Apple apps such as QuickTime Player, Photos, and Keynote work with many kinds of audio and video formats. Some apps prefer specific formats, but QuickTime movie files (.mov), most MPEG files (.mp4, .m4v, .m4a, .mp3, .mpg), some AVI and WAV files, and many other formats usually work in most apps without additional software.
In Mac OS X v10.6 and newer, since the QuickTime X (QT Player v10.x) AVFoundation playback structure no longer posses an open codec architecture for 3rd party plugins or components installation, you can't drop AVI files that aren't encoded as Mjpeg video with PCM onto QuickTime X player for direct playback. Open AVI file on Mac Click the play button, and start to watch your AVI movie imported. If you want to watch another one when playing one movie with this video player, you can drag the second one to replace the first one and start your new watching. Look at the toolbar on the top menu.
Older or specialized media formats might not work in your app, because the format requires software designed to support it. If that happens, your app won't open the file or won't play back its audio or video.
How to search for an app that works with your file
You might already have an app that supports the format of your file. If you don't know which of your installed apps to try, your Mac might be able to suggest one:
- Control-click (or right-click) the file in the Finder.
- From the shortcut menu that opens, choose Open With. You should see a submenu listing all of the other installed apps that your Mac thinks might be able to open the file.
If none of your installed apps can open the file, search the Internet or Mac App Store for apps that can play or convert the file:
- Include the name of the media format in your search. To find the format, select the file and press Command-I to open an Info window. The format might appear after the label Kind, such as ”Kind: Matroska Video File.”
- Include the filename extension in your search. The extension is the letters shown at the end of the file's name, such as .avi,.wmv, or .mkv.
Learn more
- QuickTime Player (version 10.0 and later) in OS X Mavericks through macOS Mojave converts legacy media files that use certain older or third-party compression formats.
- Learn about incompatible media in Final Cut Pro and iMovie.
Many files and folders are hidden on a Mac. There’s a good reason for this: Hiding files and folders prevents users from accidentally damaging the operating system. Nevertheless, sometimes you may need to access these files and folders. We’ll show you various options for viewing hidden files and folders on a Mac. However, use extreme caution: If you change or damage system files, it can have serious consequences for your operating system.
- Mac Finder: showing hidden files using keyboard shortcuts
- Showing hidden files on a Mac using Terminal commands
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Why are some files and folders hidden?
There are good reasons for hiding files and folders in operating systems. Computer manufacturers and administrators hide files to prevent users from accidentally deleting or damaging system-related files and folders. Other times, your employer may hide files and folders that are essential for the smooth exchange of data with customers and business partners. In most cases, you won't notice these files at all, even though they perform important tasks.
However, if you still want to view and access the hidden folders and files on your Mac, you should be extremely careful to avoid damaging your operating system.
Mac Finder: showing hidden files using keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are probably the easiest way to display hidden files and folders in the Finder on a Mac. You can show hidden files by pressing the Command, Shift, and Period keys at the same time.
Step-by-step guide
Follow these few steps to show or hide files in the Finder:
- Open Macintosh HD or the folder where you want to display the hidden files in the Finder.
- Hold down the Command, Shift and Period keys: cmd + shift + [.]
- The hidden files and folders on your Mac will then appear partially transparent.
- You can hide the files again using the same keyboard shortcut.
Showing the hidden Library folder in the Finder
The above keyboard shortcut for showing hidden files on a Mac works in any folder in the Finder. One exception is the Library folder, which is usually hidden. It mainly contains system files and automatically saved copies of Microsoft Office documents. Showing the Library folder is especially useful when you're looking for old Word documents and are unable to find them. If your computer crashes before you could save your data, you should look in the Library folder. You can access this folder using the following shortcut:
- In the Finder, press the Option key (Alt).
- In the menu bar, click “Go”.
- Click “Library”.
Since the Library automatically saves Microsoft Office documents as hidden files, you may see a large number of unorganized files in this folder.
