How to View Hidden Files | Uncover What’s Within

There remain different kinds of files on our devices. We use these files for various purposes. In our devices, we all have some very important and secure files. We want to protect it from being deleted or damaged. And sometimes, if the device is used by others, it becomes important to keep some files hide for our security. For this, your device may not allow you to see some files in the file finder. These hidden files are not immediately accessible. To view hidden files, we may need to go an extra step forward.

The operating system of your device normally has some file-hiding functionality built in to hide files. This system is because of preventing mistakenly deleting or changing important files. There are several ways to view these hidden files on your devices. Don’t get confused with mounting in Linux with this.

How to View Hidden Files in Windows 10

The process of viewing hidden files on Windows 10 is given below:

• First, you have to click the File Explorer button. You can find this tool in the taskbar or from the Start menu. You can also press Windows+E to open this folder.

•  After opening this folder, you have to click the View tab.
• In the view bar, there is a Show/hide section. You have to check the hidden item box.

• You will find the hidden files in their locations on the computer. The hidden file’s icon is grayed-out compared to the unhidden files.
• Finally, open the hidden file you want to view.

If you want to view the hidden files in a USB pen drive, you can do it easily. The steps of viewing the hidden files in a USB pen drive are given below:

• First, you have to plug the USB drive into your computer. If you are using a desktop, then you will find the USB port in the front part or the back of the CPU box.
• Then, you have to click on Start. You will find this in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
• From the start menu, you have to click This PC.
• Now, you have to open the USB drive. You can find the drive’s name under the Devices and drives. You have to double-click on it. If you don’t find the USB drive on your computer, you have to unplug the drive and plug it again into the port.
• Next, you have to click on the View tab. You will find this option in the upper-left corner of the USB drive’s Window. After clicking the tab, a menu bar will appear at the top of the File Explorer Window.
• You have to check the Hidden items box. You will find this in the Show/hide section of the menu bar.
• Finally, you have to double-click the hidden file that you want to open.

You can view the hidden files on your Windows in some other ways. You can view the hidden files with the Control panel. The process of this method is given below:

• First, you have to click on Start. You will find this on the left side of the bottom of the screen.
• Then, you have to select the Control Panel.
• You have to go to Appearance and Personalization. Then, you have to select File Explorer Options.
• Now. you have to click the View tab.
• Finally, you have to scroll down and change the Hidden files and folder settings to Show hidden files, folders, and drives. You can also check the Hide protected operating system files.

Another method to view hidden files on Windows is via the registry. The steps are given below:

• First, you have to search for Run in the search engine. You can also hold the Windows key and press R to bring the Run dialog box.
• Then, you have to type ‘Regedit’ and press Enter.
• Now, you have to navigate the following locations. The locations are given one by one.
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER
• Software
• Microsoft
• Windows
• currentVersion
• Explorer
• Advanced
• Now, you have to set the value for Hidden to 1 to view the hidden files. You can also set the value to 2 to not view the hidden files.
• You can also set the value for Hidden to 1 for ShowSuperHidden to view the protected operating system files. You can also set the value to 2 to not view the system files.

How to View Hidden Files in Windows 7

There are several ways to view the hidden files on Windows 7. The ways are given below:

• Viewing hidden files using Folder option:
• First, you have to click on the start.
• Then, you have to go to the Control Panel. You have to search for this in the search engine.

• Now, you have to click on Appearance and personalization.

• You have to click Folder Option.

• In the Folder Options Window, you have to click the View tab.

•  You have to click Show hidden files, folders, and drives in Advanced settings. Then, click Ok.

• Now, you have to choose the Show hidden files, folder, and drives under the category Hidden files and folders.
• You have to click Ok at the bottom of the Folder Options Window.

• You now close the Control Panel window.
• Finally, you can view the hidden files that are grayed out.

How to View Hidden Files in Android

You can find your hidden files on android. The steps are given below:

• First, you have to tap the Play store tab. It will be easy for you to view the hidden files using a file manager from the Play Store.
• Then, you have to search for Amaze File Manager. There are several apps available for viewing the hidden files. Amaze is a free and effective tool to view the hidden files.
• Next, you have to tap the Install button on the Amaze store page. It will start the installation process.
• After the installation process, you have to tap the Open button. You may find this on the storage folder of your android.
• Now, you have to tap on  ☰ the button. You will find this on the upper-left corner of the screen.
• From the menu, you have to tap Settings.
• Now, you have to tap the Show Hidden Files and Folders slider.
• Finally, you will find the hidden files on your device and view the files.

How to View Hidden Files on Mac

The process of viewing hidden files on your Mac is given below:

• First, you have to click the Go menu. If you can’t find the menu, you can open the Finder window.
• Then, you have to click Utilities.
• Now, you have to double-click Terminal.
• Next, you have to type the following command and then, press Return.

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES

• Again, you have to type the following command and then, press Return.

Ki11a11 Finder

• Now, you can find the hidden files and folder.
• Finally, you have to double-click on the hidden files to view it.

If you want to view the hidden files of the USB pen drive in your Mac, you can do it with some proper steps. The steps are given below:

• First, you have to plug the USB pen drive on your Mac. If you are using an iMac, you can find the USB port either on the side of the keyboard or on the back of the screen. And if it is a new Mac, there may be a missing USB port. In that case, you will need a USB to USB-C adapter.
• Then, you have to click GO. You can find this option in the left corner of the upper side of the screen. After this, a drop-down menu will appear. You can open Finder to find Go.
• Next, you have to click Utilities. You can find this option at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
• Now, you have to double-click on Terminal. You may have to scroll down to find the option.
• You have to enter Show hidden items command. You have to type defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES

Into terminal and then, press Enter.

• You have to close the finder and then again have to open it to refresh it. You can also type ki11a11 Finder into the terminal to complete the process automatically.
• Now, you have to click on the USB drive’s name. You can find this at the left corner of the lower side of the Finder window.
• Finally, you have to double-click the hidden file that you want to view.

Conclusion

You can hide files or programs like removing Cortana from the taskbar on any of your devices. Normally, all devices allow you to hide files and apps. But the process of viewing these hidden files is different from device to device. Sometimes, the older Windows system also needs an individual viewing process than a new one. So, you have to choose the particular process to view the hidden files. You can also access AppData if follow this article.