I had this problem of no .env files showing up in the project.
Turns out the IDE I was using (Netbeans, try not to judge) will show certain types of .hidden files but not all.
After racking my brains for a bit I checked the file system and found the .env + .env.example files / modified them with a text editor.
Leaving this answer for the rare situation someones using a dodgy IDE like myself.