If the folder is not visible, and it is not displayed, it means that the "hidden" attribute is set for it. As a rule, hidden folders are not visible in Explorer, it is also “my computer”. Do not worry so that hidden folders become visible, you need to tweak windows 7 a little and everything will be fine.
As usual, knowing our modern people, so as not to torment, I suggest watching the video:
If this video did not help you, I suggest watching another one.
How to show hidden files
If for some reason you are not satisfied with the videos, or you just do not want to watch them, I suggest using this step-by-step instruction:
- Open any folder on your hard drive and press the Alt key. After that, you will have an additional menu in which you should click on "Service" and then select "folder options ..."
- The folder management has opened in front of you, in which you can customize whatever your heart desires.
- If you couldn't open this window using the Alt key, do the following. Open the start menu à in the search enter “folder options”. That's it, we figured it out.
- To display hidden files and folders, open the "view" tab and check the boxes as in the screenshot:
- After you have done everything, you need to click "OK".
- Now, if necessary, on any folder, click “properties” and remove the “hidden” checkbox.
As you can see, nothing complicated. To solve this problem, it took us only 3 minutes and for this, you did not install any additional programs.
Users of Windows 7 and other editions of the OS from Microsoft can set the attributes of any folder, except for some system folders.
What is an attribute
Attribute is metadata describing additional parameters of the file / directory. In comparison with other metadata concerning folders, the concept of "attribute" does not include the date of creation and modification of the directory, the rights to access it.
For an ordinary user, the presence of such metadata means that he will be able to make directories in Windows invisible in Explorer and file managers, archive and index files located in the directory, as well as compress data in order to save disk space and encrypt the contents of the directory. From the entire list, we are interested in the ability to hide the folder.
How to assign attributes
IN any windows, released over the past 15 years, making hidden directories is extremely easy, so any user can handle the task. Let's consider how this is done, and in several ways.
It is unreliable to use the proposed method to hide confidential data: any user will be able to discover hidden folders and the information they contain. Therefore, the method can only be used to temporarily hide data from those less knowledgeable in the intricacies. file system Windows users, for example, very young users.
- Launch Explorer and open the folder or drive where the target directory is located (which we want to hide).
- With help context menu or the combination "Alt + Tab" call its context menu.
- In the window that opens, on the first tab "General", we find the "Attributes" field located at the bottom, and put a tick next to "Hidden".
- Click "Apply".
- When a window appears to confirm the change of attributes, select a satisfying condition and click "OK".
- We re-enter the folder where our hidden object is located, or update the contents of the explorer by clicking F5.
The folders are dyed in a lighter color. This symbolizes that everything worked out.
We activate the option to not display hidden directories
To prevent directories with the "Hidden" attribute from being visible in Windows Explorer, you must turn off the option to display hidden objects.
- We call the explorer window by going to any directory, on a disk, or by starting "My Computer".
- We call the item of the main menu called "Arrange".
If not, press the hardware Alt key.
- We activate the "View" tab and move down the list of additional parameters.
- Move the checkbox to the "Do not show ..." position so that hidden directories become invisible to the user.
To make Windows start rendering objects with the "Hidden" attribute back, move the switch to "Show ...".
- Save the new parameters for displaying hidden objects by clicking "Apply".
- We get acquainted with the information in the warning dialog and take note of the information provided.
- Close the settings window.
Working with hidden directories in Total Commander
When using the file manager on a computer as an alternative to a primitive explorer, Total Commander and other analogs also allow you to change the attributes of directories and files located in them.
- Move the cursor to the required directory or select it.
- We call the dialog for changing object attributes in Total Commader.
- Check the "h Hidden" option.
- Click "OK". The catalog display color has changed.
To enable the option of not displaying hidden objects, call the "Settings" located in the "Configuration" item of the main menu.
On the "Panel Content" tab, deactivate the "Show hidden files" option and save the new configuration.
Working with attributes using command line We will not consider it due to the fact that this method of hiding folders will seem difficult to the majority of beginners.
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On the computer. They are there, but they are not visible.
one . Right-click on a 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 this way.
