Show hidden files windows 10 image

Detailed Guide on How to View Hidden Files in Windows 10 – 6 Ways to Fix

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”.

File Explorer from Start Menu Image

2. After File Explorer gets opened, click on “View” shown on the top pane.

File Explorer View Option Image

3. When the View tab expands, click on “Options” and then open “Change folder and search options”.

File Explorer Change folder and search options Image

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”.

Show hidden files folders and drives image

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.

File Explorer from Start Menu Image

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.

File Explorer Show Hide Hidden Items Image

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”.

regedit in Run wizard Image

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.

Registry Editor Hidden File Image

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”.

DWORD Value Data 1 Image

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.

Search Control Panel Image

2. Select “Appearance and Personalization” in the menu that appears.

Appearance and Personalization Option Image

3. Click on “File Explorer Options”.

File Explorer Options in Control Panel Image

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”.

Check Show hidden files Uncheck Hide Protected Options Image

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”.

Macintosh HD in Finder Image

2. Press synchronically “Command+Shift+Dot” keys on your keyboard.

Command Shift Dot on Keyboard Image

3. All the hidden files will become partially visible now. To hide these files again, press the same keys as said above.

Macintosh HD Files Image

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”.

Mac Finder Go Option Image

2. From the generated options, click on “Library”. This will open up any file or folder that is normally hidden.

Mac Finder Go Library Option Image

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”.

File Explorer from Start Menu Image

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”.

File Explorer Change folder and search options Image

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”.

Uncheck Hide extensions for known file types Image

4. Now right-click on the file name and select “Rename”. Insert your desired new extension and press “Enter”.

Rename rtf to txt Image

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.

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