Missing Library folder in Mac OS X Lion

Problem

In your home folder, you notice that there is no longer a Library folder.

Cause

This is the default setting by design in Mac OS X Lion.

Solution

To get your Library folder back:

Lion 10.8

  1. Go to your Applications folder.
  2. Go to the Utilities folder.
  3. Double click on Terminal.
  4. Select all the text in the box below and press cmd + C to Copy.
    chflags nohidden ~/Library
  5. In the Terminal window press cmd + V or click Edit > Paste (on the top menu).
  6. Press Enter.

To revert back to the default setting change “nohidden” to “hidden” in Step 4.

Mavericks 10.9

  1. Go to your Home folder (cmd + shft + h).
  2. Go to the folder options (cmd + j).
  3. Tick option for “Show Library Folder”.

If you have previously used “chflags nohidden ~/Library” these changes are not reflected in the options.

77 comments

  5. A much simpler solution is to press the OPTION key when selecting the GO menu in the FINDER menu bar. No need to dive into the Terminal.

    Reply

    1. Yes that’s true. But then you have to do that every time you want to get to the folder. The solution above only needs to be done once.

      Reply

    1. Probably because they don’t want people removing files from the Library (without doing research) as this can cause problems with the user profile.

      Reply

  21. Or you could download Lion Tweaks 1.4
    First item in the dialog box on the left:
    Show the user library folder- click yes to show library folder or click no to hide library folder…….

    Reply

  26. thank you, I find my library folder. But there’s nothing in the autosave information folder. I was trying to find my unsaved textedit file. couldn’t find it anywhere.

    Reply

  27. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
    I had to search for “Library” every day for 2 months.
    But at least I got better at typing Library!

    Reply

  28. When I copied and paste into terminal and hit enter it comes up with this
    unknown-7c-c3-a1-71-17-6b:~ josephtorsney$
    What do I do?

    Reply

    1. Try typing the following into Terminal before the command mentioned in the instructions:
      cd ~
      Then press Enter.

      Reply

  29. thanks a tonne man….ur demigod….cracked my screws ll evening on this “downloads folder”……thanks again….

    Reply

  32. Thanks to you for posting this! Just some more sneaky, time-wasting changes Apple has made to slow us down in complicated programming when upgrading to newer OS. I’m starting to dread their programmers… and their upgrades/updates.

    Reply

  35. That was great!
    Does anyone know how to transfer mailboxes from snow leopard to the new lion. They come up in a format that MacMail does not want to import it. I have a lot of mailboxes in the old sidebar that I don’t want to lose.

    Reply

  36. hi…
    i was dowen loding a oic from msn mail the folder that i had in the destop i miss that i can find it pls any one can tell me how to find it
    tnx

    Reply

  37. Gary,
    Make sure you have the latest update for Mac Mail once you have upgraded to either Lion or M. Lion. Try that.

    Reply

  39. Thanks…like everyone else who has responded, we need people like you to help us with simple instructions that work!

    Reply

  43. Thank you sooooooooooooo much, this helps me a lot since my app files can now be configured again.

    Reply

  46. You are a hero sir. After a mac moron (a so called ‘genius’) lost 5 years of my business emails I had to become an expert at restoring them from another computer and external hard drive through the library. Library! Where the …. is it on Lion.

    Thanks to you my emails are restored safely. Well done, thanks, cheers mate etc etc etc..

    PS gary 29 July 2012.Call me on +44 (0)151 234 9887 (UK) and I can talk you through transferring your mailboxes from Snow Leopard to Lion – via the Library of course!

    Reply

  47. A HUGE thank you! I’ve been having the WORST time with some of my applications because of this missing LIbrary folder. Thank you!!!!

    Reply

  60. Did this, still don’t see a Library folder. Or, for that matter, a home folder. The previous Mac I owned ran 10.6.8, and had a Users folder, in which the path Users>Computer Name Here>Library, etc was plainly visible and accessible.

    I see no such folders with 10.8.2, and this Library fix you mention sounds great, but unfortunately didn’t do a thing after I did it. How do I find where the Library folder supposedly exists after doing the cut and paste in Terminal?

    Thanks,
    Vapor

    Reply

  61. And here I spent an hour trying to find this stinking folder, had to figure out how to go through Terminal to delete files & directories from Library that I needed to clean out (Picasa stinks). This would have been way easier, but instead I figured out how to recursively remove a directory and its contents. 🙁

    Reply

  65. It didnt work for me i copied the info on the box and pasted it and press enter and nothing happens.
    What can i do?

    Reply

  70. well thanks alot! i just found out that my library was missing then i searched this site and it worked

    big shout out to you

    TTTTHHHHHAAAAAANNNNNKKKKKK YYYYYOOOUUUU!!!!

    bros

    Reply

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