Unhide Folders in Windows 7

In Windows 7, there is a convenient feature available for hiding files and folders on your hard drive. You may want to hide folders that contain sensitive information, or you may want to hide important system files so that you don't accidentally move or delete them. Either way, if you are going to hide folders, it's important to know how to make them visible again. Fortunately, it is very simple to learn how to unhide folders in Windows 7.

Steps

1. Open the "Folder Options" menu. To do this, first click on the "Start" button. In the menu that appears, click on "Control Panel." From the "Control Panel," click on "Folder Options."
2. When the Folder Options menu opens, click on the tab that reads "View."
3. Enable the setting to show hidden files on your computer. Scroll down until you see an option called "Hidden Files and Folders." There are 2 radio buttons listed underneath this entry; click on the one that reads "Show hidden files, folders, and drives."
4. Set Windows to show operating system files. In the same "Advanced Settings" window, uncheck the box that reads "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)." Do this if the folder you want to unhide is a system folder.
5. Click the "OK" button to apply the changes you've made.
6. Find the folder you are interested in on your hard drive. Even if it is marked as hidden, it will now be visible. You can navigate to the folder's location in Explorer, or you can search for the folder if you're not sure where it is.
   • To navigate to the folder's location manually, click on "Start," and then click on "Computer." In the Explorer window that opens, double-click on the folders that contain your folder until you are in the right place.
   • To search for the folder, click on "Start." Just above the "Start" button, there will be a search form. Type all or part of the folder's name into that form, and a list of search results will be dynamically presented. When you see the folder you're interested in, click on it.
7. Open the "Properties" menu for the folder. To do this, right-click on the folder in which you're interested. In the context menu that appears, click on "Properties." In the menu that appears, click on the tab that reads "General."
8. Remove the "hidden" attribute from the folder. On the "General" tab of the "Properties" menu, uncheck the box that reads "Hidden." The folder will no longer be hidden. If you want, you can go back into the "Appearances and Personalization" menu and tell Windows to hide the hidden files again. Your folder will appear anyway, because it is no longer marked as hidden.

Tips

• If you want to hide sensitive information from other users of your machine, consider saving the files onto a removable disk such as a USB drive. You can take the drive with you when you're not using the computer, and no one will have access to the files except for you.

Warnings

• If you choose to show hidden system files, be careful not to move or delete any of them.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Windows 7

Related Articles

• Access Shared Folders in Windows 7
• Learn Windows 7
• Delete Protected System Fonts in Windows 7
• Hide Desktop Icons in Windows 8 Computer

Sources and Citations

• http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-hideunhide-a-file-or-folder-in-windows-7/
• http://windows7themes.net/how-to-unhide-hidden-files-in-windows-7.html

See also

• Remove Programs (Windows 7)
• Find and Update Drivers for Windows 7
• Do Common Tasks Faster in Windows 7
• How do I add an item to the Right Click menu?
• Change Character Repeat and Cursor Blink Settings in Windows 7
• Install Windows 7
• Add an "Open With Notepad As Administrator" Shortcut to the Context Menu in Windows 7 and Windows Vista
• Install Windows 7 Using Pen Drive
• Increase Java Memory in Windows 7
• Record Screen in Microsoft Windows 7

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