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I have a file called ".hgignore copy" and I want to rename it to ".hgignore". With a regular file, if I click on the name in the finder, I can change it. But with a hidden file, it won't let me do that. How can I change the name?

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It won't show the file, it won't let you click on the file, or it won't let you rename it? Which? – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams Dec 10 '10 at 14:53
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2 Answers

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In the worst case you could always open a terminal and rename it there.

mv ".hgignore copy" .hgignore
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typed faster, i'll delete mine – aking1012 Dec 10 '10 at 14:54
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up vote 1 down vote

You can rename the file in Terminal by entering

mv .hgignore\ copy .hgignore

You can also enable displaying of hidden files in Finder by entering 

 defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

in Terminal and restarting Finder by entering

 killall Finder

afterwards

A more user-friendly alternative to the second part of this answer is the use of Secrets, a "preference pane" extension for System Preferences, that lets you set this "hidden files" option for Finder in a more userfriendly way.

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