How To Reveal Hidden Folders on Windows 10: Complete Instructions

Unhiding folders in Windows 10 feels pretty straightforward, but in practice, sometimes it’s not as obvious as it seems. You might check the View tab, tick the “Hidden items” box, and still not see that folder you’re after. Or perhaps after trying, the folder suddenly shows up, then disappears again. Kind of weird, but it’s because Windows sometimes caches folder views or has additional settings that can interfere.

If the usual methods don’t do the trick, there are other angles to explore. For example, some folders are hidden by system attributes that aren’t just controlled via the “Hidden” checkbox in Properties. You might need to go full command-line mode to unhide those—using the command prompt or PowerShell. And, because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary, some hidden folders are protected or marked as system files, which means messing with them can be risky. Better to be cautious when un-hiding folders in protected directories.

How to Unhide Folders on Windows 10

Method 1: The regular GUI way (just in case it works)

Open File Explorer via clicking the folder icon in the taskbar or press Windows + E.
Click on the View tab at the top of the window. If you don’t see it, maybe your window is tiny or you’re in a weird Explorer view, so resize or switch to a different layout.
Check the box labeled Hidden items. On some setups, that’s all you gotta do. Files or folders marked as hidden will appear, maybe totally unexpectedly.
Navigate to where the folder should be. If it was hidden in plain sight, there it is. Sometimes, a folder’s still not showing, and that’s because it’s still marked as system or has some other attribute blocking visibility. That’s where the next tricks come in.

Method 2: Use Command Prompt/PowerShell to force unhide

Open Command Prompt as administrator (right-click the Start button and choose Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin)).You might prefer PowerShell for more control.
If you know the exact path of the folder—say, it’s in `D:\Secrets\HiddenFolder`—type the following command:

attrib -H -S "D:\Secrets\HiddenFolder" /S /D

This command removes the “Hidden” and “System” attributes from the folder and all files inside (`/S /D` ensures it applies recursively).Sometimes, a folder is marked as a system file, and just unchecking in GUI won’t do the trick.

After running the command, check in File Explorer if the folder’s now visible. On some setups it’ll surprise you, on others, maybe not so much. Still, worth a shot.

Note: Don’t blindly do this on system folders unless you really know what you’re doing. Removing system attributes from critical Windows files can cause instability.

Method 3: Check for System Attributes and Hidden Flags

If the folder still refuses to show, go to Properties (right-click the folder, choose Properties), then go to the General tab.
Scroll down and see if there’s a checkbox labeled Hidden. If it’s checked, uncheck it and hit OK.
Now, revisit the folder in File Explorer. If it’s still missing, double-check that the folder isn’t marked as a System folder. That’s under the same properties window. If “Hidden” and “System” boxes are both checked, you’ll need to uncheck both (but beware—this can be risky for system files).

One side note—sometimes Windows will hide folders behind permissions or encryption, especially if they’re in protected directories or linked to third-party security software. If that’s your case, you might need to check folder permissions or run a security scan.

Tips for Troubleshooting Hidden Folders

Try toggling the “Hidden items” checkbox multiple times. Sometimes Explorer catches up after a refresh or restart.
Using third-party tools like Winhance (GitHub: Winhance) might help if Explorer refuses to behave.
In some cases, a reboot after changing attributes makes a difference—Windows caches folder states sometimes.
If folders are still ghosted, check if some dedicated security or cleanup software is hiding or locking folders. Those can interfere with normal visibility.

And, honestly, sometimes just doing a full system restart can clear up weird Explorer bugs. Not sure why it works, but…it does.

Summary

Open File Explorer, go to View, check “Hidden items”.
Use attrib command-line tweaks for stubborn folders.
Check folder properties for hidden or system flags.
Be cautious with system folders—unhide only if you know what you’re doing.

Wrap-up

Unhiding folders isn’t always smooth sailing, especially when Windows throws in extra restrictions or caches that make the folder appear invisible. Sometimes, a mix of GUI tweaks and command-line magic is needed to reveal those sneaky directories. Just keep in mind that messing with system or hidden attributes can have unintended consequences, so proceed cautiously.

Hopefully, this helps someone finally get full access to their hidden stash. Nothing quite like finally making those ghost folders reappear.