How to Show Hidden Files in Windows 7

How do you show hidden files in Windows 7? By default Windows hides hidden files and folders, so you can’t find them in Explorer. Turning them on takes a minute, and there are several ways to do it.

The first way is the one Microsoft itself suggests in Windows Help (pictured above), but there are simpler ones.

1. Through the Explorer menu (the fastest)

In Explorer, press and release (don’t hold) the Alt key — a menu bar appears.

Choose Tools → Folder options, open the View tab and select “Show hidden files, folders, and drives”.

Click Apply — done.

2. Through Start menu search

Open Start, start typing Folder options and pick the result. Then the same: View tab → “Show hidden files, folders, and drives”.

3. Through Control Panel

Start → Control Panel → Appearance and Personalization → Folder Options → View tab → “Show hidden files, folders, and drives”.

If you also need to see system files, uncheck “Hide protected operating system files” on the same tab. Don’t do this without a reason: deleting them by accident can break Windows.

The same works in Windows Vista.