Mac

How to show hidden files on a Mac

Photo of Abu Bakar Saadat

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Published 3 October 2026 · Checked 3 October 2026

Device: MacBook Pro · Software: macOS Tahoe 26

Publisher: Saadat Rafiq

2 min read4 steps

26macOS 26
Screenshot from the guide: How to show hidden files on a Mac

You are viewing the macOS 26 version of this guide, recorded on macOS Tahoe 26 (MacBook Pro) on 3 October 2026. It is kept as it was and not updated. See the macOS 27 version.

howtosimply.com/guides/how-to-show-hidden-files-on-a-mac/ · Checked 3 October 2026 · MacBook Pro · macOS Tahoe 26

In this guide
  1. Open a Finder window
  2. Press Shift + Command + full stop
  3. Press the same keys to hide them again
  4. Open your Library folder directly
  5. Good to know
  6. Sources
Quick answer

In any Finder window, press Shift + Command + . (full stop). Hidden files and folders appear in a lighter colour. Press the same keys again to hide them.

1 of 4 steps with real screenshots · 1 official source below

Device
Mac
Shown on
macOS Tahoe 26 (MacBook Pro)
App
Finder
Real screenshots
1 of 4 steps
Checked
3 October 2026
Sources
1 official, linked below

Step by step

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Print it, or pick "Save as PDF" in the print window.

Steps
Also include
  1. Mac screenshot: Open a Finder window
    Tap the picture to see it full size

    Open a Finder window

    Go to the folder you want to look in, for example your home folder.

  2. Press Shift + Command + full stop

    Hidden items appear, slightly faded.

  3. Press the same keys to hide them again

    Leave them hidden in daily use.

  4. Open your Library folder directly

    In Finder, open the Go menu and hold the Option key. Library appears in the list. Click it.

What we saw on our device

  • Open a Finder window: On our MacBook Neo, the home folder sits in the sidebar under Locations, between iCloud Drive and Macintosh HD, and shows Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Movies, Music, Pictures, Public and Applications.
  • Press Shift + Command + . (full stop): On our MacBook Neo, the home folder then showed Library, .cache, .CFUserTextEncoding, .local, .swiftpm, .zsh_history and .zshrc.
  • Press the same keys to hide them again: On our MacBook Neo, they disappeared straight away, leaving only the normal folders such as Public and Applications.

About this guide

macOS hides system files and folders whose names start with a dot, so they are not changed by accident. Sometimes you need to see them, for example to edit a settings file or find what is using space.

The pictures are diagrams of the keys to press.

Good to know

Do not delete or rename hidden files unless you know exactly what they are. Apps and macOS can stop working.

The shortcut also works in Open and Save dialogs.

To see what is filling the disk without touching hidden files, use the Storage page: how to check and free up storage on a Mac.

In short: Finder window > Shift + Command + . (full stop) > same keys again to hide.

Sources

Links checked in October 2026. Menus and features can change after software updates. These steps match the version named at the top.

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