4 Tested Ways to Show Hidden Files on Windows 11

How do I view hidden files on my computer?

“I need some system files on my Windows 11 computer but I failed to find them. Have I accidentally deleted them? Or are they been hidden? How do I view hidden files on my computer?"

-Question from Reddit

Microsoft hides a few system and application files and folders by default. This prevents users from unintentionally deleting crucial items that might make the system or an app unstable. But don’t worry, there are ways to help you show hidden files on Windows 11. You can also show hidden folders by following essentially the same steps.

How to show hidden files on Windows 11 [4 ways]

Here in this section, we provide you with 4 tested options on how to show hidden files on Windows 11. You can also use these methods to show hidden files on Windows 10/8/7, just a little bit different on the operating steps.

Way 1. Show hidden files via Layout and view options

Step 1. Open File Explorer from the taskbar.

Step 2. Select the Layout and view options icon. It’s the second icon from the right in the top menu. Click Show, and then tick Hidden items.

Step 3. The files will now become visible in File Explorer.

Way 2. View hidden files on Windows 11 via Folder Options

Step 1. Launch File Explorer and press the three dots. Select Options.

Step 2. In the pop-up windows, go to the View tab, then tick Show hidden files, folders, and drives. Click Apply first and then OK.

Way 3. Show hidden files via Registry

 Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run box, then type in “regedit” to open Registry.

Step 2. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > Advanced > Folder > Hidden. Set the value for Hidden to 1 to show hidden files, folders, and drives.

Way 4. Show hidden files using the attrib command

Many users may think that the attrib command is used to recover deleted files from Windows, but this is not the case. The attrib command is normally used to recover hidden files. Let’s see how to do this.

Step 1. Open the search box and search for CMD. Locate Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.

Step 2. Type in “attrib -h -r -s /s /d drive letter:\*.*”, for example, “attrib -h -r -s /s /d C:\*.*”.

(Replace C with the drive letter of your hard drive where you want to find the hidden files.)

Step 3. The operation is finished when the command prompt appears in its original location. You can then head to the final location to look over these files. It's possible that the folders have been deleted rather than hidden if the attrib command is not working.

Bonus tip: How to recover accidentally deleted files 

Even after attempting the methods listed above, it may fail to make Windows 11 show hidden files. One possible reasons for Windows 11 not showing hidden files could be that you unintentionally deleted the files. Currently, you can easily recover your deleted files using the free but effective data recovery software MyRecover.

Easy-to-operate. Within 3 simple steps, it enables you to recover lost or deleted files from Windows.

All-inclusive. It applies to various file loss scenarios in Windows, including recovering files from formatted drives, corrupted partitions, after system crashes, virus attacks, etc.

High-speed. It recovers lost files at high speed.

High recovery rate. It recovers your files with a high recovery rate, even if it was permanently deleted.

Widely-compatible. It supports NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS in Windows 11/10/8/7 & Windows Server.

Comprehensive. It can recover lost/deleted texts, pictures, videos, audios, emails, compressed files, etc., in original format.

Download, install and launch MyRecover on your computer.  

Step 1. Hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.

Step 2. Then the scanning process will start automatically. You can also search for a specific file on the search box to recover it quickly.

Step 3. Choose the files or whole folders that you want to recover. Click Recover xx files and choose a destination path to save the restored files and folders.

The Bottom Line

This post has primarily introduced 4 tested ways to show hidden files on Windows 11. Normally, you’ll succeed using any of the ways. If not, you may consider whether your files are deleted but hidden. But don’t worry, even if your files are accidentally deleted, you can easily get them back with MyRecover.