Windows 11 hides critical files and folders by default so that the user does not accidentally harm the system by deleting or editing them. Sometimes you need to go along some path to the final or intermediate folder, but it is not there since it is hidden. In addition, sometimes, you need to delete a file to solve this or that problem, but this file is hidden and does not appear in File Explorer.
It is essential to know that there are two types of hiding folders and files in Windows 11: regular hidden folders and protected system files. You can display one type, but you still cannot find what you need since it will be a different type.
Show hidden files and folders in Windows 11
This guide describes ways to display hidden folders and files in Windows 11.
Through the conductor
- Open File Explorer and click on the top four horizontal bars (layout and view options).
- From the menu that appears, choose Show > Hidden Items.
Through folder properties
- Open the explorer and click on the three dots at the top.
- From the menu, select Options.
- Go to the ” View ” tab.
- And at the very bottom, set the value to ” Show hidden files, folders and drives .”
- If you need to display protected system files, uncheck the ” Hide protected system files ” checkbox.
CMD and PowerShell
- Open a command prompt, navigate to the path you want with CD and enter dir /adh.
- Open PowerShell, navigate to the location you want and type dir -Force.
Through the registry
- Press Win + R and type Regedit to open Registry Editor. Follow the path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced
- On the right, double click on Hidden and set the value to 1.
- This will show hidden files and folders.
- If you need to show protected system files, open ShowSuperHidden and set 1.
- Set the value to 2 to hide back.
