arcanum lurk on your Mac drives — most of them are files and folders that are hidden in normal Finder views because they ’re related to low - level system purposes you do n’t need to deal , with unless you ’re troubleshoot a problem or are a system administrator .
How to reveal hidden files
you’re able to unwrap these hidden system files with a lesser - know keyboard shortcut . In the Finder , press Command - Shift - flow ( that ’s the “ . ” or period key ) . This toggles the hidden - file state , and in any Finder windowpane , you will see any Indian file tick off to be invisible as appearing in a grayed - out body politic . ( If you did n’t know this crosscut , you ’re not alone : I get wind of it just 24-hour interval ago , and in a poll I did on Twitter , most people who responded were unaware of it , too . )
How to hide a file
If you need to hide a file cabinet or folder ( hear , you know your reasonableness well than I do ) , you may manage this within the Terminal . The easiest way is hang back and dropping the item into the Terminal window in the step below , as that mechanically fills in the Unix - style path to the file or folder . Here ’s how to cover an item :
To reveal that detail , just changehiddenin stone’s throw 2 tonohidden .
In both hiding and revealing file and folders , the modification does n’t appear instantly in a Finder windowpane that ’s exhibit the detail you ’ve change . rather , you need to switch away from the view and return to it , such as going up a bed in the folder hierarchy and back down .
This Mac 911 article is in response to a interrogation submitted by Macworld reader Lucy .
Ask Mac 911
We ’ve roll up a list of the questions we get asked most frequently along with answers and connexion to columns : read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered . If not , we ’re always looking for unexampled problem to solve ! netmail yours tomac911@macworld.comincluding screen capture as appropriate , and whether you require your full name used . Not every interrogative will be answered , we do n’t reply to e-mail , and we can not furnish direct troubleshooting advice .
