You have probably wondered precisely where macOS stashes your data and application preferences. Where do the images from the Photos app get backed up on your Mac? How about the music files from your iTunes library?
You can access and open that data via the corresponding application and also via SpotlightSearch More Efficiently In Mac OS X With Our Top Spotlight TipsSearch More Efficiently In Mac OS X With Our Top Spotlight TipsSpotlight has been a killer Mac feature for years, with Cupertino regularly schooling Redmond in the art of desktop search. Here are a few tips to help you find more on your Mac.Read More or Siri, but you can’t locate it on your Mac with ease. All that data accessible via Finder, for sure. But where? Let’s find out.
Before We Begin…
How to modify files, folders, and preferences in Terminal defaults: This command is often used in Terminal tips and tricks to tweak applications and system settings via their preference files. You can use it to do things like disable transparency in the menu bar, always show your scroll bars, change trackpad behavior, and much much more. Finding files and folders on the Mac became easier when Spotlight was introduced in OS X Tiger (10.4), but locating files through the command line can be a bit tricker. Best Text Editors for macOS. Note: In this article, we are focusing on the best text editors for coding but if you are looking for a text editor for your writing purposes, you can check out our article on the best writing apps for Mac. Sublime Text 3. Sublime Text is probably one of the most famous text editors available for Mac and for all the right reasons. Mar 07, 2018 In this Linux/Mac terminal tutorial, we will be learning how to use the grep command. The grep command allows us to search files and directories for patterns of text. If you know you want to find and match general file types, you can use generalized file operators in the search functions of Mac OS like so: kind:(file type) File type search operators can be things like ‘image’, ‘movie’, ‘music’, ’email’, ‘application’, ‘text’, ‘archive’, etc.
Get familiar with the different types of Library folders and how to access the user libraryHow To Access The OS X Library Folder & Why It's HandyHow To Access The OS X Library Folder & Why It's HandyMost OS X Library folders are best left alone, but it's useful to know your way in and around the User Library.Read More first. You’ll find the user library and other locations we’ll mention in this article in your Home folder. The “~” (tilde) character in the pathnames refers to this folder.
Memorize the Finder shortcut Command + Shift + G. It gives you a dialog box to paste locations into and jump to them directly instead of navigating through folders one by one. If you’re more of a menu person, bring up this box by clicking on Go > Go to Folder. You can also jump to Finder locations by copy-pasting their pathnames into the Spotlight window.
1. Photos
All photos you import into the Photos app end up within a folder named Masters. This folder hides in the Photos Library, which is that item with the colorful icon in the Pictures folder.
To access the Masters folder, you can either:
macOS organizes photos into nested subfolders based on the date of import. For example, photos that you have imported on December 1, 2017 will appear within …/Masters/2017/12/01/…
2. Music and Videos
If you have added, copied, or downloaded anything to iTunes, you’ll find it under:
That includes songs, movies, TV shows, music videos, and even content that you have imported from a CD.
You won’t see the media folder or you might find it empty if the Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library option under iTunes > Preferences > Advanced has been unselected. It isn’t though, by default.
What’s the easiest way to locate a particular iTunes media file in Finder? Look under the Info section of the file inspector. Bring that up with the keyboard shortcut Command + I when you have the file selected. You’ll find the location information under the File tab.
Want to make the iTunes media files easier to access? Drag the iTunes Media folder to the Finder sidebar to create a shortcut. You could also change the default location to something of your choice from iTunes > Preferences > Advanced.
You might want to go through this Apple support page to understand how macOS organizes your media files.
3. Books
You’ll find your EPUBs and PDFs from the iBooks app in one of these two locations:
You can’t access the second location the usual way. If you try to, you’ll end up inside the iCloud Drive folder with your iBooks data nowhere in sight. You’ll have to open the folder via the Terminal app with this command:
Find Command Mac Terminal
Not sure if you have enabled cloud sync for your iBooks files? Head to System Preferences > iCloud > iCloud Drive > Options… to find out. Sync is on if the checkbox next to iBooks appears selected.
Keep in mind that if you want a copy of any ePUB or PDF stored in the iBooks app, you don’t have to go in search of its actual Finder location. Pick any Finder folder, say, Documents or Downloads, and drag and drop the file from the iBooks app to that folder. Wrap text in word for mac. The original file stays put in iBooks, and you now have a copy of it.
