How to Show Hidden Files and Folders on Mac

Macs hide certain operating system-related files by default so that the user doesn’t delete any of them by mistake and cause any performance issues on the computer. Also, it’s possible to hide any file or folder on a Mac by yourself. If you need to access any of that data, there are ways to show the hidden files on macOS with a few easy steps.

Understanding Hidden Files and Folders

If you’re trying to find the hidden files and folders on your Mac, then you must already be familiar with what those files are. But just in case, let’s quickly refresh your memory. In general, the files and folders that were hidden by the operating system on your Mac contain macOS-related data or other sensitive information (like application service files).

Also, there is another type of hidden files on your Mac — the files or folders you’ve hidden intentionally or by mistake. When you discover such files, you can manipulate them however you want without creating any issues for your Mac.

Proven Methods to Reveal Hidden Files and Folders on Mac

Overall, there are three ways to view the hidden files and folders on your Mac: with the help of a specialized software, by using a keyboard shortcut in Finder, or by entering commands in the Terminal app. All of these methods are effective, so you can either try them one after the other or choose the one you feel most comfortable doing.

Method 1: Find Hidden Files and Folders Using Disk Drill

If you want an effective solution for locating hidden files and folders on your Mac, then you should try to use a specialized data recovery tool like Disk Drill. It will not only help you display all of the hidden data on your computer but also recover the files that you think might’ve been hidden but actually were permanently removed from your computer.

Disk Drill has a free version that allows you to scan your drive and see which files can be potentially recoverable. It supports all major file systems (APFS, HFS/HFS+, exFAT, FAT, NTFS) and can restore most file types (photos, videos, presentations, documents, system files, etc.). Thanks to the features of Disk Drill, you can be sure that you’ll be covered when dealing with almost any data loss situation or when having trouble locating a hidden file.

Follow these steps to view the hidden files on your Mac and recover them using Disk Drill:

1. Download Disk Drill for Mac and follow the onscreen instructions to install it.
2. Open the application and make sure to choose Storage devices from the sidebar on the left.
3. Choose your Mac drive and click Search for lost data.
4. Wait for the scan to finish and click Review found items.
5. To show the hidden files on your Mac, click the Show button located on top of the list of the discovered files and click the Show system & hidden files box.
6. Use the search field at the top right of the screen if you know the file extension or its name. Otherwise, use the sidebar on the left to view only specific types of files.
7. Click the eye icon near a file to preview it, and then click the box near the file to select it.
8. When ready, click the Recover button.
9. Choose a preferred destination for the selected files (make sure it’s a location on a drive different from the one where the files were previously located) and click OK.

Now when you go to the selected location, the recovered files should be already there.

Method 2: View Hidden Folders and Files Using Finder and ShortCuts

There is a simple and quick way on your Mac to show the hidden files in Finder. To do that, all you should do is launch the Finder app and use a special keyboard combination.

Follow these steps to make your Mac show the hidden files using a shortcut:

1. Launch Finder on your Mac (click the first icon on the left of your Dock).
2. Navigate to the folder you want to check for hidden files or folders.
3. Press the following keys together to display the hidden data: Command + Shift + . (period)

You’ll notice that new folders will appear with a slightly lighter icon shade. Those are the folders that contain the hidden files on your Mac. If you want to make those files and folders invisible again, use the Command + Shift +. (period) key combination once more. This will hide the data again.

Method 3: See Hidden Files on Mac Using Terminal

It’s possible to view the hidden files on your Mac by using a tool called Terminal. This application comes pre-installed with every Apple computer, so you won’t have to download any third-party app to your Mac for this method. But the thing is that not all users will be comfortable with navigating this tool since Terminal has a command line interface, meaning you’ll have to type in text commands to show the hidden files on your Mac with Terminal.

Follow these steps to use Terminal to show the hidden files on your Mac:

1. Open the Terminal application (go to Launchpad and type Terminal in the search field at the top).
2. Copy-paste the following command in the app and hit the Return key:
   defaults write com.apple.finder “AppleShowAllFiles” -bool “true”
3. Then type in the following command and hit Return again:
   killall Finder

Now you should be able to see the hidden files and folders in Finder or on the desktop of your computer. Keep in mind that the discovered files and folders will stay visible until you decide otherwise. When you’re done looking through those files and folders, use the same steps as described above, only replace true with false in the first command line to hide them again.

Conclusion

The system files are hidden on your Mac for safety reasons. But if you are certain that you know what you’re doing, it’s possible to unhide them. There are two native methods you can try: through Finder or with the help of Terminal. But the most effective method that will show all hidden files on macOS is to use a data recovery software like Disk Drill.

Whichever method you’ve used, keep in mind that it’s best to hide those files or folders back again to avoid any potential issues in the future.