Show hidden dirs/files on Finder

Sometimes it would be a great help when working via ARD on a server to have access to directories like /etc or /var directly on the Finder.
In order to do so, I currently need to go into the menu line, "Go to"/"Go to folder" and then type in the path.
While this works well, I asked me if there is a more convenient way to show these folders, like when clicking on the harddisk icon.
Is there a way to manage this ?

There is, but it won't do you much good anyway since these directories are
not writable by normal users, so you can't make any changes anyway.
As admin user I have write access to /var/named, for example. This would be helpful for me when managing zone files.
Yes, it asks for my admin password each time when modifying files and at some dirs I have no access overall.
Okay, having other users at the server would be one point, at they have only limited ftp access to certain branches of the directory tree, so they not play a role. Anyway, thanks for noting me about (I not thought about this).
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool TRUE
Simply being typed in at terminal's command prompt ?

Similar Messages

Show Folders before Files in FInder window?

One thing I miss from Windows Explorer is that folders precede files in the tree structure. Is there any way to customize Finder to show my structure the same way?
Powerbook G4 1Ghz Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Thanks for the help...except...
I only see that option when no other Finder windows are open - when I select the View|Show Options they pertain to the Desktop only. When I select View|Show Options from an open Finder window the options are only Text Size, Show icons, and Show preview column. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong. Can you tell?
Powerbook G4 1Ghz Mac OS X (10.2.x)

Show Hidden Windows files on a Mac

Hi,
I have a folder that I have copied from Windows XP to Mac. The files in the folder were hidden when I copied on the mac. I can see the folder but cannot see the files in the folder. How do I see these files on my mac? It is frustrating as I have a few important files in that folder that I cannot view on my mac. Help please!!!

A couple of ways. One is to copy this script into the AppleScript Editor window and run it. It'll toggle hidden stuff on and off:
if (do shell script "defaults read com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles") is equal to "0" then
do shell script "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles 1"
else
do shell script "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles 0"
end if
do shell script "killall Finder"
Another, is to use the chflags command to turn off the invisiblity flag. See http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=11788354 for starters.

How to show hidden dot (".someFile") files under a specific directory

Hello!
I came across numerous ways to show hidden files and folders in Finder via a Google search, but I don't want to open the door to an accidental screwup with important files.
However, I do want to be able to view the hidden .htaccess files in Finder in order to learn to use Apache web server modules. Is it possible to tell Finder to show me the .htaccess files only in my /htdocs directory?
Thanks.

AFAIK the Finder is either on or off for displaying hidden files. However, there is a Contextual Menu item that may do what you want:
http://home.online.no/~stoedle/YLS/YLS-products/FolderGlance.html
You set it up so when you control or right click on a folder it displays all the contents, including hidden files. FolderGlance is donationware.
Francine
Francine
Schwieder

[done] Vifm - show hidden files as default????

as the subject says...
How do I set in my vifmrc to always show hidden/dot files when vifm starts?
also, can anyone point me to somewhere on how to theme/color vifm?
Last edited by orphius1970 (2010-05-25 08:42:55)

I can't help you with the dotfiles setting (other than suggesting hacking the code); for the colourscheme, there is this thread:
http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=91202
#edit The relevant part of vifmrc is:
# The regular expression used to filter files out of
# the directory listings.
# LWIN_FILTER=\.o$ and LWIN_INVERT=1 would filter out all
# of the .o files from the directory listing. LWIN_INVERT=0
# would show only the .o files
LWIN_FILTER=\.o$
LWIN_INVERT=1
RWIN_FILTER=\.o$
RWIN_INVERT=1
Last edited by jasonwryan (2010-05-24 00:35:47)

Hidden Private File and contents - hack or remote user?

Hi Guys.
Still think i have a hack or am being remotely accessed.
Found a private folder - hidden. the name should be my name - who is wheel or system - usually in this area it is my name?
would it be useful for you guys for me to show the contents of everything in here to see if here is a hack?
would macscan be able to find this hidden priviate file and find if there was something malicious?
- james.

The private folder is a normal & essential part of OS X. It is hidden because you should not tinker with its contents unless you know exactly what you are doing.
Likewise, system & wheel are normal & essential parts of the OS. See the "Owner, Group, Others" section of http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2963 for more about this.
You are not being hacked. Everything you see is normal.

