How to Show Hidden Files and Folders on a Mac

This updated guide examines How to Show Hidden Files and Folders on a Mac and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Part 1of 2:

Showing Hidden Files

1. Open Finder. This app is a blue, face-shaped icon on your Mac's Dock.
2. ClickGo. It's in the top-left row of menu items. Doing so invokes a drop-down menu.
3. ClickComputer. This option is about halfway down the Go drop-down menu.
4. Double-click your hard drive's icon. It resembles a grey box.
   • On most Macs, the hard drive is entitled "Macintosh HD".
5. Press?Shift+?Command+.. This key combination will display any hidden folders in your Mac's hard drive. Any hidden folders or files will appear as grayed-out.
   • This keyboard shortcut can be done from any Finder window. The main Hard Drive folder usually contains hidden system files and folders so you should be able to see this better here when the hidden files are visible (grayed-out).
6. Press?Shift+?Command+.again.This will hide the hidden files again, making them invisible.

Part 2of 2:

Making Hidden Files Visible

1. Open Terminal. Click Spotlight, type interminal, and click Terminalwhen it appears.
2. Typechflags nohiddeninto Terminal. Make sure you leave a space afternohidden.
3. Click and drag a hidden file or folder into Terminal. Dropping the item onto the Terminal window will place the item's pathway--which is essentially its address--directly after the "chflags nohidden" command.
4. Press?Return. This will run the command, which removes the "hidden" status of your selected item.
5. Double-click the item. It should now open like a regular file or folder.