[3 Steps] How to Show Hidden Files on External Hard Drive/Mac – Qiling  

How to Show Hidden Files on Mac


"I got some important files saved on my Mac disk and I hide them on the computer so to avoid accidental deletion. Now I want to use some of these hidden files. So do you have a simple way that can help me to view, see, and find hidden files on my Mac?"

Recently we got a question from a user whether it is possible to find hidden files on a Mac hard drive. The answer is YES. You can just follow the provided methods to show the hidden files on your Mac computer or hard disk, external storage devices.

Workable Solutions Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Show Hidden Files With Finder Open a new Finder window > click on the name of your Mac under "Devices" > click on System...Full steps
Fix 2. View Hidden Files With Terminal Open Terminal > Copy and paste the command into the Terminal window...Full steps
Fix 3. Restore Disappeared Files With Software Download Qiling file recovery software for Mac > Choose a drive to scan > preview and recover...Full steps

If you are a Windows user, refer to recover hidden files on PC to make hidden files show up on your Windows computer.

Method 1. Show Hidden Files using Keyboard Shortcut

This method shows you how to use the Mac keyboard to quickly find hidden files. Here are the detailed steps.

Step 1. Open a new Finder window and click on the name of your Mac under "Devices" in the sidebar.

Step 2. Click on System, and press Command (⌘) + Shift + . to reveal or hide hidden folders in the Finder.

Step 3. To rehide hidden folders, press Command + Shift + . again.

show mac hidden files with finder

Method 2. View Hidden Files and Folder on Mac With Terminal

Besides using the keyboard shortcut, you can also use the Terminal command-line interface to view hidden files and folders on Mac. Here's how to do it:

Step 1. Open Terminal application from Launchpad.

Step 2. Copy and paste the following command into the Terminal window:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true

Step 3. Restart Finder with a command: killall Finder.

Then you'll be able to see all hidden files and folders in the Finder.

Show hidden files on Mac with Terminal.

Method 3. Restore Disappeared Files With Mac File Recovery Software

In some other cases, the files got hidden due to virus attack or OS fault. Under these circumstances, you might need help from third-party data recovery software to get back your files. Here we recommend Deep Data Recovery for Mac. This tool enables you to find and restore all hidden files on Mac computer or external storage devices. Here are some amazing features of Deep Data Recovery.

As mentioned before, this method does not require any specific knowledge and can be used by both experienced and novice Mac users. If you have lost files on your Mac, download and install this software and have a try.

Note: If your hidden files are less than 2GB, Deep Data Recovery for Mac Free Edition can help. You don't need to pay anything with this free file recovery software.

Step 1. Launch Deep Data Recovery. Select file types and click "Next" to start.

Select file types that you want to recover

Step 1. Select the disk location (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device) where you lost data and files. Click the "Scan" button.

select a partition and click scan

Step 2. Deep Data Recovery for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.

click recover now button to recover lost data

Step 3. In the scan results, select the file(s) and click the "Recover" button to have them back.

Why Do Files Suddenly Disappear on Mac?

Sometimes users find their Mac files got disappeared but usually they don't know the reason. Here we list the most common reasons that would lead to file disappear on the Mac or external hard drive.

1. Accidental Deletion.

Sometimes you might delete your files without notice. Generally, if you haven't emptied the Trash bin, you can find and recover the disappeared files from it.

2. Hidden by the System.

In some cases, files are hidden by the operating system, so you can't see them on the external hard drive. It could be that you accidentally hide files, or the system hides sensitive files by default to keep things simple.

3. File System Error.

Files are not showing in an external hard drive because the disk's file system is corrupted. As a result, the computer system fails to access the entries to your files or show these files.

4. Virus Attack.

Your Mac or external hard drive might be infected by a virus or attacked by malware that would hide, delete, or encrypt the files on the drive.

Conclusion

Here are all about how to show hidden files on Mac. No matter your files are lost or hidden by the system, you can find a way in this guide to get back your files. Please remember to be careful with hidden files. If you are not sure what you are doing, you can cause some serious damage pretty quickly.

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