By the way, many users know how to open hidden files and folders. So consider whether it is worth hiding something 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. Find and open Folder Options (Appearance and Personalization → Folder Options) among the icons.
In Windows 10, you need to click on "View" at the top of the window and select "Options".
Put a point 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.
Regular folder:
How to make a hidden folder regular
- Right-click on the file or folder that you want to make a regular one, and select "Properties".
- Uncheck the "Hidden" box and click "OK".
How to turn off the display of hidden files and folders
Open any folder on your computer. Click on the words "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. Find and open Folder Options (Appearance and Personalization → Folder Options) among the icons.
In Windows 10, to do this, click on "View" and select "Options."
A window will open. Click on the "View" tab (above).
Put a point 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 Local disk C). This is so that you don't accidentally ruin something.
If you delete any of these files or any folder, even if you just change the name, the computer may stop working or start to seriously freeze. So be careful with system hidden files and folders!
In order to ensure the security of the operating system, its correct operation, important system folders and Windows files are hidden by default. Also, for various reasons, users often hide other, regular folders and files.
An unauthorized user, not finding them in the explorer, will not be able to get acquainted with your personal information.
Sometimes you need to access hidden folders, see, open and view properties. There is nothing complicated about that. There are many ways.
The first one. Go to Windows 10 Explorer.
Open the "View" tab.
Select "Options", click on this item.
In the window that appeared, click on "View", go to the tab.
In the advanced options (green rectangle), uncheck the hiding protected system files (top red arrow in the figure).
The field in the square next to this item should be empty, as in the screenshot above. In the circle next to the item (“Show hidden files, folders and drives), check the box (arrow below). Be sure to click "Apply" and "Ok", confirming the changes. These actions enabled the display of system and normal hidden folders.
If necessary, in this way, you can separately enable the display of user folders without opening access to system files. And vice versa.
Another very simple way to make files and folders visible in Windows 10. System folders remain hidden when using this method.
Enter the "View" tab of the explorer.
Check the box "Hidden items" as in the picture. All folders are now visible (except system folders).
When using the third method, it is possible to show hidden folders selectively by selecting only the required one folder.
To do this, hover the cursor over the selected folder and right-click to open the folder properties.
Remove the check mark from the hide attribute at the bottom of the window, the "Hidden" square field should be empty, look like this in the picture above. The folder becomes visible in this case. Apply the action by clicking on "Apply" and click "Ok".
The task is completed.
How to open hidden files on Windows 7?
Press Win + R, write control folders and press Enter.
Open the "View" tab, scroll down the slider and check the "Show ..." item.
Click Apply to save your changes.
If you need to disable their display, then in the same window, check the box "Do not show ...".
Second way:
Go to Start, open "Control Panel" and click on the "Folder Options" shortcut.
Select the "View" section, scroll down the slider and activate the "Show ..." item.
Save the changes by clicking "Apply".
And the third way:
Open any folder you like.
Click the Alt key and a menu will appear.
Click on Tools - Folder Options.
A familiar window will open: to enable the display of hidden files, go to the "View" tab and check the "Show ..." item.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated here. Choose whichever method suits you best and use it at the right time.
When you enable viewing of hidden files in Windows 7 in any of the above ways, they will be visible everywhere. Including on a USB flash drive. You just need to connect it to a PC or laptop - and you will see hidden folders (provided that they are there). The same goes for the external HDD.
We have dealt with the “seven”, now let's move on to the “eight”.
How to enable hidden files in Windows 8?
There are also 3 options to choose from here. The first two are described above in the instructions for Windows 7. That is, you can enable hidden files in Windows 8 by typing the control folders command. Or by selecting the "Folder Options" shortcut in the "Control Panel".
But there is another way to show hidden files in Windows 8:
Open any folder you like.
Select the "View" section.
Click on the item "Show or hide", and then check the box next to "Hidden items".
Done. And not only in the current folder, but also in the rest. The same methods will help to display hidden files on a USB flash drive or external HDD disk- you just need to connect them to your computer or laptop.
The last method, which works on Windows 8, is also suitable for the "ten"
To enable hidden files in Windows 10:
Open any folder.
Select the "View" section.
Check the box for "Hidden Items".
