View all hidden files windows 7

Sometimes, however, you may need to show the hidden files and folders in Windows 7. A virus or spyware may be in these hidden files, making it hard to find and delete the virus. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy.

Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Author Info Last Updated: March 29, Method 1. Click on Control Panel. Close the Control Panel window. You should now be able to view all files and folders as well as drives hidden in Windows 7.

Notice that the icons for hidden files and folders are grayed out. This is how you can differentiate between hidden and unhidden files. Method 2. Note: Any data files that are infected may only be cleaned by deleting the file entirely, which means there is a potential for data loss.

Important: This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully.

For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: How to back up and restore the registry in Windows.

Click Start , type regedit in Start search box, and press Enter. On the right hand view pane, select Checked value. Right click and select Modify. Hope this resolves the issue. To unlock these files, all you have to do is log into your computer using your password.

If someone else logs into your computer, the files cannot be opened. Administrators can use Cipher. They can also use it to view the encryption status of files and folders from a command prompt. Click Apply and OK to close this box. This will display every file and sub-folder under the source folder.

Navigate until you see the file you want to affect. Right-click on the file and choose Properties from the resulting Context menu. Use the Hidden checkbox at the bottom of the dialog box to specify whether the file should be hidden or not. Click OK. You can view or change the Read-Only and Hidden attributes on a file or folder by completing the following steps: In Windows Explorer, right-click the file or folder and select Properties to display its Properties dialog box.

On the General tab, select the Read-only checkbox to make a file or folder read-only. Do take note that some viruses that are still active on the computer will revert the changes that you made. SeniorCare2Share Care about seniors?