Hidden Folder on Mac: Show, Create and Open One

Steps use macOS 14 and later names. Menu wording can differ slightly between versions.

Show hidden folders

1. Open any Finder window.
2. Press ⌘⇧.. Hidden folders and files appear as faded icons.
3. Press the same keys again to hide them.

The shortcut also works in the Open and Save dialogs of most apps. We did not find it in Apple's published list of Mac keyboard shortcuts. People use it widely, but Apple does not document it, so it could change. If it does nothing, use Go to Folder (below) or Terminal.

The Library folder

Your ~/Library folder is hidden by default. In Finder, open the Go menu and hold Option. A Library item appears in the list. Apple gives the same method: hold Option, then choose Library. Look, but do not delete anything there unless you know what it does. The full walk-through is in how to show the Library folder.

Open a hidden folder by path

1. Finder

   Press ⇧⌘G to open Go to Folder, type the path such as ~/.private, then press Return. Apple lists Shift-Command-G as the shortcut that opens a Go to Folder window.

2. Use the suggestions

   While you type, Finder offers matching folders. Press Tab to accept one, or use the arrow keys to scroll through suggestions. You can also paste a copied pathname and press Return.

3. Terminal

   Run open ~/.private. Use ls -a ~ to list everything in your home folder, including hidden items.

Apple's path rules: a tilde (~) means your home folder, a leading slash (/) starts at the top level of the disk, and a trailing slash marks the path as a folder.

Create a hidden folder

mkdir ~/.private

chflags hidden ~/Documents/Private

To see which items carry the hidden flag, run ls -lO ~/Documents. To undo it, run chflags nohidden ~/Documents/Private.

When a hidden folder does not show up

• ⌘⇧. does nothing. Click inside a Finder window first so it has focus. If it still does nothing, use Go to Folder with the exact path, or ls -a in Terminal.
• It still shows after chflags. Run killall Finder, which restarts Finder.
• The Library item is missing from the Go menu. Hold Option while the Go menu is open.
• Permission denied. The folder belongs to another user or to the system. Do not change system folders.
• You forgot where you hid it. See the next section.

Find a hidden folder you forgot

1. Press ⌘⇧. in your home folder and look for faded names.
2. List dot-named folders two levels deep with the command below.
3. For a folder hidden with chflags, run ls -lO on its parent and look for hidden in the flags column.

find ~ -maxdepth 2 -name ".*" -type d

Test that it is hidden

1. Open a new Finder window and browse to the folder. It should be missing.
2. Choose File > Open in any app and browse there. Check whether the folder shows in the dialog.
3. Search for its name with ⌘Space. If the name shows, hiding did not keep it out of search.

What a hidden folder leaves behind

• Go to Folder suggestions. Apple says Go to Folder offers recent pathnames, so a path you typed can come back as a suggestion.
• Recent items. Apple menu > Recent Items lists documents you opened lately. Choose Clear Menu to empty it.
• Backups. Time Machine copies hidden folders with everything else. Apple says excluded items still appear in local snapshots.
• Search. Add a folder in System Settings > Spotlight > Search Privacy if its name should stay out of search results.

Common hidden folders and what they do

Hidden isn't locked

Hiding a folder takes a second to undo. Files inside are readable and are not encrypted. For privacy see how to hide files on Mac and how to password protect a folder.

Permissions are covered in how to lock a folder on Mac. Encryption is covered in encrypted disk images. On a Mac that several people use, read the shared family Mac scenario.