Summary: This article will take you through various ways to repair and fix “Windows 10 Show Hidden Files Not Working” and recover all your essential data using Bitwar Data Recovery Software.
Windows 7, 8, 10 have this feature to hide and unhide the desired files/folders. There are some files in the system which are hidden already by default to avoid any tampering, and the user can hide some files as per his/her wish. However, at times this feature fails to work due to some reasons and does not allow the user to show the file. The issue “Windows 10 Show Hidden Files Not Working” is a common issue amongst those who are using Windows operating system. To understand better, consider the following example.
(I was trying to create a hidden folder on Windows 10 by selecting a folder in the file explorer, navigating to view section and then clicking on “hide selected items“. This worked, however, I am unable to unhide this folder).
Do not worry! If you ever come across such as issue as this article will walk you through some of the ways to repair and fix this issue of “Windows 10 Show Hidden Files Not Working”.
Table of Contents
Why does the “Windows 10 Show Hidden Files Not Working” issue takes place?
- Malware and Viruses.
- Interruptions caused in the Windows system due to any third party services.
- Corrupted system files.
There are many ways to recover the hidden files; however, it is suggested to show up the hidden files at the onset, and if none of these methods works, recovery is recommended at the end using a trusted data recovery software such as Bitwar Data Recovery Software.
Methods to fix “Windows 10 Show Hidden Files Not Working” issue
Solution 1: Use cmd to show hidden files:
Step1: Go to Start and then type “cmd” in the search box.
Step2: In the command prompt window, enter the command “attrib -h -r -s /s /d f:*.*”. (here, “f” is the drive letter of the partition that contains your hidden files).
Alternatively, you can apply below 2 solutions also:
- Navigate to Control Panel and then go to File ExplorerOptions.
- Now go to the View tab and enable the option “Show hidden files, folders and drives”.
Else,
- Open folder containing your hidden files.
- Now, navigate to the View tab and uncheck the Hidde Selected Items option.
Solution 2: Fix “Windows 10 Show Hidden Files Not Working“ issue using system file checker tool:
Step1: Go to Start and type “cmd” in the search box to open Command Prompt.
Step2: Enter the command “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” in the Command Prompt and press enter to execute it.
Step3: After executing the command, restart your system and check if the issue is still there or not.
Solution 3: Resolve “Windows 10 Show Hidden Files Not Working“ issue by adjusting the registry:
Follow these steps with utmost care as any deviation in the following will result in critical system errors.
Step1: Open run window by pressing Windows+R key and type “Regedit” in the space provided.
Step2: Click on OK in the prompt and go to the below path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Folder\Hidden\SHOWALL
Step3: After this, double-tap on CheckedValue and set Value Data to 1.
Step4: Now, restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved or not.
How to Recover Hidden files using Bitwar Data Recovery Software
After applying the above solutions if you are still unable to see your hidden files, then follow the below steps to restore all your data using Bitwar Data Recovery Software which promises to deliver expected results with safety.
Step1: Download the recovery software from the official site ” https://www.r-datarecovery.com” by clicking on Download and install it on your device.
Download for PCDownload for Mac
Step2: Launch the recovery software and choose Recovery Mode. If you are unsure about the data loss reason then go for the Standard Mode. Alternatively, you can also opt for the Wizard Mode to select the partition from where you have lost your files.
Step3: Now, select the types of files you want to restore and click on the Next button to start scanning for the missing files.
Step4: After scanning is done, all the hidden/missing files that matched your selection will be listed for Preview.
Step5: Now, select the file(s) you wish to restore and click on the Recover button to retrieve them. Once you retrieve all your files, save them somewhere safe; do not save them back to the same location where you lost them from as this action may overwrite the deleted files and make them unrecoverable.
Besides, Bitwar Data Recovery capable of accessing the hidden partition/lost partition on in Windows 7, 8, 10, you can also check this tutorial to know more: How to Recover Data from Lost Partition
Conclusion
The common scenario “Windows 10 Show Hidden Files Not Working” amongst Windows users is caused mainly due to reasons such as viruses and corrupted/damaged file systems. There are various ways such as running system file checker tool, changing the registry and using cmd to repair and fix this issue. However, if all these solutions fail to help, then the next best thing to do is to recover all your hidden or missing files/folders using a software recovery tool that is powerful and dynamic.
Bitwar Data Recovery can restore any sort of data such as docs, audios, videos, and images from any storage device whether it is internal or external. And it’s compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. Free trial and tech support available