Apple has its reasons for hiding certain files from the average Mac user – after all, it’s hard to break something you can’t see. But sometimes you need to see these files or access the hidden ~/Library hidden folder in order to fix something not working on your Mac.
Alternatively, you may need to clear some space on your Mac and think deleting some of those hidden files might be a good way to do it. In that case, we have a number of tips in How to Free Up Space on a Mac as well as How to Delete Other Storage on a Mac, How to Delete System Data on a Mac, and How to Delete Cache on a Mac: our advice is not to delete these hidden files unless you really know what you are doing!
If you don’t know how to see how much disk space your Mac has read: How to check how much disk space you have.
Files that you won’t be able to see by default are usually prefixed with a dot, such as the .htaccess file, .bash_profile, or .svn directory. Folders such as /usr, /bin and /etc are also hidden. And the Library folder, which contains application support files and some data, is also hidden.
How to see hidden files in macOS
A quick and easy way to find secret files in a folder is to open Finder and tap Command + Shift + . (point/period), but there are other options you might consider, as we explain below.
When you no longer want to see hidden folders, just press Command + Shift + . Again.
Where is the Library folder?
Many of these hidden files reside in a Library folder, which itself is hidden.
Actually, just to confuse things, there is more than one Library folder and not all of them are hidden. We’ll explain the differences and how to find each library folder – including ~/Library – on your Mac below.
The confusion is exacerbated by the fact that Apple has made many changes to the Finder in recent years, so some tutorials may refer to items that simply no longer exist. For example, the Home folder will have a home icon and probably the name you assigned to your Mac. You will find it in the Users folder. Neither is visible by default in macOS Big Sur or later, but don’t worry, we’ll explain where to find them below.
Similarly, Macintosh HD is usually the name you gave your Mac and is not visible by default. Don’t worry, we’ll explain how to make them visible!
How to find ~/Library
The first Library folder we will locate is the one hidden in your Home folder. It is sometimes called ~/Library.
The Home folder is one of the less easy folders to locate than it used to be, and it’s not called the Home folder either – it’s most likely associated with your name, but it will have an icon that looks like it there. a house.
There are several ways to access this home folder:
- Open Finder and press Command+Shift+H.
- You can also click Go in the menu and choose Home.
- You can also add this Home/User folder to the Finder sidebar by opening Finder > Settings (or Preferences) > Sidebar, then checking the box next to your name in the Favorites section.
Once you have arrived at the Home folder, you can press Command + Shift + . to show hidden files, including the hidden library folder.
Another way to access this hidden library (called ~/Library) is to use the Go option in the Finder menu to access it. Here’s how:
- Open the Finder.
- Choose Go from the menu bar.
- Choose Go to Folder (or Shift+Command+G).
- Type ~/Library in the text box and click Go.
When you use this method, the hidden folder will be made visible without having to press Command + Shift + . (full stop). But after closing the Finder window, it will no longer be visible.
There’s actually an even easier way to find your hidden ~/Library/ folder. Just do the following:
- Open the Finder.
- Hold down the Alt (Option) key and choose Go from the drop-down menu bar at the top of the screen.
- You will see the ~/Library folder listed under the Home folder. Click on it to go directly to the folder.
How to Find Library in Macintosh HD
The second Library folder isn’t hidden as such, but it’s still hard to locate thanks to Apple’s changes to the Finder over the years.
This Library folder is located in what is often referred to as the Macintosh HD folder – but yours will probably be named after what you called your Mac. If you don’t see a Macintosh HD folder (or whatever name you gave your main drive) in the left column when you open Finder, here’s what to do:
- Open the Finder.
- Click Finder > Settings/Preferences.
- Click the Sidebar tab.
- You’ll find your Mac listed under Locations. Tick/tick the box next to it.
You will now see your drive in the Locations section of the Finder (or the Devices section in older macOS). This folder includes Applications, Library, System and Users – but also includes many hidden folders and files.
Press Command + Shift + . to reveal them.
How to find the system library
The third Library folder is in System (one of those folders inside the Macintosh HD folder we just mentioned). It contains all the files macOS needs to run.
Spot the difference – compare these three library folders:
How to keep hidden folder ~/Library visible
If you use the Go method to locate the ~/Library folder, that folder will remain visible until you close the Finder window. The next time you look, it will be gone again.
If you want the folders to stay visible, you need to press Cmd + Shift + . to reveal hidden folders. When you no longer want to see them, click Command + Shift + . Again.
Another way to keep the hidden ~/Library folder visible is to drag the hidden library icon from the Finder window to the Finder sidebar. This will make it accessible even after closing Finder.
How to Show Hidden Folders Using Terminal
Another way to make hidden files and folders visible requires you to use Terminal.
- terminal open
- Run the following script:
$ default write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles true
$killall Finder
If you want to go back, just change the true to false.
Best apps to free up space on a Mac
If your reason for locating these hidden files was to try and remove some of the space hogs from your system, we recommend using an app like CleanMyMac X. This is what we used when we needed to regain space when installing macOS Big Sur back in 2020. Read: Don’t try to update to Big Sur if you have a 128GB Mac.
CleanMyMac costs £29.95/$29.95 (usually £34.95/$34.95) if you buy the plan for a Mac. There is also a free trial. Download from MacPaw developer here.
We have a roundup of the best Mac cleaners in which we look at the following alternatives to CleanMyMac: DaisyDisk, MacBooster, Parallels ToolBox, and MacCleaner Pro.
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