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Hide files and folders within application bundles System
If you want to hide a folder where no one will ever think to look, control-click on any application and select Show Package Contents. Double-click on Contents, and drag and drop the folder you are wanting to hide into the Contents folder. If you are still paranoid someone will find it, open a terminal, navigate to the Contents of the application you stored the folder in, and type:
 $ cp -r filename .filename
If you'd rather just rename, instead of duplicate, the file, do this instead:
 $ mv filename .filename
[robg adds: I can think of a few downsides to this technique, the biggest of which is that if you upgrade the application to a newer version, you'd probably do so by erasing the old after installing the new. If you forgot about your hidden file, it's gone. I prefer using protected disk images for secure data on my laptop, but this method definitely works -- just make sure you know where you put your file, especially if you choose to make it invisible.]
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Hide files and folders within application bundles | 8 comments | Create New Account
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Hide files and folders within application bundles
Authored by: diamondsw on Apr 26, '04 10:39:54AM

Definitely do NOT do this if you want security. Anyone looking for your files is not going to browse aimlessly or use the Finder's find command - they're heading straight for the terminal and using 'find / -name xxx". Agreed with Rob - if you want security, use an encrypted disk image, or FileVault (which amounts to the same thing).

Repeat after me - security by obscurity is no security at all.



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Hide files and folders within application bundles
Authored by: lagroue on Apr 26, '04 12:48:19PM

I just wanted to hide my porn pictures from aunt Lilly...



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Hide files and folders within application bundles
Authored by: dnet on Apr 26, '04 02:29:11PM

If you do a "find / -name xxx" then of course you would still have to know what you are looking for and same with an ls -a, you would have to be in be the application bundle itself pretty much meaning you know exactly what you are looking for. This is not meant to be an end-all security trick, just a way to hide things from being easily navigated too with a mouse.



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Hide files and folders within application bundles
Authored by: diamondsw on Apr 26, '04 05:13:14PM

"find / -name *.jpg"

That'll do the trick for most people...



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Hide files and folders within application bundles
Authored by: swedentom on Apr 26, '04 01:05:38PM

" If you are still paranoid someone will find it, open a terminal, navigate to the Contents of the application you stored the folder in, and type:
$ cp -r filename .filename"

How does this prevent me from seeing the file through the terminal?!
ls -a



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Hide files and folders within application bundles
Authored by: chabig on Apr 26, '04 03:15:21PM

OK. I am not condoning this hint. But if you're going to do it, don't put your stuff into an application. Just make your own folder and append ".app" to it's name.

Chris



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This is NOT a good idea
Authored by: sgi_oh_too on Apr 26, '04 03:41:32PM

As other posters have stated ... this is NOT a good idea. Hiding stuff in places where it shouldn't be is a horrible method of security. It is inadequate, confusing, and makes your data prone to loss and misplacement.

Just make an encrypted disk image, after all, that is what they are meant for anyways! You can also get something like PGP or GPG, but that is really a pain when considering that you can make encrypted disk images without installing anything additional.



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Hide files and folders within application bundles
Authored by: marklander on Apr 27, '04 11:18:13AM

Alternatively, this is a great way to keep an Application's Read Me's and Help files tucked away if you don't like folders in your Application Folder.



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