Q: Finder not showing user library folder

I've tried all of these and still no library. Whewre is library? In the apps? I don't see it anywhere in the finder.

I'm on a desktop mac with the latest software... not sure which it is. osx 10.8

Many thx

Ahh, this method worked (for others with the same problem:

Method 1

Thank you so much for this info. Having avoided upgrading to Mountain Lion because I feared being unable to use iDVD I finally loaded the new OS only to find that iCal (where all of my business appointments are kept) was set to sync with iCloud and because of this iCal spent an entire day trying to load itself to the server to no avail. I finally force quit iCal, turned off iCloud settings for everything except the "find my mac" app, re-opened iCal to find a blank calendar. I used your instructions to be able to get to the library folder before entering Time Machine. Instructions from an "iCal restore from Time Machine backup" thread advised me that after restoring the calendars folder from my latest backup, then opening iCal I would have my old calendars back on my MBP, and I can't express how grateful I am to say this WORKED! I can now go back to syncing my iPad, iPod, and MBP calendars via iTunes. iCloud sounds like a great idea, but with duplicate Notes entries and who knows what it might do to my calendar I refuse to trust it. Thanks so much for saving the day on this one.

@J. Richardson

Speaking as someone who has not used a Mac since the Apple ][ E I find Apple's "Intuitive" way of doing things a cludge. Your suggestion of dragging the icon only puts the Users directory in the sidebar and does not make the Library directory visible; both of the command line suggestions have made the Library directory visible.

I have used Windows for many years and am now desperately hoping that my investment in a MacBook has not been wasted - I know Apple has its own way of doing things, but idiosyncrasy does not have to be synonymous with bloody-mindedness, it has taken far longer than it should to be able to access one file.

I totally agree.  Instead of asking a few newbie users to make the slightest effort to learn their machines, Apple instead imposes on everyone these workarounds that are not only inefficient, but also opaque and hence impossible to work through if you want to get at the root cause of a problem. 

Practically speaking, I have a related question.  I'm running Mavericks (10.9) on a MacBookPro:

What happened to the mail folders in /Library/Mail ? 

In my System Library, my Mail folder contains:  /Bundles/Attachment Tamer.mailbundle    That's all.

In my User Library, my Mail folder contains: /OnlineAccountTypes/com.apple.updated.mailaccounts/MailAccounts.plist   That's all.

How can I manage my mail with this insane lack of organization or tools?  I'm tracking down a possibly infected mail folder and it's invisible!

Here's what I did...after searching for many hours.

I had a plexmedia player icon that would not disappear in my Finder/Applications. I could not trash it as it said it was running.

I went to Applications and organized by cateogry. I looked for Utilties, which I found in "OTHER" category.

I clicked on the Activity Monitor

I saw the hidden Plex junk, and then quit them.

I was then able to go back to the Finder/Application folder and finally trash the Plex Media for good!

ThisisDave-

Thank you!  This has been driving me crazy.  The term "Library" is used in many Apple Support tutorials and by more experienced Apple users when I've followed or posted discussions.  I'm on OSX 10.8.5, and have never been able to locate it until I found your post.

None of this worked for me, but the easiest way is to pick a random folder *any one* then 'ctrl and click' and press 'show view options' then all you have to do is press 'Show Library Folder' and there you have it!

In Mavericks (OS 10.9.1), there are two types of  libraries in the Mavericks file directory, one Library for the overall hard-drive (HD) and a Library folder for each user account.  Both types can be made visible in the Finder.

For the HD library, click on the HD icon in the Sidebar (use Finder/Preferences/Sidebar to make it visible) and the Library folder, which has a distinctive "library facade" on it, will be listed along with other folders in the HD. The Applications folder is included.

(The Users folders for each user-account are in the same list.)

To find the library in your user account folder (which again you make visible in the Sidebar using Finder/Preferences/Sidebar), simply click on the user-account icon in the Sidebar and your user Library folder will appear in a second list.  The Applications folder is included.  Naturally, it doesn't contain other users' user-account folders and data. Otherwise, the HD and user-account Library folders' contents are much the same.

For ease of use, if you are the only user of your Mac, drag the user-account Library folder into the sidebar beneath the user-account icon (presuming you've already made your user account icon visible in the Sidebar).  Then all you have to do is click on it to access the subolders and files it contains.

(You can drag the HD Library folder into the sidebar, also -- but to avoid confusion, since most of the folders and files you regularly use are in the user-account Library folder, I leave my HD folder where it is.)

In Mavericks (OS 10.9.1), there are two types of  libraries in the Mavericks file directory,

There are actually 3 Library folders.

/Library

/Systems/Library

/Users/User_name/Library (hidden by default)

At least Mac is not Windows 8. 

If you want to talk about train wrecks.

This should be the accepted answer, because it permanently makes the folder visible. The accepted answer only helps in the case when you are searching from Finder, but that is not always the case and you don't have the Go menu available.

You're my hero. I wiped my MacBook (early 2011) and got El Capitan and saw my user home under favorites was gone... I was having *** moments! Thank you for the help!

Thanks, Thomas. Even though typing chflags nohidden ~/Library did not work, typing ~/Library did the trick.

Thanks, Thomas. Even though typing chflags nohidden ~/Library did not work, typing ~/Library did the trick.