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How to see all files on a Mac hard drive, including hidden files? This article will introduce effective ways to see all files on a Mac hard drive.
- Fix 1. See All Files on a Mac Hard Drive Using Software
- Fix 2. See Hidden Files on a Mac via Keyboard Shortcut
- Fix 3. See All Files on Your Mac Hard Drive with Finder
- Fix 4. Use Terminal Command to See All Files on a Mac Hard Drive
Many of you may have had the experience of macOS deleting files does not free up space. Why? The answer can divided into two situations.
The first is the deleted files are stored in the Trash, which does not permanently delete files on Mac. You should empty the Trash bin to free up your Mac hard drive storage space. And second, some large files are hidden in your Mac storage space, so you can't delete them.
Why are files hidden on your Mac hard drive? By default, these hidden files or folders are not shown in the Finder because they contain data vital to the smooth running of macOS, which should not be modified.
Imagine if these hidden files are displayed in the Finder window; it will be very confusing and may also cause an accidental deletion that leads to a misfunction of the macOS.
In the second case, we will tell you 4 ways to see all files on a Mac hard drive, including hidden files and folders. Check out!
Fix 1. See All Files on a Mac Hard Drive Using Software
To see all files on your Mac hard drive, you can find numerous ways, but the easiest way must be using software. We recommend you use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro, which can cut out the complicated process and directly scan all files on your hard disk, including hidden files and deleted recoverable files.
This powerful Mac hard drive recovery software is known for its high data recovery probability, super fast scanning speed, and simple and clean interface. It can scan and recover permanently deleted files on Mac. Download the EaseUS software on your Mac, and it can search for the existing, lost, hidden, and deleted files on the selected hard drive.
Besides, the EaseUS software can show hidden files on an external hard drive on a Mac or an internal hard drive. Once you accidentally delete files on your Mac hard drive, you can use this professional tool to retrieve them. Check out the following steps:
Step 1. Search for lost files
Select the disk location to search for lost files (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or an external hard drive) where you lost data and files. Click the "Search for lost files" button.
Note: Before data recovery, you'd better click "Disk Backup" from the left sidebar to create a backup of your HDD/SSD to avoid further data loss. After backing up, the software can recover data from your disk backup, and you can use the HDD or SSD again.
![Recover Data Step1](/images/en/screenshot/data-recovery-mac/products/recover-data-step1.png)
Step 2. Go through the scanning results
This software will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display pictures, documents, audio, videos, and emails on the left pane.
![Recover Data Step2](/images/en/screenshot/data-recovery-mac/products/recover-data-step2.png)
Step 3. Select the file(s) and recover
Click the data to preview, and click the "Recover" button to have them back.
![Recover Data Step3](/images/en/screenshot/data-recovery-mac/products/recover-data-step3.png)
Share this article on social media if it is informative to help others learn how to see all files on a Mac hard drive.
Fix 2. See Hidden Files on a Mac via Keyboard Shortcut
To see all files on your Mac hard drive, including the hidden ones, you can use the keyboard shortcut "Command + Shift + Dot(.)". Check out the following steps:
Step 1. Open "Finder" from the Mac Dock.
Step 2. Select the "Macintosh HD" folder on the left side of the Finder window.
Step 3. Press the keyboard shortcut "Command + Shift + Dot(.)" to show the hidden files and folders on your Macintosh HD.
This keyboard shortcut also works on other Mac hard drives and external hard drives.
Suppose you can't find the Macintosh HD in Finder, such as you deleting Macintosh HD; don't worry! Read this guide to fix the Macintosh HD not showing up error.
Macintosh HD not showing up in Finder
This article discusses 5 practical ways to fix Macintosh HD not showing up in Finder or Recovery Mode issue. Read more >>
Fix 3. See All Files on Your Mac Hard Drive with Finder
One of the Three Library folders is hidden on your Mac hard drive. Follow the steps below to see the hidden Library folder in Finder:
Step 1. Open "Finder" and select "Macintosh HD". (click to discover why macOS Sonoma Finder is not working).
Step 2. Click "Go" and press "Option" to see the hidden Library folder below the Home folder.
Step 3. Double-click the hidden Library folder to open it, and you can view the hidden files.
Fix 4. Use Terminal Command to See All Files on a Mac Hard Drive
Using the built-in program Mac Terminal can help you see all files on a Mac Hard drive, including hidden files and folders. Here are the steps:
Step 1. Open Terminal from "Applications > Utilities".
Step 2. Type the command behind in the Terminal window, and hit "Enter".
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE |
Step 3. Type the second command and hit the "Enter" key again.
killall Finder |
Step 4. Go to the Macintosh HD folder to see the hidden files and folders. If you want to rehide them after doing what you want, repeat the whole process again, but replace the "TRUE" with "FALSE" in the Terminal command.
Conclusion
This article introduces 4 effective ways to see all files on a Mac hard drive, including the hidden folders and files. You can download and install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro to quickly scan the Mac hard drive and display all the files.
See All Files on Mac Hard Drive FAQs
Take a look at the following questions to learn more about how to see all files on a Mac hard drive.
1. How do I see all files on my Mac drive?
Click items in the Finder sidebar to see your files, apps, downloads, and more. To show the hidden files and folders, press the keyboard shortcut "Command + Shift + Dot(.)".
2. How do I search my entire hard drive on a Mac?
The most direct shortcut is "Command + F", which opens Finder and searches your entire Mac for a word you enter. If you want to search for the hidden files, first use the keyboard shortcut "Command + Shift + Dot(.)" and then press "Command + F" to open the search box.
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Brithny is a technology enthusiast, aiming to make readers' tech lives easy and enjoyable. She loves exploring new technologies and writing technical how-to tips. In her spare time, she loves sharing things about her game experience on Facebook or Twitter.
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EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a powerful system recovery software, designed to enable you to recover files you’ve deleted accidentally, potentially lost to malware or an entire hard drive partition.
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EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the best we have seen. It's far from perfect, partly because today's advanced disk technology makes data-recovery more difficult than it was with the simpler technology of the past.
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EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro has a reputation as one of the best data recovery software programs on the market. It comes with a selection of advanced features, including partition recovery, formatted drive restoration, and corrupted file repair.
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