How to Find Hidden Files and Folders in Windows

Part 1 of 2:

Open the Start menu

. Either click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press the ⊞ Win key.
- On Windows 8, hover your cursor in the top-right corner of the screen, then click the magnifying glass icon.
Type file explorer options into Start. This will bring up the File Explorer Options icon at the top of the search results.
Click File Explorer Options. It's the folder-shaped icon at the top of the Start window.
Click the View tab. You'll see it at the top of the File Explorer Options window.
Click the Show hidden files, folders, and drives circle. It should be in the middle of the "Advanced settings" window.
- If you don't see this option, double-click the Hidden files and folders line of text. If you don't see that option either, first double-click Files and Folders at the top of the "Advanced settings" window.
Click Apply, then click OK. Both of these buttons are at the bottom of the window. Doing so will reveal any hidden files, folders, drives, and other items on your computer.

Part 2 of 2:

Open File Explorer

. This app is the folder-shaped icon on your taskbar.
- You can also type file explorer into Start and then press ↵ Enter.
Click your hard drive's name. It's in the left-hand column of options. In most cases, this will be OS (C:).
Click the search bar. It's in the top-right corner of the File Explorer window.
Type in the name of a hidden item. If you don't know the item's name, try typing an asterisk and then the item's file type (e.g., typing "*.jpg" will show results for all jpeg images that end in the filetype ".jpg").
Review the results. You should see several hidden folders and files here.
- These files and folders are not accessible from the Start search.
- If you don't see your desired hidden file, folder, or other item, click This PC in the left-hand column and run your search again.

This wikiHow teaches you how to display and locate hidden files and folders in Windows. Open the Start menu . Either click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or press the key.