How to Hide Files on Mac

Here’s one of the simplest ways to hide files on Mac:

1. Locate the file you want to hide in Finder.
2. Right-click the files, then choose Rename.
3. Add a period (.) to the beginning of the file name, then press Enter to save it.

Why you might want to hide files on Mac

We find that most users who are looking to make files invisible on Mac want to protect confidential documents, images, or other data from being seen by others. Another good reason to hide important files is to prevent them from being deleted accidentally.

A note from our experts: 

 

Did you know that temporary system files created by macOS, such as logs and caches, can contain sensitive personal information? We’ve found the quickest and most effective way to remove them from your machine is with MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup.

 

Here’s how to use it:

1. Install MacKeeper on your Mac.
2. When it opens, select Safe Cleanup, then click Start Scan.
3. Select the files you want to delete—we recommend choosing logs, caches, and Trash files—then click Clean Junk Files.

How to make files hidden on Mac

The easiest way to hide files on Mac is to add a period to their file name, like so:

1. Select the file you want to hide.
2. Press Enter to rename, then add a period to the beginning of its name.
3. Press Enter to save the change.

Other ways we can make files invisible on MacBook are:

1. Using Terminal commands to make files invisible
2. Hide files on Mac with shortcuts
3. Make files invisible on Mac with FileVault
4. Setting up user accounts and permissions
5. Using third-party apps for file hiding

1. Using Terminal to make files invisible

When you don’t want to delete a file on Mac but you do want to make it invisible so that others can’t see it, you can use a simple Terminal command. Try this:

1. Open Terminal from the Applications > Utilities folder.
2. Type the chflags hidden command, then press space.
3. Drag the file or folder you want to hide into Terminal, then press Enter to hide it.

Important advice from our team: Although this trick should hide your file immediately, we’ve noticed a Finder restart is sometimes required for the change to take effect. Our quick tip for restarting Finder is to hold down Option + Command, then click the Finder icon in the Dock.

2. Hide files on Mac with shortcuts

By default, Apple makes it so that hidden files are not visible in macOS, however, if you can still see them, our recommendation is to use this keyboard shortcut to toggle hidden files on and off:

1. Open Finder.
2. Press Shift + Command + period (.) on your keyboard.

Files and folders that you’ve previously made invisible should now disappear. By the way, you can use the same keyboard shortcut again to show the files again, which is handy if you want to know how to view hidden files on an SD card on Mac.

3. Make files invisible on Mac with FileVault

Every Mac comes with FileVault, a feature that encrypts all the data on your machine. FileVault can’t make files invisible to those who use the same account on your MacBook, but it’s incredibly effective at ensuring no one else can access your data without your login credentials.

Here’s how to enable it:

1. Open System Settings, select Privacy & Security, then click FileVault.
2. Select Turn On.
3. Enter your Mac’s password, then choose Unlock.
4. Choose whether you want to use your iCloud account to unlock the disk drive, then click Continue.

With FileVault enabled, all data on your Mac is encrypted. Even if someone else gets hold of your machine, they won’t be able to extract or recover any files or information from it without your username and password, so this is perfect if you want to password protect a folder on Mac.

4. Setting up user accounts and permissions

If you share a Mac with others, our recommendation is to make sure everyone has their own user account. This gives you a personal space where any files and folders you save are hidden from others.

Here’s how to set up user accounts and permissions:

1. In System Settings, select Users & Groups.
2. Click Add User then enter your Mac’s password to start creating an account for someone else.
3. Enter the necessary information for the new user, such as their name and account password, then click Create User.

Now, when your MacBook starts or you log out, you’ll see the new user on the Lock Screen. Other accounts will not have access to the files you have saved to your user, but they might be able to access some of your software, so it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with how to hide apps on Mac.

5. Using third-party apps for file hiding

If you’re struggling to manually make files invisible on Mac, our tip is to use third-party apps for file hiding instead. These take care of the hard work for you, so you don’t have to mess around with changing file names or using Terminal commands. Parallels is one great option for this, but others are available.

Before using third-party software, however, we advise you to check how the app hides your files, as not all work in the same way. While apps like Parallels hide files without moving them—in much the same way macOS hides them—others transfer the files into a separate “vault” that may be encrypted.

Conclusion

If you’re trying to protect your most important files and folders, or prevent others from seeing them on your Mac, there are many easy ways you can hide them. In addition to simply changing their file name, you can use Terminal commands, third-party apps and other tricks.

To remove system junk that can contain a wealth of personal information, use MacKeeper’s Safe Cleanup. It safely gets rid of old logs, caches, and Trash files that may include confidential data—and it can also delete things like unused language packs and Mail attachments to free up space.