# How to Show Hidden Files on Mac: 4 Methods We Tested URL: https://desktoptools.net/journal/how-to-show-hidden-files-on-mac Type: blog Locale: en Published: 2026-10-16 Updated: 2026-10-16 --- > Four ways to show hidden files on a Mac, from the ⌘ ⇧ . shortcut to Terminal commands, with the trade-offs of each and what to leave alone. Here is how to show hidden files on Mac: open Finder and press ⌘ ⇧ . (Command, Shift, Period). Dotfiles and system folders appear dimmed. Press it again and they vanish. If you need them visible permanently, one `defaults write` line and a Finder relaunch does it. Both take under five seconds. Here is what we measured: the shortcut flips the state in about a frame, no relaunch. The Terminal route needs Finder to restart, roughly a second of flicker. ## What actually makes a file hidden on macOS? Two separate mechanisms, and people mix them up. The first is the dot prefix. Any file or folder whose name starts with `.` is hidden by convention: `.zshrc`, `.ssh`, `.gitignore`, `.DS_Store`. This is inherited from Unix. Finder honours it, and so does `ls` unless you pass `-a`. The second is the `hidden` flag, a BSD file flag stored in the filesystem metadata. It has nothing to do with the name. `~/Library` carries it. So do `/opt` and `/usr` at the root of the startup disk. You set or clear it with `chflags`. Why does this matter? Because the methods below do not all reveal both kinds. The shortcut and the Finder preference reveal both. `ls -a` only reveals dot-named files. If you remember one thing from this section: a name starting with a dot and a flag set by `chflags` are different switches. ![Fingers pressing Command, Shift and Period on a Mac keyboard](https://fdzlnqpwsaniezitwiuw.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/cms-media/desktoptools/2026-10/85a024-i1.webp) ## Is ⌘ ⇧ . the fastest way to show hidden files? Yes. If you have a one-off need, skip everything else. - Open a Finder window on the folder you care about. - Press `⌘ ⇧ .` - Hidden items show up with dimmed icons. - Press `⌘ ⇧ .` again to hide them. The shortcut has worked since macOS Sierra. No menu item exists for it, which is why most people never find it by browsing. It also works inside Open and Save dialogs, and that is where it earns its keep: you are trying to attach `.env` or pick a config from `~/.config`, the dialog greys everything out, and one keystroke fixes it. Skip this method if you want hidden files visible every time you open a window. On our machines the state can reset when Finder relaunches, so you may keep pressing it. ## How do you make hidden files stay visible? Use the Terminal. This writes the Finder preference that the shortcut toggles temporarily. `# Show all files in Finder, permanently defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true # Relaunch Finder so it reads the new value killall Finder`To undo it, run the same `defaults write` with `false` and relaunch Finder again. Nothing is installed, nothing runs in the background. The value lives in `~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist` and weighs a few bytes. A caveat that bites people: with this on, every Desktop and every folder you open shows `.DS_Store`. On a project with 40 subfolders that is 40 extra files in the view. If that annoys you, use the shortcut instead and leave the preference off. One tool, one job: the preference is for people who live in dotfiles all day. ![Terminal window on a Mac laptop with command lines](https://fdzlnqpwsaniezitwiuw.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/cms-media/desktoptools/2026-10/1ae088-i2.webp) ## How do you see hidden files in Terminal without touching Finder? You do not need Finder at all. `# List everything, including dotfiles, with sizes and permissions ls -la ~ # Only the dot-named entries in the current folder ls -d .* # Find every hidden file under a project, ignoring .git internals find . -name ".*" -not -path "./.git/*" -type f``ls -la` is the one you will run a thousand times. It prints permissions, owner, size in bytes, and modification time, and it takes a few milliseconds on a home folder. If you want human sizes, add `-h`. Remember the two mechanisms. `ls -la ~` shows `.zshrc` but not a folder hidden only by the flag. To check the flag on a specific item, run `ls -lO ~ | grep hidden`. The capital `O` prints file flags, and you will see `hidden` listed for `Library`. Skip `ls` for visual browsing of big trees. Use it when you already know the folder and just need to confirm a file exists. ## How do you unhide the Library folder? `~/Library` is hidden by the flag, not by a dot, and it is the folder you most often need: caches, preferences, Application Support, logs. You have three options, ordered by permanence. **Temporary, from the menu.** In Finder, click the Go menu and hold `⌥` (Option). `Library` appears in the list. One click, no state change. **Temporary, by path.** Press `⌘ ⇧ G`, type `~/Library`, and press Return. Go to Folder opens hidden paths even when they are not shown. This also works for `~/.ssh` or `/private/var`. **Permanent, by clearing the flag.** `# Remove the hidden flag from your Library folder chflags nohidden ~/Library`After that, `Library` shows up in your home folder like any other directory. Set it back with `chflags hidden ~/Library`. This does not touch any file inside it. It only flips the flag on that one folder. We recommend the Go menu route for most people. Apple hid `Library` for a reason: delete the wrong plist and an app forgets its settings or refuses to launch. ![Developer desk with notebook sketches of a folder tree and coffee](https://fdzlnqpwsaniezitwiuw.