# Hidden file

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hidden-file/153970>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [November 24, 2008, 6:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hidden-file/153970 "2008-11-24T06:59:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@rgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rgreen)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 6:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hidden-file/153970/1 "2008-11-24T06:59:17Z")

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Does anyone know the purpose of a hidden file called “.gems” in my  
home folder on os x?

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**Author:** ![rgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@rgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rgreen)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 10:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hidden-file/153970/2 "2008-11-24T10:31:15Z")

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That’s where gems will be installed if you run a “gem install …”  
command and you don’t have permission to create files in the default  
gem directory. If you run “sudo gem install …” the gems will be  
installed in the default location.

Rick

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@rgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rgreen)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hidden-file/153970/3 "2008-11-24T21:07:00Z")

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Yes, but I keep deleting the folder and it keeps coming back. It’s  
empty but it keeps re-appearing.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@rgreen](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rgreen)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 5:51am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/hidden-file/153970/4 "2008-11-25T05:51:10Z")

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Hi Rong,

Have you been loading gems? I’m not sure which part of RoR causes it  
to be created but you can think of it like your shell history file.  
One or more of the applications you run regularly use that file for  
book keeping and startup configuration.

I wouldn’t worry about it too much but you could keep deleting it and  
see if it gets recreated as part of one of your favorite apps is run.

Rick