After that, you can see hidden folders and documents in any section hard disk or on a USB flash drive (it must be connected to a PC).
If you want to hide folders again, uncheck this box.
There is also another way to enable the display of hidden files in Windows 10:
Click Win + Q and write "Explorer Options" in the search box.
Press Enter - a familiar window will open.
Go to the "View" section and check the box next to "Show ...".
Done. Now you can open any hidden files on Windows 10. As you can see, the methods on different OS versions are quite similar, but differ in small nuances.
You can view hidden files in XP like this
Go to Start - Control Panel and select the "Folder Options" shortcut.
The same window will appear: go to the "View" section and check the "Show ..." item.
Don't forget to click "Apply" to save your changes.
All - now you can open or delete hidden folders and documents.
If there is no desire to understand the differences different versions Windows, you can use the universal method
In this case, you just need to install file manager Total Commander (download link). The program sees hidden documents and works on all Windows.
How to see hidden files in Total Commander? To do this, you need to do the following:
Open the program and select Configuration - Settings from the menu.
Click on the Panel Content tab.
Place the birds at the top 2 points.
Click "Apply" and exit the settings.
Now all folders and documents in Total Commander will be visible. And for this you don't even have to go to Windows settings and change the options for displaying folders.
Need to see hidden documents? Start Total Commander and go to the required partition hard disk. Or plug in a USB flash drive and then open it through this file manager.
In order for hidden folders to become visible, you need to start the explorer. In the upper left corner of the explorer, click on arrange and in the drop-down menu, click on the folder and search options. In the options menu that opens, press the "View" button and scrolling to the bottom of the "additional options" switch on the item - show hidden files and folders. Finally, press the "apply" button.
In order to force the Windows 7 operating system to show hidden folders, we need to open any folder and press the ALT button on the keyboard.
After pressing the ALT key, a number of drop-down menus will appear under the address bar: File, Edit, View, Service and Help. Here we need to open the drop-down menu "Tools" and select the item "Folder Options".
After that, you will see a small window called "Folder Options". In this window, you can configure all the basic parameters that relate to the display of folders, files and drives in Windows 7 Explorer.
It should be noted that if you are unable to open the "Folder Options" window through the drop-down menu, then you can use the search in the Start menu. To do this, open the start menu and type "Folder options". After that, the Windows 7 operating system will find the desired program and will offer to open it.
So, you have opened the "Folder Options" window, in order to show hidden folders in Windows 7 you need to go to the "View" tab and find the options that are responsible for displaying hidden folders.
You need two parameters:
Hide protected system files"- it must be disabled;
"Show hidden files, folders and drives" - you need to enable it.
After making changes, close the window by clicking on the "OK" button to save the changes. After that, you will be able to see hidden folders and files. Now, if there is such a need, you can uncheck the "Hidden" attribute and the folder will become normal. To do this, right-click on the folder and select "Properties". Then turn off the "Hidden" function and close the window.
After you have removed the "Hidden" attribute, you can turn off the display of hidden folders. Further, this folder will be displayed in any case.
The easiest method that I always use is with Total Commander. Open the program, select the drive you want and just click the "Hidden Items" button and you will see everything that was hidden (marked with a red exclamation mark).
If you do not have the program installed, use also quite simple ways described below.
Show hidden files and folders in Windows 8.x or 10
Use the View tab and click the Options button.
On the View tab, check the "Show hidden files, folders and drives" option at the very bottom. If you want to get to the hidden system Windows files, uncheck the option "Hide protected system files"
Hidden files will appear semi-transparent. If you want to completely remove the "hidden" attribute from a file or folder, right-click on it and select properties. On the General tab, clear the Hidden check box.
Hidden folder or file attribute
In most cases this helps, but sometimes it so happens that the checkbox cannot be removed from the option, because the hidden attribute is inactive. If so, scroll down a bit and follow the instructions given.
Windows 7 or Vista
Open any folder and choose Folder and Search Options from the Organize menu.
Just like in the previous example, check or uncheck the boxes of the required options and click OK.