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/cms-media/desktoptools/2026-10/992b18-i3.webp) ## Which launchers and utilities can reach hidden files? If you already run a launcher, check before you add anything. Three native Mac tools come up in this context, and each does a different job. Alfred is a one-time purchase, with no subscription and no telemetry. Its file navigation lets you jump to a path by typing it, which pairs well with `~/.config` style folders. The Powerpack costs about $43 one-shot. Raycast ships window management and clipboard history free, and its extension store is large. The trade-off is the account: full features need a subscription and some features send data to its servers. If that matters to you, say so before you install. BetterTouchTool is the one to look at if you want a custom trigger. You can bind a keyboard shortcut, a trackpad gesture, or a menu bar button to run a shell script. A script that flips `AppleShowAllFiles` and relaunches Finder becomes a single gesture. It costs $15 with two years of updates, or $25 for lifetime updates. Do you need any of them? If you have a specific problem, such as opening hidden paths ten times a day, one of these solves it. If not, skip. The built-in shortcut costs nothing and ships in every copy of macOS. ## Can you put the toggle on a single command? Yes, and it is the middle ground between the shortcut and the permanent preference. Add two aliases to `~/.zshrc`: `# Flip Finder between showing and hiding hidden files alias showhidden='defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true && killall Finder' alias hidehidden='defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool false && killall Finder'`Open a new Terminal tab, type `showhidden`, and Finder relaunches with everything visible. Type `hidehidden` when you are done. Each alias is one line, and neither adds a background process. Notice what this buys you over the raw `defaults` lines: you stop searching your shell history for the exact flag spelling. `AppleShowAllFiles` is case sensitive in practice, and a typo in the key writes a useless preference without any error. If nothing changes after you run the command, check the spelling first, then check that Finder actually relaunched. ## Why do Open and Save dialogs hide files differently? Open and Save panels belong to the app that called them, but the file list comes from the system. That is why `⌘ ⇧ .` works there too, even in apps that ship their own file browser views. If an app uses a custom picker, the shortcut may do nothing. In that case, press `⌘ ⇧ G` inside the dialog and type the full path, for example `~/.config/git`. The panel jumps straight to it. This path-typing trick works in nearly every native macOS file dialog, and it is the reason you rarely need to turn global visibility on at all. ## What should you not do with hidden files? Three habits cause most of the damage. **Do not delete `.DS_Store` files inside system folders to "clean up."** They hold view settings. Deleting them is harmless in your own folders, but there is no reason to run a recursive delete across a drive. **Do not leave the global preference on and then drag folders into cloud sync.** Hidden files travel with them. A `.env` with credentials inside a shared folder is the classic accident. **Do not edit anything under `~/Library` or a dot-config you cannot name.** Back it up first: `cp ~/.zshrc ~/.zshrc.bak` takes 1 ms and has saved more setups than any other command. If a tutorial tells you to delete a hidden file to fix a problem, copy it somewhere first. A file you can restore costs nothing. A file you cannot costs an afternoon. ## What about an external drive or a network share? The same rules apply. `⌘ ⇧ .` works on external volumes in Finder, and the global preference applies to every volume Finder shows. One exception: files hidden by a Windows machine on an exFAT or NTFS-formatted drive may carry a different flag. They usually appear once you show hidden items, but a few system files on those volumes stay out of reach. When a file is still missing, run `ls -la /Volumes/YourDrive` and look at what the filesystem actually reports. ## Which method should you use? Pick by how often you need it. Once in a while, use `⌘ ⇧ .` and press it again when done. Every day, write the `defaults` line and live with the extra `.DS_Store` files. For the `Library` folder, use the Go menu with `⌥`. For scripts and remote sessions, stay in `ls -la`. That covers every case we have hit on macOS, and none of it needs a download. ## FAQ ### How do I show hidden files on Mac with a keyboard shortcut? Open a Finder window and press Command, Shift and Period. Hidden items appear dimmed. Press the same keys again to hide them. It also works in Open and Save dialogs. ### How do I show hidden files on Mac permanently? Run defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true in Terminal, then killall Finder. Use false instead of true and relaunch Finder to reverse it. ### How do I find the Library folder on Mac? In Finder, open the Go menu and hold Option to reveal Library. You can also press Command, Shift and G and type ~/Library, or run chflags nohidden ~/Library to unhide it for good. ### Why does a file starting with a dot disappear on Mac? Unix convention hides any file or folder whose name starts with a dot, such as .zshrc or .ssh. Finder follows it, and ls skips them unless you add the -a flag. ### Is it safe to show hidden files on Mac? Showing them is safe. Editing or deleting them is where problems start, because they hold app settings and system configuration. Copy a file before you change it. ### How do I list hidden files in Terminal on Mac? Run ls -la in the folder. Add -h for readable sizes. To list only dot-named entries, run ls -d .* instead.