- Typically, you can’t use a password to reveal hidden files and folders. The shortcut bypasses this by using a hidden shortcut.
- The shortcut itself can be hidden or changed to appear like something else.
- This method won’t stop Windows Search from another account that can see the files from accessing it, as the folder isn’t locked.
In most cases, the best way to protect your files is to lock them behind a password. However, this method still leaves the folder visible, which could indicate that you have something to hide. But you just want to stash a folder so it won’t be seen on your desktop and yet have an easy and quick way to access it when needed.
That’s where you can use shortcut to hide files in Windows.
Part 1: Making Hidden Folders for the Files
Technically speaking, you can create a shortcut for every file or folder individually, but it will take up a lot of file storage and easily become messy. So, we recommend using only a few folders to categorize and store most of the files you want to hide this way.
Step 1: On a blank space in your desktop (or any other location where you need the folder to be), right-click and select “New,” then choose “Folder.”
Step 2: Give your new folder a name however you want it.
Step 3: Right-click on the folder and select “Properties.”
Step 4. In the properties tab, check the “Hidden” box and click on “Apply.” Hit “OK” to leave the dialog window.
Step 5. Open File Explorer (even if you’ve placed the folder on the desktop), since it controls the folder visibility.
Step 6. In the top bar, click on “View,” then expand on “Show.” Uncheck “Hidden items.”
Your folder should disappear from wherever you’ve made it. Re-enabling the “Hidden items” option should make it visible again. If you’ve placed the folder on your desktop, it will be moved to the next available space top-left.
Part 2: Windows 11 Hide Files and Folders with Shortcut
Normally, you can’t open a file or folder via shortcut. However, Windows can create shortcuts to pretty much anything. We’ll use shortcut to hide files in Windows, then hide or obfuscate the shortcut itself.
Step 1. On the desktop, create a new shortcut (Right-click, then expand “New” and hit “Shortcut”).
Step 2. You’ll immediately get a “Create Shortcut” dialog window for the shortcut properties. In the location box (the only textbox on the screen), enter the path to the folder. Alternatively, click on “Browse” and find the folder. However, if you’ve hidden the folder, it won’t appear here, so you’ll need to go to the parent folder’s path and append the folder’s name after. Note that the file path needs to be put in quotes. Click on “Next” when you’re done.
Step 3. Name the shortcut however you like and hit “Finish.”
Step 4. Right-click on the shortcut you made and select “Properties.”
Step 5. Click on the “Shortcut key” box, then input the shortcut sequence you want to use. The shortcut needs to be in the form of “Control + Shift or Alt + letter or number.” Click on “Apply” to confirm it.
Step 6. Still in the Properties window, go to the “General” tab on the top and hide the shortcut by checking the “Hidden” box.
Step 7. Hit “Apply” and click “OK” to exit the window.
Even though the shortcut is hidden, pressing the keyboard shortcut will activate it. You might need to wait a second or two for the system to process it. As an alternative to Step 6, you can go to “Change icon” in the “Shortcut” properties tab, then select a new shortcut from the list. This keeps the shortcut visible wherever you put it, though. Note that if you want to change any of the properties for hidden folders or shortcuts, you need to temporarily allow File Explorer to view hidden files (see Steps 5 and 6 of Part 1).
