Hidden File Software For Mac
There are many reasons why you might want to look at hidden files or folders on your Mac. You might not know it, but there are thousands of hidden files and folders on your computer that you shouldn’t disturb or modify. However, there may be occasions where you need to locate certain hidden files. Sometimes just out of curiosity or perhaps to locate some hidden folder for troubleshooting purposes. In this case, you should learn how to show hidden files and folders.
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. Some hidden files also take up a lot of space on your hard disk. However, if you don’t know how to do show hidden files and folders, you won’t be able to deal with these issues.
First, let me tell you what files are hidden and why are they hidden on your Mac.
Where do hidden files come from?
Show hidden file on mac sometimes confusing and maybe it is one hard thing to do because it requires many steps. And for the one who doesn’t understand coding, it may be stressing because there is some coding you can do to recover it. The good news for you is that there is a way to show hidden file on mac without a terminal.
Both macOS and linux are based on the UNIX operating system. You can call the macOS a special UNIX. 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. 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. All kinds of files could be hidden files, such as a .bash profile or a .git directory. System folders like /private, /bin, /etc, /usr are also hidden by default.
- To unhide them, go back to Terminal and type chflags nohidden followed by the file or folder path. 5: Make the file/folder hidden 2. Again in Terminal, type mv filename.filename. This moves the.
- Aug 14, 2019 On a further note, the above command both shows the hidden files and refreshes the Finder so hidden file appears. Show/Hide Hidden Files on Mac using Terminal Aliases. A Terminal alias is a name or shortcut for one or multiple commands. Using an easy to remember alias, We can turn the above four step process into just one.
- How to Recover Hidden Files on Mac Safely. Free download, install and launch Mac file recovery software. Click Start to locate the main interface for viewing hidden Mac files. Choose the file type and location that your Mac hidden files belong to. You can choose several items to scan at the same time. Click Scan to unhide hidden files.
Why are they hidden on your Mac?
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. I believe that most people are not advanced users. 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.
How to show hidden items?
There are three methods to show hidden files/folders:
Method 1: Using Finder
• Keyboard shortcut
I highly recommend this way to show hidden files and folder since it is not only the easiest way, but also the quickest way.
If you are using the macOS Sierra or a higher version, you can open your Finder, then hit “command + shift + .(dot)” on your keyboard to show hidden files/folders.
If you hit the keyboard combination again, they will change back to original hidden status.
However, if you are running an older version than macOS Sierra, please choose Method 2: Using Terminal to show your hidden files.
• Keep certain folders visible
After performing method 1, you can see the hidden files or folder on your Mac. But sometimes you want to keep them always visible to make it easy to access. For example, you might want to make the hidden folder “~/Library” always visible since it stores your personal application support files and other important files. Here is how to do it.
Drag the hidden Library folder icon from Finder to the sidebar. This is the fastest way and it will keep the folder accessible even if you relaunch your Finder.
You can also hold down “command + alt” and drag the Library folder to your desktop to make a shortcut icon on your desktop.
• Go to certain folder (including hidden folders)
In some situations, you may already know the exact folder that you wish to view. You can follow the steps below to reach certain folders directly on your Mac:
1. Open a Finder window.
2. Open “Go to Folder…” by pressing the following keys; “shift + command + G” on your keyboard.
3. In the Go to the folder: dialog box, type the name of the directory you want to view.
Method 2: Using Terminal
Do you think the first method is too simple? Let’s try the hands-on method. Terminal, which is regarded as one of the most powerful app on Mac, can do anything you want to do since it owns the highest permission. Terminal can be found in spotlight very easily.
Then type the following command in terminal:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true
This command helps you set your Finder to show all files on your Mac.
If you want to switch them back to hidden status, you need to repeat the operation but remember to change the last word to false.
killall Finder
This command helps you restart your Finder to make your change effective.
Mac Show Hidden Files Sierra
You can also start the Terminal application from Launchpad. Now I should mention that all terminal commands listed in this article can be cut and pasted right into Terminal so you don’t have to re-type them.
Method 3: Using AppleScript
Show Mac Hidden Files
Do you prefer another option? Don’t worry! You can make a simple app with AppleScript.
1. Open “AppleScript” or “Script Editor” from your Launchpad. (The name of it depends on the system version, you can just type “script” in Spotlight)
2. Copy and paste this code into the edit window:
display dialog “Hide/Show Hidden Files and Folder” buttons {“Show”, “Hide”}
set switch to button returned of result
if switch is “Hide” then
do shell script “defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool false;
KillAll Finder”
else
do shell script “defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true;
KillAll Finder”
endif
3. Click the Play button to compile the code.
4. Choose a folder then save and set the file format to “Application.”
Now the new app, named “Show/Hide Hidden Files and Folders”, has been generated by you. Do you feel a sense of achievement now? You can show or hide your hidden files with just one-click. It’s really easy to control.
Conclusion
After all these instructions, no matter which method you choose, I believe you know how to show all the files on your Mac.
