How to Show Hidden Files in Windows 11

The short answer

Open File Explorer, click View on the toolbar, point to Show, and click Hidden items. Hidden files and folders appear immediately, shown slightly dimmed, and the setting stays on across every folder until you turn it back off. That single menu is all most people need.

Windows hides certain files on purpose — app configuration, cache folders like AppData, and low-level system files — so that day-to-day browsing stays tidy and you don't accidentally break something important. But when you're troubleshooting, following a guide, clearing out a stubborn cache, or restoring data, you often need those files visible. This guide covers the one-click method, how to also reveal file name extensions, the classic Folder Options route that unlocks protected operating-system files, and the safety rules that matter once everything is on screen. Steps are written for Windows 11 (2026), with notes where Windows 10 differs.

The 10-second version

File Explorer → View → Show → tick Hidden items. For extensions, tick File name extensions in the same menu. That's it for the common case — read on for system files and the details.

This is the fastest way and the one Microsoft points to for Windows 11 — its File Explorer in Windows support page gives exactly this path: View > Show, then Hidden items. It uses the command bar that runs across the top of every File Explorer window.

Open File Explorer. The quickest ways are the folder icon on the taskbar, or the keyboard shortcut
```
Windows key + E
```
On the toolbar at the top of the window, click View.
Point to Show to open its submenu.
Click Hidden items so a check mark appears beside it.

Hidden files and folders now show up throughout File Explorer, rendered with a faded icon so you can tell them apart from ordinary items. To hide them again, repeat the steps and clear the check mark.

Windows 10 differs here

In Windows 10, File Explorer uses a ribbon instead of the compact toolbar. Click the View tab on the ribbon and tick the Hidden items checkbox in the Show/hide group. Same result — the control just lives on the ribbon rather than a View > Show submenu.

Method 2 — show file name extensions

By default Windows hides the extension — the .txt, .jpg or .exe at the end of a file name — for known file types. Turning extensions back on is a smart habit: it makes it far easier to spot a file that's disguising itself, such as a download named invoice.pdf.exe that is really a program, not a PDF.

In File Explorer, click View on the toolbar.
Point to Show.
Click File name extensions so it's checked.

Every file now displays its full extension. On Windows 10, the equivalent is the File name extensions checkbox on the ribbon's View tab.

Method 3 — Folder Options (and protected system files)

The toggles above are shortcuts to a larger dialog that has existed in Windows for decades. You'll need it for one thing the quick menu can't do: revealing protected operating system files — the most sensitive files Windows keeps out of sight, such as pagefile.sys and hiberfil.sys. These stay hidden even after you enable Hidden items, because they sit behind a second, separate switch.

This dialog is called Folder Options (also labelled File Explorer Options). To open it:

In File Explorer, click the See more button (the ⋯ three dots) on the toolbar, then choose Options. On Windows 10, use View > Options > Change folder and search options — the route Microsoft documents for Windows 10.
In the Folder Options window, click the View tab.
Under Advanced settings, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
To also reveal system files, clear the checkbox Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
Windows shows a confirmation warning about displaying system files. Read it, and click Yes only if you understand the risk.
Click Apply, then OK.

Recent Windows 11 builds also expose a combined switch in Settings: Microsoft's guide to finding lost files after upgrading Windows points to Settings > System > Advanced > File Explorer and a Show hidden and system files toggle.

A quick way to reach the same dialog on either Windows version: press

Windows key + S

to open Search, type folder options, and open File Explorer Options from the results.

Warning — protected system files are hidden for a reason

Unchecking Hide protected operating system files exposes files Windows depends on to boot and run. Looking at them, copying them, or reading their contents is harmless — but deleting, renaming, or moving files inside C:\Windows, or system files like pagefile.sys and hiberfil.sys, can stop programs or Windows itself from starting. When you're finished, it's good practice to re-tick this option so those files are protected again. Never edit a system file unless a trusted guide tells you exactly which one and why.

Which method should you use?

Just need to see a hidden folder (like AppData or a .git folder)? Use Method 1 — View > Show > Hidden items.
Want to see extensions to check what a file really is? Add Method 2.
A file is still missing after Method 1 — for example a true system file? You need Method 3 and the protected-system-files switch.

Show a single hidden folder without changing everything

If you only need to open one hidden location once — most commonly your per-app data folder — you don't have to flip any global setting at all. Click inside File Explorer's address bar, type the path, and press Enter. For your own AppData folder:

%appdata%

That environment variable jumps straight into C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming, even while hidden items are switched off everywhere else. It's a tidy way to reach a hidden folder without leaving all hidden files on display.

Quick reference

Goal	Windows 11	Windows 10
Show hidden files	View > Show > Hidden items	View tab > Hidden items (ribbon)
Show file extensions	View > Show > File name extensions	View tab > File name extensions
Show protected system files	Folder Options > View > clear "Hide protected operating system files"	Same dialog via View > Options
Open File Explorer	`Windows key + E`

From the archive

Wrangling how File Explorer behaves is a topic windows-now.com has covered since the Windows Vista era — the same View settings and Folder Options dialog, refined over the years. Back in 2007, Kristan Kenney tackled a close cousin of this problem: how to disable automatic folder type discovery so Explorer stopped changing your view on its own. It's a nice reminder that taming Windows Explorer has always been part of using Windows.

Frequently asked

Why can't I see hidden files even after turning them on?

Hidden items and protected operating system files are two separate switches in Windows 11. View > Show > Hidden items only reveals ordinary hidden files. System files such as pagefile.sys stay invisible until you also clear Hide protected operating system files in Folder Options, on the View tab under Advanced settings. If a specific file is still missing, it may be stored on another drive, inside a system folder your account cannot open, or removed entirely.

Is it safe to show hidden and system files in Windows 11?

Showing them is completely safe — you are only changing what File Explorer displays, not the files themselves. The caution is about what you do next. Hidden and protected system files are hidden because Windows relies on them. Viewing, copying, and reading them causes no harm, but deleting, renaming, or moving a file such as pagefile.sys, hiberfil.sys, or the contents of C:\Windows can stop apps or Windows itself from starting.

How do I show file name extensions like .exe and .txt in Windows 11?

Open File Explorer, select View on the toolbar, point to Show, and click File name extensions so it shows a check mark. Every file then displays its extension. This is a strong security habit, because it lets you spot a file that pretends to be a document — for example invoice.pdf.exe — before you open it.

Do these settings apply to every folder or just the one I'm in?

The Hidden items and File name extensions toggles on the View > Show menu are global — once enabled they apply across File Explorer, not only the current folder. The same is true of the equivalent options in Folder Options. They stay on until you turn them back off, and they are per-user, so another account on the same PC keeps its own setting.