Standard procedure for hiding folders on Windows
While quite bland, as it is easily bypassed, Windows has a feature for hide folders which does not require the use of external software. To exploit it, locate the folder to hide, right click on it and select the item Property give the menu to compare.
In the window that opens, select the tab General, put the check mark next to the item Hidden away and click on the button first Apply and then OK per salvare i Cambiomenti.
From now on, the folder should be invisible in the Windows File Explorer. If this is not the case, it means that the display of hidden files is enabled in the program settings.
To fix the problem and disable the display of hidden files in the Windows File Explorer, open the latter (the gialla poster located at the bottom left of the taskbar), select the tab Show which is at the top and remove the check mark from the item Hidden elements.
Alternatively, click on the button Fillet collocato in alto a sinistra and selects the voice Change folder and search options from the menu that opens (or, if you are using a version of Windows prior to 8.x, go to the menu Tools> Folder Options which is located at the top).
In the window that opens, select the tab viewing, metti il segno di spunta accanto alla voce Do not show hidden folders, files and drives click her cousin Apply and then OK per salvare i Cambiomenti.
Next, to access the hidden folder, activate the display of hidden files in the File Explorer (the folder icon will appear transparent). To make the folder visible again, instead, right click on it, select the item Property from the menu that appears and remove the check from the option Hidden away in the window that opens. Easier than that ?!
Alternative method
As we have just seen together, assigning the "Hidden" property to a folder on Windows is very simple. However, it is also very easy to remove it and work around the obstacle by changing the display settings of the File Explorer.
To make life more difficult for nosy people, you need to resort to third-party solutions or, alternatively, take advantage of the Command Prompt to "deceive" Windows and make it believe that the folders to be hidden are important system files: by acting in this way, Windows will attribute advanced properties to the folders in question and prevent them from being displayed even when the file explorer is active. hidden files.
To access the Command Prompt and use this "trick", click on the button Home (the flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen), type cmd in the menu that appears and go on Submit. In the window that opens, type the command attrib +s +h followed by one space, drag the folder you want to hide into the Prompt (so that its full path is pasted) and give it again Submit.
Mission accomplished! Now you have a really hidden folder, accessible only by typing its exact path (the one copied previously in the Prompt) in the address bar of the File Explorer.
If you have second thoughts, to make the folder visible again, open the Prompt e dai il command attrib -s -h [folder to show].
Please note: in some cases, folders hidden with the above "trick" can be made visible by going into the menu File> Change Folder and Search Options (o Tools> Folder Options) of the File Explorer and unchecking the option Hide protected system files in the tab Show.
Programs to hide folders on Windows
If the solutions for hide folders on Windows proposals so far have not convinced you, as they are too bland, I suggest you turn to software suitable for the purpose, such as those listed below.
Free Hide Folder
Free Hide Folder is a small free application that allows you to hide folders on Windows and keep them hidden even if the display of hidden files is enabled in the File Explorer. It is very simple to use and requires a password when you log in, so it is protected from accidental changes to its settings.
To download Free Hide Folder, connected to the official website of the program and click on the item Downlooad Now. Once the download is complete, double-click the Free Hide Folder installation file (FHFSetup.exe). In the window that opens, he clicks on Yes, always click the button Next and then on the button Finish to start the program.
In the window that opens, type in the text fields New Password e Confirm Password the password you will need to type to open the software and make the hidden folders appear and click the button OK. In the window that opens, click the button Skip to use the program without asking for an activation code (optional).
To select a folder to hide, in the main Free Hide Folder window, click the button Add, select the folder you want to hide and click the button twice in a row OK. The folder is automatically hidden.
To show a hidden folder, after selecting it in the Free Hide Folder folder list, click the button unhide. After using it, use the button Hide to hide it again.
VeraCrypt
VeraCrypt it is not a simple program to hide folders: it is, on the contrary, a free and open source software (born from the ashes of the now obsolete TrueCrypt) that allows you to create encrypted volumes, protected by passwords, within which to keep files of all types. It is quite simple to use and its encrypted volumes can be read by Windows, macOS and Linux (as the program is available for all three of these operating systems).
