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Why do I see different files/folders when open desktop with terminal "li -a" vs desktop + "cmd+shift+."?

Unix & Linux Asked by ryabchenko-a on December 15, 2021

When I run the terminal and type "ls -a", and what I see is a lot of additional file starting with a dot as it is supposed to be:

enter image description here

However, when I try to visualize the hidden files with graphical interface by pressing "cmd+shift+." I don’t find files starting with a dot, instead I find different files that I don’t see in the terminal when I use "ls -a":

enter image description here

Why that might be and how to see all the files in the terminal/finder/desktop?

One Answer

Those 2 images are showing 2 different folders.

  • The first image (using ls -a) is showing you your personal folder.

  • The second image is showing you the files & folders in the Desktop folder.

Try this:

cd ~/Desktop
ls -a

And notice that you will see the contents as per the second image.

Notice that both have a folder called Documents, and so perhaps you have 2 such folders? The following would make that obvious:

cd ~
ls -la

Answered by Geoff on December 15, 2021

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