How to hide files and folders in macOS

When you set a new MAC, you are told to keep it blocked with a password, a tactile identification and / or an Apple Watch authorization. But you cannot guarantee that your macOS system is only seen by you and you alone. Maybe your children want to borrow your macbook to play a game or want to show a friend the photos and videos of your last trip. How do you prevent them from accidentally opening folders or files that you want to keep private?

These scenarios are where hidden files and folders come into play. They will not appear in Finder during regular system navigation, and with the help of a third -party program, it can also block them behind a password.

There are some ways to hide files and folders using tools that come with macOS. But before doing any of these, you want to see the files currently hidden. Press SHIFT+CMD+. (Period) in Finder. Any hidden folder and file names will appear as faded but visible.

Then, to hide any other folder or file, you can simply add a period to the beginning of your name:

Like other hidden files, the renowned file or folder will appear faded but it will still be visible. To hide them all, press SHIFT+CMD+. On the keyboard again.

To discourage them, you just need to change the name of the files and folders again without the period, although you must restart to see to see the difference. Open the terminal utility, enter “Killall Finder” and then hits Get into.

You can also hide and unhide files and folders through the terminal interface if you do not want to change the name of the periods. You can launch a terminal looking for it on Spotlight (Cmd+space) or through Utilities folder in Applications In search engine.

To discourage a file, repeat the steps with the Chflags Nohydden domain. You may need the SHIFT+CMD+. Shortcut to make the file or folder visible so that it can drag it.

This is relatively fast and easy, but not everything so sure: anyone who knows the SHIFT+CMD+. The shortcut can see your hidden files. If you need a more complete file concealment option, you should move to a third -party tool.

Use of third -party software

Threatening It is free and very well designed, but essentially does the same work as the terminal and search engine shortcuts, although in a more pleasant interface that is conveniently close to the hand. Live in the menu bar at the top of the macOS interface, and you can use it to show or hide hidden files through a simple lever switch. You can also search for hidden files, which can be useful if you have hidden files and forgotten in which part of your system you have put them.

If you want to block certain files and folders in macOS, so that they cannot be seen without a password, then Encryption It is the best option I have found. It is free to install and use, and it could not be much simpler:

Then you will get a second encrypted file, with the folder or the files blocked inside it, which can save any place you want in your system. ICRYPTO also includes easy exchange options if you need to send these files or folders to another person.

To recover the data you have blocked, double click on the encrypted file you have created. The password will be requested, which then decipher the hidden files and allow you to save them where you want again.

For additional privacy, you can create a file encryption box with encrypto, then hide it using the options integrated in Finder or Terminal. Even if someone will encounter the hidden package, he will not be able to enter it without the password.