If required, you can Show Hidden Files & Folders your Windows 11/10 computer and also unhide Protected System Files on your device by going to File Explorer Options menu.
See Hidden Files & Folders in Windows 11/10
The default setting in Windows operating system is to keep System files hidden on the computer, in order to prevent them from being accidentally deleted or modified by the user.
For example, when you open File Explorer and go to the Local Drive (C:) on your computer, you won’t be able to see desktop.ini, hiberfile.sys, pagefile.sys, swapfile.sys and other system files.
Similarly, Windows provides the option to protect any File or Folder on your computer by using the built-in Hide File/Folder option and also by using third-party tools that can both hide and encrypt files on your device.
At any time, you can View Hidden Files & Folders on your computer and also See Protected Hidden System Files by going to Folder Options menu on your device.
1. Enable Show Hidden Files & Folders Option in Windows 11/10
Follow the steps below to enable the option to Show Hidden Files on your computer.
1. Open the File Explorer on your computer by clicking on File Explorer icon in the taskbar.
2. In File Explorer window, click on 3-dots icon in the top-menu bar and select Options in the drop-down menu.
If you are using Windows 10, click on the File Tab in top-menu bar and select Change Folders and Search options in the menu that appears.
3. On Folder Options screen, switch to View tab and select Show hidden files, folders, drives option.
4. Click on Apply and OK to save this change on your computer.
After this, you will be able to see hidden files on your computer.
2. How to See Hidden System Files in Windows 11/10
Even if you enable the option to Show Hidden Files, you won’t be able to see Hidden System Files on your computer, without disabling Hide Protected Operating System Files entry.
1. Open the File Explorer on your computer > click on 3-dots icon in the top-menu bar and select Options in the drop-down menu.
Note: If you are using Windows 10, click on the File Tab in top-menu bar and select Change Folders and Search options in the menu that appears.
2. On Folder Options screen, switch to View tab, select Show hidden files, folders, drives option, scroll down a bit further and uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended) option.
3. On the warning or confirmation pop-up, click on the Yes button.
4. Click on Apply and OK to save the changes
As you can see in the warning pop-up, deleting or editing system files can have an adverse impact on the performance your computer and it can even result in the system becoming inoperable.
Hence, it is recommended that you go back to the default option of keeping system files hidden on your computer, as soon as you are done with the purpose of Showing System Files on your computer.