How to show all hidden files on a Mac

Pretty easy to do.

Open up Terminal (Applications>Utilities Folder>Terminal)

Type the following at the prompt (hit your ENTER/RETURN key after each line):

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

killall Finder

Now you can see all the hidden files. I suggest you close Terminal while you work with the hidden files so you don’t type anything in Terminal by accident while working.

To hide all hidden files again, in Terminal (see above to open Terminal), type the following:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE

killall Finder

Close Terminal

Done!

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Written by Ian Brown
Ian has been involved with computers since very young. He took his first computer class when he was just 8 years old. He always had an affinity for computers, but never really took it seriously. It was not until he graduated from college and experienced the real world for a while did he realize that computers may be where his talent and passion lie. He has since branched out into Internet marketing and LOVES it. He currently resides in Los Angeles where he services clients ranging from residential to small business to celebrities.