Mac Option Key tip #12: Open your Library folder

Updated August 29th, 2019.

(Twelfth in a series.)

Apple stores a lot of important stuff in your Library folder. Your mail messages, your preferences and settings, your keychains and passwords, and many, many other critical information is stored there. In some ways, your Library folder is the most important folder on your Mac– and you’ve probably never seen it. That’s the way Apple wants it; they don’t want you messing around with your Library folder, so they make it invisible. This keeps you from accidentally throwing your Library folder away, or accidentally putting things into it that don’t go there, or (worse) accidentally taking things out of it. But what if you have to get into your Library folder– maybe a preference is corrupt and you want to throw it away. Or maybe something goes wrong with your Keychain and you have to get into your Library folder to fix it. What do you do then?

You read two more paragraphs, that’s what you do then.

If you look at the Finder’s Go menu you see something like this:

The Finder's Go menu
The Finder’s Go menu


Lots of interesting folders in that menu but none of them is “Library.” But, if you hold the Option key while clicking on the Go menu, you’ll see this, and you can select “Library” to pop the folder open

Finder's Go menu with Option key
Finder’s Go menu with Option key


That’s all there is to it– just hold the Option key to gain the extra “Library” menu item. Of course, don’t change anything in your Library folder unless you know what you’re doing. There’s a reason Apple hides it from you.

And that’s 12– twelve articles about the fun you can have with your Mac’s Option key.


Click here to see all of my blog posts involving the Option key. Save yourself time and effort with the tips in those posts! Copyright 2008-2024 Christian Boyce. All rights reserved.

Did this article help you?

Maybe you'd like to contribute to the
Christian Boyce coffee fund.




Want some some quick iPhone how-tos?
Visit me at iPhoneinaminute.com.

Looking for quick tips about Macs?
See my One-Minute Macman website!



Please use the “Sharing” buttons to share what’s interesting with your friends. It helps your friends and it helps me too. Thank you very much!

Sincerely,
Christian signature
Christian Boyce

Christian Boyce is a Mac and iPhone expert with over 30 years' experience in the field. His specialty is teaching people how to get more out of their Macs and iPhones using the software and apps already installed. He is the author of several books, a guest speaker for Mac and iPhone user groups worldwide, and a former rocket scientist. He splits time between homes in Santa Monica, California and Round Rock, Texas.

Please Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.

Up ↑

Read our Privacy Policy