How to Make Invisible Folder and Hide Private Files

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on October 11, 2007

There are many tips and tricks that can be applied to Windows XP in order to save or hide your private files. Some of these tricks require the use of certain softwares while some tricks require complex manipulation and heavy tweaking to your registry.

Jeff from I am Better Than You has come up with a sweet and simple little trick that can help you make an invisible folder so you can save your private files inside it.

Here is how the trick goes:

  1. Select the folder you want to make invisible
    invisible.gif
  2. Right Click on the folder and click Rename and then remove the current name of the folder. Windows does not allow you to have a nameless folder so to fool windows use the Alt+0160 combination to generate an invisible name for your folder
    invisible-2.gif
  3. Now again Right Click on the nameless folder and select Properties. Go to Customize tab and then click Change Icon
    invisible3.gif
  4. In the list of icons you will find 2-3 invisible icons. Select one of those invisible icons and press Ok and then again Ok. Congrats now you have an invisible folder
    invisible-4.gif

The most brilliant thing about this trick is that it only apparently makes your folder invisible thus blocking eye access to all files inside that folder and only you know where the folder is and can click on it any time just like you would on a normal Windows folder to see all the files hidden inside it.

  • http://www.techyard.net Venkat

    If the folder view is changed there is gap between folders where the folder is missing.But still a good trick.

  • http://www.online-tech-tips.com Aseem Kishore

    Not to try and uselessly link to my blog, but I wrote a couple of weeks back about another way that you can create a secure and locked folder in Windows using some scripts:

    http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-create-a-secured-and-locked-folder-in-windows-xp/

    You can also check out a cool program called TrueCrypt, which works really well.

  • http://www.whoismadhur.com Madhur Kapoor

    The only weak point is that when you refresh the desktop or drive , the folder will get revealed for a fraction of a second . I was using the same trick till my friend found out this way .

  • http://helpdeskgeek.com Nelson

    that’s a cool trick DJ, now I know how to store my music on my work computer

  • http://blog.ashfame.com Ashfame

    @ DJ flush
    hey good find, I knew both the tricks but never thought of doing it together.
    @ Madhur
    I think disabling the option “Enable thumbnail caching” will solve the issue. I am not sure though.

  • http://www.shivaranjan.com Shivaranjan

    All this methods can be exposed if you have another Geek around you. :)
    That is the reason I use free hide to lock the folder. :)

  • http://spamloco.net SpamLoco

    Alt + 255 is a good alternative for blank character :)

  • http://www.nirmaltv.com Nirmal

    Nice trick, but as Shivaranjan said all Geeks will be able to find the trick. :D

  • http://www.brownbaron.com/blog/ Brown Baron

    Hehe should be good enough for hiding folders from family members who aren’t geeks. As to what the folder contains, who knows? Hehe

  • http://blog.ashfame.com Ashfame

    Also it shows up when you are viewing in explorer in detail view and it creates a space so it should be rename with z or something but that will defeat the purpose of hiding it. Anyway nice trick but not of much use.

  • http://www.mastibuzz.com Hammad

    Haha Dj thats a nice trick but as Madhur said the refresh thing is the weak point but i don’t care because no one will figure it out in my case :D

  • Me

    How do you do the Alt+0160 part?

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  • http://www.technobuzz.net Technobuzz.net

    Nice trick

  • http://www.sizlopedia.com Dj Flush

    Me Alt+1060 means that you have to press 1060 on your num pad while holding the Alt key on your keyboard and then release it.

    On releasing the Alt key you will get an invisible character. Every alphabet and character on your keyboard can be accessed using a set of combinations using the Alt key.

  • Kiwi

    is there a way without using a program to make the folder uclickable and invisible

  • gummy gobbler

    Just select your folder, go to ‘file’ scroll down to ‘properties’ and and make your folder hidden. It disappears – you can find it again by doing a ‘search’ but you have to know the name of the folder

  • http://www.savware.net SavWare

    This is a great trick, I started using it at work just to hide a couple of files (ebooks and stuff) and it is a great way to hide a folder. Unless you are very careful (or know about it) I would say most people don’t even notice the little folder icon with a blank name.

    Thank for the info.

  • Babs

    Stupid stupid stupid!

    Anyone who knows anything thing, even remotely, can do a search for jpgs, mpegs, docs or documents and find what you have hidden on the computer. If it is a keylogger you are trying to hide, they can also do a search for the original keylogger name (or all know keyloggers) even if you changed the name the search still goes back to the file/files. The names of keyloggers are all over the net or the names of pull-down browsers as well. All they need to do is a search for any of these things and busted.

    Also all they have to do is a Windows (or other software) run command (all available on the internet even for rookie moms like me) in the all too common “dos” and restore the files (sfc /scannow) to their orginial versions thus erasing everything you saved in these “invisible” files. Or they can do a system restore to the oldest date available and it should tell everything installed on that particular day. Or if they think there are hidden files or just reload the factory software.

    The only sure way to keep prying eyes out is to make your folders private and that would only be done in the administrator of the computer’s password-protected access. Sorry to burst that bubble.

    From a very clever detective of a mom

    • Me

      Wow, get a life Mom.

  • Vicky

    How to do delete/remove or unhide that invisible folder?

    • John

      I have been trying to delete the folder that I made invisible for a long time now and I can not figure out how to do it. It is set as “Read Only” and it won’t let me change it so it’s not read only.

      Please Help
      Thanks

  • A Genius

    you put it in the corner of the desktop

  • jonny

    Jeez Babs, you need to give your kids some privacy.

  • Ricky

    Oh and to John, you need to download this free application to get rid of it. I had to do it with a bunch of folders and files said to be currupted on my computer a while back, and this program did it. However, be careful on how you use it, because if you take a file from windows and tell it to get deletd when your computer doesnt want it to be, you will break out into hell :D

  • Me

    Wow, get a life Mom.

  • jonathan

    hey i did what u said it didnt work for me plz helpme

  • guest

    what if someome does a search from Find Files or Folders and search for *.jpg? (assuming you discreting some picures). How to make the folder invisible from search?

  • guest

    what if someome does a search from Find Files or Folders and search for *.jpg? (assuming you discreting some picures). How to make the folder invisible from search?

  • Kjhdlijs

    fk off

  • Chavan Vaibhav21

    good trick man

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