Where Are Library Files On Mac

  1. Where Are Library Files On Mac Drive
  2. Where Are Library Files On Mac Computer
  3. Access Library Folder Mac
  • Access Library Folder On Mac. The Library Folder on your Mac contains Preference Files, Caches, and Application Support Data. While regular Mac users may not find the need to access the Hidden Library Folder, advanced Mac users will at times come across the need to access files inside the Library Folder for troubleshooting and other purposes.
  • 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.
  • Mar 29, 2019 How to Find the Library Folder on a Mac. This wikiHow teaches you how to force your Mac's user 'Library' folder to show up in the Finder window. While the 'Library' folder is hidden by default, you can prompt it to appear both temporarily.
  • Oct 03, 2018 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.

In the Music app on your Mac, choose File Add To Library or File Import. If you selected “Copy files to Music Media folder when adding to library” in Files preferences, you see File Import. Locate a file or folder, then click Open. If you add a folder, all the files it contains are added to your library.

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.

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.

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.

Summary

Losing photos and Photos Library corrupting can really drive Mac users crazy. If you are facing such a problem, calm down and read this article. Follow methods on this page to repair your Photos Library and recover all lost photos with EaseUS data recovery software for Mac immediately.

Applies to all new macOS: 10.15 (Catalina), 10.14(Mojave), 10.13 (High Sierra), 10.12 and old Mac OS X like 10.11 (El Capitan), 10.9, etc.

The article provides full solutions to recover photos after Photos Library corruption and fix the corrupted Photos Library:

Workable SolutionsStep-by-step Troubleshooting
Part 1. Recover lost photos after Photos Library corruption

Fix 1. Restore lost photos with EaseUS Mac data recovery software in three steps..Full steps
Fix 2. Recover corrupted photos from Time Machine backup..Full steps

Part 2. Repair corrupted Photos Library

Step 1. Close Photo Library if it's opened.
Step 2. Relaunch Photo Library.
Step 3. Click 'Repair'..Full steps

Photos Library corrupted, help me restore my photos, please.

'Hi there, can anyone of you tell me how to restore my lost photos on Mac? The Photos Library corrupted suddenly. All my photos stored in the Photos Library all disappeared. System preferences mac os x. What can I do?

Please help me. And this is important for me to recover photos. Any solutions or suggestions are all welcomed.'

Where Are Library Files On Mac Drive

How many of you guys are facing Photos Library crash or corrupt problem and unable to restore photos? Here EaseUS software provides effective methods to prevent similar problems from happening again, follow to repair Photos Library and recover all photos on Mac immediately.

Tip: Back up photos in case of losing them

If you didn't lose photos, the best choice is to backup them first. When unexpected troubles happen to your photos, you'll still have the backups. Here we recommend you to use Time Machine to backup all important photos and other data on Mac:

1. Click Time Machine and choose Set Up Time Machine.

2. Click Select Backup Disk or select locations (an external storage device is preferable) back up photos, and then click Use for Backup.

You can also copy photos and files one by one and paste to another storage device where you want to store the backups. Be patient and careful while copying and pasting.

Part 1. Recover lost photos after photos library corruption

If photos lost due to Photos application or Photos Library corruption, you have two ways to restore the lost photos: 1. Restore lost photos with Mac data recovery software; 2. Retrieve Photos Library with photos from Times Machine backup.

Method 1. Restore lost photos with EaseUS Mac data recovery software

If you didn't create a backup of Photos Library in the Time Machine, you'll need Mac data recovery software to help. We recommend you try EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac which supports to recover photos from corrupted Photo Library and even worse situations.

Where Are Library Files On Mac Computer

Step 1. Select the location where your valuable photos were lost and click Scan button.

Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will start immediately a quick scan as well as a deep scan on your selected disk volume. Meanwhile, the scanning results will be presented in the left pane.

Step 3. By Path and Type, you can quickly filter the photos you've lost earlier. Select the target files and click Recover Now button to get them back at once.

Method 2. Restore corrupted Photos Library with photos from Time Machine backup

If you've created a backup of Photos Library with Time Machine, follow the steps below to restore Photos Library and all lost photos:

1. Connect Time Machine backup drive.

2. Click Time Machine in the Dock and enter Time Machine

3. Find backups - your photos then click Restore to recover lost photos.

Part 2. Repair corrupted Photos Library

If the Photos behaves unexpectedly or Photos Library corrupts, follow next steps to start repairing Photos Library with Photos library repair tool:

Step 1. Close Photo Library if it's opened.

Step 2. Relaunch Photo Library by holding Command + Option key.

Step 3. Click 'Repair' when the 'Repair Library' dialog pops up and ask whether you'd like to repair the library.

You might be asked to enter your account and password to authorize the library repair. And the Repair tool will analyze the database of Photos Library, repair detected errors.

If your Photos library is automatically updated with iCloud Photos, the entire contents of the library will re-updates with iCloud when the repair process completes.

Bonus Tip: Create a new Photos Library

The other alternative way to repair corrupted Photos Library is to create a new Photos Library on Mac. By doing so, you'll have your Photo Library back and reuse it to edit your photos again:

Access Library Folder Mac

Step 1. Hold the Option key and double-click the Photos icon in the Applications folder (or click the Photos icon in the Dock).

Files

Step 2. In the Choose Library dialogue, click Create New.

Step 3. Type a library name and choose a location to store the library. Click OK to confirm.