How To View A Mac's Library Folder

How To View A Mac's Library Folder 4,6/5 7994 votes

You may need to access content in the user Library folder to troubleshoot problems with your Adobe applications. The user Library folder is hidden by default in macOS X 10.7 and later releases. Use one of the following methods to make the user Library content visible.

  1. How To View A Mac's Library Folder In Windows 7
  2. How To View A Mac's Library Folder Mac
  3. How To View A Mac's Library Folder In Windows 10

Hold down the Alt (Option) key when using the Go menu. The user Library folder is listed below the current user's home directory.

How To View A Mac's Library Folder In Windows 7

Note: After you open the Library folder, you can drag the Library icon from the top of that window to the Dock, sidebar, or toolbar to make it readily accessible.

2020-3-31  On LifeHacker today, there is a post about an Applescript that unhides the Library folder on your Mac. I haven't tried it to verify it works, but there is a faster way to make the Library folder. Jul 21, 2017 As you can see from the image above, holding down the Option key while clicking on the Go menu in the Finder adds one item as seen on the right — the Library folder. Select that menu item and a window similar to the one seen below opens on the Mac screen: Contents of the /Library folder. Apple didn’t want us to see that folder — period! But if for some reason you NEEDED to get to the folder, there were a few other ways to get to it. I’m here today to let you know Apple has hidden a NEW way of unhiding the User Library folder, and I must say well done and hallelujah! How To: Unhide User Library Folder Mac OS 10.9 Mavericks.

For more information, explanations, and ideas, see 18 ways to view the ~/Library folder in Lion and Mountain Lion.

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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.

How To View A Mac's Library Folder Mac

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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.

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.

Select the files that you don't want anymore and tap Delete. If you delete files from the iCloud Drive folder on one device, they delete on your other devices too. iCloud Drive removes the files from every device that you're signed in to with the same Apple ID.When you delete a file from iCloud Drive or On My device, it goes into your Recently Deleted folder. Delete temp files. Tap Copy.You can also long press on a file, choose Move, and select which folder you want to copy it to.On iOS 12 or earlier, tap the file and choose Move. Under On My Device, choose a folder or tap New Folder to create a new one. Then, under On My device, choose Numbers, Keynote, or Pages, and tap Copy.

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.

Use multiple iTunes libraries on Mac. In the iTunes app on your Mac, choose iTunes Quit iTunes. Hold down the Option key while you open iTunes. In the window that appears, do one of the following: Create a new library: Click Create Library. Choose a different library: Click Choose Library. Moving itunes library to new computer.

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.

How To View A Mac's Library Folder In Windows 10

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.

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.