Home. How-To. How To: Unhide User Library Folder Mac OS 10.9 Mavericks In the past few versions of the Mac OS, Apple has taken to hiding the User Library folder. Whatever their reasons, Apple thought it best to hide that Library folder from everyone; regardless of your tech experience, or lack thereof. Mar 29, 2019 How to Find the Library Folder on a Mac. This wikiHow teaches you how to force your Mac's user 'Library' folder to show up in the Finder window. While the 'Library' folder is hidden by default, you can prompt it to appear both temporarily.
Problem to be Solved
Open Hidden Library In Mac
Dec 30, 2016 While most Mac users will never have to dig into their machine's usually hidden User Library folder, some may have to. Here's how to find it. Click the “View” menu and then click “View Options” Click the “Show Library Folder” option in the Settings options for the User. Jul 25, 2011 Change the hidden flag using AppleScript If you’re an old-school Mac user who prefers AppleScript to Terminal commands, open AppleScript Editor, type (all. To unhide your Library folder in macOS Sierra, launch Finder and navigate to your user Home folder (you can jump directly to your user folder by select Go Home from the Finder’s menu bar.
You’ve got a great backup of your OSX computer, and you need to get something back from the Library folder, say something in the Application Support subfolder. These instructions will show you how to do unhide the User Library folder on the external drive or even on a second Mac.
Credit goes to Steve Davidson for teaching me how to do this.
Let’s Start with a Remote Mac Because the Syntax is Simpler
On the remote Mac, enable Remote Login (https://www.podfeet.com/blog/how-to-set-up-a-mac-for-remote-login/) and use the ssh command to Secure Shell into the remote Mac. In this example, our local machien name is Podfeet-rMBP, and our remote Mac’s name is Core-i7-4.local.
I have the same user account on both but I used the allison@ the beginning to show you how to enter your user name if it’s different on the other Mac.
Note that the Library Folder is Not Visible
Here’s a screenshot of the remote Mac Core i7, and the Library folder is invisible.
Enter the chflags nohidden Command
User Library Folder is Now Visible on the Remote Mac
Next Let’s Repeat This On An External Volume
My backup drive has a nice long annoying name “Core i7 backup 2011 03 03”. As you can see I have a backup of my home (allison) directory but I can’t see the Library folder.
Repeat the chflags Command
In this case we have the same command but we have to navigate first to Volumes, then to the specific backup drive name (with those annoying spaces replaced with and space) and then to the user directory and then Library.
Show User Library Mac
To be honest it might be easier to change the name of the volume not to have spaces than it is to type it this way!
Or you could use quotes like this:
Now Your Library is Visible on Your Backup Volume
Viewing Hidden User Library On Mac Pc
Important note – you only have to do this one time, every time you connect your external drive the Library will be visible.