Learn how to hide files, folders and drives in Windows 10
Do you have important files on your computer? Do you want to hide them? In this article, we are going to teach you how to completely hide files, folders and drives in Windows 10.
folders and drives, If you do not have a personal computer and share it, you may want to hide some files. The main reason for hiding files in Windows 10 is privacy.
If you have important and sensitive data that you do not want anyone to see, hiding folders can be a great option to enhance the security of your information. In this article, we are going to teach you how to hide files in Windows 10.
1: Hide files in Windows 10 using the command prompt
One of the simplest ways to hide a file in Windows 10 is to change its properties by using the command in the command prompt. Suppose you want to hide the Sample.mp4 file in the ToHide folder.
You can open the command prompt by pressing the Windows + R key combination. Then the code cmd. Enter exe and click OK. Next you need to enter the following command code. Note that you must replace the path and file name with the path and file name you want.
attrib C:\Users\Lori\Documents\ToHide\Sample.mp4 +s +hThe plus s and plus h symbols are the attributes you specify for the file. In fact, the Plus s attribute is related to the file system and indicates that it is for use by the operating system and is not normally displayed in the list. Plus h is also the same as the Hidden file property and indicates that the file will not be displayed in directories by default. The command section will not show any sensitivity to the use of uppercase or lowercase letters.
When you open a folder in File Explorer and it contains a hidden file or folder, it will not be visible. It is interesting to know that even going to the View section and selecting Show or Hide options can not reveal your hidden folder.
You can hide a folder using the command code as follows. As you know, you must replace the path and folder name with the default command code name and path.
attrib C:\Users\Lori\Documents\ToHide\AnotherFolder +s +hUse the same command to hide the file and replace the plus sign (+) with a dashed line (-) in front of S and H.
attrib C:\Users\Lori\Documents\ToHide\Sample.mp4 -s -hFor more information about the command, you can attrib /? Type in Command Prompt and press Enter.
2: Hide files in Windows 10 using File Explorer
Using File Explorer to hide a folder is similar to using the command mentioned in the previous section, but it is less secure. Anyone who knows about showing or hiding files in File Explorer can access the files you have hidden.
It will be acceptable if you want to hide important and personal files from other family members who do not have enough information about technology. Hiding files is not the only trick that can be done with File Explorer. You can set the Hide feature with selected files in File Explorer, but you must first make sure that files with the Hidden feature are not displayed in File Explorer. To do this, go to the View tab and click on Options. Then you need to select Change Folder and Search Options.
On the View tab, select Don’t Show Hidden Files, which is at the bottom of the Advanced Settings, and finally, select OK.
To hide one or more files, you must select a number of them and after right-clicking, select Properties. On the General tab in the Properties box, you should check the Hidden box. Also, to prevent the files from appearing in the Windows search results, just click on the Advanced option.
Then check the boxes in the File box in the Advanced Settings box and finally confirm.
To hide folders and files, go to Properties and uncheck Hidden boxes.
3- Hide computer drives in Windows 10 with the registry editor
This method will hide a drive instead of hiding the files.
Note: This method involves changing the registry. Before you begin, we suggest backing up your registry settings.
If you are not comfortable with using the Windows registry or do not want to use this method, you can use other methods to hide a complete drive.
To get started, press the Windows + R key combination and then open the Registry Editor to open the command prompt box. Then type Open Regedit and click Ok.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ExplorerYou need to right-click on the Explorer button and select DWORD (32bit) Value from the New section.
The new name of the drive is NoDrives, which you must double-click on. In the Value Data box, enter the number you want and then check the Decimal box.
Note that the number 64 in the image indicates our selection. In fact, our decision to name this drive was G, which is 64. If you need more drives, the table below can help you.
After restarting the computer, you will not see the drive in File Explorer. To show the drive again, go back to the registry editor and delete the NoDrives value below the following address and perform a reboot:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Policies \ Explorer key
4- Hide computer drives using Disk Management
As we said in the previous section, if you prefer not to use registry editing, you can use the Disk Management tool to completely hide a drive. This tool displays all internal and external drives connected to the computer. Press Windwos + R to open the command section. Then in the corresponding box, type the command code Open diskmgmt.msc and click Ok.
Select the drive you want to hide, and click Change Drive Letter and Paths.
In the Change Drive Letter and Paths box, select the name of the drive you want, and after clicking the Remove option, you must select OK.
The alert box will display a message stating that some programs are installed on the drive and that there may be problems after hiding. If you are sure you want to hide the drive, just click Yes to remove it.
The drive name has been removed from the Disk Management Utility. After closing and reopening File Explorer, the drive will not be visible and will not be included in Windows search results. In order for your drive to be visible and hidden again, you need to re-enter the Disk Management program and open the Change Drive Letter and Paths box. You can then click on the Add option.
Make sure you select the correct drive name. Select the name of the drive you want from the drop-down list and click OK.
To view the drive again, you must close the File Explorer and open it again.
5- Folder camouflage tutorial in Windows 10 desktop environment
Among the methods presented in the article, you can also use an interesting trick to hide your desired folder. The trick we have in mind is to put the folder in front of the eyes of others; But not be able to recognize it.
