All Windows Folders and Files accidentally hidden.

Hi Rohan,

I'm Dyari. Thanks for reaching out. I will be happy to assist you in this regard.

Open File Explorer > View tab > Options > View tab > Choose "Show hidden files, folders and drives" under Hidden files and folders.

After that check to see if you see all hidden files and folders.

If you changed any system files and folders location, you can perform a system restore to a point that it worked fine:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/rec....

You can go through this checklist to make sure the installation is set up correctly:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/for...

If the issue still persists, perform an in-place upgrade.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/16397-repai...

Please let me know if you need further assistance and keep me updated.

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Standard Disclaimer: There are links to non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the sites that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install it.

Hey Dyari,

Thank you for your quick reply and help in this issue. I need to specify that I changed my attribute from hidden back to read-only again. Now I can see all of my files and folders but the issue is that some applications aren't launching or working as they did before. For example if I search for anything in my search bar nothing shows up, or if I launch an application such as PgAdmin, Valorant, Discord, etc. They aren't launching at all or show a permission error. If I go to Settings >> Apps & Features to check and repair all my applications. It takes too long to load or doesn't even load at all. Same thing happens when I try to open windows security settings. I would really appreciate it if you could help me in this regard.

PS. Could've attached screenshots but can't do that either.

Thank you.

Yes, I just changed the attribute in folder properties inside C://Users and ticked the hidden box. It did take some time for all the files to be hidden and it did ask me for admin privileges midway. I decided to grant it admin privilege as I didn't want to screw up my PC, but it didn't turn out to be as I hoped it would. I noticed after the hiding process finished that every single file on my laptop including the files and folders on desktop had completely disappeared. I quickly unticked the Hidden Attribute again and it did restore all of my files and folders and made them visible as they were. But unfortunately most applications are not working at all. Everything including Calculator is taking too long to load and I cant even gain access to settings features such as apps & features, recovery, personalization, etc. I would be really grateful if you could provide me with a solution for this problem.
PS: I cant even get access to Settings>>Update & Security>>Recovery as its taking too long to load and automatically closes after a while.

Thanks for updating me, Rohan.

Usually, hiding a folder does not affect installed applications and games. Have you tried the provided steps?

If yes, and the issue still persists, please go through Windows repair to repair all system files.

Please keep me posted.

I am sorry to hear that. No worries, you can find all the needed steps to perform the repair from the link below:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/16397-repai...

Please do not hesitate to ask if you need further assistance and keep me posted.

____________________________________________________________

Standard Disclaimer: There are links to non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the sites that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install it.