Get our Latest Finds
Subscribe to our RSS feed or enter your email address below to get the feed delivered to you by email:
Follow Gizmo
Using this Site
Top Rated
Gizmo's Freeware is Recruiting
We are currently looking for people with skills and/or interest in the following areas:
- Anonymous Surfing Service
- Antivirus for Android
If this sounds like you then click here for more details
How to Hide a Windows Folder
Folder hiding is a simple way of keeping prying eyes away from your private documents.
From a human point of view it's a good solution; what you can't see, you don't know you want.
Encrypting a folder can have the opposite effect. The folder is visible and if access is attempted, the need to enter a password positively shouts the message that someone is trying to hide something.
This probably explains why there are so many commercial utilities that claim they can securely hide folders.
I use the word "claim" deliberately. It's actually quite difficult to securely hide a folder in Windows without risking creating problems in the operating system itself.
And there can be all sorts of practical problems. For example, what happens to the hidden folder when you delete a visible folder above it in the folder tree? Will the hidden folder be backed up? Will it be scanned by your AV program? Can the files in the folder be recovered in an emergency such as a system crash?
These are not theoretical problems; they are real and need to be seriously considered.
I've used a number of commercial folder hiding programs over the years and have ended up un-installing them all. They were simply not worth the trouble.
Instead of using complicated and expensive security utilities, I suggest you stealth your folders using a far simpler method using the Windows "hidden" attribute. And once you have hidden your folders you can then protect them using free open source encryption programs.
The Windows hidden attribute works similarly to the more familiar "read only" attribute. It's a property of every file and folder that can be turned on or off. Let's try it.
Create a folder in My Documents and call it "test." Now copy a couple of unimportant files to the folder.
To turn on the hidden attribute right click on the folder icon, select Properties, then the General Tab and check the Hidden box.
The folder should disappear from My Documents. If it doesn't then you have Windows Explorer configured to display hidden files.
To change this, select Tools / Folder options / View then check the "Do not show hidden files and folders" box. Now the test folder should disappear. To make it re-appear select the "Show hidden files and folders" option.
So now you have a way of hiding a folder and revealing it again using your folder settings. Now I'll show you a simple trick that allows you access your hidden folder without constantly changing the folder settings. However, before I can demonstrate this we have to make the folder hidden but the files within it not-hidden.
Go to My Documents and make sure your folder "test" is visible. Open "test" and select all the files by using Control A. Now right click anywhere on the selected files and select Properties / General and uncheck the Hidden attribute. Now your folder is hidden but the files are not.
Go back to My Documents and hide the folder by changing the folder settings. Your test folder should disappear from My Documents.
Now here's the trick. Windows allows you to navigate to a hidden folder. So while in the My Documents folder, type into the address bar "\test" immediately after "My Documents" with no spaces between and hit enter.
Voila you are now in your secret "test" folder and all your documents are visible!
Of course locating your private folder in My Documents is not a great idea as it will be immediately revealed should another user enable the display of hidden files. Better to stash your folder in some obscure location well away from prying eyes but easy to navigate to. Additionally, name the folder to be as uninteresting as possible.
Hiding your folder like this is fine if you only want to keep information from prying eyes but if you really want to properly protect your hidden folder you should encrypt it.
Luckily that's easy; simply use the free open source program AxCrypt:
http://axcrypt.axantum.com/
Using AxCrypt is dead simple so I won't explain how. AxCrypt is also near-unbreakable so make sure you don't forget your password. If you do, your data is lost forever.
Using this technique you can hide and protect your folders without spending a cent and, unlike commercial folder hiding utilities, this technique is not going to potentially create a whole set of other problems.
Gizmo
- Article type:
Printer-friendly version
Comments
Another way of hiding stuff that you want hidden is in plain site! It's very easy!
1. Download a zip program.
2. Zip the files up and call it something. i.e.: test.zip or text.zipx (if you have the latest winzip)
3. Open windows Explorer (win key + E) and then click on Tools / Folder Options / View and untick the box that sais Hide extensions for known file types and choose Apply / Ok
4. Navigate with windows explorer back to the file you just zipped and change the name of the extension to any other 3 letter combination - make it something weird or if you wanna be extra sneaky and change it to .dll or .sys or .exe even to disguise it as a windows file.
5. Allow the file extension change and turn off extensions from being shown. (step 3)
6. When you want to look at the files right click and choose "open with [zip program]". Ensure the "Always use this program to open that file is UNCLICKED". If you changed the file to a windows file (ie .exe) never double click the file to open just to be on the safe side.
7. This way you can access the files in plain site and no one has a clue what the file is and even if they accidentally click it it's not going to open automatically with [zip program].
[Moderator's note : Mention of shareware program replaced with generic [zip program] ]
:)
I have a strange folder in my laptop.
When I open the folder it contains two .pdf files of around 1.5MB each so the size of the folder should not go above 3MB. But if I right click on the folder and check the size it shows as 2GB.
When I tried copy paste the folder in the paste popup window, it shows a list of other files.
Are those files hidden. If so is there any way to recover those files..?
Thanks in advance.
Just open computer,and on the left side click on "Organize" and choose "Folder and search options" and click on "View" tab.Now mark on "Show hidden files,folders,and drives" and UNCHECK "Hide protected operating system files" and click on Apply.
