Show Hidden Files and Directories in Linux

In Linux systems, files and directories starting with . (a dot) are hidden. Commonly, hidden files and directories are used to prevent accidental changes to them. This tutorial provides a way how to show hidden files and directories in Linux.

To view all files and directories (including hidden) in the current directory, run ls command with -a option:

1
ls -a

Output example:

1
.  ..  .bash_history  .bash_logout  .bashrc  .cache  images  .local  .profile  .ssh  test.txt

Provide the path in order to view files and directories in the specific directory:

1
ls -a /etc