How to keep your Mac always safe?
At the beginning of this article, I mentioned that sometimes we need to show hidden files and folders for troubleshooting purposes. You might be curious about why we should do this. I will tell you the reason. Although macOS is not open like Windows, it may still have malicious code like chill-tab. It’s really annoying if your browser has popups or always jumps to advertisement websites when you open a new tab. Almost all viruses or malware are usually hidden in your Mac, that’s why we need to show hidden items.
To make your Mac safe, we recommend Antivirus One. This popular and effective tool was developed by Trend Micro, an industry leader in computer security. Thousands of users have provided positive comments in the App Store. Antivirus One detects viruses on your Mac for free. You can also use it to clean adware, clean privacy in your browser, and even protect your web experience. After Antivirus One finds a virus or malware on your Mac, you can use it to remove them easily no matter whether they are hidden or not.
Try it for free to keep your Mac always safe.
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Many people have complained that originally there are some files exist in the USB flash drive. However, due to some unknown reasons, the files are hidden in USB, and they don’t know how to show hidden files in USB. Actually, to keep the security of the USB flash drive, some files are really hidden. For example, virus attacked files are usually hidden. And to make some files private, people may get them hidden in USB flash drive as well. Anyway, no matter for what reason the files are hidden in Flash drive, you can try the following ways to show hidden files in USB on Mac and Windows PC. Take a look at the following guides.
Unhide Files in USB Flash Drive via CMD in Windows
If you’ve found some files are hidden in USB and you’re using Windows PC, you can try the CMD to unhide fines in USB. Here are the simple steps:
1. Plug in the USB drive to your computer USB slot. Please make sure it is detected by your PC.
2. Click the 'Start' menu, type in cmd in the search bar, and click Enter to unhide files in USB drive.
How to install applications to all users on mac? When programs instal they dont give any information and i find that applications are only available from my account but not on my husbands. IMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4) Posted on Oct 2, 2013 3:52 PM. Jan 17, 2020 And if you have recently bought a Mac and wondering how to install apps on Mac, not to worry anymore as this article is all about that. Just like Google Play store and Apple app store, Apple has also designed a Mac app store that contains all the apps for Mac. May 18, 2015 Install app for all users. I created an app through applescript and would like all users on a machine to be able to use it. I saved it as a.app file and then drag it into the applications folder. Other users can see the app but it has a line though it and when they try to open it they get a message 'parts of the application are not available. 
3. Left-click cmd.exe and type in Enter attrib -h -r -s /s /d D:*.* (replace D: with the drive letter for your USB drive).
After then, you can click to open your USB, checking out whether the hidden files are showed or not. If not, you can try Method #3. It is the easiest way to show hidden files in USB drive.
Unhide Files in USB Flash Drive on Mac with Terminal Command
If you’re using a Mac, you need to try the Terminal Command on Mac to show hidden files in USB drive on Mac. Here are the steps:
1. Click Finder > Applications > Utilities to open the Terminal found.
2. In Terminal, type in: defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES
3. Press Return.
4. Hold the Option key, then right click on the Finder icon in the dock and click Relaunch. It will show the hidden files on Mac right away. Next, you can click to open the USB drive.
Show Hidden Files in USB under Windows or Mac with Professional Tool
If the hidden files are virus attacked or you have deleted them accidentally or intentionally, or the hidden files are not shown in USB drive, you can try the professional tool - iBeesoft Data Recovery to show and recover hidden files in USB drive on Mac or Windows PC.
How it works to show hidden files in USB drive?
The hidden files recovery software will scan your USB drive for all files, including shown and hidden files, letting you select files to save to computer or in a directory on your USB flash drive again. Though you can’t view and see the hidden files, the software is able to. It is developed to unhide files in USB drive, computer and other external hard drives. It can also unformat USB drive on Windows or Mac.
How to show hidden files in USB drive with the professional tool?
Step 1. Download and install the Unhide File software
Click the download button to get the .exe/dmg installation file. Double-click it and follow the built-in wizard to install it on your computer. It has separate versions for Windows PC and Mac tool. Please choose the right one for your computer.
Step 2. Select file types to scan
Launch the show hidden USB files software. From the very first window, you need to make sure what types of file you want to unhide. By default, all supported file types are selected. My suggestion for you is to let them all be selected. By doing this, you may unhide some files unexpectedly. Click 'Start'.
Step 3. Select USB drive to scan
Connect your USB drive with your computer by plugging it to the USB slot, making sure your computer detect it correctly. In the new window, you can see, all partitions of your computer as well as external hard drives are listed. Select the USB drive from the list to scan and click 'Scan' to show hidden files in USB on Windows or Mac.
Step 4. Show hidden files in USB drive on Windows PC/Mac
During the scanning process, hidden files are scanned and sorted into categories. After the scanning process, you can select found files to preview. When find the hidden files, select them and click 'Recover' to save them on your computer.