Occasionally, you may need to locate a file that you just can't seem to find. Apple's Mac OS X operating system hides files from everyday users to prevent accidental deletion or altering. If you know what you're doing and you know you need to access some hidden files (which is also useful for recovering iPod data), you have to go through the Terminal to reveal those hidden files. Here is how to do it.
Using the Terminal
The easiest way to show hidden files is using the Terminal. Just open up Terminal (located in Applications/Utilities), paste in the following line and press Return.
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool YES
The Finder needs to be relaunched before the changes take effect, so type killall Finder and press Return. To hide the files again, use the following line instead.
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool NO
While this method is fine if you only want to change the visibility of hidden files occasionally, it is a bit cumbersome if you find yourself having to do it regularly. Read on for some quicker ways to access hidden files.
Setting up a keyboard shortcut
While Apple helpfully provided a keyboard shortcut for use in open and save dialogs, they didn’t do the same for normal Finder windows. Luckily, it’s not too tricky to set up a keyboard shortcut yourself.
To start, open up Automator (in the Applications folder) and choose a Service template. From the library choose "Run Shell Script" and drag it across to the workflow area. In the text box paste the following command:
STATUS=`defaults read com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles`
if [ $STATUS == YES ];
then
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles NO
else
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES
fi
killall Finder
Finally, change the "text" drop-down menu to “no input” and then save you workflow as “Toggle Hidden Files”.
Now if you go to the Finder menu and look under Services, you should find a “Toggle Hidden Files” option. To add the keyboard shortcut, go to the Keyboard section of System Preferences and click the Keyboard shortcuts tab. Select Services from the list on the left, then scroll down to the bottom of the list on the right to find “Toggle Hidden Files”. Double-click on the area to the right of it, then press the keyboard shortcut you want. I used Command-Shift-. (dot).
In open and save dialogs
In open and save dialog boxes, there is a handy keyboard shortcut to toggle the visibility of hidden files. While the dialog is open, just press Command-Shift-. (dot). Just press it again to hide the files again.
For some keyboard layouts, normally in ones where a comma is used as a decimal point, you may find that this shortcut is Command-Shift-, (comma) instead.
Setting up a context menu item
To use a context menu instead of a keyboard shortcut you just need to follow the same instructions as above, but make some slight changes in Automator. Instead, change the “text’ drop-down menu to “Files and Folders” and the “any application” drop-down menu to “Finder”. Now when you right-click on a file or folder in the Finder, a new “Toggle Hidden Files” option should appear.
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