How to Hide Folders in Mac OS X

Hiding existing folders is fairly easy:

  • Launch the Terminal, found in /Applications/Utilities/ or from Launchpad
  • Type the following command:

    • chflags hidden /path/to/folder/

  • When finished, close out of Terminal

For example, to hide a folder in my home directory named “Secrets” the command would be:
chflags hidden ~/Secrets/

Unhiding the Folder in Mac OS X

If you no longer want the folder to be hidden anymore, here’s what to do:

  • As before, launch the Terminal application
  • Enter the following command:

    • chflags nohidden /path/to/folder/

  • Close the Terminal

As an example, to unhide a folder on the users desktop named “Secret Folder” the command would be:
chflags nohidden ~/Desktop/Secret Folder/