How To Show Hidden Files And Folders In Windows 10?

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This tutorial explains how to show hidden files and folders in Windows 10. The ability to hide files and folders, so that they don’t appear in Windows Explorer has been one of the important core features of the Windows line of operating systems. Almost every single Windows version has included this functionality, and the newest Windows 10 is no different. While it is mostly used by the OS to keep the important system files hidden from the user (e.g. to prevent accidental deletion, or unauthorized access), you can easily use it to hide any file or folder of your choice as well.

Hidden files and folders can be easily un-hidden in every version of Windows. However, the way this is done in Windows 10 is a little different, and a lot easier as well. Sounds interesting? Let’s see how you can show hidden files and folders in Windows 10.

show hidden files and folders in windows 10

How To Show Hidden Files And Folders In Windows 10?

Bringing those hidden files and folders back into view has always been simple. However, in Windows 10, it’s even easier.

Step 1: Open up Windows Explorer, and navigate to any location that has some hidden content (files, folders etc.). This location could be a disk partition, or just about any folder. Pick what you like:

sample explorer window

Step 2: Once there, you need to bring up the super awesome Ribbon Menu of the Windows Explorer. To do so, click the small downward pointing arrow on the top right corner of the Explorer window (Alternatively, you can also use the Ctrl+F1 shortcut).

bring up the ribbon menu

As illustrated above, the Ribbon Menu features a tabbed UI, having dynamic sections such as view, manage etc. Click the View tab to bring it to focus.

Step 3: Almost done! Now that you’re on the view tab, all you have to do is head over to the third horizontal sub-section from the last, and enable the option that says Hidden items, via the checkbox against it.

enable hidden items

And we’re done people! As soon as you hit that checkbox, all of your hidden files and folders will come into view (though they’ll still appear as faded). Needless to say, this option shows all the hidden files and folders, no matter where they are located on your hard disk. See, told you it’s easy!

Also See: Show The All Apps View When Start Button Is Clicked In Windows 10

 Conclusion

Hidden files and folders have been a staple feature of the Windows line of operating systems, since forever. And for all the good reasons. This is a simple, but essential functionality that not only secures important files and folders from unauthorized access and accidental deletion, but also lets the users keep their important data hidden (pun intended) from others. And as you’ve seen now, hiding (and un-hiding) stuff in Windows 10 is easier than ever. So go ahead, have fun with it.

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Works With: Windows 10
Free/Paid: Free

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pmbrauer2017-01-06

This article is just a long description of a very basic setting. This article also INCORRECTLY states that ALL files will be “unhidden” - quote “no matter where they…”

Hidden System (properly described as “PROTECTED”) files WILL NOT be shown by changing this rather obvious but misleading, for the purpose of this discussion, setting…

To see “everything” you still need to go to Folder (View) Options and set the correct choices for both (1) “Hidden Files and Folders” and (2) “HIDE PROTECTED OPERATING SYSTEM FILES”… Two separate settings… The setting described in the article only affects the first.

“Hidden” filesfolders are items that you generally don’t need to change, copy, or move yourself because something else probably does that for you. A good, basic example of that would be the “Settings” or “Options” you set within an application, game, etc. Generally speaking, if you do something “wrong” to a Hidden File or Folder then the application it supports can still “recover” or at least “survive” the mistake. Default settings might get loaded or you may loose “work” or “progress” you previously made in a game or program.

Hidden, non-system files are hidden for convenience as opposed to safety.

“Protected Operating System Files” are in a whole new category of risk by either intentionally or unintentionally making changes to them. Over simplified, once again, if you change them yourself, very bad things are LIKELY to happen that you (or even the operating system itself) are UNLIKELY to easily fix or recover from.

My personal advice it to ONLY uncheck, or Not “Hide” these Protected files for a specific purpose, to accomplish a specific task, and most importantly - for a specific and very limited period of time. Leaving them visible indefinitely, even though you know what they are, seriously increases the chance that you might inadvertently move, delete, or change them even while performing otherwise low risk tasks. Heightened awareness is essential, regardless of skill or experience.

While most of these files are in obvious directories, some (actually many) are all over the place. An example is the “desktop.ini” file in your userdesktop folder. It stores information that tells Windows things like where to display the icons on your desktop. Delete it and you will probably just get all default settings, like all of your icons bunched up in a corner or along one side, in alphabetical order. “Change” something in that file however and Windows might start “trying” to display all those icons three feet to the left of your actual screen… and that’s about the most benign example I can think of.

Many, many “Hidden + System” files can cause serious, unrecoverable problems and this can be the result of something you’d never expect. You may simply try to “open” or “view” a file that’s in use by the system and for an instant, Windows may miss a critical operation that was supposed to make some small change to that file. While that is unlikely, maybe even untrue, it is far safer to assume that anything is possible when they are “visible”.

Basically just remember that Windows is always ASSUMING, regardless of your settings, that you can’t see or manipulate Protected files and therefore DOES NOT provide the safeguards that we all to often take for granted.

Wayne Cellon2015-12-28

I have “Hidden Items” checked and they still do not show. I can open a command prompt and do a “Dir AH” and see the hidden files, but they still do not show in Explorer.

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