Create hidden yet easy-to-access folders

Aug 01, '05 08:53:00AM

Contributed by: Tovarizzle

This combination of simple tips allows you make a folder easily accessible, but somewhat difficult for your average Finder-snoop to find.

  1. Pick the folder you wish to hide, then move it to a place that you can remember easily, and whose path you can type quickly. Just inside your home folder works well, ~/Folder is easy and quick.
  2. Use the Terminal to add a period in front of the secret folder's name, rendering it invisible to the Unmodified Finder, Spotlight and the Terminal (unless ls -a is used). For example, to hide the folder "secret" in your Home folder, open the terminal and type mv ~/secret ~/.secret, then press Return.
  3. To later access to the folder quickly, just type Command-Shift-G in the Finder to access the "Go to Folder..." window, then type the path to the file. In our example above, that's ~/.secret; press Return when done. That's it; you can now enjoy your normally functioning Finder Window containing the contents of the folder, fully editable and unconcealed, which will disappear into the void again when closed.
This method won't stop anybody who knows their way around the Terminal, or who knows enough to enable invisible files in the Finder, but it'll certainly protect your files from casual Finder snooping with no additional software required.

[robg adds: When I worked in an office, I stopped casual snooping by just locking the keyboard whenever I stepped away. However, if that doesn't work for you for some reason, then simple hiding as explained in this hint could help.]

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