Show hidden files in Mac OS X’s Finder

I wanted to delete some .svn folders that didn’t go away when I disconnected from a repository but couldn’t see them in Finder. So I needed to show hidden files. Here’s how to do it.

Open up Terminal

>> defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
>> killall Finder

Replace TRUE with FALSE to hide them again.

Posted in geekery at March 20th, 2008. Trackback URI: trackback
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  • Peter Jackson

    A semi-dangerous way to do it could also be the command line trickery:

    bash:TheosProject# find . -name .svn -exec rm -rf {} \;

    Be careful, tho. “find” coupled with “exec” can kick your butt if you aren’t paying attention.

  • Peter Jackson

    But the finder trick is useful too. :)