04-11-2010, 05:16 PM

Hello community,

How do I make hidden folders that say for instance, only I will know how to get to. The most Ive been able to do is make a folder within a folder within a folder with false names through out. Is there any other way? Thanks for anyone who chimes in.

Ashtraypro

04-11-2010, 05:31 PM

There are a couple apps available that will do this, some are free and some are a small amount of money. Just google it, I'm sure you can find one.

04-11-2010, 05:33 PM

Okay great. I will search around. Any suggestions when trying to decide between various options?

04-11-2010, 05:47 PM

Not really, it ultimately depends on your wants/needs for the situation. I'm sure different apps will have a varying amount of security, and the better ones will probably cost a little money.

04-11-2010, 06:05 PM

You can make a hidden folder by putting a dot at the beginning of the name. Unfortunately, Finder won't let you do this. There is one way to do it though.

1. Open up Terminal (/Application/Utilities/)
2. Type the following, replacing <dir> with the directory where you want to put the hidden folder: cd <dir>
3. Type the following, replace <name> with the name of the folder you want to hide: mkdir .<name>. It is essential that there is a dot in front of the name (this is what makes it hidden).
4. That folder won't show up in Finder. If you want to get to it, open Finder and push Command-Shift-G. In the box that drops down, type in the directory of the hidden folder. For instance, if the folder was called .me in Documents, I would type ~/Documents/.me (~ is shorthand for your home directory). Note that if someone else does this after you, they will see that you typed in that directory.

04-11-2010, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by vansmith

You can make a hidden folder by putting a dot at the beginning of the name. Unfortunately, Finder won't let you do this. There is one way to do it though.

1. Open up Terminal (/Application/Utilities/)
2. Type the following, replacing <dir> with the directory where you want to put the hidden folder: cd <dir>
3. Type the following, replace <name> with the name of the folder you want to hide: mkdir .<name>. It is essential that there is a dot in front of the name (this is what makes it hidden).
4. That folder won't show up in Finder. If you want to get to it, open Finder and push Command-Shift-G. In the box that drops down, type in the directory of the hidden folder. For instance, if the folder was called .me in Documents, I would type ~/Documents/.me (~ is shorthand for your home directory). Note that if someone else does this after you, they will see that you typed in that directory.

K great. Let me work at this. Thank you for the step by step setup.

Edit: I cant get this to work. Ive tried several times and it says "syntax error near unexpected token." My first time it said "command not found"

04-11-2010, 07:45 PM

Thanks Van. That will come in handy.

To the OP, I did a test folder in my Movies folder inside my users folder. Did exactly what Van said and it worked. Be sure you type it EXACTLY like Van showed. In the Terminal everything is case sensitive also.

04-11-2010, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by dtravis7

In the Terminal everything is case sensitive also.

Very good point. I forgot to mention that the first time around and I think this may be causing some grief.

Let me give you an example of the process and hopefully this will clear things up.

Let's say I want to make a hidden folder in my Documents folder called secret. This is how I would do it:

cd ~/Documents

Press enter.

mkdir .secret

Press enter. You're secret folder is now made. To get to it, open Finder and push Shift-Command-G. Enter ~/Documents/.secret/.

Hope that helps.

04-11-2010, 08:32 PM

Thanks guys. I got it working : )

04-12-2010, 12:54 AM

You might want to try this as well. It's a much more secure method than just "hiding" folders.

Link -----> How to create a password-protected (encrypted) disk image in Mac OS X 10.3 or later

04-12-2010, 01:32 AM

Hiding your porn stash?
I suggest TrueCrypt.

It has an advantage over Apple's DiskImage in that it is cross platform, and you can create a dynamic file size volume. So as you add more stuff to the image, it gets bigger or smaller automatically.

04-12-2010, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by vansmith

You can make a hidden folder by putting a dot at the beginning of the name. ...
That folder won't show up in Finder. If you want to get to it, open Finder and push Command-Shift-G. In the box that drops down, type in the directory of the hidden folder.

For those who like to use the mouse, that's the Go Menu > Go to folder...

04-12-2010, 09:33 AM

While the suggestions above are all worthwhile, generally speaking none of them should be necessary. Mac OS X is already set up as a multi-user-friendly system.

If you want to keep "your stuff" away from anyone else's "stuff," give them their own account (level to be determined by you). They can't see your stuff, you can't see theirs.

Should you need any further protection than that (for example you might leave the computer unattended), set a screensaver that's activated by a hot corner, and requires a password to stop. Drag your mouse to the hot corner every time you leave your desk.

Between using your account strictly for your own use and protecting your privacy with the secure screensaver, I can't see where one would need to go through all this other encryption/hidden folder business, which IME usually ends badly anyway.

04-12-2010, 04:34 PM

Also, if you want to add a space to a directory name, while in the terminal you have to tell unix that the next space doesn't mean its the end of a command. To do this, simply put a \ before all spaces.

Example:

cd ~/Pictures/Vacation\ Photos/Europe

04-12-2010, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by TechieJustin

Hiding your porn stash?
I suggest TrueCrypt.

It has an advantage over Apple's DiskImage in that it is cross platform, and you can create a dynamic file size volume. So as you add more stuff to the image, it gets bigger or smaller automatically.

That made me smile lol Not exactly. I like to think of myself as a writer of sorts; plus the photos of the misses.

Originally Posted by chas_m

While the suggestions above are all worthwhile, generally speaking none of them should be necessary. Mac OS X is already set up as a multi-user-friendly system.

If you want to keep "your stuff" away from anyone else's "stuff," give them their own account (level to be determined by you). They can't see your stuff, you can't see theirs.

Should you need any further protection than that (for example you might leave the computer unattended), set a screensaver that's activated by a hot corner, and requires a password to stop. Drag your mouse to the hot corner every time you leave your desk.

Between using your account strictly for your own use and protecting your privacy with the secure screensaver, I can't see where one would need to go through all this other encryption/hidden folder business, which IME usually ends badly anyway.

Thankfully I share this MBP with NO ONE. Thank you however.

Originally Posted by DarkestRitual

Also, if you want to add a space to a directory name, while in the terminal you have to tell unix that the next space doesn't mean its the end of a command. To do this, simply put a \ before all spaces.

Example:

cd ~/Pictures/Vacation\ Photos/Europe

Very useful, I must visit Europe. Thanks again.