Overview

Let’s see how to view hidden files and directories on Ubuntu Linux using Terminal. The Terminal is the default command-line interface for Ubuntu distribution.

Hidden files

A filename that begins with a period is a hidden file in Linux.
The normal ls command does not display it.

The command ls -a displays all the files. (the hidden files as well). We can also provide a -l command line switch for the long format. Many programs use hidden files for their configuration files.

Command

To view Hidden files and directories on Linux we can use the ls command.

Launch Terminal

Change the working directory to the path(cd) where you want to view the hidden files and directories.

Issue the following command:

$ ls -l -a 

 

The default ls command ignores the entries that start with dot(.). We can use the flag -a to suppress this to show the entries with the dot.

 

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Linux Commands Tutorial page:

https://www.testingdocs.com/linux-basic-commands-tutorial/

More Information on Ubuntu Linux:
https://ubuntu.com/