To download VeraCrypt on your PC, connect to its official website and click on the link VeraCrypt Setup xx.exe. Then open the VeraCrypt installation file by double clicking on it and click on the button Yes. Then put the check mark next to the item I accept the license terms (to accept the conditions of use of the software) and first click on Next twice in a row and then on install, OK, Finish e No to conclude the setup.
At this point, start VeraCrypt and, if the program interface is in English, set the cittàn language by going to the menu Settings> Language and selecting the voice cityno from the window that opens. To save the changes, click on the button OK.
You are now ready to take action. Then click on the button Create a volume present in the initial VeraCrypt window, put the check mark next to the item Create a crypto file e pigia his NEXT.
Now you have to choose whether to create a standard VeraCrypt volume, therefore a file visible by all but whose access is password protected, or a VeraCrypt volume hidden, which in addition to being password protected is also invisible in the Windows File Explorer.
Then click on the button NEXT twice in a row (make sure there is a check mark next to the item Normal way), presses the button Select file ... and choose the folder in which to save your encrypted volume (ie the "hidden folder").
Now go forward twice in a row and choose a coding algorithm it's a confusion algorithm to encrypt the contents of the volume to be created: if you don't know what to choose, leave the default settings active (BEA e SHA-512) and click on your button NEXT.
Adjust the encoding settings, you have to choose the maximum dimensions to assign to your encrypted volume, hence the maximum number of KB, MB, GB o TB that this must occupy on the disk. Then type the desired value in the field Size of the external volume and click on the button NEXT.
Now you have to choose the password to use to protect your volume, then the "hidden folder" to create. To do this, type the desired keyword in the fields Password e Confirmation and go forward.
Then choose the file system to be used for formatting the volume between exFAT (if you are planning to store files larger than 4GB within the volume) e FAT: (if you are not planning to store files larger than 4GB within the volume), leave the option default in the field cluster, move the mouse until the bottom bar becomes green and click on Format.
At the end of the formatting, press the button Open the external volume and copy in the volume you have just created some "owl" files, to be displayed to any meddlers without revealing what will then be the real hidden files hosted in the folder.
Once the files have been copied, go back to VeraCrypt and click on NEXT, Yes and again NEXT to create the actual hidden volume in which to host your data (what you have created now is a container volume for the hidden volume). Then choose thecoding algorithm el 'confusion algorithm to use for the hidden volume and click on NEXT.
Then choose the dimensions that the volume must have on the say (in KB, MB, GB o TB), click on the buttons NEXT e Yes and set the Password release for the latter (which must be DIFFERENT from the one set previously).
Finally, go forward, choose the file system with which to format the volume and first click on Format and then OK ed Logout to conclude the hidden volume creation procedure.
Mission accomplished! You now have an encrypted volume in which to house all the files to hide from meddling friends and relatives.
Now, to access the contents of the "public" part of the file (the one where you copied the "owl" files during the initial VeraCrypt configuration), open VeraCrypt, select one of the drive letters available and click on the button Select file to choose the volume you created earlier.
Then click on the button Monta or on the button Automatic assembly (to automatically mount the volume for subsequent times), type the first unlock password that you have chosen during the volume creation procedure and give Submit.
Within a few seconds you should be able to access the "public" part of the volume simply by selecting the drive letter that you have chosen in VeraCrypt within theFile Explorer.
To access the hidden part of the volume, instead, repeat the entire procedure and type the second password you have chosen in VeraCrypt. The correct activation of the hidden volume will be signaled by the appearance of the wording Hidden away in the column Type by VeraCrypt.
When you have finished copying and / or modifying the files inside the hidden volume, unmount the latter by opening VeraCrypt, selecting theunit in which it is mounted and pressing on the button Disassemble located at the bottom left.
The volumes created with VeraCrypt, as already mentioned above, can be used on all operating systems for which the program is available: Windows, macOS and Linux (provided that they have been formatted in a file system compatible with them).
How to hide folders on Windows
