Show hidden files and folders within Mac terminal

Question

I can't believe I can't find a good solution... I have a hidden folder named .venv that I would like to show in my Mac OS Monterey 12.3.1 terminal output.

I've tried:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
killall Finder

but when I open the terminal in the directory containing .venv and type ls, the hidden folder is not returned. What gives?

Answer 1

Have you tried using the -a flag for ls?

1. To list all files (including hidden files): $ ls -a
2. To list all files in a list with more details: $ ls -al
3. Alias (shortcut) for 2. $ ll

ls itself usually ignores entries starting with '.', and the -a or --all flag ignores that protection.

macOS doesn't come with the alias (3.). To enable this shortcut:

1. Create or edit a file ~/.zsh_aliases
2. Add this line: alias ll='ls -la'
3. Save the file, then run source ~/.zshrc

Use ls --help in your terminal to review all available flags.