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However, if you are running an older version than macOS Sierra, please choose Method 2: Using Terminal to show your hidden files.Īfter performing method 1, you can see the hidden files or folder on your Mac. If you hit the keyboard combination again, they will change back to original hidden status. (dot)” on your keyboard to show hidden files/folders. If you are using the macOS Sierra or a higher version, you can open your Finder, then hit “command + shift +. I highly recommend this way to show hidden files and folder since it is not only the easiest way, but also the quickest way. There are three methods to show hidden files/folders: Apple regards these files or folder as significant files so be careful if you don’t know what you are doing, otherwise your Mac will lose data or could even be damaged. I believe that most people are not advanced users. The real reason that Apple set some files and folders hidden by default is that there is a risk to the system if you delete or modify these folders and files.
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System folders like /private, /bin, /etc, /usr are also hidden by default. All kinds of files could be hidden files, such as a. In Unix, there is always a “.” in front of hidden file names and they won’t be displayed until you manually change the system to view hidden files. MacOS has almost the same contents as UNIX but the macOS has a “desktop environment” which helped it become the world’s second most popular operating system.
Where are my documents on mac finder how to#
However, if you don’t know how to do show hidden files and folders, you won’t be able to deal with these issues.įirst, let me tell you what files are hidden and why are they hidden on your Mac.īoth macOS and linux are based on the UNIX operating system. Some hidden files also take up a lot of space on your hard disk. Some experienced or advanced users know that when you have a problem with an app, you might need to remove a preference file or find logs to help you fix the problem. In this case, you should learn how to show hidden files and folders. Sometimes just out of curiosity or perhaps to locate some hidden folder for troubleshooting purposes. However, there may be occasions where you need to locate certain hidden files. You might not know it, but there are thousands of hidden files and folders on your computer that you shouldn’t disturb or modify. To begin, you’ll need to open the Terminal.There are many reasons why you might want to look at hidden files or folders on your Mac. How to Open Any Folder from the Mac Terminal Next, we show you how to get the job done. Given the above, it’s easy to see why you may want to have the knowledge.
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Where are my documents on mac finder for mac#
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If you’re a command line user, it may be something you have in your toolbox.Though, you’ll find it will come in handy in the following situations: We admit, using the Terminal to open folders isn’t a natural way to get around macOS. But it’s not the only way to access files or folders within macOS. This is a Graphical User Interface (GUI), and it’s macOS’s directory navigation de jure. We also show you how to create a custom shortcut to carry out this command.Īlso read: How to Customize Your Mac’s Terminal for Better Productivity Why You’d Want to Open a Folder From the Mac TerminalĪs we noted, the preferred way of opening a folder is by using Finder. As such, this post will show you how to open any folder from the macOS Terminal.