Solved Viewing hidden items on File Explorer in Win 11


Logical Ron

Logical Ron

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OS
Windows 11 Pro version 25H2 build 26200.7840
In Win 10 I could see everything on the ribbon in file explorer, I'm not seeing the same in Win 11, I can see with several clicks I can get to the older version of view, show or hide hidden files. Seems that Win 11 went backwards unless I don't know how to set it up so I see on the ribbon. Can that be done in Win 11?
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro version 25H2 build 26200.7840Intel Core i7-12700KF Desktop Processor 12 (8...CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000...Gigabyte GeForce RTX™ 3060 GAMING OC 12G (rev...
OS
Windows 11 Pro version 25H2 build 26200.7840
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
I built my system
CPU
Intel Core i7-12700KF Desktop Processor 12 (8P+4E) Core
Motherboard
MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi Gaming Motherboard
Memory
CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL36 Intel XMP iCUE
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte GeForce RTX™ 3060 GAMING OC 12G (rev. 2.0)
Sound Card
onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
(2) Samsung S24E310HL 23.6-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitors
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
(3) SAMSUNG Electronics 870 EVO 2TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD for storage
(1) Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD for OS
PSU
Corsair RM750e Fully Modular Low-Noise ATX Power Supply
Case
Carbide Series™ Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case
Cooling
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Air Cooler
Keyboard
Logitech K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master
Internet Speed
680 Mbps
Browser
Chrome as default with Firefox as well
Antivirus
Avira Pro
Hello Ron, :alien:

If you like, you might see if adding the "Hidden Items" context menu below may make it easier to use for you.

www.elevenforum.com

Add Hidden items Context Menu in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to add a custom Hidden items context menu to make it easy to hide/unhide selected files/folders and hide/show hidden items on demand in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Hidden files, folders, and drives do not show by default in Windows. Hidden files, folders, and...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GD...
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProSnapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
Brink said:
Hello Ron, :alien:

If you like, you might see if adding the "Hidden Items" context menu below may make it easier to use for you.

www.elevenforum.com

Add Hidden items Context Menu in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to add a custom Hidden items context menu to make it easy to hide/unhide selected files/folders and hide/show hidden items on demand in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Hidden files, folders, and drives do not show by default in Windows. Hidden files, folders, and...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com
Click to expand...
I downloaded and ran the regedit file and I do see the hide and show when I right click but if i select one my screen just goes blank and comes back :( I just checked and it didn't create a restore point so I can go back.. Any suggestions? I just noticed that I have these on my desktop, I must have ran the download twice. In fact the first time I didn't get anything so I did run it again. I have no idea what these icons areregedit for hide and show.jpg
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro version 25H2 build 26200.7840Intel Core i7-12700KF Desktop Processor 12 (8...CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000...Gigabyte GeForce RTX™ 3060 GAMING OC 12G (rev...
OS
Windows 11 Pro version 25H2 build 26200.7840
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
I built my system
CPU
Intel Core i7-12700KF Desktop Processor 12 (8P+4E) Core
Motherboard
MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi Gaming Motherboard
Memory
CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL36 Intel XMP iCUE
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte GeForce RTX™ 3060 GAMING OC 12G (rev. 2.0)
Sound Card
onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
(2) Samsung S24E310HL 23.6-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitors
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
(3) SAMSUNG Electronics 870 EVO 2TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD for storage
(1) Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD for OS
PSU
Corsair RM750e Fully Modular Low-Noise ATX Power Supply
Case
Carbide Series™ Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case
Cooling
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Air Cooler
Keyboard
Logitech K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master
Internet Speed
680 Mbps
Browser
Chrome as default with Firefox as well
Antivirus
Avira Pro
When you click on the "Hide protected OS files" or "Show protected OS files" items, it will quickly open a command prompt, run a command, close the command prompt for that setting, and restart the explorer process to apply. This would be the screen going blank for a second as the explorer process is restarted.

This is normal to toggle that setting.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GD...
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProSnapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
Brink said:
When you click on the "Hide protected OS files" or "Show protected OS files" items, it will quickly open a command prompt, run a command, close the command prompt for that setting, and restart the explorer process to apply. This would be the screen going blank for a second as the explorer process is restarted.

