the file you want.
    • To browse to any directory (even hidden ones), in Finder press Cmd+Shift+G, then type the path (hint: you can press Tab to finish the current path name, like "/usr/b"+Tab -> "/usr/bin").
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2020

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