Subscribe to How-To Geek

View Hidden Files and Folders in Ubuntu File Browser

The Ubuntu file browser does not show hidden files or folders by default, only the files that your user has access to.

Here's what file browser looks like when browsing the root file system normally:

As you can see, all of the hidden/system folders are not shown. If you hit Ctrl+H at this screen, you will immediately see all the hidden files:

Fairly useful shortcut key. If you would just prefer to make this be the default setting when using file browser, go to the Edit menu and select Preferences:

Check the "Show hidden and backup files" checkbox, and you should now see the hidden files all of the time.

The Geek is the founder of How-To Geek and a geek enthusiast. When he's not coming up with great how-to articles, he's probably writing at his personal blog. This article was written on 12/13/06 and tagged with: Ubuntu, Ubuntu Tips & Tweaks

Disclaimer: Many of our articles require making changes to your system. While we fully test and stand by our advice, there is still the potential for problems when making any configuration changes. Please be careful.


Leave a Comment




Leave your friendly comment here. If you have a computer help question, leave it on the forums instead.

Note: Your comment may not show up immediately on the site.

Sponsored Links
Getting Started
About How-To Geek
Popular Articles

Copyright © 2006-2008 HowToGeek.com. All Rights Reserved.