Apart from giving you easy access to common files on your computer, Windows 10 also stores some files that are not generally visible. Windows 10 hides these files and folders as they contain some important and confidential data that needs privacy and security. Moreover, these files are essential for the smooth working of the operating system and thus, need to be prevented from any damage. But, you may get one question: How to show hidden files Windows 10? If you think that there is a huge process for viewing those files, then you are mistaken as you can view them in just a fraction of seconds. Accessing these files is not at all a tedious job or complex job, and anyone can accomplish this task by any of the below-mentioned methods.
How to Show Hidden Files Windows 10?
To know how to find hidden folders in Windows PC or Mac, follow any of the below mentioned ways that are explained simply with File Explorer or Registry method
Method 1: How to See Hidden Files Windows 10 via File Explorer?
To view certain hidden files in Windows 10, this method of going through “File Explorer” is a simple way to adopt. Check out these steps:
1. Go to the “Type here to search” menu, below your screen and type “File Explorer”.
2. After File Explorer gets opened, click on “View” shown on the top pane.
3. When the View tab expands, click on “Options” and then open “Change folder and search options”.
4. Select the “View” tab and go to “Advanced Settings”. Click on the box next to “Show hidden files, folders and drives” and click “OK”.
Method 2: How to Unhide Folders in Windows 10 through File Explorer Menu Bar?
Going through a short method to show hidden folders Windows 10, you can follow these easy-to-go measures:
1. Go to the “Start” button and open “File Explorer” from the menu.
2. Ensure that the menu bar extends. If not, select the arrow on your window’s upper right corner.
3. In that expanded menu, click on “View”. Under the “Show/Hide” icon, click on “Hidden items”. This will show all those hidden files and folders.
Method 3: How to Unhide a Folder in Windows 10 via Registry?
We can also unhide any folder or file in Windows 10 via registry. For that purpose, put these steps into action:
1. Press both the “Windows + R” keys together on your keyboard. There appears a “Run” dialogue box. In this dialogue box, type “regedit” and press “Enter”.
2. When the “Registry Editor” gets opened, locate the following path “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced”.
3. In the right pane, several options appear. Search for “Hidden” and click on it to open.
4. In the Windows that opens, the default value “2” will be displayed to keep your files hidden. In order to show those files, change the value to “1” and click on “OK”.
Method 4: Showing Hidden Files from Control Panel
Apart from all these methods, one can also view their system’s hidden files and folders with the help of the control panel. Proceed further to know in detail:
1. Open the “Control Panel” from the “Start” menu.
2. Select “Appearance and Personalization” in the menu that appears.
3. Click on “File Explorer Options”.
4. Go to the “View” tab and scroll down to select the option “Show hidden files, folders and drives”. You can also uncheck the box next to “Hide protected operating system files”.
Method 5: Accessing Hidden Files on Mac
How to show hidden files on Mac is one of the challenges that many Mac users commonly face. Getting access to hidden files on Mac is possible by adopting these steps:
1. Open your “Macintosh HD” folder in “Finder”.
2. Press synchronically “Command+Shift+Dot” keys on your keyboard.
3. All the hidden files will become partially visible now. To hide these files again, press the same keys as said above.
Method 6: Looking Up Files in Library Folder on Mac
If you are looking for a particular folder or file that you know is located in the Library, going through these steps would help you out.
1. Go to “Finder” and press the “Alt” key. On top of the screen, select “Go”.
2. From the generated options, click on “Library”. This will open up any file or folder that is normally hidden.
How to Change File Extension Windows 10
The above question gets answered if you carefully comprehend these measures:
1. Go to the Windows “Start” menu and open “File Explorer”.
2. In File Explorer that opens, click on “View” and then go to “Options”. In the drop-down menu that appears, click on “Change folder and search options”.
3. In the “Folder Options” dialogue box that opens, click on “View” and uncheck the box in front of “Hide extensions for known file types”. Click on “OK”.
4. Now right-click on the file name and select “Rename”. Insert your desired new extension and press “Enter”.
Conclusion
Usually, it is not advisable to tamper with these hidden files as any changes to them might lead to improper working of some applications. It might even lead to total Windows failure. Still, if you need to access these files, make sure you know well what you are up to. Or you can contact your administrator to know well about what you are doing. Following any of the above methods, to access your Windows 10 show hidden files. We have fabricated this article for you to access obscure files and folders conveniently.