Mac Sierra No Library Folder
Of the many files and folders that make up macOS Sierra, there’s probably none so important to maintaining the “personality” of your Mac than the ~/Library folder. Inside this folder are many subfolders that contain preference lists (“plists”), database files storing a variety of important information, and many other files that maintain the state of macOS and of the individual apps that run on a Mac. Thanks to the importance of this folder, it’s normally hidden from view. Today we’ll show you a few ways to view the ~/Library folder.
Warning: Don’t play with the ~/Library folder if you don’t need to!
Before we go any further, it’s time for a warning. Don’t throw away or change anything in the ~/Library folder unless you know what you’re doing. Deleting individual files or folders found within ~/Library can cause individual applications or the operating system to malfunction.
- Jul 21, 2011 This is how to locate your library Folder on macOS & Mac OS X Code: /Library. How To Find Library Folder On Mac OS X - Mac Tutorial - Duration: 2:20. Dusty Porter 92,868 views.
- Jun 10, 2015 How to View and Access the “Library” Folder in OS X By Shujaa Imran – Posted on Jun 10, 2015 Jun 9, 2015 in Mac On your Mac there is a Library folder present inside your Home Folder.
When would you want to poke around in ~/Library? Perhaps you’re gaining knowledge about macOS as a developer and want to know how the operating system stores information. Maybe you want to clean out the remnants of an app that you haven’t had on your Mac for several years. In any case, it’s best to remember what your parents told you when you were a kid and were in a place filled with expensive and breakable things — “Look, but don’t touch!”
Find photo library on mac. Dec 20, 2018 To show the Path Bar, select Finder View Show Path Bar (or press Option+Command+P) To show the Sidebar, select Finder View Show Sidebar (or Option+Command+S) Show User Library in OS X and earlier versions of macOS Sierra. Jan 12, 2020 How to Make the Library Visible Permanently Apple hides the Library folder by setting a file system flag associated with the folder. You can toggle the visibility flag for any folder on your Mac; Apple just chose to set the Library folder's visibility flag to. May 30, 2019 Despite the fact that Apple keeps the Mac Library folder hidden from users, it’s good to learn how to show the Library folder on Mac. You may need to access the Library folder when you need to clear cache, remove the app’s leftovers, edit preference files manually, etc. Oct 03, 2018 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. Clicking on the Library Menu option will take you straight to the Library Folder on your Mac. Access Library Folder On Mac Using “Go to Folder” Option Another way to access the Library Folder on your Mac is by using the Folder Option on your Mac.
Mar 19, 2020 There is no Library folder in the Home directory I am looking at. What a colossal waste of time. New Question split by moderator from this answered question. The moderator supplied the question title. The original asker can modify the title by editing the question. Your moderator will not be offended if this is done. May 30, 2019 Despite the fact that Apple keeps the Mac Library folder hidden from users, it’s good to learn how to show the Library folder on Mac. You may need to access the Library folder when you need to clear cache, remove the app’s leftovers, edit preference files manually, etc. Oct 03, 2018 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.
Method One: Our Friend, the Option Key
The first and easiest way is to use a trick that gives many of the items in the macOS menu bar “super powers” — hold down the Option key while clicking on a menu. In this case, Option-clicking the Go menu in the Finder adds a new menu item — Library — that opens the ~/Library folder (see image below):
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:
Of these folders, Application Support is quite critical as it holds information for the current user’s apps. You’ll see many “.plist” files; these are XML (Extensible Markup Language) files that can be viewed on the Mac by simply highlighting the file and pressing the space bar to bring up a Quick Look. There are also a number of log files (text-based), temporary files, app plugins, and database files (.db or .sqlite) that are critical to storing settings and data in your favorite apps.
