How to Configure Hidden Files and Folders in Microsoft Windows

Hiding files and folders on your computer may be necessary from time to time. There may be something that you don't want the common computer user to be able to access or you may be the common computer user and you want to be able to see things that are hidden.

To be able to see hidden files and folders you need to turn this feature on. By default Windows is configured to not show hidden files and folders, so that users don't get into system files that shouldn't be messed with. Open Windows explorer from your all programs list. Go to the tools menu and choose folder options. From the folder options window choose the View tab. Under Advanced settings you should be able to find a section called Hidden files and folders. You can choose the option that says "Do not show hidden files and folders" or the option which says "Show hidden files and folders."
Then hit okay and the changes will instantly take effect.

You can choose which files contain the hidden attribute. If you have a folder or file that you want to be hidden, simply right click on the file or folder and choose properties. From the properties window you should see a check box that says Hidden. If you check this box and hit okay, this item will now have the hidden attribute activated. If you choose to hide a folder, it will ask you if you want to hide all of the items inside the folder as well.

If you have show hidden files and folders turned on you will be able to tell if an item is hidden or not by how its icon appears. An unhidden icon will have a normal looking icon but a hidden file or folder will look translucent. The icon will not be as bright and you should easily be able to notice the difference.

If you do not want to enable the Show hidden files and folders option but you still want to be able to find hidden items, there is a way to do this. If you go to your start button and choose search you will be presented with a number of options for your search. First you will need to choose what type of thing you are searching for. Normally this would be files and folders, so choose that option. Now you will be presented with more options to refine your search. If you choose more advanced options you will see that there is an option to search hidden files and folders. If you check this option it will search all of the hidden files and folders on your computer in this search.

That's about all there is to hidden files and folders. There is third party software that can provide more advanced features for hiding files and folders but the items in this article will help you understand how to work with the tools that Microsoft Windows has provided. Thanks for reading and enjoy.