Show hidden files in Finder

I've been ripping my music CDs into mp3 files using iTunes.
I recently bought an HDTV. It shows the hidden files on the flash drive as well as the visible files. When I try to play one of the hidden mp3 files, the TV tells me that the file isn't supported. Yet if I scroll to the right, the TV shows the visible mp3 files. I had to use Windows XP to show the hidden mp3 files on the flash drive so that I could delete them. After I did that, the TV displayed the visible mp3 files & played them. Today, I tried to search for hidden mp3 files on the flash drive using Finder. When I use the Terminal to show the hidden files, hidden folders are shown, but none of the hidden mp3 files are shown. Yet the hidden mp3 files are shown in Windows XP. The hidden mp3 file starts with ".01_" followed by the file name & ending with the mp3 extension. Each track starts with a different number. In other words, .01_, .02_, .03_, etc. I don't understand why I can see the hidden mp3 files in Windows XP, but not in Finder. The command "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES" apparently doesn't show ALL of the files. Is it possible to change the Finder so that ALL hidden files are displayed just as I can do in Windows XP? I shouldn't have to go to my PC so that I can see the hidden files & delete them & then go back to my Mac. (Windows XP is the only PC OS that I have. I don't have Vista or 7 or 8.) Or maybe there's a Terminal command that will just rip visible mp3 files in iTunes & not both visible & hidden files. Or maybe there's software that I can install that will do that. If there's no solution, then I will have to use Windows XP to show all of the hidden mp3 files so that I can delete them all at once. I sure would rather use my Mac for everything instead of going back & forth from Mac to PC.

Perhaps I should have noted that DesktopUtility is free. I wouldn't spend money for that functionality, either.
Me either. Didn't notice that one was free. Everything seemed to have a cost on the various apps.
I suppose that it doesn't make any difference whether I enter TRUE or YES, does it? And likewise, FALSE or NO?
Correct. True, Yes, and 1 all do the same thing.
For the opposite, False, No and 0 are the same.
I've also been told to hold down the "option" key & right-click on the Finder icon & click "relaunch". I suppose that it doesn't make any difference whether I relaunch or kill the finder, does it? If I kill the Finder, I reopen it to view the hidden files, right?
Also correct. Doesn't matter which way you do it. The Finder automatically relaunches itself whether you kill it in Terminal, or relaunch it from the Dock (which is really the same as kill then relaunch).
I did see ".DS_Store" on the Desktop, but I didn't see any of the hidden mp3 files on the flash drive.
Now that is weird. You should see all hidden files and folders on all drives. Unless the Flash drive is formatted for Windows (exFAT, FAT16 or FAT32) and OS X doesn't treat it the same way.
TinkerTool and Secrets are two more free utilities that offer easy ways to toggle hidden file viewing.
Yup, there's lots of free utilities to do the same thing. OnyX will also toggle hidden items on and off.

How do I get Firefox to show hidden files and folders. It should be available under help but help only gets as far as Open Containing folder and doesn't go on to show hidden files and folders

I am trying to find the status of Adobe Flash Player on my computer. I am advised that it exists in Firefox's hidden files and folders but I cannot find such a folder

You have an older version of Flash installed - Shockwave Flash 10.0 r45
You can see that for yourself in Tools > Addons > Plugins
"Show hidden files and folders" is a function of the Operating System, not an application such as Firefox. Windows Control Panel > Folder Options > View - Advanced Settings

Bridge CC: how to show hidden files?

My search returned hidden files.
Could you please show me how to reveal hidden files.
View | Show Hidden files IS checked.
Thanks.

Open the Script Editor or AppleScript Editor in one of the subfolders of Applications and run the following:
tell application "Finder" to quit
if (do shell script "defaults read com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles") is "1" then
do shell script "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles 0"
else
do shell script "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles 1"
end if
delay 2
tell application "Finder" to run
If you change your mind later, run the script again.
(65149)

Showing hidden files white screen upon restart

I put in the command to show hidden files and restarted my iMac. It only shows a white screen. Completely blank. How do I fix it? It runs on Lion and has a Time Machine backup.

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a boot failure is to secure your data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since your last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to boot. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Boot into the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.”
b. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, boot the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
c. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to boot, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can boot now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
If you've booted from an external storage device, make sure that your internal boot volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Step 3
Boot in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you boot in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, your boot volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 5.
If you can boot and log in now, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on your boot volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the boot process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 4
Sometimes a boot failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 5
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select your startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then reboot as usual.
Step 6
Reinstall the OS. If your Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 7
Repeat step 6, but this time erase the boot volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer your data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 8
This step applies only to a pre-2013 Mac Pro tower, not to any other model. A dead logic-board battery can cause a gray screen at boot. Typically the boot failure will be preceded by loss of the startup disk and system clock settings. See the user manual for replacement instructions.
Step 9
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store to have the machine tested.

Where can i find hidden movie files on a macbook

I've deleted all the movies from my mac and when I open my system profile it shows I have 42GB of movies somewhere hidden on my macbook. I've tried searching .mov in my spotlight (which yields nothing) and manually searching through the iTunes folder and movies folder (which are empty). Any other ideas as to where I can find these hidden movie files -- 42gb is pretty hefty.

