Need to quickly hide a folder on your Windows PC? Well, here’s a very simple way: only use Windows and don’t use third-party software. This method of hiding files and folders in Windows is quite simple, which means that anyone who knows what it is doing with the computer can easily find it. However, this is a great way to hide folders from people like your parents or people who only know basic computer functions.
Also, since it’s a hidden folder, if someone doesn’t know it exists, they might never bother looking for it, especially if you hide it deep in the operating system directories. It doesn’t really matter if it’s easy to open it up. Again, only use this method if what you are trying to hide comes from your parents and not from the police.
So, firstly, if you have a folder that you want to hide, don’t create the folder in some obvious place like My Documents, but instead put it in a location that is not usually inside. For example, create a new folder at C: Program Files Common Files. It won’t hurt anything to create a folder in it, and in any case, not many people will view it as they are mostly just system installation files. The good thing about Windows is that there is no easy way on the computer to find only hidden files and folders, which makes this method a little more useful.
Now that your folder is created in a strange location and your files are stored in that folder, we can make it hidden. Setting a folder to Hidden in Windows is as easy as changing one of the folder’s properties. Windows Explorer reads this property and shows or hides the folder accordingly. However, Windows Explorer has a Show Hidden Files and Folders option that displays all folders regardless of which property value is hidden.
We need to change this setting so that hidden files and folders are not shown. Also, that’s why I mentioned that a hidden folder shouldn’t be kept in an obvious place. Even if the “Show hidden files and folders” option is enabled, if the folder is in an unknown location, no one will see it. To do this, click “My Computer” on the desktop and from the menu select “Tools” and then “Folder Options”. In Windows 7, you can click Organize and then Folder and Search Options. Alternatively, you can click Start, type the word search, and click Change Search Options for Files and Folders.
Click the View tab and then Hidden Files and. In the “Folders” section, select the radio button that says “Don’t show hidden files, folders, or drives.” Click OK to save your changes.
We also need to check the boxes “Hide extensions for known file types” and “Hide protected operating system files”. Usually these parameters are already set by default, but in any case it is better to check to be sure. Okay, now to hide the folder itself, go to the folder that contains the folder you want to hide, right-click it and choose Properties.
On the General tab, under Attributes, select the Hidden check box.
Click OK and your folder will no longer appear in the currently open window. It is hidden and you will not be able to see it unless you follow the above procedure and change the setting back to Show Hidden Files and Folders. Now if you want to keep something in a hidden folder, you can unhide and then save the file and then hide it again, but this is not necessary.
To save a file in a hidden folder, all you have to do is provide the full path in the File name field. For example, Fox, if you are saving a Word document, you can save the files to a hidden folder by typing C: Program Files Secret filename.doc and clicking Save.
This is pretty much our very easy way to hide a folder in Windows. Most people will never be able to find this folder if they are not computer savvy. If you have questions or suggestions, please leave a comment. Enjoy!
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