Library Folder On Mac Access

admin 10.04.2020

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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.

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.

Mar 12, 2020 Unhide the Library folder temporarily. If you just want to access the Library folder once or twice, you can use one of these two methods easily. Finder and the Option key. This first method of accessing the Library folder on Mac is the quickest and simplest. With Finder open, hold down your Option key while you click Go in the menu bar.
In this Tip's N Tricks article, I want to point out a very important tip for getting around one of Apple's more peculiar security precautions in Mac OS X Lion and Mountain Lion. By default, the User Library folder is hidden in Mac OS 10.7 and above. We'll cover a few different methods to easily access this hidden folder.
Mar 12, 2015 By default, the /Library folder is hidden on Mac. This is a folder that Apple feels you shouldn’t need access to most of the the time, but occasionally, you may need it for specific things. I use it often to view the preferences for the apps I have installed on my Mac. I also use it to access the Application Support folder, which as its name.
Before going ahead with the steps to Access the Hidden Library Folder on your Mac, you need to be aware that /Library Folder contains important Data and Files related to Mac User Accounts. Hence, make sure that you are accessing the Library Folder for a good reason and you do know as to what you are trying to achieve.

Prior to Mac OS X Lion's release back in 2011, if you wanted to access the Library folder you could just open your Home folder and view the Library folder there. That folder is still located in. Can't see user library files in macOS X 10.7 and later - Method 2 Hold down the Alt (Option) key when using the Go menu. The user Library folder is listed below the current user's home directory. Note: After you open the Library folder, you can drag the Library icon from the top of that window to.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

Your home folder contains many files and folders that apps on your Mac have permission to read or modify. If you use Get Info or other methods to change those permissions, you could experience issues such as these:

Changes that you make in System Preferences aren't saved after you quit System Preferences.
Changes that you make to the Dock aren't saved after you log out of your user account.
Windows that were open the last time you logged out or quit an app (before you changed permissions) open again after you log in or open the app.
You're asked for an administrator name and password when moving certain items in the home folder.
You repeatedly get a message that macOS needs to repair your Library to run applications.
When saving changes to an item, you get a message that the file is locked or you don't have permission to save.
Preview, TextEdit, or other sandboxed apps unexpectedly quit when opened.
You get an alert that the startup disk has no more space available for application memory.
Activity Monitor shows that Safari or SafariDAVClient is using a large amount of system resources.
Your Mac performs slowly.
iTunes says that your device cannot be synced.
Photos and videos that you import into Photos or iPhoto don't appear within the app, but do appear in Finder. Or your library needs to be updated or reselected each time you open Photos or iPhoto.

Reset permissions

If the issue started after changing the permissions of items in your home folder , use these steps to reset permissions.

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Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold Command (⌘)-R to start up from macOS Recovery.
You might be prompted to enter a password, such as a firmware password or the password of a user who is an administrator of this Mac. Enter the requested password to continue.
When you see the macOS Utilities window, choose Utilities > Terminal from the menu bar.
Type repairHomePermissions in the Terminal window, then press Return. The Repair Home app opens.
Select your user account, click Next, then enter your administrator password. Click Next unlock the volume and begin resetting permissions on your home directory.
When done, click Exit to return to the macOS Utilities window.
Select Reinstall macOS, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall macOS.

If the issue persists

If resetting permissions doesn't resolve the issue:

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Make sure that you have a backup of your Mac, then erase your startup disk.
When done, reinstall macOS.
After installation completes and your Mac restarts to the setup assistant, create a new user account using a different name than the one you were using before. Any difference in spelling is enough.
If you made a Time Machine backup, use Migration Assistant to restore all your files from the backup.