Then there is the ~/Library folder that’s located in the Home folder. The Library folder you can see contains files that are accessible to all users but only changeable by administrators. There are actually three Library folders on the Mac. You may have just looked in your Macintosh HD folder and thought you saw the Library folder, but that’s not the Library folder in question. That folder is still located in Home, but it’s now hidden. Prior to Mac OS X Lion’s release back in 2011, if you wanted to access the Library folder you could just open your Home folder and view the Library folder there. (dot), but there are other options you might like to consider, as we explain below. And the Library folder, which contains application-support files and some data, is also tucked out of sight.Ī quick and easy way to find secret files within a folder is to hold down Cmd + Shift +. Folders like /usr, /bin, and /etc are hidden away, too. The files you won’t be able to see by default are typically preceded by a full stop, for example. But sometimes you need to see those files in order to fix something else. It’s all very well Apple hiding away certain files from the Mac Finder – after all, it’s difficult to break something you can’t see.

Forklift 2 show hidden files