4. Emails
macOS groups your emails by user account, mailbox, folders, and so on, and sends them to this user library location:
You’ll need to dig deep into folder after folder to find individual emails, but it’s all there! Mailboxes show up as MBOX files and are clickable. They open up as regular folders do.
The emails themselves show up with an EMLX extension and you can click on one to open it in the Mail app. The ones that end in .PARTIAL.EMLX are individual messages in a thread. Super text twist for mac. It’s handy that the QuickLook feature6 Great 'Quick Look' Features You Probably Don't Use (Mac)6 Great 'Quick Look' Features You Probably Don't Use (Mac)Read More supports this filetype, which means you can preview those emails by hitting Space.
Images and other media attachments from emails appear within the Attachments folder hidden inside each mailbox or MBOX file. If you’re looking for attachments that you have downloaded, you’ll find a copy of each within:
5. Chats
Everything that has to do with your iMessage chats lives under:
Mac Terminal Find Files Containing Text
The folder names will tell you that closed/saved chats go into the Archive folder and media files go into the Attachments folder. Of course, these folders are further divided into various subfolders. You’ll have to dig quite a bit if you’re looking for a particular message or file. You can click on any chat file to view it in a dedicated window in the Messages app.
Now, coming to chats from your active sessions. That is, the chats that are visible when you open the Messages app. Those get stored in the same location as the Archive and Attachments folders, but in a database file named chat.db. Yes, you can open such files with a text editor like TextEdit, but their contents will probably appear gibberish.
6. Notes and Sticky Notes
The notes from the Notes app get filed under:
That isn’t much of a help, because macOS bundles the notes into one indecipherable file with the extension .STOREDATA. To read the contents of that file, first copy it to a separate location to avoid data loss. Now change the extension of the copy to .HTML and open the file with Safari or any other browser.
You should then be able to see the contents of your notes, but I had no such luck and could see only a page full of mangled text. Your mileage may vary on this one.
A simpler way to view and back up your notes in plain text format is by using a third-party app like Exporter or Notes Exporter. That’s one less macOS problem to worry about10 Free Apps to Fix Common Mac Quirks and Annoyances10 Free Apps to Fix Common Mac Quirks and AnnoyancesLike any other operating system, macOS comes with its own set of quirks. Some are good, some are bad, and some can be overridden using third-party applications.Read More!
At least the files attached to notes are easier to view. You’ll find them under:
If you’re looking for the sticky notes from the Stickies app, open this file:
It will open with the default text editor on your Mac. That would be TextEdit, if you aren’t using a third-party app as the default. Unlike the notes database above, this one’s readable. Well, most of it anyway. At least you can identify and copy text snippets without too much trouble.
7. iOS BackupsSearch Files For Text String
If you have backed up the contents of your iPhone, iPod, or iPad to your Mac, you’ll find them all at this location:
Yes, iOS backups use a lot of disk space. Recover some of it with our guide for moving backups, apps, and photos off your MacMove Backups, Apps & Photos Off Your MacBook to Create Free SpaceMove Backups, Apps & Photos Off Your MacBook to Create Free SpaceIf you're desperate, and you don't fancy paying over the odds for a solid state drive upgrade, here are a few ideas for further maximizing the available storage on your MacBook.Read More.
Found It!Mac Terminal Search Files For Text String
Resist the urge to rename, move, or edit the contents of the files and folders you find in various concealed locations of Finder. You could lose data or cause certain apps or system utilities to malfunction.
Sure, you can view that data and make copies of it to back it up elsewhere. The backups will come in handy when you’re moving between apps or services or even to a new macOS device.
For example, if you have an MBOX file backed up, you can use it to import your emails into, say, ThunderbirdHow to Use Your Downloaded Gmail DataHow to Use Your Downloaded Gmail DataYou can finally download a copy of your Gmail data! The MBOX file Gmail gives you is ideal for keeping an offline backup or moving all your emails to a new service or Gmail account.Read More or the Mail app on a different Mac.
Find Files In Terminal
Having said that, if it’s available, the File > Export Free voice to text for mac 2017. option within apps should be your first choice for backing up data.
With its secret Finder folders, macOS does a good job of keeping your data safe and accessible through apps. It doesn’t bother you with the complexities of the underlying folder structures and file types. Still, it’s nice to know where all your data goes, isn’t it? If only to satisfy your curiosity, or to do a spot of guided troubleshooting.
Mac Terminal Commands
Tell us what else you’re hoping to locate on your Mac and why.
Explore more about: Mac Tricks, macOS High Sierra, OS X Finder.
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