How to See All Files on Mac Hard Drive [Hidden Files/Folders Included]

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.

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.

Step 3. Select the file(s) and recover

Click the data to preview, and click the "Recover" button to have them back.

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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.

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.