Mineral Area College students, faculty, and staff may request titles not available in our Library. Books generally arrive within 2 - 4 days. You will need your current MAC student ID with you in order to check out library materials. Jul 21, 2011 This is how to locate your library Folder on macOS & Mac OS X Code: /Library. This is how to locate your library Folder on macOS & Mac OS X Code: /Library. Show User Library Directory in Mac.
Learn how to access the hidden Library folder in your Home folder on your Mac so you can tweak app settings and access app files.
Inside the home folder on your Mac is a Library folder that stores app-specific files and settings, personal settings, and some data. The files and settings in the Library folder should be left alone for the most part. But, you may want to tweak the settings for an app, which may require accessing the Library folder. Or, maybe an app backs up data to the Library folder and you want to copy that to an external drive.
As of Mac OS X Lion (10.7), the Library folder in your home folder is hidden by default. That doesn’t mean you can’t get to it. It’s hidden so you don’t accidentally delete settings and data, damaging apps in the process. So, if you decide you want to access the Library folder, be very careful.
Today we’re going to cover different ways of accessing the hidden Library folder in your home folder and how to make it permanently available in Finder.
What is the Path to the Library Folder?
The Library in your home folder is written as ~/Library. The tilde (~) character is a shortcut for your home directory. For example, on my Mac, that would expand to /Users/lorikaufman/Library.
Access the Library Folder Using the Go to Folder Option
If you want to access the Library folder only occasionally, you can use the Go to Folder option in Finder.
Open Finder or just click on the desktop. Head to Go > Go to Folder, or hit Cmd + Shift + G.
Type:~/Library in the Go to the folder box on the dialog box and click Go or press Enter.
If you have one or more Finder windows open, the Library folder opens in the currently active window. If no Finder windows are open, a new one opens to the Library folder.
Access the Library Folder Using the Terminal
If you prefer using the command line, you can access the Library folder using the Terminal.
Go to Utilities > Terminal in the Applications folder. To access the Library folder directly in the Terminal, type:cd ~/Library at the prompt to switch to the Library folder.
You can type:ls at the prompt to get a detailed folder listing. You can work with the files in the Library folder directly on the command line. Just be careful.
You can also use the Terminal to open the Library folder in a Finder window. Type:open ~/Library at the prompt and hit Enter.
Access the Hidden Library Menu Option in Finder
The Library folder is available on the Go menu in Finder, but it doesn’t show on the menu by default.
Mac Library Directory
To temporarily show the Library option on the Go menu, open the menu and press the Option key. The Library folder shows up between Home and Computer on the Go menu. Keep the Option key pressed while you move your mouse down the menu and select Library.
If you’re using a Windows keyboard with your Mac, press the Alt key.
Show the Library Folder Permanently in Finder
If you access the Library folder often, you can permanently show the Library option on the Go menu and the Library folder in your Home folder.
Open Finder and head to your Home folder using the left pane or by pressing Cmd + Shift + H. Then, go to View > Show View Options, or hit Cmd + J.
A dialog box displays with options you can set for your Home folder. Check the Show Library Folder box at the bottom of the dialog box. The Library folder now shows up in your Home folder in Finder windows and the Library option becomes permanently available on the Go menu.
When you permanently show the Library folder in Finder, you can hit Cmd + Shift + L to open it in a Finder window, in addition to selecting the Library option on the Go menu.
Happy Tweaking, But Be Careful
The Library folder is hidden by default for a good reason. So, before tweaking settings and changing files in the Library folder, make sure you know what you’re doing.
See Library On Mac
The Library directories are where the system and your code store all of their related data and resources. In macOS, this directory can contain many different subdirectories, most of which are created automatically by the system. In iOS, the app installer creates only a few subdirectories in ~/Library (such as Caches and Preferences) and your app is responsible for creating all others.
Table A-1 lists some of the common subdirectories you might find in a Library directory in macOS along with the types of files that belong there. You should always use these directories for their intended purposes. For information about the directories your app should be using the most, see The Library Directory Stores App-Specific Files.
Subdirectory | Directory contents |
|---|---|
| Contains all app-specific data and support files. These are the files that your app creates and manages on behalf of the user and can include files that contain user data. By convention, all of these items should be put in a subdirectory whose name matches the bundle identifier of the app. For example, if your app is named MyApp and has the bundle identifier Resources required by the app to run must be placed inside the app bundle itself. |
| Contains programs that assist users in configuration or other tasks. |
| Contains audio plug-ins, loops, and device drivers. |
| Contains app-specific autosave data. |
| Contains cached data that can be regenerated as needed. Apps should never rely on the existence of cache files. Cache files should be placed in a directory whose name matches the bundle identifier of the app. By convention, apps should store cache files in a subdirectory whose name matches the bundle identifier of the app. For example, if your app is named MyApp and has the bundle identifier |
| Contains resources for picking colors according to a certain model, such as the HLS (Hue Angle, Saturation, Lightness) picker or RGB picker. |
| Contains ColorSync profiles and scripts. |
| Contains system bundles and extensions. |
| Contains the home directories for any sandboxed apps. (Available in the user domain only.) |
| Contains plug-ins for extending system-level contextual menus. |
| Contains data files with web browser cookies. |
| Contains data used by Xcode and other developer tools. |
| Contains language dictionaries for the spell checker. |
| Contains documentation files and Apple Help packages intended for the users and administrators of the computer. (Apple Help packages are located in the |
| Contains device drivers and other kernel extensions. |
| Contains aliases to frequently accessed folders, files, or websites. (Available in the user domain only.) |
| Contains font files for both display and printing. |
| Contains frameworks and shared libraries. The |
| Contains plug-ins, libraries, and filters for web-browser content. |
| Contains keyboard definitions. |
| Specifies the agent apps to launch and run for the current user. |
| Specifies the daemons to launch and run as root on the system. |
| Contains log files for the console and specific system services. Users can also view these logs using the Console app. |
| Contains the user’s mailboxes. (Available in the user domain only.) |
| Contains plug-ins for the System Preferences app. Developers should install their custom preference panes in the local domain. |
| Contains the user’s preferences. You should never create files in this directory yourself. To get or set preference values, you should always use the |
| In the system and local domains, this directory contains print drivers, PPD plug-ins, and libraries needed to configure printers. In the user domain, this directory contains the user’s available printer configurations. |
| Contains QuickLook plug-ins. If your app defines a QuickLook plug-in for viewing custom document types, install it in this directory (user or local domains only). |
| Contains QuickTime components and extensions. |
| Contains screen saver definitions. See Screen Saver Framework Reference for a description of the interfaces used to create screen saver plug-ins. |
| Contains scripts and scripting resources that extend the capabilities of AppleScript. |
| Contains system alert sounds. |
| (Deprecated) Contains system and third-party scripts and programs to be run at boot time. (See Daemons and Services Programming Guide for more information about starting up processes at boot time.) |
| Contains web server content. This directory contains the CGI scripts and webpages to be served. (Available in the local domain only.) |
What Is Library Directory Machine
Where Is Library On Mac
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