I hope this will work for you.
Where should I post a new forum. Can you please provide a link..
The forum link is here:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/freeware-forum/general-computer-support/
He already posted in the forum :D
Sorry but we are unable to provide individual support here in the comments. Please post your query in our forum.
i m using dell laptop.
and having only numeric keypad above qwerty keypad and no numeric lock.
so how can i get it. plz reply.....
If you are referring to the Alt + 255 for no break space in the post below yours, I have a Dell and use the Character Map for such things like the µ.
Depending on your Windows, Start>Run>charmap or Start search charmap
The no break space is the 5th line down 6 from the right.
Click on it, then press Select at the bottom and then Copy.
Then paste into the folder name with Ctrl+V on the rename.
got this from a friend
how to make an invisible folder
step 1:make a new folder
step 2:delete the name new folder and replace it with a new one
step 3:delete the name and activate num lock
step 4:press alt+255 (the 255 is from the numpad)
step 5:no name right? but the icon is still there right? right click it
step 6:click properties
step 7:go to personalize
step 8:click change icon
step 9:select the icon with out an image
Presto an invisible folder now you can store SUPER secret stuff in it.
thanks bro ..thanks a lot...
THIS WAS GREAT AND EASY TO DO. THANKS FOR SPARING ME ALL THE PAIN OF TESTING ALL THE LOCKING SOFTWARE OUT THERE. AND YOU ARE SO RIGHT. SO MANY OF THEM HAVE BAD REVIEWS AND HAVE CAUSE ALOT OF PEOPLE PROBLEMS.
THANKS SO MUCH. PIA
I HIDE THINGS IN INTERNET EXPLORER:
I create folders in the folder of languages like spanish-english and folder then in all of them i create another folder like sp or en and inside one of them another folder like another sp or en and put files in there:
C:/Program Files/Internet Explorer/Languages/Spanish/Sp/Sp/Sp/Sp/Sp/Spanish
and put it in 2nd spanish.
and nobody finds it well i hide pictures and Videos and name the Videos:
ZS or ZA or ZD
In windows 7 know the search in Start:
I use this so that nobody finds it because nobody searches:
ZS or ZA or ZD
I liked navigating a hidden folder via address but but ultimately thought this post was just outrageously dumb. especially with great encryption software out there for free.
um where is the tool button exactly? I hid my folder and now i can't find it
9. Now, double click key.bat to open the folder and now if you open your folder, you can access your data inside the folder again !
10. Lock your folder and hide the key.bat somewhere else on your hard disk !
11. Whenever you want to open your folder just paste the key.bat on desktop and open your folder using it !
i click the "Do not show hidden files and folders" then (apply) then (ok)..The folder was gone but after going another folder,the hidden folder appear..!! What's the problem in my computer??? please help me..thanks
If a newly set hidden folder is shown in the left pane of Windows Explorer, it's still visible until you close the Windows Explorer and re-open it. This happens to me using XP. You might want to give it a try.
The instructions:
"Now here's the trick. Windows allows you to navigate to a hidden folder. So while in the My Documents folder, type into the address bar "\test" immediately after "My Documents" with no spaces between and hit enter."
do not work in Windows XP SP3 which eliminated the "address bar" which existed in SP2.
-JK
lol u probably just unchecked the address bar at "View >> Toolbars >> Address Bar"
just check it and it will come back. i have mine and i have Windows XP SP3
How can i get my hidden folders back? I newsed a program to lock and hide them, but a trial came and I stupidly uninstalled it. How can I get the folders back? I know it's on my desktop but it's like they disappeared. I even have show hidden folders ticked. Please, someone help me. Those folders were gold.
first you have to reinstall that program ,by using which you hide your file then put the same password in that program as before you use
to hide your file. Then unhide your file you will get your file back if you dont format your pc either.
hi friends i have one problem can anyone help me
in my usb all folders shows only shortcut i can't able to find the main folder in usb i have kept some imp documents.if i can scan i can able to see the main folder pls any one help me
U just right click that drive and select compress option and give ok.. Now u will get a compress copy of that usp drive contents at the destination place..
This is not the right area to post such comments.
How was the data copied to the USB? Is it a pen drive, or an external drive? Sorry, but not enough details about the problem are given.
thanks alot for this!
guys look, when i made my folder hidden i checked the "Hidden" box on the properties , but i ALSO accidentally clicked the "Read-only" box too, making it blank, no shade, no check ... so when i go to "Tools" , and click folder options , and click "Show hidden folders" it wont go , i tried clicking "Apply" and "Apply to all folders" , and it says "hidden folders will show up the next time you open them" , so now.. nothing happens .. pls reply pls ... i have all of my musics , pictures, videos, cheats ,, games ,, etc. in all of those files,, pls help .. pls!!!!!
i made the same mistake.....but u can fix it like this.....i hidden my documents and setting so everything on my desktop disappeared. ...u simply go to start search ...enable to search hidden files...u put the name of the folder....then right-click properties and disable hidden...simple as that
hey guys my fren created a folder saying he ll do a magic n now its not getting deleted n its a no name folder. ... he gave some code pressing alt key i guess(other than 0160 or 255, bcoz they get deleted). so kindly help me with this anyone....
For support queries you will need to register and post here in the forum.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/freeware-forum/general-computer-support/
Post new comment