Updated: 3 November 2026 · Applies to: Linux, any shell and most desktop file managers
To hide a file or directory in Linux, rename it so its name starts with a dot. Linux treats any name beginning with . as hidden, and both the terminal and graphical file managers skip it in normal directory listings unless you explicitly ask to see hidden files too.
Hide a file from the terminal
Use mv to rename the file with a leading dot:
mv notes.txt .notes.txt
List the directory normally and the file is gone from view, even though it is still right there:
ls
This works exactly the same way for a directory, not just a single file:
mv old-project .old-project
View hidden files again
Add -a to ls to show every file, hidden ones included:
ls -a
Combine it with -l for a detailed, long format listing of everything, hidden files included:
ls -al
In most graphical file managers, press Ctrl+H, or open the View menu and enable Show Hidden Files, to see the same dotted files there.
Why this is convention, not security
A leading dot only changes what a normal directory listing shows by default; it does not restrict who can open the file. Anyone who already has permission to read that directory, including ls -a, find, or simply typing the exact filename, can see and open it exactly as before. It is a tidiness convention Linux itself relies on heavily, for example .bashrc and .ssh in your own home directory, not an access control.
If a file genuinely needs to be kept from other users on the same system, set its permissions instead:
chmod 600 notes.txt
600 means only the file's owner can read or write it; everyone else gets no access at all. For something you want to actively protect from accidental changes, including by your own account, chattr can mark a file immutable so even the owner cannot modify or delete it until the flag is removed:
chattr +i important-config.conf
Remove the flag the same way, with a minus instead of a plus, once you need to edit the file again:
chattr -i important-config.conf
