Show hidden files on Mac to open the Library folder

A support article tells you to delete an app's cache or trash a corrupt preference file in ~/Library — and that folder is nowhere in Finder. Apple hides your personal Library because most people never need it, but when an app misbehaves it's exactly where the fix lives. You can jump straight into it in two clicks, or flip on hidden files everywhere; here's both.

Open Library directly — the targeted way

If Library is all you're after, you don't have to reveal every hidden file on the disk. Finder has a shortcut built for exactly this.

1. Click the desktop or any Finder window so Finder is the active app.
2. Open the Go menu in the menu bar.
3. Hold down the Option (⌥) key — Library appears in the list between Home and Computer.
4. Click it to open ~/Library in a new window.

Inside you'll find the folders app fixes usually point to: Caches, Preferences (the .plist files), Application Support, and Containers. Prefer typing? Press Cmd+Shift+G in Finder, enter ~/Library, and hit Return to land in the same place.

Show every hidden file, when you need more than Library

Sometimes the fix involves hidden items outside Library — a stray dotfile in your home folder, say. To see all of them at once, use the toggle shortcut in any Finder window:

• Press Cmd+Shift+. (Command-Shift-Period). Hidden files and folders fade into view, shown slightly greyed out. Press it again to hide them.

It's instant, needs no Terminal, and is the right tool when you just want a quick look while you work on one problem.

Keep hidden files visible permanently

If you'll be in and out of Library repeatedly — troubleshooting over a few sessions — make the setting stick with a single command in Terminal.

# Always show hidden files in Finder
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true
killall Finder

The killall Finder line relaunches Finder so the change takes effect immediately — your windows reopen a second later. When you're done and want the tidy view back, reverse it:

# Go back to hiding them
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool false
killall Finder

This works the same on macOS 13 Ventura, 14 Sonoma, and 15 Sequoia. One more permanent option specifically for Library: open your Home folder, press Cmd+J for View Options, and tick Show Library Folder — that pins Library in place without unhiding anything else.

A word of care in Library

Everything in ~/Library belongs to apps, so change only what a specific fix names. Deleting a Caches folder is safe — apps rebuild caches automatically. Removing a Preferences .plist resets that app's settings to default, which is often the point. But don't clear out Library wholesale; treat it as a toolbox you reach into for one named part, then close again.

Where each app keeps its files

Modern apps split their data between Application Support and sandboxed Containers. If a fix mentions one and you're not sure which, our guide to the Library Containers folder on Mac explains what lives where.