The trick is to create a folder that uses an invisible name and does not have an icon. To get started, first go to the desktop page and right-click on the New section to create a new folder.
A new folder is created and the name New Folder is selected by default. You will see the folder name highlighted to choose a new name for it.
To name a folder, press the Alt key and enter 255 from the Namepad field. The namepad is on the right side of the keyboard.
By entering the number 255 when you press the Alt key, a special character is entered that is not actually ASCII code and therefore, the entered name is not displayed. By entering the name and confirming it, you will see that the folder name is displayed invisibly. Now, let’s move on to making the folder icon invisible. Right-click on the folder and select Properties.
In the page that opens, select the Customize tab and click on the Cange Icon option in the Folder Icons section.
Then in the new page, select the invisible icon as shown below, and finally click Ok to apply the changes.
Select Ok again to apply the final changes. When you close the page, you will see that your folder is invisible.
For now, you will still have access to the folder; But a folder that is hidden from view and only you know it exists. If you want to have multiple hidden folders, repeat the process of entering the invisible phrase (Alt + 255) several times when entering the name for the folder; Because you can not have two or more folders with the same name in a specific part of memory.
6- Hide files in Windows 10 using a third-party program
Not all of these methods can be as secure as some third-party programs. In the following, we will introduce some third-party programs to you.
FileFriend
Use the JPK tab in FileFriend to hide files as a JPEG image and add a password to protect hidden files. FileFriend also allows you to enter text that you want to hide directly in the image, without having to create a text file.
Other features of FileFriend include splitting or joining files and encrypting them.
Download link: Windows
Secret Disk
This program allows you to create a virtual drive that is visible and also supported by a password. Another security layer has been pinned, which will be necessary to open the Secret Disk program. When the drive is visible, you will see it with a name in File Explorer. You can also copy files and folders to the drive and work with it just like any other drive. You can then hide the drive again.
Note that Secret Disk does not require formatting your hard disk or making other changes to the system. It will also not encrypt any files or folders. Hiding and password protection will restrict access to files. The original version of Secret Disk is free. Also, the Pro version is priced at $ 14.95 due to more features.
Download link: Windows
Easy File Locker
Easy File Locker can be considered a free software to use that allows you to hide or lock files from other people. Note that files are protected against any editing, deletion, moving, renaming or copying. All files will be protected in one folder.
You can log in to the program and set the password you want from the System section. Of course, you do not need to set a password, but if you do not, other people can log in and easily view all the files you have hidden.
Use the Add File and Add Folders option to add files to Easy File Locker. Just double-click on a file in the list to change its permissions. Protect files using the Start Protection option. Clicking Stop Protection will make the files visible again.
Download link: Windows
My Lockbox
This program allows you to hide and protect all files in the system. While installing My Lockbox, you must specify the path to hide and protect the files. Once the program is installed, the folder you want will be automatically hidden and locked. Two new icons have been added to your desktop. The My Lockbox icon lets you quickly lock and unlock your protected folder. Use the Lockbox Control Panel to access more options. After entering the password, the following window will be displayed:
You can change the folder you want to protect from Set Folder, and you can also use the Remove option to unlock and delete the folder. Note that the Open option can automatically unlock and unlock the locked folder. You can click Advanced to access more options and settings.
The free version of My Lockbox lets you hide and protect a folder with an unlimited number of subfolders. If you need to protect more folders, you can get the advanced version. Of course, if you do not want to buy the advanced version, you can put all the folders in one folder and hide it.
Download link: Windows
Some impractical ways to hide Windows 10
In addition to the methods we taught to hide the file in Windows 10, there are two other methods that will not work.
Hide files in Windows 10 in a JPEG image
We tested how to hide files in a JPEG image using the following command code, and succeeded in adding the RAR file as a JPEG image.
copy /b C:\Path\To\File\OriginalImage.jpg + FilesToHide.rar C:\Path\To\File\NewImageWithHiddenFiles.jpg
However, we can not extract files after adding them to JPEG format, even using various programs such as 7-Zip, WinRAR and PeaZip. It is possible to hide the file in an image format using the FileFriend tool.
Hide folders in Windows 10 by directing them to the control panel
There is another way you can hide a folder by redirecting it to the control panel. You can generally create two files, one that locks the folder and the other unlocks it. Once you have locked the folder, opening it will take you to the control panel. However, we tested this method on Windows 7, 8, and 10 and were unable to use it. Although the files were locked, it was easy to open and re-view the content.
If you want to test it, you can create a folder called Users or Fonts and put the files you want to hide in them. Then create a text file and copy and paste the following command code into it.
You can replace Users with your folder name. Save this folder as Lock.bat.
ren Users Users.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}Then create a text file and copy and paste the following command code into it. You will need to replace your Users folder again. Save this file as key.bat.
ren Users.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} UsersYou can double-click the Lock.bat file to hide the contents of the folder to redirect the folder to the control panel.
Note that hiding files in Windows without encryption may not be successful. All the methods mentioned in this article can help you to hide your sensitive information.
