How to delete files that are invisible from Finder
- Thread starter pw_168
- Start date
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chas_m
Guest
The files you're talking about aren't actually invisible, but the user's library is hidden which is why you can't find them (and the reason its hidden is to prevent foolish users from wrecking their OS by moving/deleting stuff they shouldn't!).
You can access your local library by using the "Go" menu from the finder. Hold the option key down while accessing it and voila, there's your user library.
You can access your local library by using the "Go" menu from the finder. Hold the option key down while accessing it and voila, there's your user library.
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Those files are the Time Machine local snapshots.
They are kept on the local machine so that you can restore older files when you are traveling/away from your Time Machine backup.
If you do not need those snapshots, rather than deleting them, you can turn this feature off (which will delete all the existing local backups). If you do not turn it off, Time Machine will just start creating new ones again.
My personal recommendation is to disable this "feature" (unless you have some particular need for local snapshots), especially those that have a hard drive rather than a SSD as it will create these local snapshots all the way up until your drive is 80% full which can (read "will" - imho) slow down the entire operation of your computer.
To disable:
Open "Terminal" - which is located in Applications / Utilites
Copy and paste the following:
then press 'return' (enter)
On the next line you will need to type in your admin password
You will not see it typed in - but it is being typed in - then press 'return' again.
You can then quit Terminal.
To verify whether these snapshots are turned on or off:
Open Time Machine Preferences - If you see:
"Time Machine keeps:" - local snapshots are off
"Time Machine keeps local snapshots as space permits and:" - local snapshots are on
This "feature", which began with OS X 10.7 is enabled by default on all Mac notebooks - it is not enabled by default on Mac desktops.
They are kept on the local machine so that you can restore older files when you are traveling/away from your Time Machine backup.
If you do not need those snapshots, rather than deleting them, you can turn this feature off (which will delete all the existing local backups). If you do not turn it off, Time Machine will just start creating new ones again.
My personal recommendation is to disable this "feature" (unless you have some particular need for local snapshots), especially those that have a hard drive rather than a SSD as it will create these local snapshots all the way up until your drive is 80% full which can (read "will" - imho) slow down the entire operation of your computer.
To disable:
Open "Terminal" - which is located in Applications / Utilites
Copy and paste the following:
Code:
sudo tmutil disablelocalOn the next line you will need to type in your admin password
You will not see it typed in - but it is being typed in - then press 'return' again.
You can then quit Terminal.
To verify whether these snapshots are turned on or off:
Open Time Machine Preferences - If you see:
"Time Machine keeps:" - local snapshots are off
"Time Machine keeps local snapshots as space permits and:" - local snapshots are on
This "feature", which began with OS X 10.7 is enabled by default on all Mac notebooks - it is not enabled by default on Mac desktops.
I did exactly that, but when I went into Time Machine, it still says "Time Machine keep local snapshots at space permits and".
However if I turn off Time Machine back up at Time Machine in System Preferences, I can't see the local snapshot comments.
But after I did the above, I can see that I got 14G of hard disk space back! Yay!!!
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Don't know that I tested to see that the remark is changed without either stopping and restarting TM or re-booting the machine. Terminal changes to a preference file in my experience are not seen until one or the other happens.
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