Show and Hide Hidden Files in Ubuntu Linux

How to show hidden files in Ubuntu Linux

There are two ways to show hidden files in Ubuntu Linux. The first is to open the File Manager (the app called Files), click the view options button in the toolbar, and select Show Hidden Files. The second is to press Ctrl+H on your keyboard, which toggles hidden files on and off in any folder.

Both methods do the same thing. The shortcut is quicker, and the menu is easier to remember if you only do this now and then. Nothing is changed on disk, and you don’t need administrator rights. You only change what the File Manager displays.

Hidden files are not collected in one place. Each folder has its own hidden items, so to check them you have to open the folder you care about. Dotfiles and dot-folders for your user account, such as .bashrc and .config, are in your Home folder.

Once you are in the right folder, click the view options button in the toolbar and select Show Hidden Files, or press the Ctrl + H keyboard shortcut. The setting stays on as you move between folders, so you don’t need to repeat it in each one.

These steps show hidden files and folders in the Files app without changing anything on disk.

1. Open Files. Launch the File Manager (the app called Files) from the dock or the Activities overview. A file manager window appears.
2. Go to the folder you want to inspect. Use your Home folder if you are looking for items such as .bashrc or .config.
3. Click the view options button in the toolbar. It sits near the top right of the window, next to the search🔍 and list/grid controls. If you can’t find it, widen the window, because a narrow toolbar can collapse and hide some controls.

4. Select Show Hidden Files on the context menu🖱️, as highlighted below. The menu stays on screen after you click, so you can see the toggle switch on. Dotfiles and dot-folders now appear in the folder alongside your normal files. They usually look slightly faded, which helps you tell them apart.

The keyboard shortcut does the same job without the menu. Click anywhere in the File Manager window so it has focus, then press Ctrl + H to display all hidden items at once. Press the same keys again to hide them.

If nothing happens, check that you are not typing in a text field, such as the search box or a rename box. The shortcut only works when the file list has focus.

5. Work with the hidden files as you would any other file. Standard and hidden files appear together in the directory view, and you can open, copy, edit and rename the hidden ones.
6. Press Ctrl+H to hide them again. The view goes back to normal and the dotfiles disappear from the folder.

How to hide files in Ubuntu Linux

You can hide files in Ubuntu Linux by renaming them so the file name starts with a dot. For example, changing a file name from example.txt to .example.txt immediately removes it from the standard view in the File Manager without deleting the actual data.

This works for folders too. It is a way of tidying the view, not a security measure. Anyone who presses Ctrl+H can see the file again, and the permissions on the file stay exactly as they were.

Rename any target file so it starts with a dot (.) to remove it from the default view.

1. Right-click the file in the File Manager and select Rename. You can also select the file and press F2. The file name becomes an editable text box.
2. Press Home to move to the start of the name. The cursor jumps in front of the first character.
3. Type a dot (.). The name now begins with a dot, for example .example.txt.
4. Press Enter to confirm the new name.

Rename example.txt to .example.txt to hide it.

If hidden files are currently shown, the renamed file will stay on screen, now slightly faded. It disappears once you turn hidden files off with Ctrl+H.

The file vanishes from the File Manager's standard view within its containing folder, preventing accidental deletion or unwanted visibility for various file types. The data is still on disk and any program can still open it by its new name.

That completes the process. You can now show hidden files when you need them and hide your own files when you don’t.

To review, reveal hidden items using the view options menu or the Ctrl+H shortcut, and conceal them by adding a leading dot to the filename.

• Showing hidden files in Ubuntu Linux is a simple process that can be done through the view options button or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+H.
• Similarly, hiding files in Ubuntu Linux involves renaming the file with a dot at the beginning of its name.
• These steps provide a convenient way to manage file visibility in the File Manager, ensuring that important files can be kept out of plain sight when necessary.