How to Open Hidden Files in USB

This wikiHow teaches you how to make hidden files on a USB stick appear so you can open them. This process is applicable on both Windows and Mac computers.

Table of Contents

On Windows

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Plug the USB into the computer. Plug the USB drive into one of the flat rectangular slots on the computer base.

For desktop computers, the USB ports are usually located on the front or back of the case.

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Open Start

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. Click the Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen.

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Open File Explorer

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. Click the File Explorer icon with the file cover image in the lower left corner of the Start window.

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Click the USB drive’s name located in the options column on the left side of the File Explorer window.

You may have to scroll down on this column to find the USB drive.
If you don’t see the USB drive, click the This PC tab and then double-click the USB drive’s name below the “Devices and drives” heading.

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Click the View tab at the top left of the File Explorer window. A drop-down menu will appear at the top of the File Explorer window.

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Check the “Hidden items” box. Click the box to the left of the “Hidden items” option in the “Show/hide” section of the menu bar. The “Hidden items” box will be checked and all hidden files will also appear in your USB drive.

If the “Hidden items” box is checked, your USB is showing hidden files.
Hidden files often appear more opaque and transparent than regular files.

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Double-click the hidden file you want to open. The file will be opened. If it’s a system file, you probably won’t be able to open it.

On Mac

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Plug the USB into the computer. Plug the USB drive into one of the flat rectangular slots on the computer base.

For iMacs, the USB port is usually located on the side of the keyboard or behind the computer monitor.
Not all Mac computers have USB ports. For a newer Mac that doesn’t have a USB port, you’ll need to purchase a USB-C to USB cable.

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Click the Go task located at the top left of your computer screen. A drop-down menu will appear.

If you can’t find the Go task, you can either click on the desktop or open the Finder (the app with the blue face, located on the dock of your Mac).

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Click the Utilities option near the bottom of the Go drop-down menu.

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Double click the app

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Terminal. You may have to scroll down in the Utilities folder to find it.

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Enter the command “show hidden items” (show hidden items). Type defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES into Terminal and then press the ⏎ Return key.

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If Finder is already open, you need to close the app and reopen it to refresh it.

You can also type killall Finder into Terminal to do this step automatically.

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Click the USB drive’s name at the bottom left of the Finder window. The contents of your drive will appear, including hidden folders and files.

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Double-click the hidden file or folder. They are matte gray and look like disabled versions of regular files or folders; when you double click, the hidden file or folder will open.

Advice

You can set the default if you want hidden files to always be displayed on your computer.

Warning

Files that are hidden by default are usually quite sensitive. If you want to open these files—especially if they are system files—be sure to proceed with caution.

Steps

On Windows

On Mac

Advice

Warning

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