everyday mac tools

The Library folder is missing on a Mac: how to open it

· 6 min read

The Library folder in your home folder is not missing. macOS hides it so that nobody deletes an app’s data by accident. The quickest way in: click the desktop so Finder is in front, open the Go menu, hold the Option key, and Library appears in the list. Or press Shift-Command-G, type ~/Library and press Return.

Either route takes a few seconds. The rest of this guide covers which Library folder you actually want, how to keep it visible for good, and how to change things inside without breaking an app.

Which Library folder you are looking for

A Mac has three, and instructions rarely say which one they mean.

  • ~/Library is yours. It sits in your home folder, holds your settings and app data, and is hidden by default. The tilde is shorthand for your home folder.
  • /Library sits at the top level of the startup disk and is visible. It holds support files shared by every account on the Mac.
  • /System/Library belongs to macOS itself. It lives on a sealed, read-only system volume, and nothing in it needs your attention.

When a support article says “go to Library, Application Support” or “delete the file in Library, Preferences” without further detail, it almost always means the hidden one in your home folder.

Five ways to open it

Hold Option in the Go menu

  1. Click the desktop or the Finder icon in the Dock so that Finder is the active app.
  2. Open the Go menu in the menu bar.
  3. Hold Option. Library appears just below Home.
  4. Click it.

Use Go to Folder

Press Shift-Command-G in Finder, type ~/Library and press Return. You can go deeper in one step, for example ~/Library/Application Support. Finder suggests matches as you type, and Tab accepts a suggestion.

The same shortcut works inside Open and Save dialogs, which helps when an app asks you to choose a file that lives in the Library. Find a file fast in the Open or upload dialog on a Mac has more on that.

Show it permanently

  1. Open your home folder: choose Go, then Home, or press Shift-Command-H.
  2. Choose View, then Show View Options, or press Command-J.
  3. Tick Show Library Folder.

The checkbox appears only when the home folder itself is the window in front. If you do not see it, you are probably inside a subfolder such as Documents. Once ticked, Library sits in your home folder like any other folder.

Show every hidden file

Press Shift-Command-Period in Finder. Hidden items, Library included, appear dimmed. Press it again to hide them. This reveals a great deal more than the Library, so it is better as a temporary look than a permanent state. Show hidden files in Finder, and hide them again covers what all those extra items are.

Use Terminal

To open the folder once:

open ~/Library

To remove the hidden flag so it stays visible in Finder:

chflags nohidden ~/Library

chflags hidden ~/Library reverses it. A major macOS update can switch the folder back to hidden, whichever method you used. If the Library vanishes again after an upgrade, nothing is wrong; repeat the step. Mac settings that revert after a macOS update lists other settings that behave this way.

What is inside, and what you probably came for

Most visits to the Library are for one of a handful of folders.

Rules before you change anything

The Library is hidden because mistakes here are quiet: an app loses its settings, or its data, and nothing tells you why. A few habits keep you safe.

  1. Quit the app first. An app that is running will rewrite its files, or get confused when they vanish.
  2. Move, do not delete. Drag the file or folder to the Desktop, reopen the app and test. If everything is fine after a few days, put it in the Trash.
  3. Have a backup. A current Time Machine backup turns a mistake into a short restore.
  4. Leave the top level alone. Never rename, move or remove the Library folder itself or the folders directly inside it.
  5. Identify before you remove. If you cannot tell which app a folder belongs to, What is this folder on my Mac? Finding the app that made it shows how to work it out.

If Terminal answers “Operation not permitted” when you look inside folders such as Mail or Messages, that is macOS privacy protection, not a fault. Full Disk Access on a Mac explains what is going on.

Finding one file in the Library without browsing

Browsing works when you know the folder. When you only know the app’s name, search is faster, but a normal Finder search leaves most of the Library out. To include it, start a search in Finder, click the plus button under the search field, choose Other from the first menu, select System files, and set it to are included.

Everywhere takes a different approach. It catalogs every file on the Mac once, the Library folders included, and then answers as you type. Type part of an app’s name followed by path:Library and every matching file and folder is listed; Command-Return reveals the selected one in Finder. It searches names and paths, not the contents of files, and it asks for Full Disk Access so it can see everything. It is a one-time purchase with a free day to try it.

If what you want is hidden files visible in Finder as a standing setting, Mainspring offers show hidden files as a one-click power-up that flips back just as easily.

Questions

Did a macOS update delete my Library folder? No. Updates sometimes reset its visibility, so a folder you had made visible is hidden again. Your data is untouched. Use the Go menu with Option held, or tick Show Library Folder again.

Is it safe to delete the whole Library folder to start fresh? No. It holds your mail, messages, saved passwords, app settings and much else, and your account would not work properly without it. To reset one app, move only that app’s files, following the rules above.

Why is there no folder for my app in Application Support? The app is probably sandboxed. Its data then lives in ~/Library/Containers, in a folder named after the app or its identifier, not in Application Support.