The Option key is one of the most useful and commonly used keys on a Mac. Find out more about the Option key on a Mac and learn about its functions and commands.
Showing hidden files on a Mac using Terminal commands
Instead of using keyboard shortcuts and the Finder, you can also use Terminal in conjunction with commands on your Mac to show hidden files and folders. Terminal is a built-in command-line interface included in the Mac operating system. You can use commands in Terminal to replace sequences of multiple steps in the Finder and perform an action. To view hidden files and folders using Terminal, proceed as follows:
Step 1: Open Terminal
To launch Terminal on your Mac, use the following keyboard shortcut: Cmd + Space. After pressing the Command key and the space bar, type “Terminal” in the Spotlight search field. Then double-click the search result.
Alternatively, you can launch Terminal by double-clicking “Terminal” in the Utilities Window. You can find this option either under “Go” in the menu bar or under “Applications”, which you can select in the Dock at the bottom of the screen.
Step 2: Entering a command to see hidden files on a Mac
Viewing hidden files and folders on a Mac using Terminalinvolves entering two commands and pressing the Enter key. Type the following into Terminal:
Step 3: View the hidden files on your Mac
Now the hidden files and folders on your Mac are displayed in the Finder. As mentioned above, the files appear transparent. The folders look slightly paler than folders that are not hidden.
Step 4: Hide the files again
You can hide the files again by replacing “true” with “false” in the command above. The command then looks like this:
Terminal is a helpful interface for performing basic and advanced support, repair, and maintenance tasks. Another standard tool that you can use to perform these tasks is the Mac Task Manager. It can be especially useful if you’re already familiar with the Task Manager in Windows operating systems.
How to hide files on a Mac using Terminal
Can't Open Avi File On Mac
You can use Terminal not only to show or hide the hidden folders on your Mac. You can also use it to hide specific files from nosy users who may have access to your computer. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Open Terminal.
- Type in the following code into Terminal:
- Drag the files or folders you want to hide into the Terminal window with the mouse. The file location is displayed in the window.
- Press Enter to hide the files.
You can use the same procedure if you want to show the hidden files and folders on your Mac as usual again. To do this, simply type “chflags nohidden” instead of “chflags hidden”.
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Viewing hidden files on a Mac using file managers
Third-party file managers like Forklift offer an easy way of working with hidden files and folders on a Mac. They allow you to show hidden files directly in the interface of the app, without having to use keyboard shortcuts or commands that can be somewhat daunting for less tech-savvy users.
There are many different file managers available with a variety of features. Many of these file managers let you easily show hidden files and folders on a Mac without using the Finder. We’ll use the example of Forklift to show you how a file manager can help you view hidden files. Open the Forklift app and do the following:
- Click View.
- Select “Show Hidden files”.
There is also a button on the toolbar for showing and hiding files.
Besides Forklift, there are many other useful file managers that can help you with your everyday IT processes. Discover the many features as well as advantages and disadvantages of the most popular alternatives. Find a file manager for Windows, Mac and Linux that meets your day-to-day needs.
Letting your Mac automatically clean up hidden files
Sometimes you may want to view hidden files to solve a software problem, restore deleted files, or simply better understand your operating system. But most of the time, you’ll want to view hidden files in order to delete them and free up space on your hard drive. In this case, apps like CleanMyMac X can do a lot of the work for you. Once you've launched the app, follow these simple steps to delete unneeded files:
- Select “Smart Scan” in the sidebar at the top left.
- Click “Scan”.
- Select System Junk from the “Cleanup” options and view the details of the scan.
- Click “Clean” to delete the unneeded files.
The advantage of using an app like CleanMyMac X to clean up your Mac is that it systematically deletes unneeded files. The app quickly frees up a lot more disk space than would be possible with manual methods.
No matter which of the above methods you choose to view and delete hidden files and folders on your Mac, you’ll learn a lot about how your Mac works in the background.
Do you use Windows? Follow our step-by-step guide to find out how to show hidden files and folders on Windows.