Mac OS X 10.7 Lion hides the ~/Library directory by default. This is easy to reverse and
show Library all the time with a terminal command:
chflags nohidden ~/Library/
But for most users that simply isn’t necessary because they won’t be accessing the Library directory enough to make it worthwhile.
For quick and temporary access to your ~/Library/ directory that still retains it’s default hidden nature, try one of the following three tips:
Use “Go To Folder” and Open ~/Library/ Directly
All you need to do is hit Command+Shift+G from the Mac desktop (or Finder > Go > Go to Folder) and type in ~/Library to temporarily access the Library directory in the Finder. When you are done, close this window and it will no longer be visible.
Hold Option and Use the “Go” Menu to Show Library
Holding down the Option key will show the “Library” directory as an option in the Finders Go menu. The other nice thing about the Go menu is that after you have accessed ~/Library on multiple occasions, it will start to appear in the “Recent Folders” submenu for easy repeat access.
Access ~/Library from the Terminal
There are a few approaches to the Terminal access of ~/Library, one is to just manually manipulate the filesystem from the
command line:
cd ~/Library
You can then manipulate directories or do what what you want in here. If you’re not comfortable with that, you can also just use the ‘open’ command to access ~/Library in the Finder, via the Terminal:
open ~/Library/
Thanks to Fred who left that last tip in our comments.
The next time you hear someone who just upgraded to Lion frantically ask “Where did my Library folder go??” you can show them these tips.
Olny srmat poelpe can.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it denos’t mtater in waht oredr the ltetres in a wrod are, the olny iprnoatmt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the
rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on !!
Of course, it ought not to do any of that (opening it should first save it somewhere more reasonable), but that’s the way it works now. I have to get into Library a lot. If I remember, I either save then open, or I try to remember to save to a different folder, but I don’t always remember. I do manage to change the file name most times
Why hid Library in user folder and not in root?
Funter is a freeware Mac utility that can show and hide hidden and system files in Mac OS X, .including the user’s Library directory defaults to hiding on Mac OS X 10.7.
You can download it here:
http://nektony.com/funter