Hidden xp files and folders are displayed. How to show hidden folders in Windows

Having constant access to all folders and files on your computer is useful for an advanced user who will not accidentally delete important materials, and protects and encrypts valuable information by special means. In all other cases, it becomes necessary to use the capabilities of Windows 7 to hide and open files and directories.

How to hide a folder or file

You can change the properties of a folder using standard Windows 7 tools, including Explorer.

1. Open the "Explorer" and go through the tabs until we find our folder.
2. Right-click and select "Properties" from the menu that opens.
3. Select the "General" tab, set the checkbox next to the word "Hidden". Press "OK" to exit.
4. A folder usually contains nested items - subdirectories and files. Therefore, the system will ask you to clarify the intention. In the window that opens "Confirm attribute changes", two options will be offered: "Apply changes only to this folder" (files will become viewable when transferred or copied to an open folder) and "To this folder and to all folders and files nested in it" (files will remain invisible). Choose your choice and click OK.
5. If it is necessary to hide not a folder, but a separate file, we proceed similarly, while omitting the last step.
6. After all the manipulations, the folder will change its color, the icon will become a little paler. So that it does not appear at all, we change the parameters of the "Explorer" itself. To do this, click "Start" and open the "Control Panel".
7. In the "Computer Settings" window that opens, select the "Folder Options" tab.
8. Select the "View" tab in the "Folder Options" window, in the lower half of which there is a window with a scrolling "Advanced Options". The “Hidden files and folders” item we need is at the very end of the scrollable list. Most likely, the label is on "Show hidden files, folders and drives. Change it to "Don't show...".
9. Click "Apply" and then "OK". If everything is done correctly, the hidden folder in the "Explorer" will no longer be displayed.

How to make hidden documents visible

First you need to make sure that "Explorer" shows hidden items. To do this, in the "Folder Options" window already known to us, you need to set the marker to "Show hidden files and folders." After that you can work with necessary documents. They will be distinguished by a paler color of the icon.

If it is necessary to "open" the file, that is, to remove the "Hidden" attribute from its properties, then it is necessary to use the "Properties" window again.

Registry Editor

In order for Explorer to show hidden files, you can use the Registry Editor.

1. We press the combination of the Win and R buttons, in the Run window that appears, we type the regedit command in the input line, click OK.
2. In the Registry Editor that opens, go to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced section, opening the tabs one by one.
3. Double click on the "Hidden" parameter. Enter the number 1 in the "Value" field and click "OK". Now hidden files will be shown by Explorer.
4. To achieve the opposite result, enter "0".

How to View Invisible Folders and Files in Windows 7 - video

How to show or hide information on a flash drive

From the point of view of the "Explorer", external drives, including flash drives, are the same drives as the rest in the computer. Therefore, in order to see / hide their contents, you need to act in the same way: change the settings of "Explorer" and the properties of folders and files stored on the drive.

Note! Changing the attribute to "Hidden" will not hide the document from an alternative file manager or "Explorer" on another computer that is configured to display invisible elements.

Searching for files on a computer

In order to detect hidden files and folders, you must first make sure that they are displayed in Explorer, and only then start Search. Now not a single document will escape you.

view all hidden materials you can also use other applications, for example, Total Commander, in which you should also first configure the display of files.

When opening access to hidden files, you should be aware that this step removes one of the protection levels of information important to the system. Therefore, you should take care of other methods: data encryption, the use of software and hardware, as well as external media.

On the computer. They are there, but they are not visible.

one . Right-click on the file or folder and select "Properties".

2. A window will open. Check the Hidden box and click OK.

The file (folder) will disappear. In fact, it will remain in the computer, we just hide it in this way.

By the way, many users are able to open hidden files and folders. So consider whether something is worth hiding in this way.

How to open (show) hidden files and folders

If there is no such item, then click on the Start button and open the Control Panel. Among the icons, find and open "Folder Options" (Appearance and Personalization → Folder Options).

In Windows 10, you need to click on "View" at the top of the window and select "Options".

Put a dot on the item "Show hidden files, folders and drives" (below) and click "OK".

Files and folders that are hidden will be lighter than normal files and folders.

Normal folder:

How to make a hidden folder normal

1. Right-click on the file or folder you want to make normal and select Properties.
2. Uncheck the Hidden box and click OK.

How to disable showing hidden files and folders

Open any folder on your computer. Click on the word "Organize" (at the top of the window) and select "Folder and Search Options".

If there is no such item at the top of the window, click on the Start button and open the Control Panel. Among the icons, find and open "Folder Options" (Appearance and Personalization → Folder Options).

