At one point or another, you’ll need to know the ways on how to show hidden files on Windows 10.
You may use them from time to time, keeping your data away from other users.
So, we’ve sorted out the four ways that can help you unhide files and folders on Windows 10.
Try them out only on Windows 10, and when ‘Show hidden files’ option is not working.
1. Use File Explorer
It is, perhaps, the most common way to show hidden files and folders on a Windows computer. Similar to earlier versions, Windows 10 file explorer windows can display hidden files in a few steps.
All you need to do is put a check against the option that says Show hidden files and folders .
- Go to the Start menu
- Open the File Explorer app
- Expand the menu bar in the File Explorer window
- Select the ^ at the upper right part of the window
- Toggle the menu bar
- Click on the ‘ View ’ tab
- Put a check against the box for ‘ Hidden items ’
That’s it, you’re done. You can view all hidden files and folders in Windows 10 through File Explorer window. And, if you need more options to show hidden folders, select the ‘ Option ’ menu and click on ‘ View ’.
2. Fix with Registry Editor
Now, if a solution as simple as above didn’t work, you can go for the complicated fix. You can edit the Windows Registry to show hidden files and folders on your Windows 10 system.
By using the Registry Editor, you can unhide files and folders in Windows 10. In addition, the edits made in Windows Registry allow you to see hidden files throughout your system.
To make the Registry edits,
- Press-hold the ‘ Windows ’ key and hit the ‘ R ’ key
- Type ‘ regedit ’ in the Run dialog box and click on OK
- In the Registry Editor window, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER
- Navigate to Software folder
- Go to Microsoft folder
- Now, browse to the Windows>CurrentVersion>Explorer location
- Here, go to the ‘ Advanced ’ registry
- Set the value for Hidden (to show hidden files, folders and drives) to 1
- Now, set the value for ShowSuperHidden to 1 (to show protected system files and OS files)
If you want to disable the ‘Show Hidden Files’ registries, you can reset the values of the above fields to 2 .
3. Use Control Panel/Settings
If the fix above was a bit complicated, there’s another easy way to unhide files on Windows 10. You can use the go-to program – Control Panel.
In Windows 10, Control Panel is veiled under the Settings app. To make the changes in Control Panel/Settings on Windows 10, follow the steps below.
- Right-click on Start menu button
- Click on Control Panel from the menu
- Go to the Appearances & Personalization section
- Select – File Explorer Options
- Click on the View tab
- Scroll down to find ‘ Hidden files and folders ’ as a setting option
- Here, change it to ‘ Show hidden files, folders and drives ’
- You can also uncheck the option – ‘ Hide protected operating system files ’
This certainly fixes your issue with hidden folders and files on Windows 10. If not, then we have one more way to unhide folders in Windows 10.
4. Make Changes in AppData Folder
The last resort for fixing the issue at hand is a bit lengthy. You’ll need to make some changes in the AppData folder on your Windows 10 system
The AppData folder is a core system file, and making changes to it is not simple. You should also remember to follow the steps correctly; any misconfigurations can corrupt your system files.
- Open the My Computer/This PC folder on Windows 10
- Go to the C: Drive
- Double-click on ‘ Users ’ folder
- Locate a file with your current user account name
- Open it and click on the View tab
- Now, go to Options
- As your Folder Options window gets opened, click on the View tab within
- Go to ‘ Advanced Settings ’
- Find the toggle for ‘ Show hidden files, folders and drives ’
- Put a check on it or toggle it to enabled
- Click on OK to save the changes
Here you go! These are all the four ways you can follow to unhide folder, files and drives in Windows 10. If you know any other way on how to show hidden files on Windows 10, let us know in the comments below.
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