How to Open the Hidden Files in a USB Pen Drive

On Windows

1. Plug your USB drive into your computer. Insert the USB drive into one of the thin, rectangular slots in your computer's housing.

   1. If you're using a desktop computer, USB ports are typically in either the front or the back of the computer's CPU box.

2. Open Start

   . Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

3. Type in this pc. Doing so will search your computer for the This PC program.

4. Click This PC. It's a computer monitor-shaped icon at the top of the Start window. Doing so opens This PC.

5. Open your flash drive. Find your flash drive's name below the "Devices and drives" heading in the middle of the page, then double-click it.

   1. If you don't see your flash drive here, try unplugging the flash drive and plugging it back into a different USB slot.

6. Click the View tab. It's in the upper-left side of the flash drive's window. Doing so prompts a menu bar to appear at the top of the File Explorer window.

7. Check the "Hidden items" box. Click the box to the left of the "Hidden items" option in the "Show/hide" section of the menu bar. Doing so will both place a checkmark in the "Hidden items" box and force any hidden files on your USB drive to display.

   1. If there's already a checkmark in the "Hidden items" box, your USB drive is currently displaying hidden files.
   2. Hidden files are generally dimmer and more transparent-looking than regular files.

8. Double-click the hidden file you want to open. Doing so will open the file, allowing you to view its contents.

   1. If the file you're trying to open is a system file, you may not be able to complete the opening process.