This wikiHow teaches you how to show and find hidden files and folders in Windows.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Showing Hidden Content
Step 1. Open the “Start” menu
You can click the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the screen, or press Win.
In Windows 8, hover over the top-right corner of the screen, then click the magnifying glass icon
Step 2. Type file explorer options into the “Start” menu
After that, the “File Explorer Options” icon will appear at the top of the search results.
Step 3. Click File Explorer Options
The program is indicated by a folder-shaped icon at the top of the “Start” window.
Step 4. Click the View tab
You can see it at the top of the “File Explorer Options” window.
Step 5. Click the Show hidden files, folders, and drives circle
It's in the middle of the "Advanced settings" window.
If you don't see the option, double-click the text “ Hidden files and folders " If the option also does not appear, first click the text " Files and Folders ” at the top of the "Advanced settings" window.
Step 6. Click Apply, then click OK.
These two buttons are at the bottom of the window. After that, the files, folders, disks, and other content hidden on the computer will be displayed.
Part 2 of 2: Doing the Quest
Step 1. Open File Explorer
These applications are marked with a folder icon present on the taskbar.
You can also type file explorer in the “Start” menu and press Enter
Step 2. Click the name of your hard disk
The disc name is displayed in the selection field on the left of the screen. Typically, discs are labeled as “ OS (C:) ”.
Step 3. Click the search bar
It's in the upper-right corner of the File Explorer window.
Step 4. Type in the name of the hidden content
If you don't know the name of the content, try inserting an asterisk, followed by the desired content type/format. For example, the search keyword "*.jpg" can return all jpeg image files that end in the ".jpg" extension.
Step 5. Review the existing search results
You can see some hidden folders and files in the result.
- These files and folders cannot be accessed through the “Start” menu search.
- If you don't see the file, folder, or hidden content you want, click “ This PC ” in the column on the left of the screen and perform the search again.
