How to show Hidden Files and Folders in Windows 10

In this post, we will see how to show Hidden Files, Folders & Drives along with Protected operating system files in Windows 10/8/7, via File Explorer Options in the Control Panel.

Show Hidden Files & Folders

To do this, you will have to open the Control Panel and then select the File Explorer Options. File Explorer Options is referred to as Folder Options in Windows 8.1/7.

To show Hidden Files, Folders & Drives on your Windows 10 computer:

1. Open File Explorer Options
2. Click on the View tab
3. Under Hidden Files & Folders, select the Show Hidden Files, Folders and Drives option
4. Click on Apply and Exit.

Unhide Protected operating system files

If you wish to unhide and show the Protected operating system files, you need to uncheck the Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) setting, and click Apply.

Alternatively, you can also open Explorer, select the View tab and toggle the Hidden items checkbox to short or hide files and folders.

For your information, you can also access the Change folder and search options box from here.

There is another way! You can use attrib.exe to change File Attributes, and/or show the hidden files.

This post will show you how to make a File or Folder Hidden or Read Only. If you wish to, you can also list all the hidden files & folders on your Windows computer.

BONUS TIP: If you find that the Show Hidden Files, Folders and Drives option is missing, then this registry tweak is sure to help you. Alternatively, you could use our freeware FixWin to fix this problem. You will find the fix under its Explorer section.

How to view Hidden Files and Folders in Windows 10, 7

How to View Hidden Files and Folders

Windows XP, Windows vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, 10

How to show hidden files & folders on windows 7, Vista , Windows 10

This is a very simple process, just follow the instructions below.

Windows 8 covers specific files so that you can’t view them while browsing the files and folders on your pc. Windows has two kinds of files that Windows will identify as hidden and hide through the user. The initial kind are in reality hidden files, which can be ones which are because of the + H attribute or particular as Hidden inside a file or folder’s properties. The 2nd kind of file are System files, that are files that are necessary for the proper operation of Windows 8 as hence are hidden so they aren’t changed or deleted accidentally.

Steps

There are different steps for different operating systems. Check out the steps for your operating system below:

For Windows Vista / Windows 7

1. Click on “Start”
2. Click on “Control Panel”
3. Click on the “Folder option”
4. A “Folder option” popup will appear, Click on the “View” tab
5. Tick mark the option “Show hidden files, folders, and drives”
6. Click on Apply and it’s OK to complete.

For Windows 10, 8

How to find hidden files in Windows 10, 8

1. From the Windows 8 Start Screen, click on the Control Panel app.
2. Click on “Control Panel“
3. Click on the “Folder option”
4. A “Folder option” popup will appear, click on the “View” tab
5. Tick mark the option “Show hidden files, folders, and drives“
6. Click on Apply and it’s OK to complete.

Another Method

You can open the explorer (my computer) drive area, then click on View Menu2. Find the options Hidden Items and tickmarks to view the hidden Items (as per screenshot).

To see hidden files in Microsoft Windows, do the steps below. If you want to enable it, you will be able to view a hidden file using files by exploring the icon. Hidden files will look just as if they’re grayed out. Additionally, you can consider the file attributes to find out whether it’s a hidden file.

If you’d like use of files beneath a hidden folder, you need to be competent to view that hidden folder. You may even have to view a hidden file so it’s possible to delete it, when it comes to a specific problem you may be getting.

Automatically Windows hides specific files from getting seen with Windows Explorer or My Computer. This can be done to guard these files, that are normally system files, from unintentionally getting changed or deleted through the user. However viruses, spyware, and hijackers usually hide their files by doing this which makes it difficult to find them and after that remove all of them.

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How to show hidden files in Windows 7

Lawrence Abrams

• February 1, 2009
• Read 3,679,927 times

Windows 7 hides certain files so that they are not able to be seen when you exploring the files on your computer. The files it hides are typically Windows 7 System files that if tampered with could cause problems with the proper operation of the computer. It is possible, though, for a user or piece of software to set make a file hidden by enabling the hidden attribute in a particular file or folder’s properties. Due to this it can be beneficial at times to be able to see any hidden files that may be on your computer. This tutorial will explain how to show all hidden files in Windows 7.

To enable the viewing of hidden and protected system files in Windows 7 please follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Click on the Start button. This is the small round button ( ) in the lower left corner of your screen that has a Windows flag on it.
3. Click on the Control Panel menu option.
4. When the control panel opens you will see a screen similar to Figure 1 below.

Click on the Appearance and Personalization link.

You will now be in the Appearance and Personalization control panel as shown in Figure 2 below.

Now click on the Show hidden files and folders option as shown by the red arrow in Figure 2 above.

Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files, folders, and drives.

Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide extensions for known file types.

Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).

Once this is done, your Folder Options screen should look similar to the following image.

Figure 3. Folder Options screen

Press the Apply button and then the OK button.

You will now be at your desktop and Windows 7 will be configured to show all hidden files.

If you have any questions about this tutorial please feel free to post them in our Windows 7 forums.

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By default Windows hides certain files from being seen with Windows Explorer or My Computer. This is done to protect these files, which are usually system files, from accidentally being modified or deleted by the user. Unfortunately viruses, spyware, and hijackers often hide there files in this way making it hard to find them and then delete them.

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How to see hidden files in Windows 8

Windows 8 hides certain files so that you are not able to view them while exploring the files and folders on your computer. Windows has two types of files that Windows will classify as hidden and hide from the user. The first type are actually hidden files, which are ones that are given the +H attribute or specified as Hidden in a file or folder’s properties. The second type of file are System .

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How to Show Hidden Files and Folders in Windows 10

To show the files and folders automatically hidden in your Windows 10 computer, you can use one of the two methods introduced in this text.

Video guide on how to show hidden files and folders in Windows 10:

2 ways to show hidden files and folders in Windows 10:

Way 1: Show hidden files and folders in the View menu.

Step 1: Open This PC.

Double-click This PC on the desktop to open it.

Tips:

1. If you have no idea how to add This PC to the desktop, please refer to How to Add Desktop Icons on Windows 10.

2. You can also open another folder such as Network, File Explorer, Recycle Bin, etc.

Step 2: Show the hidden files and folders in the View menu.

Click View, tap Show/hide in the menu, and check the small box before Hidden items in the sub-list.

Way 2: Show hidden files and folders in the Folder Options.

Open This PC, click View and select Options.

Step 2: Show the hidden files and folders in the View settings.

In the Folder Options window, choose View, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives, and then click OK.

Now, go ahead to put them into practice, and you can show the hidden files and folders on your PC.