To hide or show hidden files and folders on a Windows or Mac computer, the user must carry out certain steps.
Hiding Files in Windows
Windows Explorer is the most commonly used tool for managing files and folders on a Windows operating system.
1. To hide files in Windows, open Windows Explorer and select the file or folder that needs to be hidden.
2. Right-click on the file or folder and select ‘Properties’ from the menu.
3. In the Properties dialog box that appears, click on the ‘General’ tab and then click on the checkbox labelled ‘Hidden’. Click ‘OK’ to save the settings.
4. The file or folder should now have a small icon next to it indicating that it is hidden. To make it visible again, simply select the file or folder and uncheck the ‘Hidden’ checkbox.
Note: If the file or folder is stored on an external hard drive, the ‘Hidden’ checkbox may not appear. This means that it cannot be hidden using this method.
Showing Hidden Files in Windows
1. Open Windows Explorer and click on the ‘View’ tab at the top of the window.
2. In the ‘View’ tab, click on the ‘Options’ button to open the Folder Options dialog box.
3. In the Folder Options dialog box, click on the ‘View’ tab.
4. Scroll down the list of options until you find the option labelled ‘Show hidden files and folders’.
5. Select this option so that the checkbox is ticked. Click ‘OK’ to save the changes.
6. All hidden files and folders will now be visible in Windows Explorer.
Hiding Files in Mac
Mac OSX operating systems come with a built-in application called Finder, which is used to manage files and folders.
1. To hide files in Mac, open Finder and select the file or folder that needs to be hidden.
2. Right-click on the file or folder and select ‘Get Info’ from the menu.
3. In the Get Info dialog box that appears, click on the small padlock icon in the bottom-right corner. Enter your admin password when prompted.
4. In the Get Info dialog box, scroll down until you find the checkbox labelled ‘Hidden’. Check the box to hide the file or folder. Click ‘OK’ to save the settings.
5. The file or folder should now have a small icon next to it indicating that it is hidden. To make it visible again, simply select the file or folder and uncheck the ‘Hidden’ checkbox.
Note: If the file or folder is stored on an external hard drive, the ‘Hidden’ checkbox may not appear. This means that it cannot be hidden using this method.
Showing Hidden Files in Mac
1. Open Finder and click on ‘Go’ in the top menu bar.
2. Select ‘Go to Folder…’ from the drop-down menu.
3. In the Go to Folder dialog box, type ‘~/Library’ into the text box and click ‘Go’.
4. In the Finder window that appears, click on the ‘View’ menu in the toolbar and select ‘Show View Options’.
5. In the View Options dialog box that appears, check the checkbox labelled ‘Show invisible items’. Click ‘OK’ to save the changes.
6. All hidden files and folders will now be visible in Finder.