MacOS – Accessing ~/Library in Open/Save dialogs

macos

Sometimes, I want to save a file somewhere in ~/Library/. I can think of two ways to do this: either go to it in Finder and drag the folder to the dialog, or use a tool such as Default Folder to make the folder a favorite.

Is there any way to navigate to ~/Library/ within a Save dialog on Lion without using a third-party app?

Best Answer

You have several options:

  1. Make the ~/Library directory permanently visible in Finder and add it to your favorites in the sidebar. Then you can simply click on it in the Open/Save dialog. To make the Library folder visible, type the following commands in the Terminal.

     chflags nohidden ~/Library

  2. You can navigate in a bash-like manner with tab completion. In the Open/Save dialog invoke Go to Folder... using:

    ⌘+⇧+G.

  3. You can show hidden files in the Open/Save dialog. This way you can navigate to your Library via a parent directory which is in your sidebar. To toggle hidden files press:

    ⌘+⇧+.

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