1. Mac Library Folder Missing
2. Mac Library Folder Permissions Free
3. Find Library Folder Mac

Learn how to access the hidden Library folder in your Home folder on your Mac so you can tweak app settings and access app files.

Inside the home folder on your Mac is a Library folder that stores app-specific files and settings, personal settings, and some data. The files and settings in the Library folder should be left alone for the most part. But, you may want to tweak the settings for an app, which may require accessing the Library folder. Or, maybe an app backs up data to the Library folder and you want to copy that to an external drive.

Add and manage delegates in Outlook for Mac. In Mail or People, click Folder Permissions. Click the name of the person for which you want to change the permissions. In the Permission Level list, choose the access level that you want. Individual permission levels are automatically filled in below based on your selection in the list. Delete the corrupt user preserving the home folder. Create a new 'you' user with a slightly different name (like using your middle initial) and then add your main data back to this home folder - and very carefully cross migrate the contents of the Library folder without messing uy the /Library permissions.

As of Mac OS X Lion (10.7), the Library folder in your home folder is hidden by default. That doesn’t mean you can’t get to it. It’s hidden so you don’t accidentally delete settings and data, damaging apps in the process. So, if you decide you want to access the Library folder, be very careful.

Today we’re going to cover different ways of accessing the hidden Library folder in your home folder and how to make it permanently available in Finder.

What is the Path to the Library Folder?

The Library in your home folder is written as ~/Library. The tilde (~) character is a shortcut for your home directory. For example, on my Mac, that would expand to /Users/lorikaufman/Library.

Access the Library Folder Using the Go to Folder Option

If you want to access the Library folder only occasionally, you can use the Go to Folder option in Finder.

Open Finder or just click on the desktop. Head to Go > Go to Folder, or hit Cmd + Shift + G.

Type:~/Library in the Go to the folder box on the dialog box and click Go or press Enter.

If you have one or more Finder windows open, the Library folder opens in the currently active window. If no Finder windows are open, a new one opens to the Library folder.

Access the Library Folder Using the Terminal

If you prefer using the command line, you can access the Library folder using the Terminal.

Go to Utilities > Terminal in the Applications folder. To access the Library folder directly in the Terminal, type:cd ~/Library at the prompt to switch to the Library folder.

You can type:ls at the prompt to get a detailed folder listing. You can work with the files in the Library folder directly on the command line. Just be careful.

You can also use the Terminal to open the Library folder in a Finder window. Type:open ~/Library at the prompt and hit Enter.

Access the Hidden Library Menu Option in Finder

The Library folder is available on the Go menu in Finder, but it doesn’t show on the menu by default.

To temporarily show the Library option on the Go menu, open the menu and press the Option key. The Library folder shows up between Home and Computer on the Go menu. Keep the Option key pressed while you move your mouse down the menu and select Library.

If you’re using a Windows keyboard with your Mac, press the Alt key.

Show the Library Folder Permanently in Finder

If you access the Library folder often, you can permanently show the Library option on the Go menu and the Library folder in your Home folder.

Open Finder and head to your Home folder using the left pane or by pressing Cmd + Shift + H. Then, go to View > Show View Options, or hit Cmd + J.

A dialog box displays with options you can set for your Home folder. Check the Show Library Folder box at the bottom of the dialog box. The Library folder now shows up in your Home folder in Finder windows and the Library option becomes permanently available on the Go menu.

Mac Library Folder Missing

When you permanently show the Library folder in Finder, you can hit Cmd + Shift + L to open it in a Finder window, in addition to selecting the Library option on the Go menu.

Happy Tweaking, But Be Careful

The Library folder is hidden by default for a good reason. So, before tweaking settings and changing files in the Library folder, make sure you know what you’re doing.

If you run into odd slow-downs or problems with loading specific programs and services, then sometimes this can be caused by the inability of the program or service to access a necessary resource on disk, be it a preference file, or a core resource like a framework, font, or audio unit. In these cases you might see an error, but also might just see the problematic behavior.

Mac Library Folder Permissions Free

Fixing permissions in OS X is relatively straight-forward, and simply requires you to open Disk Utility, select your boot drive, and then click the “Repair Permissions” button in the First Aid tab. Doing this will have the system check various receipt and bill of materials files in the Macintosh HD > Library > Receipts, and hidden var > db > receipts folders, and reset the permissions for files on disk to those represented by the files in these receipts. This is all done automatically, so you only have to click the “Repair Permissions” button and wait for the routine to end.

While a global permissions fix like this can be useful, it does not touch your home folder, and this is often where a permissions snafu can result in a headache or two.

Your home folder needs a specific permissions setup, not only to ensure full and proper access by your account, but also for security to prevent other people on the system from accessing your private files. To ensure your account’s permissions are set up properly, you need to first strip any access control lists from the account, and then use Apple’s password utility to reset home folder permissions:

In Apple’s password reset tool, clicking this button will reset the selected account’s permissions to their defaults.

1. Strip ACLs from your account by running the following command in the Terminal:
2. Boot to Recovery mode by holding Command-R at startup.
3. After selecting your language and are at the Tools window, choose the “Reset Password” option from the Utilities menu, or if this is not available, choose Terminal and then run the command “resetpassword” (all one word).
4. In the password reset utility, select your hard drive, and then select your user account from the drop-down menu.
5. With your account selected, click the “button to reset home folder permissions and ACLs” at the bottom of the password reset tool’s window.

Find Library Folder Mac

This reset should only take a few moments at most to complete, and then you can reboot your system and log back into your account, to see if the changes have made a difference for whatever problem you have been experiencing.