MAC hidden folders

Recovering data from the folder

Hopefully you have a backup of your files so you can safely format your drive if needed; however, if not then before formatting to clear the problem, you might be able to recover the data stored in the problematic folder by using a sequence of Terminal commands:

1. In the Finder, create a folder named "Temp" on your Desktop
2. Select the problematic grayed-out folder, and press Command-C to copy its path.
3. Open the Terminal utility
4. Type "mv -v" followed by a single space, and then press Command-V to paste the copied folder path.
5. Press Delete once and then type "/* " with a single space following the asterisk.
6. Locate the new Temp folder on your Desktop, and then similarly select it and press Command-C to copy its path.
7. Paste the path in the Terminal, so the full command will look similar to the following:

mv -v /Path/to/the/folder/* /Users/username/Desktop/Temp

With this command assembled, pressing Enter should move the folder's contents to the new Temp directory. You should see each file listed as it is moved, and when done the Terminal will drop you back to the command prompt. You can now back up the files, and then consider formatting your drive and restoring your files.