What to do if a folder has a hidden attribute inactive
In case you cannot remove the attribute hidden from the folder using the above method, the code below can help you in this situation. Just copy it, paste it into notepad and save it as folder with .vbs extension instead of txt to get folder.vbs. Then copy and paste the file to the drive you want ( USB flash drive, SD card or HDD), where you want to display hidden files and start it with a standard, double-click.
Remember to change "d:" to your drive letter.
'Reset file attributes for all folders within a specific drive
'Change d: to the letter of the drive where the script will be applied
cDrive = "d:"
Set FSO = CreateObject ("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
ShowSubfolders FSO.GetFolder (cDrive)
WScript.Echo "Done with fix."
Sub ShowSubFolders (Folder)
str = ""
For Each Subfolder in Folder.SubFolders
str = str & "" & Subfolder.Path
subFolder.Attributes = 0
ShowSubFolders Subfolder
Next
End Sub
After starting the file, you should see all hidden folders, but not files (note), since this method is applicable only to folders. And for files use the following method:
Open the Run dialog box, type cmd and press Enter.
Enter your drive letter, for example d: and press Enter.
Then enter the following command:
attrib d: *. * / d / s -h -r -s
Now, all hidden files should be displayed.
How to hide your personal files folder
And now we will look at how to hide the folder with personal files. First, let's create a folder, put some files in it and open the Folder Options.
Check the Hidden checkbox and click Apply.
Apply changes to this folder only
To this folder and to all subfolders and files.
We select the option of hiding of your choice, you can select the second one and click OK.
How to show hidden folders in Windows 10 via File Explorer
The shortest way to get to what you want is to use a small setting in the standard and everyone's favorite Windows Explorer. Find the "View" tab and make sure you have the "Hidden Items" checked. That's all - the system will show you hidden files and folders.
Here is also a useful parameter "File name extensions", if you suddenly want to see the type of document (exe, jpg, bak and others)
Hidden files and folders in Windows 10 through "Folder and search options"
If the method above appeared only with Windows 8 ... then the second option probably lives from the very first versions (at least in Windows 98 it was, and earlier I didn't even have a computer).
Click on the "File" tab and select "Change folder and search parameters" in the drop-down menu.
In the window that opens, go to the "View" tab and mark the item "Show hidden files, folders and drives", click "Apply"
By this, we have enabled the display of hidden folders in Windows 10 - as you can see, everything is simple to disgrace.
How to open hidden folders on Windows 10? - Control Panel
If the two previous methods seemed too simple to you, then meet the longest and most inconvenient option with displaying hidden files in Windows 10 (for those who like to complicate things).
You can enable the display of hidden files through the Control Panel. In fact, we use the second method with setting up the explorer, only we do it not from the program interface, but from the global system settings.
Go to the Control Panel and for easy search, change the view to "Small icons" and find the item "Explorer Options".
On the "View" tab, check the "Show hidden files, folders and drives" item and click the "Apply" button. From now on you will be able to see hidden files.
You will most likely be warned that showing hidden files is not entirely safe - edit them wisely and knowing what you are doing ... (if you want to show system files, uncheck the "Hide protected system files" checkbox)
Now, having familiarized yourself with the existing basic methods, you can use the most suitable option for you to enable the display of hidden folders in Windows.
Are you wondering how to view hidden files and folders in Windows 7?
If so, then you are in the right place. In this lesson, we will consider with you how to see on your hard drives all hidden files and folders inWindows 7... In fact, it is very simple, I have already touched on this topic once, I wrote,. Well, today we will do all this in the Seven.
So let's go. We enable viewing of hidden files and folders in Windows system 7.
We go to " Start - Control Panel».
In the folder that opens, change the view to "Small icons".
Now we find the item " Folders settings" and open it.
In the window that opens, go to the "View" tab, then go down to the very bottom and put the switch on the item " Show hidden files, folders and drives"Then we save by clicking" OK ".
Now we check. I go to disk (C :) and already here I see, hidden folders are displayed.
In this way, with a few clicks, we made hidden folders and files visible in Windows 7. But, in general, I recommend enabling this function only if necessary.
If we have any hidden folder inWindows 7 and we need to access it, then we turned on the ability to see hidden files and folders. As they did all their work, they immediately turned off this opportunity.
That's all for me!