Show hidden files on Mac and open the Library

Show hidden files in Finder

Click the Finder icon in the Dock and open a folder, such as your home folder. Press Command-Shift-., using the period key. Hidden items appear faded among the ordinary files. The shortcut changes their visibility; it does not unlock them, move them or change permissions. Press the same keys again when you have finished.

This is useful when an app’s support instructions name a dotfile, such as .zshrc, or a hidden folder. Autodesk documents the shortcut in its macOS support instructions. Apple’s Finder guide documents opening folders directly, but its folder-navigation page does not describe this visibility shortcut.

If nothing changes, click inside a Finder window first. A web page or a different app can use the same keys for something else. On a non-US keyboard, use the key that produces a period with your current input source. Showing all filename extensions is a different option: it reveals endings such as .jpg, rather than files marked as hidden.

Open your Library without revealing everything

1. Bring Finder to the front.
2. Open the Go menu in the menu bar while holding Option.
3. Choose Library. Release Option after the folder opens.

Another route is Go › Go to Folder, or Shift-Command-G. Enter ~/Library and press Return. The tilde means your home folder. These navigation routes are in Apple’s pinned guides for macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27.

Using Go to Folder is often easier than changing a visibility setting. You can paste the exact path a vendor provides, inspect that location, and leave every other hidden item hidden. A path with spaces needs no quotation marks in Finder’s dialog.

Your Library and the other Library folders

~/Library is specific to your account. It holds app settings, support data, caches and other working files. /Library, without the tilde, is shared across the Mac. /System/Library belongs to macOS. An instruction intended for the first is not permission to remove similarly named items from the others.

Hidden does not mean disposable. The naming convention keeps frequently changed app data out of ordinary browsing. Before changing an unfamiliar file, identify the app that owns it, read that developer’s instructions and make a backup. If your goal is storage, start with freeing up space safely; a large folder is a clue to investigate, not a deletion recommendation.

The Terminal option, with an undo

The shortcut is sufficient for ordinary use. A commonly documented alternative changes Finder’s saved preference. The commands below are shown for reference; we did not run the setting-changing commands while preparing this guide. Autodesk documents the preference, rather than Apple’s user guide.

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true

This writes a setting for your account and needs no sudo. It does not delete files. To apply it, finish any Finder file operations, hold Option while opening Finder’s Dock menu, and choose Relaunch. Relaunching closes and reopens Finder windows; it is unnecessary when you use the keyboard shortcut.

To restore hidden-file display to off, use this command and relaunch Finder in the same way:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool false

This also changes only the preference and needs no administrator access. It reverses the visibility change, rather than undoing changes you made to files while they were visible. If a tutorial combines visibility settings with deletion commands, separate the jobs: first locate the file and inspect it in Finder.

If a file is still missing

Check the full path. A file under another account will not be in your own Library. An app can use a different location depending on whether it came from the App Store, the vendor or a package manager. Follow the documentation for your installed edition. A missing optional support folder is usually a reason to skip that cleanup step, rather than create or hunt down a replacement.

Permission errors are separate from hidden-file visibility. Showing a folder does not grant access to protected app data. Do not change permissions recursively or disable macOS protections to make a folder browsable. If an official support procedure requires a permission, grant only the one it identifies, then remove it when the task is finished.

How Tend helps

Tend’s free Space Map includes hidden items when measuring your home folder, including the Library. It helps you follow size into subfolders. It protects the home folder’s standard directories and items directly inside your Library from being moved as a whole, and protects keychains, credential folders such as .ssh, cloud storage and managed media libraries throughout their contents.

Moving eligible items you select to the macOS Trash requires Pro. Those protections are useful boundaries, but they do not make every other hidden file safe to remove. For cache-specific decisions, use the cache guide; for macOS’s broad storage category, see System Data.

Questions

Related guides

Sources

• Apple, Go directly to a specific folder (macOS 15); macOS 26; macOS 27.
• Autodesk Support, How to access a hidden Library folder on macOS (shortcut and Finder preference).
• macOS 27.0.1, man defaults (read locally; setting changes were not executed).

Sources checked 23 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.