The Quickest Way to Show/Hide Hidden Files
Since the release of macOS Sierra, when in Finder, it is now possible to use the shortcut:
CMD + SHIFT + .
Press once to show hidden files and again to hide them. If you’re using a version earlier than macOS Sierra, see Show/Hide Hidden Files using Terminal Aliases to setup a toggle command via terminal.
Show/Hide Hidden Files the Long Way
The long way to show hidden Mac OS X files is as follows:
- Open Terminal found in Finder > Applications > Utilities
- In Terminal, paste the following:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES - Press return
- Hold the ‘Option/alt’ key, then right click on the Finder icon in the dock and click Relaunch.
Relaunch Finder by right clicking the Finder Icon whilst holding the ‘Option/alt’ key
This will show all hidden files. To hide them again, follow the same steps but replace the Terminal command with:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles NO
It’s not the longest set of instructions or the biggest command to commit to memory but if you’re doing this a lot, it’s worth spending a few minutes now to save yourself a lot more time in the future.