In Windows 10, to do this, click on "View" and select "Options".

A window will open. Click on the "View" tab (top).

Put a dot on the item "Do not show hidden files, folders and drives" (below) and click "OK".

On a note . In Windows 10, you can make it easier: View → Show or hide → Hidden items.

The computer has a lot of hidden files and folders in the Local Disk where the operating system is located (usually it is Local Disk C). This is necessary so that you do not accidentally spoil something.

If you delete any of these files or any folder, even if you just change the name, then the computer may stop working or start to freeze seriously. So be careful with system hidden files and folders!

In some cases, the user just needs to see hidden folders systems. This happens when installing various add-ons for games, changing programs, or simply deep cleaning systems. If you need to go into the system folder only once or twice, then it is better to hide it after that. So you protect yourself from accidentally deleting important system files, changing them and moving them: all these actions are fraught with errors in Windows 7. Try to configure the display of hidden folders yourself by following the simple and visual instructions in this article.

Go to the control panel. To do this, click on the Start icon in Explorer, then select the “Control Panel” line on the right side of the menu that appears. Customize the display by category, not by icons. This option is in the upper right corner of the window.
Click on the Appearance and Personalization section.

You need the "Show hidden files and folders" link in the "Folder Options" category.

A small window will open in front of you, here you can configure the following settings for folders:

• Options for opening and overlaying them.
• The reaction of the system to clicks on folders.
• Folder display.

In addition, in this tab, you can immediately return all the original folder settings, set by default by the system.

You need to go to the "View" tab.

You will see a long list advanced settings for general view folders and some types of files. Scroll down until you find the line “Hidden files and folders”, among the subsections there will be an item “Show hidden files, folders and drives”. Check it off.
Click "OK" and then "Apply".

Your system hidden folders will now show up on your computer. Just go to the required directory and select this folder. However, the design will be somewhat different from the usual user sections: the color of the folder will become somewhat faded and muted. This is done so that you understand that this folder is a system folder, and it is better not to move files in it. And if possible, do not go there at all.

So you can simply configure the display of system folders on your computer or laptop with the Windows 7 operating system. If you have later versions of the OS, then this algorithm applies to them. You need to follow exactly the same path, however some line names may be different, along with the new system interface.

Hidden directories are directories that are not visible to the average user in Explorer by default. Usually, system folders are hidden from view - in this way, Windows protects components important for its operation from accidental change or deletion. To hidden files and Windows folders 7 become visible, you should make some changes to the OS settings.

How to open invisible folders for viewing

Although the developers of Windows 7 made sure that the directories necessary for the stable operation of the operating system were not changed by the user. But in in some cases it is necessary to show hidden OS data, for example, in order to remove virus programs that have infected a computer and settled in system folders.

Hidden system components are located on the disk partition where the operating system is installed. For most users, the C drive acts as the primary volume.

There are several ways to make invisible directories viewable.

Change folder options

The easiest way to make invisible directories public is to use the Folder Options feature:

If for some reason you are unable to open options window by pressing the Alt button, use the search function in the Start menu. To do this, simply type in the search box the query "Folder Options" - the system will find desired program and offer to open it.

Another way to change the directory settings is to open the Start menu, go to the "Control Panel" and select the "Appearance and Personalization" section. In the contents of the section, you will see the item "Folder Options".

Making edits in the registry editor

To perform the algorithm described below, you must be logged into Windows with account administrator, otherwise the system will not allow you to make changes to the registry:

Configuration via Total Commander

Another way to make a hidden folder not hidden is to use Total Commander. Popular the file manager is not only functional and easy to use, but also available for free download:

1. Download and run the utility.
2. In the top panel of the manager, select the "Configuration" tab.
3. Find the item "Settings: Panel content" in the list of elements.
4. Check the boxes next to "Show hidden files" and "Show hidden folders". Confirm the changes with the "Apply" button.
5. Click OK.

You can check the effectiveness of the method used by going to the system partition (that is, by opening drive C). If translucent folders called ProgramData and MSOCashe appeared there, the process was successful.

If you wish, you can make the hidden system directories normal so that they do not look different from the rest. To do this, perform the following manipulations:

1. Right-click on the directory whose attributes you want to change and open properties.
2. Uncheck "Hidden" and click OK.

How to make directories invisible

If it becomes necessary to return the OS to its original state by hiding system data, use the methods described above in reverse order: remove the corresponding marks or change the registry values.

