How to View Hidden Files and Folders in Ubuntu File Manager

If you ever want to view hidden files and folders in the Ubuntu File Manager, you will notice that they are hidden by default. All you will be able to see are the files and folders that you have access to. For example, this is the standard view of the Home folder in Ubuntu:

This article explains how you can view the hidden files and folders in the Ubuntu file browser on a Ubuntu 18.04 LTS system. You can access the file browser from the Activities view on the Ubuntu desktop.

The simplest way to view hidden content is by using the Ctrl+h key combination while your file browser is open. In the following image, you can see all the hidden content now displayed:

You can see that all the hidden content is indicated by a dot followed by the file or folder name.

Another way that will display the hidden files and folders by default whenever you open the File Browser is as follows:

Click on the Options button indicated by three lines, from the top bar in the File Manager. From the menu that opens, check the Show Hidden Files option.

Your file browser will now, and always, display the hidden contents available to you from now on.

Hope this small trick will give you an access to the files and folders that you might sometime need to view and configure private settings in Ubuntu.