How To Get To Library On Mac
Apr 01, 2020 Designate a System Photo Library in Photos If you have multiple photo libraries on your Mac, you can choose one to be the System Photo Library. The System Photo Library is the only library that can be used with iCloud Photos, Shared Albums, and My Photo Stream.
- Where Is Library On Macbook
- How To Get To Library On Macbook Pro
- How To Get To Library On Mac Os
- How To Get To Library On Mac Sierra
- How To Get To Library On Mac El Capitan
Of the many files and folders that make up macOS Sierra, there’s probably none so important to maintaining the “personality” of your Mac than the ~/Library folder. Inside this folder are many subfolders that contain preference lists (“plists”), database files storing a variety of important information, and many other files that maintain the state of macOS and of the individual apps that run on a Mac. Thanks to the importance of this folder, it’s normally hidden from view. Today we’ll show you a few ways to view the ~/Library folder.
Warning: Don’t play with the ~/Library folder if you don’t need to!
Before we go any further, it’s time for a warning. Don’t throw away or change anything in the ~/Library folder unless you know what you’re doing. Deleting individual files or folders found within ~/Library can cause individual applications or the operating system to malfunction.
When would you want to poke around in ~/Library? Perhaps you’re gaining knowledge about macOS as a developer and want to know how the operating system stores information. Maybe you want to clean out the remnants of an app that you haven’t had on your Mac for several years. In any case, it’s best to remember what your parents told you when you were a kid and were in a place filled with expensive and breakable things — “Look, but don’t touch!”
Method One: Our Friend, the Option Key
The first and easiest way is to use a trick that gives many of the items in the macOS menu bar “super powers” — hold down the Option key while clicking on a menu. In this case, Option-clicking the Go menu in the Finder adds a new menu item — Library — that opens the ~/Library folder (see image below):
- Go to the Finder (or desktop). Hold the Option key on your keyboard, and click the Go menu at the top of the screen. With the Go menu open, you'll notice that pressing and releasing Option will display or hide the Library choice in this menu. Select Library from the Go menu (while holding down.
- 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 +.
As you can see from the image above, holding down the Option key while clicking on the Go menu in the Finder adds one item as seen on the right — the Library folder. Select that menu item and a window similar to the one seen below opens on the Mac screen:
Of these folders, Application Support is quite critical as it holds information for the current user’s apps. You’ll see many “.plist” files; these are XML (Extensible Markup Language) files that can be viewed on the Mac by simply highlighting the file and pressing the space bar to bring up a Quick Look. There are also a number of log files (text-based), temporary files, app plugins, and database files (.db or .sqlite) that are critical to storing settings and data in your favorite apps.
Method Two: Command-Shift-Period
The second method works from any open Finder window, and it uses the keyboard shortcut Command-Shift-. (that dot indicates the period key). This is a fun command, as it makes any hidden files or folders visible in the Finder. On the left in the image below you see my Home folder. Pressing Command-Shift-. makes hidden folders and files appear as shaded icons, shown on the right:
Pressing Command-Shift-Period makes hidden files and folders visible (right image)
Where Is Library On Macbook
See that Library folder in the center of the list on the right? Even though it is shaded, it can be double-clicked to open and view everything that’s in the folder. What’s more, some of the files that are not visible in the ~/Library folder when using Method One appear when using Method 2.
One other thing to note: Command-Shift-. makes these files and folders visible until the next time you use the command or reboot the Mac. If you’re poking around in the ~/Library folder on a Mac that other people may use without having their own logins, be sure to press Command-Shift-. one more time to set things back to hidden once you’re done. Note that Command-Shift-. also makes Library visible in the Finder Go menu without having to press the Option key…
Just remember, anything you change or delete in the ~/Library folder can affect how your Mac or individual applications work, so use these methods to just view hidden files or folders. Don’t delete the files or folders in ~/Library unless you know what you’re doing.
Perhaps, OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard could be the last Mac OS that allowed easy access to user library folder. Thereafter, we saw a number of Mac operating systems wherein accessing user library was a hard task forever the power users.
Fortunately, in newer Mac versions, the difficulty in accessing this folder has considerably reduced. Apart from its security and optimized storage features, mac Sierra – the latest macOS version, is not different from these mac versions.
What You’ll Get from This User Library Folder?
Well, it’s the place where Mac power users cannot skip or avoid. It’ll contain preferences, files, cache, application support data and much more. But, for an ordinary or casual user, it should say that there is no space for them.
Moving User Library Folder into Favorites in mac Sierra:
Method 1
How To Get To Library On Macbook Pro
1. Open your Finder Menu. Select Go -> Go to Folder.
2. A new Window “Go to Folder” will appear now. Enter “~/Library” in the text box (without quotes) and click Go.
3. Your hidden user library folder will be displayed now.
4. Locate the Library logo at the top of the window. Click it, drag and drop into favorites section. That’s it - your User Library will be permanently pinned into your favorites section from now onwards.
Method 2:
There’s always a second way – perhaps the easiest one. In this time, if you hold Option while opening Go menu in Finder, you’ll see the same Library option. From Mac Finder, if you press Command + Shift + L , you can immediately jump to this menu.
Method 3:
How To Get To Library On Mac Os
There’s a final method and it’s purely based on command lines. Open your Terminal and execute this command over there.
How To Get To Library On Mac Sierra
chflags nohidden ~/Library/
It'll make your hidden library folder into a public one.
How To Get To Library On Mac El Capitan
Note: All these methods also work in Mac versions El Capitan and Yosemite. If any of these methods are not working, let me know us by your valuable comments.
From the Finder View. Thanks.Completely by chance, I I discovered the User's Library is 'HIDDEN'!!! Once in there, I was able to use your valuable instructions.Search results in the Macintosh Finder do not return location of the User's Library or any sub folders within, for instance - the Firefox Folder or the Application Support. Once in there, I was able to use your valuable instructions.Search results in the Macintosh Finder do not return location of the User's Library or any sub folders within, for instance - the Firefox Folder or the Application Support. This renders your instructions as cryptic and confusing.If I may possibly suggest some inclusion in your instructions as to the location of the Users Library, it would be very helpful for the average user.Many thanks.