Iain Rauch's Blog

Ever wanted to hide an individual file in Mac OS X Finder without prefixing it with a dot? Here’s how (you’ll need the Apple developer tools installed):
[code lang=”bash”]/Developer/Tools/SetFile -a V «filename»[/code]
…and to show it again:

[code lang=”bash”]/Developer/Tools/SetFile -a v «filename»[/code]

If you want the Finder to show all hidden files, use this command:

[code lang=”bash”]defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true[/code]

…and to hide them again:

[code lang=”bash”]defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool false[/code]

You’ll need to relaunch the Finder after this. I can think of three ways:

1. [code lang=”bash”]killall Finder[/code]
2. The “Force Quit Applications” dialogue box
3. Click and hold “Finder” in the Dock while also holding ‘option’.