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Show Library Folder Mac Terminal: Use the Option Key or the Terminal Command



If you want to keep this change, just close the View Options panel and the setting will stick for that user account unless you go ahead and disable it again. If you had previously set to broadly show hidden files across OS X then the Library directory would be visible in the users home folder even without this setting toggled on, but it would appear as a somewhat translucent icon along with other hidden folders and files.




Show Library Folder Mac Terminal




This simple settings toggle was actually first introduced in the prior release of OS X, and while in El Capitan and Yosemite or Mavericks you can continue to use either the Terminal and the Go menu to access the same library folder as well, simply setting it to be visible within a users home folder is undoubtedly the easiest way to have constant access to the folder. For this reason, the View Options approach is the preferred method for revealing /Library and the Library contents for a given user account in OS X, while older versions of OS X would continue to use different approaches.


Yes, the method above accesses User Library on the built-in booted hard drive actively running Mac OS X. But if you have a backup that is an exact replica, you could access the user library on that backup volume as well. The easiest way to access a Library folder on a separate backup drive would be something like this:


I was wondering why the OSX updates were no longer reverting back to hiding the Library folder. Since I had been using the terminal cmd to unhide the Library, when this feature was introduced it automatically kept the Library visible. It should be noted for those unaware, if you use a back-up program other than Time Machine, these programs generally do not copy hidden folders, therefore the Library folder must be visible to back it up.


If you access user /Library often you might want to just enable it permanently as a visible folder in the user home directory. This is a simple settings change that will cause MacOS Finder to always show the Library folder in the user home:


The above tricks also work to reveal and show the same user /Library folder in Mac OS X versions El Capitan and Yosemite (10.11.x and 10.10.x), and presumably forward beyond macOS 10.14.x, 10.13.x, and 10.12.x.


To temporarily show the Library option on the Go menu, open the menu and press the Option key. The Library folder shows up between Home and Computer on the Go menu. Keep the Option key pressed while you move your mouse down the menu and select Library.


A dialog box displays options you can set for your Home folder. Check the Show Library Folder box at the bottom of the dialog box. The Library folder now shows up in your Home folder in Finder windows, and the Library option becomes permanently available on the Go menu.


When you permanently show the Library folder in Finder, you can hit Cmd + Shift + L to open it in a Finder window, in addition to selecting the Library option on the Go menu.


1. What is the Library folder on Mac? 2. Why is the Library folder hidden? 3. How to find the Library folder on Mac (macOS Sierra, Mojave or Catalina). 4. How to show the Library folder on Mac with Terminal. 5. How to show the Library folder on Mac with Funter. 6. How to show the Library folder in Finder.


If you decide that you want regular access to your user library folder, another method that works is opening up a temporary library window using one of the above ways and then click and hold the Library icon shown at the bottom Path Bar and drag that library icon to your Favorites column in the sidebar.


Your user library (/Library) folder contains all your personal user settings, caches, preference files, iOS firmware updates for iTunes, app support files, iMessage and Message archive, and other essential data.


Making haphazard changes to the library folder can cause damage to your system, which is why Apple hides the folder by default. However, sometimes troubleshooting solutions require that you have access to the library folder. Read on to find out how to reveal it on your Mac.


There are actually three library folders on a Mac. The library folder in the root directory of your system drive (usually called Macintosh HD) contains data accessible to all users, but only administrators have write access to the files.


Then there's the Library folder in System, which contains the main macOS system files. However, the hidden user library we want to reveal for troubleshooting purposes can be found at Macintosh HD/Users/[username]/Library. Here are some ways you can unhide it.


The library folder will now remain visible in your Mac's directory structure, even after a restart, until you uncheck the view option described above. Want to make all files and folders visible on your Mac? Click here to learn how.


Use a third-party file utility A number of third-party file browsers and Finder substitutes, including Path Finder, include the option to show invisible files in their file listings. You can use one of these utilities to open your Library folder whenever you need access to it.


Updated 7/25/2011, 10:30am, to add tip about creating a keyboard shortcut; and at 3:50pm to correct an error about the Go menu in Snow Leopard, and to add a note about third-party utilities adding a setting specifically for showing the Library folder.


The Mac OS is chock full of hidden areas where data, information, or features have been secreted away from Mac users. One of these clandestine locations is the users library folder, commonly written out as /Library/.


The widow shown in the example above does not appear in YosemiteHowever, I was able;e to display the library folder by requesting int in the GO to folder command box in the Go pulldown menu. It opens they library window, evidently complete.Then under the File menu it allows the folder to be added to the sidebar list.


Because these apps allow you to make hidden files and folders visible (or invisible) using shortcuts or clicking buttons within the apps, they make the whole process incredibly simple. In Forklift, for example, you can show hidden files by:


Keyboard shortcuts are probably the easiest way to display hidden files and folders in the Finder on a Mac. You can show hidden files by pressing the Command, Shift, and Period keys at the same time.


The above keyboard shortcut for showing hidden files on a Mac works in any folder in the Finder. One exception is the Library folder, which is usually hidden. It mainly contains system files and automatically saved copies of Microsoft Office documents. Showing the Library folder is especially useful when you're looking for old Word documents and are unable to find them. If your computer crashes before you could save your data, you should look in the Library folder. You can access this folder using the following shortcut:


Instead of using keyboard shortcuts and the Finder, you can also use Terminal in conjunction with commands on your Mac to show hidden files and folders. Terminal is a built-in command-line interface included in the Mac operating system. You can use commands in Terminal to replace sequences of multiple steps in the Finder and perform an action. To view hidden files and folders using Terminal, proceed as follows:


You can use Terminal not only to show or hide the hidden folders on your Mac. You can also use it to hide specific files from nosy users who may have access to your computer. To do this, proceed as follows:


Third-party file managers like Forklift offer an easy way of working with hidden files and folders on a Mac. They allow you to show hidden files directly in the interface of the app, without having to use keyboard shortcuts or commands that can be somewhat daunting for less tech-savvy users.


If Android Studio shows you the path /Users//Library/Android/sdk but you can not find it in your folder, just right-click and select "Show View Option". There you will be able to select "Show Library Folder"; select it and you can access the SDK.


If you need more frequent access to your user Library, consider showing it permanently. Open a Finder window and go to your Home folder. Now choose View > Show View Options. In the View Options window, tick the checkbox next to Show Library Folder.


By default, the /Library/ folder is hidden from users as it contains sensitive files that are critical for the operating system to work properly. To permanently enable the /Library/ folder and show hidden directories found there, you can again use a Terminal command to apply this setting.


Or you want to delete some leftover files after uninstalling apps on Mac, but you can't find them because Mac OS has hidden those files. What should you do to make Mac show hidden files or hidden folders?


Then, you will see a dozen of Macintosh HD folders and files that appear as grayed out in the right column. That indicates all the hidden files are showing up. To access the files of a Macintosh HD folder, double-click on it.


Besides macOS volume, this method can also be used to show hidden files and folders on external hard drives and USB flash drives, and show hidden files on sd cards. If you can't see files on the external hard drive on Mac, maybe those files are hidden. Using this key shortcut should work, too.


The Finder is the default file manager and graphical user interface shell used on macOS. It is responsible for all applications, files, disks, network volumes, etc. So, if you want to reveal hidden files and folders, you can show hidden files in the Finder.


Showing hidden files on Mac with the Terminal utility is another advanced way. Running Terminal requires familiarity with the command prompt. If you are familiar with the command line, do the following to make your Mac show hidden files and folders: 2ff7e9595c


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