Method Two: Command-Shift-Period
The second method works from any open Finder window, and it uses the keyboard shortcut Command-Shift-. (that dot indicates the period key). This is a fun command, as it makes any hidden files or folders visible in the Finder. On the left in the image below you see my Home folder. Pressing Command-Shift-. makes hidden folders and files appear as shaded icons, shown on the right:
Pressing Command-Shift-Period makes hidden files and folders visible (right image)
See that Library folder in the center of the list on the right? Even though it is shaded, it can be double-clicked to open and view everything that’s in the folder. What’s more, some of the files that are not visible in the ~/Library folder when using Method One appear when using Method 2.
Mac Sierra No Library Folder Settings
One other thing to note: Command-Shift-. makes these files and folders visible until the next time you use the command or reboot the Mac. If you’re poking around in the ~/Library folder on a Mac that other people may use without having their own logins, be sure to press Command-Shift-. one more time to set things back to hidden once you’re done. Note that Command-Shift-. also makes Library visible in the Finder Go menu without having to press the Option key…
Just remember, anything you change or delete in the ~/Library folder can affect how your Mac or individual applications work, so use these methods to just view hidden files or folders. Don’t delete the files or folders in ~/Library unless you know what you’re doing.
While many Mac users may never need to access their User Library folder while running macOS Sierra — some advanced users, may need to get in there and access support data and such when troubleshooting. The folder is hidden by default in macOS Sierra, but it only take a few moments to access it, or make it so that the folder is always visible.
Before we begin, we want to say that it’s usually a good idea to leave things in the users ~/Library folder alone, unless directed to by support personnel. The folder contains caches, application support data, and preference files, and if you screw around in there too much, you could really screw things up. We DO NOT recommend it. Now that our butts are covered, here’s how to find and display your User Library folder.
Opening the User Library Folder in macOS Sierra
If you just need to access the user ~/Library folder on occasion, you can get into it by using the Finder “Go” menu.
- From the Finder in macOS, (Click anywhere on the Desktop where there isn’t already an app window, and you should see “Finder” appear in the upper left hand corner of your display, up near the Apple icon), click the “Go” menu item, and then hold down the SHIFT key on your Mac’s keyboard.
- Click on “Library” in the drop-down list. (If you release the SHIFT key, the “Library” option will disappear from the menu. Now you see it, now you don’t.)
If you’re not much of a mouser, you can just hit the key combo of Command + Shift + L, and a Finder window will appear showing the ~/Library directory of the active user account.
Always Show the User Library Folder in macOS Sierra
If you are an advanced user, you might want to always display the user ~/Library folder in your user Home directory. It just takes a few clicks to enable this option.
- In Finder, go to the Users’ home folder
- Click the “View” menu and then click “View Options”
- Click the “Show Library Folder” option in the Settings options for the User home folder, as shown below.
Following the above steps will change the settings for only the current user. Any other users will also have to follow the above steps while logged into the machine.
These steps also work with Mac OS X El Capitan and Yosemite. In earlier versions of OS X, a command line entry was required to perform the same magic.
2020-3-31 How to Unhide and Make Library Folder Visible in macOS Sierra. The Library folder for the users on a Mac is always hidden as Apple just doesn’t want you to access it as it thinks you don’t need access to it. However, macOS does provide an option to see this folder and access its contents, but you should only do that if you know what. 2020-4-3 Or you might be customising your Mac, which will need access to certain library folders. Here is how to get there and not cause your Mac to collapse in a cloud of dust in the process. What Is The Library Folder On MacOS? The library folder is the area of. Hidden library folder mac sierra. 2020-1-11 Here’s how to enable the hidden Library folder on your Mac running macOS Sierra, OS X El Capitan or OS X Yosemite. Most users will prefer to only interact with parts of Apple’s Mac platform that the company has deemed important and needed enough to actually expose to each user. The user library folder in Mac OS is usually hidden. If you are on mac OS Sierra, Mac OS High Sierra and Mac OS Mojave, you will not be able to see the library. But when you come across the need to access this folder, you will start wondering how to find library on Mac. We will let you know about the steps that you have to follow in order to.
Mac Sierra No Library Folder Search
(Thanks to OS X Daily)