How to Show or Hide Hidden Files and Folders in Windows
How to Show or Hide Hidden Files and Folders in Windows GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Software & Apps > Windows 70 70 people found this article helpful
Open Control Panel. One quick way to do this in newer versions of Windows is to search for it from the taskbar. If you're comfortable with the command line, there's a faster way to get this done. See the More Help... section at the bottom of the page and then skip down to Step 4. Select the Appearance and Personalization link. If you're viewing Control Panel in a way where you see all the links and icons but none of them are categorized, you won't see this link—skip down to Step 3. Select File Explorer Options (Windows 11/10) or Folder Options (Windows 8/7). Select the View tab. In the Advanced settings section, locate the Hidden files and folders category. You should be able to see it at the bottom without scrolling. There are two options within it. Choose what you want to do: Don't show hidden files, folders, or drives will hide the files, folders, and drives that have the hidden attribute toggled on. Show hidden files, folders, and drives lets you see the hidden data. Select OK at the bottom. You can test to see if hidden files are actually being hidden by browsing to the C:\ drive. If you do not see a folder named ProgramData, then hidden files and folders are being hidden from view. $NtUninstallKB folders contain information needed to uninstall updates you've received from Microsoft. While unlikely, it's possible you might not see these folders but may still be configured correctly to view hidden folders and files. This might be the case if you've never installed any updates to your operating system.
How to Show or Hide Hidden Files and Folders
Use Control Panel to access the option to hide or show hidden files and folders in Windows
By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on October 7, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Windows The Ultimate Laptop Buying GuideWhat to Know
Open Control Panel and select Appearance and Personalization.In Windows 11/10, select File Explorer Options and go to View. In Windows 8/7, select Folder Options, then View.In the Hidden files and folders section, choose to show or hide hidden files, folders, and drives. This article explains how to show or hide hidden files and folders in Windows. Instructions apply to Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7.How to Show or Hide Hidden Files and Folders in Windows
It's not difficult to show or hide hidden files and folders in Windows. To accomplish either, see below:Open Control Panel. One quick way to do this in newer versions of Windows is to search for it from the taskbar. If you're comfortable with the command line, there's a faster way to get this done. See the More Help... section at the bottom of the page and then skip down to Step 4. Select the Appearance and Personalization link. If you're viewing Control Panel in a way where you see all the links and icons but none of them are categorized, you won't see this link—skip down to Step 3. Select File Explorer Options (Windows 11/10) or Folder Options (Windows 8/7). Select the View tab. In the Advanced settings section, locate the Hidden files and folders category. You should be able to see it at the bottom without scrolling. There are two options within it. Choose what you want to do: Don't show hidden files, folders, or drives will hide the files, folders, and drives that have the hidden attribute toggled on. Show hidden files, folders, and drives lets you see the hidden data. Select OK at the bottom. You can test to see if hidden files are actually being hidden by browsing to the C:\ drive. If you do not see a folder named ProgramData, then hidden files and folders are being hidden from view. $NtUninstallKB folders contain information needed to uninstall updates you've received from Microsoft. While unlikely, it's possible you might not see these folders but may still be configured correctly to view hidden folders and files. This might be the case if you've never installed any updates to your operating system.