How to Access Hidden Files and Folders in Windows 11 PC – Guide
Windows 11 by default hides certain system and app files/folders to ensure stability. Most days, you don’t want to be bothered by hidden files on your computer. After all, the average Windows user doesn’t need more data to deal with. However, in some rare cases or if you know what you’re getting yourself into, you might need to access these hidden files to make changes to Windows apps or system settings. ..
The hidden files in your parent folders are not immediately visible when you open them in File Explorer. You can use one of the most powerful methods for finding hidden files and folders, using Explorer Options, Windows Command Prompt, and PowerShell, two of the most powerful methods for this purpose.
In order to make some settings more difficult to find, File Explorer has been redesigned. The View tab is no longer available in File Explorer, but you can still show hidden files and folders in the new menu and using Folder Options.
How to Show hidden files and folders on Windows 11 PC
Show hidden files and folders from File Explorer
- Open File Explorer and click on the three lines in the top left corner of the window that look like a triangle. This will open a new window with a simplified view of your files and folders.
- Click on the three lines in the top left corner of the window that look like a square, and then click on the arrow next to the Folder name to expand it. This will open a new window with more detailed information about your files and folders.
Next, open the File Explorer window by clicking its icon on the taskbar. If you cannot see the File Explorer window on the Taskbar, search for “File Explorer” (without quotes) in the Windows Search Bar and select the first search result.
If the File Explorer toolbar at the top has the traditional ribbon view, your next action will depend on whether you have selected “Options” in the “File Explorer toolbar options” menu. If you have not selected this option, your next action will be to click the ellipsis icon (three dots) and select “New Folder.”
The pop-up.up Folder Options Window allows you to control how files are displayed in the pop-up. Updating this window will enable you to show hidden files, folders and drives.
If you use the traditional ribbon layout at the top of the File Explorer window, you can check the box next to “Hidden Items” to make it hidden. This will not affect your ability to access files and folders, but it will prevent them from being shown in the “View” tab.
Enable ‘Show hidden files’ option using control panel
On your Windows 11 computer, open the Control Panel. To do this, search for “control panel” (without quotes) in the Windows search bar and select “Control Panel” in the results. Open the Control Panel on your computer. To do this, search for “control panel” (without quotes) in the Windows search bar and select “Control Panel” in the results. ..
In the “File Explorer Options” screen, make sure you are using the “Icons” view (small or large). Then select “Folder Options“.
In the pop-up In the File Explorer Options window, make sure you are on the “View” tab. Now scroll down and enable “Show hidden files, folders and drives” using the corresponding radio button. Click OK to save the changes.
Enable ‘Show hidden files’ option in Windows 11 settings
You can enable the ‘Show hidden files…’ option in Windows 11 using the Settings menu. See how it works:
In Windows 11, open the privacy and security settings by using the Windows key + I. Then select “Privacy & Security” in the left sidebar and click “For Developers” in the right pane.
In the “Change settings to show hidden and system files” dialog, you can choose to show hidden files or system files. By default, the dialog shows hidden files. If you want to show system files, you must click on the “Show Settings” button next to the “Hidden Files” field.
Show hidden files and folders in command prompt
Now, type the following command into the cmd window: netsh advfirewall add rule name=“MyRule” action=“logon-in” This will add a new rule to the firewall that will allow you to log in to your computer from any device.
C:UsersKunduDesktopDesktopStuff If you want to hide your files on your desktop, you can use the cd command to change the path to a folder on your computer. Then, press Enter to copy the folder’s contents over to your desktop.
dir /ah
Show hidden files in Windows PowerShell
- Open a command prompt window and type “powershell”
- In the command prompt, type “netstat -a” to see all active network connections in Windows 11
- Type “netstat -f” to see hidden files and folders in Windows 11
Next, use the following command to change the user name and password for the local account on your PC: Set-UserName -Name “MyNewUser” -Password “MyNewPassword”
In the PowerShell window, type cd followed by a space and copy and paste the full path of the folder where the hidden files are located, just like the Command Prompt method. And then press Enter.
Finally, to see all your hidden files and folders in the destination folder on your Windows 11 PC, type dir -force and press Enter.
Final note
How to Access Hidden Files and Folders in Windows 11 PC In order to access hidden files and folders on your Windows 11 PC, you first need to create a new folder. Then, you can access the hidden files and folders by opening the folder’s Properties. Here, you can change the permissions for the hidden files and folders so that only people who have appropriate permissions can access them.
