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View Hidden Files in Mac Open and Save Dialog Boxes

A simple keyboard trick shows you the secrets

By Tom Nelson Tom Nelson Writer Tom Nelson is an engineer, programmer, network manager, and computer network and systems designer who has written for Other World Computing,and others. Tom is also president of Coyote Moon, Inc., a Macintosh and Windows consulting firm. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 2, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Apple Macs iPad Apple hides certain files and folders on your Mac to prevent you from accidentally changing or deleting important data. When you need to modify one of those hidden files, you must reveal it in the Open or Save dialog boxes by pressing the Command+Shift+. (period) combo while the dialog is open.

Yosemite 10 10 and Earlier

A display bug with showing and hiding files in an Open or Save dialog box means that the keyboard shortcut doesn't work in the Finder's Column view mode in macOS Yosemite and earlier. The remaining Finder views (icon, list, cover flow) work fine for displaying hidden files.

El Capitan 10 11 and Later

The keyboard shortcut for showing hidden files in Open and Save dialog boxes works fine in El Capitan and later versions of macOS. However, there's one additional detail. Some Open and Save dialog boxes don't display all the icons for the Finder views in the dialog box toolbar. If you need to change to a different Finder view, try selecting the Sidebar icon (first one on the left) in the toolbar. This toggle should cause all the Finder view icons to become available.

The Invisible File Attribute

Using the Open or Save dialog box to view hidden files does not change the files' invisible attribute. You cannot use this keyboard shortcut to save a visible file as an invisible one, nor can you open an invisible file and then save it as a visible one. Whatever the files' visibility attribute was set to when you started working with the file is how the file remains. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Open the Emoji Keyboard on a Mac How to Show or Hide Hidden Files and Folders on Mac How to Modify the Mac Finder Sidebar How to Set Finder Views for Folders and Sub-Folders What Is a Hidden File & Why Are Some Files Hidden? How to Save Web Pages in the Opera Desktop Browser How to Delete Temporary Files in Windows View Hidden Files and Folders on Your Mac With Terminal How to Save an Outlook Email as a PDF How to Activate and Use Responsive Design Mode in Safari AHK File (What It Is and How to Open One) How to Save Web Pages in Internet Explorer 11 XAR File (What It Is and How to Open One) How to Modify Text Size in Internet Explorer How to Save Web Pages in Google Chrome How to Show or Hide Hidden Files and Folders in Windows Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies