Q&A: How do you hide a folder in Windows 11?

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Question from Pauley: I have a folder on my Windows 11 computer with files in it that I don’t want to accidentally delete.

Is there some way to hide that folder so I can’t accidently click on it and delete it? I recently switched to Windows from the Mac world and I can’t find a way to do it.

Rick’s answer: It’s actually very easy to hide a folder on a Windows 11 PC, Pauley. All it takes is a few mouse clicks. Just folle the steps below.

To hide a folder on your Windows 11 PC:

1 – Right-click on the folder you want to hide and select Properties from the menu.

2 – Check the box beside Hidden, then click OK.

Important: You will need to remember which folder on your hard drive/SSD contains your hidden folder so you’ll be able to navigate to it again if you are unable to remember the hidden folder’s exact name.

For example, if the hidden folder is on the Desktop you’ll need to remember to look for it there the next time you need to access it.

Likewise, if your hidden folder resides in the Documents folder (or the Pictures folder or any other folder) you will need to look for it there.

To access a hidden folder:

Now that you’ve hidden the folder, you’ll also need to know how to unhide it when you need to access it. Luckily, that’s really quite easy to do.

There are two ways to access your hidden folder. First, if you know the folder’s exact filename you can simply search for it by clicking the Start button and then typing the folder’s name. You should see it pop in the search results. Once you see it simply click on it and the folder will open.

If you can’t remember the folder’s exact name you can navigate to the folder containing the hidden folder and then temporarily “unhide” all the hidden items on your PC. Just follow the steps below:

1 – Open File Explorer and navigate to the drive and folder the hidden folder resides in.

2 – Click View on the top menu bar, then click Show>Hidden items. The hidden folder should now be visible and accessible in the usual way.

3 – After you have finished using the folder in question you can repeat steps 1 and 2 and click Show>Hidden items again to rehide the folder.

That’s all there is to hiding (and unhiding) a folder from view on a Windows 11 PC.

Now, I feel compelled to mention this important caveat:

Simply hiding a folder won’t keep someone else with at least a basic knowledge of Windows from finding it.

Truth be told, hiding a folder doesn’t really secure its contents in any way. All it really does is keep it from being seen by a novice user.

I hope this helps, Pauley. Good luck!

Bonus tip: Since you’re new to the world of Windows you might want to get one of these. (#ad)