How to show hidden files and folders in Linux

In Linux and other Unix-based operating systems, files and folders with names starting with a period (.) are considered hidden. By default, file managers such as Nautilus and Dolphin, as well as command-line tools like ls, do not display these hidden files and folders.

To reveal hidden files and folders in Linux, use the ls command in the terminal, which has a built-in option to display items starting with a period (.).

1. Open the terminal.
2. Navigate to the folder containing the hidden files or folders.

   $ cd temp/

3. Display regular files and folders in the directory using the ls command.

   $ ls
   file  folder

4. To show all files and folders in the directory, including hidden ones, use the ls command with appropriate options.

   $ ls -a
   .  ..  file  folder  .hidden-file  .hidden-folder

   ls option:

   -a, --all
          do not ignore entries starting with .

   Related: How to hide or unhide files and folders in Linux

5. For additional information on the files, use the ls command with appropriate options.

   $ ls -la
   total 16
   drwxrwxr-x 4 user user 4096 Oct 31 09:27 .
   drwxr-xr-x 5 user user 4096 Oct 31 09:26 ..
   -rw-rw-r-- 1 user user    0 Oct 31 09:27 file
   drwxrwxr-x 2 user user 4096 Oct 31 09:26 folder
   -rw-rw-r-- 1 user user    0 Oct 31 09:27 .hidden-file
   drwxrwxr-x 2 user user 4096 Oct 31 09:26 .hidden-folder

   . and .. are special folders which refers to current and one-up folder respectively

6. You can also list files and folders using their absolute paths.

   $ ls -la /home/user/temp/
   total 16
   drwxrwxr-x 4 user user 4096 Oct 31 09:27 .
   drwxr-xr-x 5 user user 4096 Oct 31 09:26 ..
   -rw-rw-r-- 1 user user    0 Oct 31 09:27 file
   drwxrwxr-x 2 user user 4096 Oct 31 09:26 folder
   -rw-rw-r-- 1 user user    0 Oct 31 09:27 .hidden-file
   drwxrwxr-x 2 user user 4096 Oct 31 09:26 .hidden-folder