Can't see .htaccess file, is it hidden?

I'm trying to follow the instructions in the htaccess_for_page_not_found_redirects.htaccess file. When I tried to create a file named .htaccess in my store's root folder, it said that a file by that name already exists, but I cannot see it in this folder. Are these files hidden by nature? If not, what am I missing?

Thanks!

In the settings for your FTP program find the "hide filenames that begin with a period" option and disable it.

Most FTP programs hide it away so that people who don't know what it is for, don't end up accidentally deleting it.

Download the existing file, edit it and re-upload it. Keep copies of both the original and the changed file.

I keep backups like htaccess.sitename.2010.06.05.txt so that I know what date and which site each one is for.

Thanks so much, that worked!