If you clear the files that are showing up in this folder, the original files will be put in the Mac trash.Īctually, the items in the Recents folder do not take up any space on Mac internal hard drive.
Some of you may try to clear Recents on Mac to free up space on Macintosh HD, but only to find that you can't delete the Recents folder on Mac. All the files on your Mac and in iCloud Drive have been added to Recents automatically. This way, no one else but you will be able to see the contents of the files.Have you ever noticed that there is a Recents folder on your Mac Finder? To quickly access the files that you recently created or opened, you can click Recents in the Finder sidebar. If you want to secure your data from snoopers properly, consider NordLocker's Mac file encryption. Keep in mind that anyone can reveal the folders you just hid by using the same methods.
” (period) combination.Īnother way is by using the Mac Terminal to show hidden files:
It’s a secure cloud with a free 3 GB plan, end-to-end encryption both in the cloud and locally, and backup as well as the ability to offload your files and save device storage. Lastly, since a major reason for deleting files is to gain free storage, it might be worth reminding you about alternatives that don’t require touching Mac’s hidden files. Only delete files you know are safe to remove. While there is nothing dangerous about unhiding files, many users tend to do this with the purpose of tinkering with or deleting something. Before you do anything, make sure you understand the risks. But Apple hides files to prevent accidental damage to the operating system. You may have a legitimate reason to unhide files. Let's take a look at how Mac can show hidden files. Apple offers several ways to show the hidden files Mac has.
However, if you need to access one of these files, don't worry. In other words, those hundreds of files are what helps your operating system run without a hitch. They're secluded for a reason - deleting, modifying, or moving one could seriously impair your macOS performance. But those files aren't made invisible just to keep your folders looking clean.
Your Mac has entire libraries and directories hidden away from view.