The Library Menu item is hidden by default on Macs, to prevent the possibility of inexperienced users deleting important files in the Library Folder. In this article, you will find different methods to reveal the hidden Library Menu and access the Library Folder on your Mac.
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Access Library Folder On Mac
The Library Folder on your Mac contains Preference Files, Caches, and Application Support Data.
While regular Mac users may not find the need to access the Hidden Library Folder, advanced Mac users will at times come across the need to access files inside the Library Folder for troubleshooting and other purposes.
You can use a special keyboard shortcut to see all hidden files on your Mac. Here is how to make hidden files visible: Activate the Finder application. Open a folder which may contain hidden files. Press the Command + Shift + Period (CMD+Shift+.) shortcut. Preview all the files you have in the active folder. Jul 25, 2011 In Lion, your personal Library folder, at the root level of your Home folder, is gone. Actually, it's still there, but it's hidden. Here are a slew of ways to access it or, if you prefer, unhide it. Dec 29, 2019 How to Show Hidden Files and Folders on a Mac - Making Hidden Files Visible Open Terminal. Type chflags nohidden into Terminal. Click and drag a hidden file or folder into Terminal. Press ⏎ Return. Double-click the item.
One example of the need to access the Library Folder on Mac would be to rebuild the Database Files in the Library Folder, in order to fix Launchpad related issues like Apps Missing From Launchpad or deleted Apps showing up in the Launchpad.
Before going ahead with the steps to Access the Hidden Library Folder on your Mac, you need to be aware that ~/Library Folder contains important Data and Files related to Mac User Accounts.
Hence, make sure that you are accessing the Library Folder for a good reason and you do know as to what you are trying to achieve.
Access Hidden Library Menu Option On Mac
Follow the steps below to access the Hidden Library Menu option on your Mac.
1. Left-click your mouse anywhere on the screen of your Mac. This will reveal the Go Option in the top menu bar of your Mac. You can also click on the Finder Icon in the Dock of your Mac to activate the Go Option.
2. Next, click on the Go option in the top menu-bar of your Mac.
3. While you are still on the Go option, press and hold the Option key on your Mac and then click on the Library option that appears when you press down the Option Key.
Note: Press the Alt Key in case you are using a Windows keyboard with your Mac.
4. Clicking on the Library Menu option will take you straight to the Library Folder on your Mac.
Access Library Folder On Mac Using “Go to Folder” Option
Another way to access the Library Folder on your Mac is by using the Folder Option on your Mac.
1. Left-click your mouse anywhere on the screen of your Mac to reveal the Go Option in the top menu bar. You can also click on the Finder Icon in the Dock of your Mac to activate the Go option.
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2. Next, click on the Go option from the top menu-bar on your Mac and then click on Go to Folder… option in the drop-down menu (See image below).
3. In the search window that appears, type ~/Library, and click on the Go button.
This will immediately take you to the Library Folder on your Mac.
Permanently Unhide the Library Menu Option On Mac
You can permanently unhide the Library Menu Option in the top-menu bar on your Mac by using the Terminal Command. The process is reversible and you can easily go back to the default hidden Library Menu Setting by using the Terminal command once again.
1. Click on the Finder icon in the dock of your Mac to activate the Go option in the top Menu bar of your Mac.
2. Next, click on the Go option in the top menu-bar and then click on the Utilities option in the drop-down menu.
3. On the Utilities window, open the Terminal App by clicking on it.
4. Next, type chflags nohidden ~/Library/ and Press the Enter key to submit your command for execution.
Once the command is executed, you will see the Library Option clearly visible and permanently unhidden in the top menu-bar of your Mac.
As mentioned above, you can always go back to the default hidden Library option on your Mac by executing a simple command in the Command Prompt Window.
1. To hide the Library option, type chflags hidden ~/Library/ in the Command prompt window (See image below)
2. After typing the Command, hit the Enter key on the Keyboard of your Mac to execute this Command.
Once the Command is executed, you will see the Library Menu option becoming hidden.
All Mac systems contain hidden files and folders. These are often preceded by a full stop or a slash, and are kept out of sight of the user either to prevent them from being deleted because they perform some essential function, or because they're irrelevant to everyday tasks.
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Occasionally however, you might need to reveal these files and folders to fix a problem you're having with your Mac. The easiest way to reveal hidden files and folders in an active Finder window is to press the Shift, Command (⌘), and period symbol (.) keys in combination.
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This action works everywhere except for the Desktop, and you can hide the affected files and folders again simply by repeating the key combo.
If you're comfortable using Terminal, entering the following command will also reveal all the hidden files on your Mac:
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defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES
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Once you've typed the command and pressed Enter, hold down the Option key, then right-click on the Finder icon in the Dock and click Relaunch for the changes to take effect. To switch the files back to hidden, simply change 'YES' to 'NO' in the Terminal command.
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That's all there is to it. You can also check out our separate how-to guide on revealing the hidden library folder in macOS.