Mac Os X Go To Library Folder
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.
The network library, /Network/Library would store settings shared by all computers in a network domain - if a network domain admin set one up, which nobody does anymore; The system library, /System/Library, stores the base settings, resources, etc that come with OS X. In theory, you shouldn't change anything in here. Oct 03, 2018 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 +. 2019-10-16 Though The Sims 4 doesn’t support Origin cloud storage, transferring your save files between the PC and Mac versions of the game is easy. On your PC, first open My Computer and go to the Documents folder. Go to Electronic Arts, then The Sims 4 folder. Find and copy the entire saves folder from The Sims 4 folder onto a flash drive. Access Your Hidden Library Folder With These Five Easy Tricks Tuesday, March 21st, 2017 Author: Tom Nelson. The Mac OS is chock full of hidden areas where data, information, or features have been secreted away from Mac users.
- 2020-3-23 In your Home directory, you have a folder called Library. It’s a useful folder, chock full of files that can get you out of jam or customize your Mac in ways that would otherwise not be possible.
- 2020-2-25 This article is about the Mac OS X folder. For the Classic Mac OS equivalent, see System Folder.; The System folder in Mac OS X contains part of the System software. Some other portions are stored in the Library folder in the root level of the system. As of Mac OS X, the System folder can no longer be modified at will, but can be accessed (read) by anyone who can see the folder.
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.
Mac Os X Go To Library Folder In Windows 10
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.
May 30, 2019 Get the Library folder – Way 1. Open Finder window. Click Go in a Menu Bar → select Go to Folder. Or use the Cmd+Shift+G key shortcut. Type /Library and click Go in a dialog window. The required Mac Library folder will be shown. Dec 20, 2018 So here’s how I got my user library in macOS to show-up permanently in my user folder. First, go to Finder and select Finder Preferences (or use Command+Comma). Choose Sidebar from the top list of tabs (General, Tabs, Sidebar, Advanced). Under Favorites, tick the checkbox next to your user. Sep 27, 2016 Alternatively, you can press Command+J on your keyboard. The View Options window will pop up. Make sure “Show Library Folder” is checked. Close the window, and the Library folder will be revealed. The Library folder is no longer hidden, and will stay visible until you change this setting back. Jan 12, 2020 How to Make the Library Visible Permanently. Launch Terminal, located in /Applications/Utilities. Enter the following command at the Terminal prompt: Press Return. Once the command executes, you can quit Terminal. The Library folder will now be visible in the Finder. Should you ever wish to set. Mac how to find library.
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.
The invisible Library subfolder of your Home folder is the repository of everything that OS X needs to customize your Mac to your tastes. If you want to add something to a Library folder, it’s usually best to add it to your Home/Library folder.
You won’t spend much time (if any) adding things to the Library folder or moving them around within it, and that’s probably why it’s now hidden from sight. Still, it’s a good idea for you to know what’s in your Home/Library.
The public Library folder is used to specify preferences for all users on this Mac. This Library folder, however, is all about you and your stuff.
Be cautious with all Library folders. OS X is very persnickety about how the folders and files within it are organized. You can add items to and remove items safely from most public or Home Library folders, but leave the folders themselves alone. If you remove or rename the wrong folder, you could render OS X inoperable.
It’s like the old joke about the guy who said to the doctor, “It hurts when I do that,” and the doctor replies, “Then don’t do that.”
Folder Marker Missing
To find your hidden Home/Library folder, do this:
Hold down the Option key on your keyboard.
Click the Go menu.
The (formerly) invisible Library folder appears in the Go menu as long as the Option key is pressed.
Select Library and release the mouse button.
You should see several folders in the Home/Library folder; the exact number depends on the software that you install on your Mac. You probably have folders called Mail, Safari, Logs, and Preferences, for example.
If you don’t want to have to do this dance every time you want to open your Home/Library, select your Home folder in the Finder and choose View→Show View Options (or press Command+J). Enable the Show Library Folder check box and your Home Library will be visible evermore (or at least until you deselect the check box).
Some of the most important standard folders in the Library folder include the following:
Application Support: Some applications store their support files here; others store theirs in the main (root-level) public Library folder.
Fonts: This folder is empty until you install your own fonts here. The easiest way to install a font is to double-click its icon and let the Font Book utility handle it for you. Here’s how to install a font manually:
To install a font that only you can use: Drag the font file’s icon to the Fonts folder in your Home/Library. The font is available only to this user account (because other users can’t use fonts stored in yourHome/Library folder).
To install a font for all users of this Mac: Drag the font file’s icon into the Fonts folder in the public Library folder — the one at root level that you see when you open your hard drive’s icon.
Preferences: The files here hold the information about whichever things you customize in OS X or in the applications you run. Whenever you change a system or application preference, that info is saved to a file in the Preferences folder.
Don’t mess with the Preferences folder! You should never need to open or use this folder unless something bad happens — say, you suspect that a particular preferences file has become corrupted (that is, damaged). Just forget that you know about this folder and let it do its job.
If you don’t know why you’re doing something to a folder (other than the Fonts folder) in your Home/Library, don’t do it. There must be some good reasons why Apple decided to hide the Home/Library folder in OS X Yosemite, and one of them is to keep you from accidentally screwing something up.