This is normal to toggle that setting.
Click to expand...
Okay that makes sense now, when I click more options hide/show hidden items it works as it did in Win 10, well it does the same thing. What is the hide and show OS files??
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro version 25H2 build 26200.7840Intel Core i7-12700KF Desktop Processor 12 (8...CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000...Gigabyte GeForce RTX™ 3060 GAMING OC 12G (rev...
OS
Windows 11 Pro version 25H2 build 26200.7840
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
I built my system
CPU
Intel Core i7-12700KF Desktop Processor 12 (8P+4E) Core
Motherboard
MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi Gaming Motherboard
Memory
CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL36 Intel XMP iCUE
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte GeForce RTX™ 3060 GAMING OC 12G (rev. 2.0)
Sound Card
onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
(2) Samsung S24E310HL 23.6-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitors
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
(3) SAMSUNG Electronics 870 EVO 2TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD for storage
(1) Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD for OS
PSU
Corsair RM750e Fully Modular Low-Noise ATX Power Supply
Case
Carbide Series™ Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case
Cooling
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Air Cooler
Keyboard
Logitech K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master
Internet Speed
680 Mbps
Browser
Chrome as default with Firefox as well
Antivirus
Avira Pro
The show/hide OS files are the hidden by default protected Windows system files. the faded "desktop.ini" files in your screenshot are an example of these and like in the screenshot below.

Normally, you wouldn't want these hidden OS files showing to prevent doing something to them by mistake.

1700144696115.png
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GD...
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProSnapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
Brink said:
The show/hide OS files are the hidden by default protected Windows system files. the faded "desktop.ini" files in your screenshot are an example of these and like in the screenshot below.

Normally, you wouldn't want these hidden OS files showing to prevent doing something to them by mistake.

View attachment 77945
Click to expand...
Thanks Brink, that makes things much easier, I have never used the hide or show OS files even in Win 10 so I won't go there.. but the show hidden files works great now. Those 2 icons that showed up on my desktop I deleted and everything still works fine.. The icons in the above post I was editing while you were replying
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro version 25H2 build 26200.7840Intel Core i7-12700KF Desktop Processor 12 (8...CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000...Gigabyte GeForce RTX™ 3060 GAMING OC 12G (rev...
OS
Windows 11 Pro version 25H2 build 26200.7840
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
I built my system
CPU
Intel Core i7-12700KF Desktop Processor 12 (8P+4E) Core
Motherboard
MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi Gaming Motherboard
Memory
CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL36 Intel XMP iCUE
Graphics Card(s)
Gigabyte GeForce RTX™ 3060 GAMING OC 12G (rev. 2.0)
Sound Card
onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
(2) Samsung S24E310HL 23.6-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitors
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
(3) SAMSUNG Electronics 870 EVO 2TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD for storage
(1) Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD for OS
PSU
Corsair RM750e Fully Modular Low-Noise ATX Power Supply
Case
Carbide Series™ Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case
Cooling
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Air Cooler
Keyboard
Logitech K800
Mouse
Logitech MX Master
Internet Speed
680 Mbps
Browser
Chrome as default with Firefox as well
Antivirus
Avira Pro
:shawn:
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GD...
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    TerraMaster F8 SSD Plus NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Amazon Basics Wired Full Keyboard MD005
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 4
    Internet Speed
    2 Gbps Download and 100 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProSnapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
When you say Microsoft has gone backward with their Windows 11 i can't agree more.
I have found very little that they have made better, when you have to go through more menus to do what you had been able to do with one, and you find you have to reset items you set once over and over again.
Some might say Microsoft is always moving forward, i would like to know just where forward is taking us.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

windows 11Core Intel 13th Generation Core i732GB RAM DDRSNVIDIA GeForce RTX RTX 4070
OS
windows 11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
MSI MSI - Stealth 16 studio A13v
CPU
Core Intel 13th Generation Core i7
Motherboard
Intel
Memory
32GB RAM DDRS
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX RTX 4070
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1200 (WUXGA)
Hard Drives
1T SSD
Cooling
Fan
Keyboard
Tablet and Logtech used also
Mouse
Tablet and Logtech used also
Internet Speed
Fast
Browser
Opera and Chrome
Antivirus
Windows
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