If you share your computer with other users and want to protect certain information from prying eyes, you can use another simple way to hide- rename the folder and set a transparent icon for it. This method is not very reliable and is not suitable for system components, but it will help out in case of emergency:

1. Highlight the directory you want to hide and press the F2 key and then the Alt button.
2. Without releasing Alt, enter the number 255 on the numeric keypad on the right (Num Lock must be enabled). If everything is done correctly, you will get a folder with an empty name.
3. Right-click on the directories and open "Properties".
4. Go to the Settings tab and look for the Change Icon option.
5. Find the transparent one among the icons and select it. Click OK.

Now a person who does not know about the existence of the folder will not be able to find it, even if he turns on the option to show hidden files. However, if you click at the location of such a directory the key combination Ctrl + A (Select All), it will not be difficult to notice. So this method is not suitable for hiding particularly important information - it's better to use special utilities.

All the methods described to view hidden folders in Windows 7 will help you see directories that have not been visible until this moment, and if you wish, hide them from the public again. However, remember that hidden directories usually contain important components, and accidentally deleting one of them may require you to reinstall Windows. Therefore, it is better not to open system directories without special need.

AT operating system Windows has hidden objects. They exist in fact, but they are not visible in the explorer. Accordingly, the user will not be able to accidentally delete, move or change them. Typically, these directories store system data. But if you need to view their content, you won't be able to do it in the usual way. Let's figure out how to open hidden folders, set their visibility and "mask" a separate directory.

This is what the hidden folder looks like

If suddenly ordinary objects that you created yourself “disappear” from your device, malware may be to blame. software. In this case, you need to check the system with an antivirus, and not deal with the attributes.

If you know the path to the invisible directory, here's how you can open hidden files:

• Go to "Start" - "Run". Or press the Win+R keys.

• In the input field, write the full path to the directory. The name of a particular object must be specified with an extension.
• Click OK.

Or another way:

1. Open any local drive. You can also open the "My Computer" menu.
2. In the address bar at the top of the window, enter the path to the file or folder.

Visibility setting

Here's how to show hidden folders:

• Go to "Control Panel". It should be in the start menu. If it's not there, you'll have to reconfigure it. Right-click on the taskbar, select "Properties", the "Start" tab and then "Settings". In the list that opens, find the "Control Panel" and set the "Display" option to it.
• Go to Folder Options. Window in the Appearance and Personalization category.
• View tab.
• Scroll down to the "Hidden" section.
• Put a marker next to "Show".
• Save your changes.
• If the object is still invisible, uncheck "Hide system files".

Now you will be able to see the hidden objects: they will be transparent and dim. This is how you distinguish them from regular directories.

There are several other ways to access this menu. These options are relevant for Windows version 7 and above.

1. Open any directory.
2. Click "Organize" in the top left corner.
3. "Folder and search options".

1. Every directory has a menu bar. If it's not visible, hold down the Alt key.
2. In this line, click on "Service".
3. Item "Folder Options".

It is not recommended to enable display if you just want to see what is inside the directory. Activate this option only if you need something specific. Files are hidden for a reason, but to protect the system.

Attributes

You have learned how to show hidden folders. Now you can figure out how to hide the visible object:

1. Click on it with the right mouse button.
2. "Properties".
3. Check the Hidden checkbox. If it is not there, then it simply does not fit. Click "Others". The required attribute will be there.
4. "Apply".
5. To remove the option, on the contrary, uncheck the box.

Hide folder in Windows

Command line

If files have become invisible due to a virus, you can remove attributes from them using commands.

1. Go to "Start" - "Programs" - "Accessories".
2. Right click on "Command Prompt".
3. Select "As administrator".
4. A window will open with a black background and white font.
5. Enter the command "sd [Path to hidden object]". Press Enter.
6. Write or copy the line "attrib -s -h -r -a /s /d *.*" without quotes. All attributes will be removed.
7. Asterisks "*.*" denote all possible object names with all possible formats.

Third Party Programs

To change the visibility of masked directories in file manager Total Commander, you need to do the following:

1. Open "Configuration".
2. "Settings".
3. Panel content section.
4. "Show hidden files" option.

Another popular manager is Unreal Commander:

1. Menu "Configurations" - "Settings".
2. Go to the "View" section and the "Files" subsection.
3. Check all the boxes in the "Display" area.
4. Apply.

And for Nomad.NET:

1. "Tools".
2. "Options".
3. Security tab.
4. There will be an option there.

To show hidden files, you just need to check one box in the folder options. You should not delete something in directories that were originally hidden. Usually they contain data reserved for the needs of the system or important utilities.