How to Hide Files and Folders using Terminal on Mac

macOS is the favorite choice for developers and coders, but it still lacks some basic and cool features like Turbo Boost, Light/Dark Mode toggle, and an easy way to hide files and folders. While you can easily hide files and folders in Windows, you will not find any simple toggle in macOS. But you can hide files and folders using Terminal on Mac. You can achieve this using simple terminal commands in macOS.

In this tutorial, we will be using chflags command to hide or unhide files and folders on macOS. This command is available in all versions of macOS, so, you don’t have to upgrade your Mac to the latest version of macOS. Let’s start with the steps.

SEE ALSO: How to Factory Reset your Mac and Install Clean copy of macOS?

A) Hide Files and Folders using Terminal on macOS

Step 1: Open Terminal on Mac

First of all, launch Terminal on your Mac. You search for the terminal in Spotlight to open Terminal. We will be using simple terminal commands to hide files and folders on Mac.

Open Terminal From Finder
Open Terminal on Mac

Step 2: Hide Files or Folders using Terminal

Now, type the following command in the terminal and press Enter.

chflags hidden <full path of file/folder>

Replace <full path of file/folder> with the actual path of the file or folder, you want to hide. You can also drag and drop the desired file/folder into the terminal after typing the chflags hidden command.

Type Command In Terminal And Press Enter To Hide Folder In Mac
Type the command in Terminal and press Enter

After you press Enter, your file/folder will be hidden. You can go to the path of the selected file/folder to verify.

NOTE: In the worst case, you might need to re-launch the Finder to make the file disappear. 


SEE ALSO: How to Manage Files Access of Apps in iOS 14?

B) View and Unhide Hidden Files and Folders on macOS

Accessing or un-hiding the hidden file/folder on macOS can be done the same way using the terminal.

Step 1: Enable View Hidden Files in Finder

To view hidden files or folders on your Mac, open the Terminal app and enter the following command:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -boolean true ; killall Finder

After you press enter, go to the path of the hidden file/folder. Here, you can see all of your hidden files and folders in Finder.

Show Hidden Files And Folders On Mac
View hidden files and folders on Mac

Step 2: Unhide Files or Folders on macOS

If you want to unhide the files or folders that you have hidden in the first section. Open the Terminal on your Mac and enter the following command. Make sure to press the Enter key after that.

chflags nohidden <full path of file/folder>

Replace <full path of file/folder> with the actual path of the hidden file/folder.

Unhide Hidden Files And Folders On Mac Using Chflags Command
Unhide hidden files and folders on Mac using Terminal

Now, you will be able to see your hidden files or folders in Finder again.


SEE ALSO: Check here the A to Z list of Windows CMD Commands.

Hide, View, and Unhide Files and Folders on Mac using Terminal

It’s pretty easy to hide or unhide files and folders in macOS using Terminal commands. But there is no graphical option or customization setting to make this easier. We hope Apple will include this feature in upcoming versions of macOS.

Hope you liked this tutorial. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below. You may also like to subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest tutorials directly into your inbox.

Editorial Staff

Hi there, we are the editorial staff at WINDOSPC (former HELLPC). We are a team of funny and technical people. Feel free to get in touch with us via Contact-Us page.

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