Instructions on how to show hidden files in USB correctly

You want to open a hidden file in USB, but when connecting to the computer, the file is suddenly hidden and not displayed, hindering your work. Don't worry, please refer to TipsMake's article below so we can show you how to show hidden files on USB in a very simple and easy way!

Cause File is hidden in Windows

Problems such as files on the hard drive, USB or memory card suddenly disappearing strangely are a situation that often occurs during computer use. Even though you know they are still there, you don't know how to show hidden files on USB .

The cause of this problem may be because the folder hides the files and is not displayed for security reasons, or they may be hidden because your device is infected with a virus.

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To display hidden files on USB, follow the instructions in the following content.

How to show hidden files on USB without using software

There are 4 ways to open hidden USB without using software. Specific operations are as follows:

Use Command Prompt to show hidden files on USB

Step 1: Plug the USB into the computer and wait until the system displays the USB drive.

Step 2: Open the Run window on the computer screen quickly by pressing the Windows + R key combination. Then enter cmd and click Enter on the keyboard or click OK to open Command Prompt.

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Step 3: After the Command Prompt window appears on the screen, continue entering the command line attrib -h -r -s /s /d G:*.* in the location as shown below and press Enter.

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Note : G is the USB drive where you need to open the file, so when entering the command, change it to suit your personal computer.

How to show hidden files on USB from the menu bar in File Explorer

Step 1: First, you must plug the USB into the computer and wait until the system displays the USB drive on the computer screen.

Step 2: Click to open the USB drive as File Explorer , a new window will appear on the screen, click on View on the menu bar. Then tick Hidden items as shown below to open hidden files in USB.

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Show hidden files on USB using File Explorer

Each computer line using different operating systems will have different operations to open hidden files in USB , specifically:

How to show hidden files in Windows 7

Step 1: Open My Computer on your computer, click on the down arrow located in the Organize section on the toolbar to open other options. Click to select Folder and search options as shown below.

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Step 2: A new window will appear, select View , then move the mouse to the position with the words Show hidden files and folders to click on it and finally click Apply.

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How to show hidden files in Windows 8, 8.1 and 10

Step 1: Open This PC as File Explorer on your computer screen, a new window will appear on the screen, click View , click Options.

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Step 2: Continue to click Change folder and search options , click on the Show hidden files and folders box to show hidden files in the USB.

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Use WinRAR to view hidden files

Step 1: First you must download the WinRAR application at: https://www.win-rar.com/start.html?&L=0 and then open the application on the screen.

Step 2: Use the Navigation Bar toolbar to navigate to the location containing the hidden USB drive with the file you need to display for viewing.

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Select drive D as shown below:

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Step 3: After moving to the location of the folder containing the USB drive, you will be able to view the hidden files.

How to show hidden files using software

In addition to the 4 ways to show hidden files in USB that TipsMake introduced above, you can use the following 3 software to open hidden files in USB.

Recuva software

1. Conditions: The computer is using the operating system Windows xp/vista/7/8/10 or the computer is using MacOS.
2. Fee: Free.
3. Link to download and install the software: http://www.ccleaner.com/recuva.

Recuva is an extremely effective software that displays hidden files in USB , helping you safely recover both the content and quality of your files.

Steps to use the software to show hidden files in USB are as follows:

Step 1: After installing on your computer, open the main interface of Recuva software and launch the installation. Click Install , finally click Run Recuva.

Step 2: A notification will appear on the screen, just click Next.

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Step 3: Then you choose the file type to display, or you can also choose All Files to select all, then click Next.

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Step 4: At File Location , select In a Specific location , then click Browse and move to the location containing the drive and folder where you need to hide the file in the USB , finally click OK.

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If you do not remember the exact location of the USB containing the hidden folder, you can select I'm not sure as shown below to have the Recuva system automatically scan your entire PC.

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The initial scan will take some time.

Step 5: Select the file you want to recover, then select Recover with one of the following notes:

1. Green: Data can be restored completely.
2. Red: Deleted data cannot be recovered.
3. Yellow: Low possibility of recovering deleted data.

FixAttrb Bkav software

1. Conditions: The computer must use Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10.
2. Fee: Free.
3. Download and install: https://www.bkav.com.vn/home/Download/FixAttrb.exe.

Bkav FixAttrb software will protect and restore your data safely and intact with just 1 mouse click.

Operations to show hidden files in USB are as follows:

Step 1: After downloading the software to your computer, click on Fix_Attrb.exe , then select the folder containing the USB with hidden files.

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Step 2: Select the appropriate USB drive , select OK.

Step 3: A new window will appear, select Show hidden files.

Step 4: You choose in the following order: Yes > Agree .

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And just wait a few seconds and the hidden folder will reappear.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard software

1. Conditions: The computer must use Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10, macOS.
2. Fee: Free.
3. Download link: Download for Windows, download for macOS.

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a product from EaseUS with the function to help you restore and open hidden files quickly and simply with 4 steps as follows:

Step 1: Plug the USB into the computer, and open the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard software on the screen.

Step 2: Select the folder containing the USB drive you want to open hidden files and then click Scan.

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Step 3: You need to wait a few minutes for the system to process. After the scanning process is complete, you select the files to recover.

Step 4: Click Recove to display hidden files in USB and the process is complete.

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Epilogue

Above are TipsMake's shares and ways to show hidden files in USB quickly and simply. Please leave a comment below if you have any other questions!

Lesley Montoya

Update 12 October 2023