If you are using Time Machine, it keeps a "local snapshot" - backups kept on your hard drive, not the backup drive, to protect you from certain kinds of data loss while you are away from your backup drive. These snapshots are kept for a week, and one consequence of this is that you don't immediately recover space when you delete files, since they will be added to the local backup.
For more info, see:
http://www.reedcorner.net/news.php/missing-disk-space-in-lion/
(Note that my pages contain links to other pages that promote my services, and this should not be taken as an endorsement of my services by Apple.)

Show hidden files breaks "All My Files"

I'm trying to get my AMP stack back up on a new Mountain Lion Mac, which has become a larger pain since they removed Web Sharing. First step to getting the AMP stack up was to show hidden files:
defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles YES
Then a restart of finder (option + right click Finder in dock > Restart), but this has completely killed "All My Files" showing anything. It's not like I really care about this feature of Finder, but still, just wondering if there is a different terminal command now for showing hidden files that doesn't break this. Hiding hidden files back to default does not fix "All My Files" either.
In addition, you can't double click any hidden folders, you have to right click and select "Open" or "Open Original" if it was an alias (ie etc).

I can't reproduce the problem.
If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the page that opens.
Step 1
Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left.
Enter "mdworker" (without the quotes) in the Filter text field. Post the messages that appear in the Console window — the text, please, not a screenshot.
If there are runs of repeated messages, post only one example of each. Do not post many repetitions of the same message.
Some personal information, such as the names of your files, may be included — edit that out, too, but don’t remove the context.
Step 2
Do the same with the search string "mds".

How do you show hidden files

I'm trying to copy ACL files from msword to get my autocorrect files installed and was given instructions which dont follw it- as all full the address train is not visible, thought if I could open them it would help?

Show Hidden Files in Mac OS X
Launch Terminal (in Utilities) and copy/paste the following line into the terminal window:
defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
Hit return. The copy/paste the following line:
killall -9 Finder
Hit return. You will see the finder relaunch and any invisible files should be visible.
Note. To reverse this you do the exact same thing except the TRUE on end of the first (defaults) command should be FALSE.

Show hidden files won't stick

Hi,
I'm setting up an i7 Mac Mini with Mavericks and trying to show hidden files. Using Terminal I do the old
$ defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
$ killall Finder
But hidden files are still invisible.
When I try to read back it reports:
The domain/default pair of ([...]com.apple.finder, AppleShowAllFiles) does not exist
I've opened the plist up in XCode and every time I add it there it disappears as soon as I issue the `killall Finder` command.
Anybody know why this might be?

Back up all data.
This procedure will unlock all your user files (not system files) and reset their ownership and access-control lists to the default. If you've set special values for those attributes on any of your files, they will be reverted. In that case, either stop here, or be prepared to recreate the settings if necessary. Do so only after verifying that those settings didn't cause the problem. If none of this is meaningful to you, you don't need to worry about it.
I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, they may not work as described.
Step 1
If you have more than one user account, and the one in question is not an administrator account, then temporarily promote it to administrator status in the Users & Groups preference pane. To do that, unlock the preference pane using the credentials of an administrator, check the box markedAllow user to administer this computer, then reboot. You can demote the problem account back to standard status when this step has been completed.
Triple-click anywhere in the following line on this page to select it:
{ sudo chflags -R nouchg,nouappnd ~ $TMPDIR.. ; sudo chown -R $UID:staff ~ $_ ; sudo chmod -R u+rwX ~ $_ ; chmod -R -N ~ $_ ; } 2>&-
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.
Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.
Paste into the Terminal window (command-V). I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, you may have to press the return key after pasting.
You'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before you can run the command. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.
The command may take a few minutes to run, or perhaps longer if you have literally millions of files in your home folder. Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign (“$”) to appear, then quit Terminal.
Step 2 (optional)
Take this step only if you have trouble with Step 1 or if it doesn't solve the problem.
Boot into Recovery. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, select
Utilities ▹ Terminal
from the menu bar. A Terminal window will open.
In the Terminal window, type this:
res
Press the tab key. The partial command you typed will automatically be completed to this:
resetpassword
Press return. A Reset Password window will open. You’re not going to reset a password.
Select the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name) if it's not already selected.
Select your username from the menu labeled Select the user account if it's not already selected.
Under Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs, click the Reset button.
Select
 ▹ Restart
from the menu bar.

How do I unhide occult files in Finder? SHOW OCCULT FILES?

Hello everyone!
I have a file on my pen drive that is a occult file in Windows Explorer. but there's a configuration option there that allows me to see occult files anyway. When I put it into my mac, the occult file obviously doesn't show. How do I make it appear? How do I unhide it in finder?
Thanks so much for your help.

If this is the command you used to show hidden files...
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -boolean true ; killall Finder
then just reverse it to hide them again...
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -boolean false ; killall Finder

Show hidden dirs/files on Finder

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