While this feature is definitely not for everyone, you may, sometimes, want to hide a set of files in a folder from being viewed by someone. Anyway, if this is something you were looking to solve for yourself, here’s how it can be done.
How to hide specific files and folders from Search Results in Windows 11
Here, we will explain the process to: Let’s start.
1] Hide specific folders from Search Results in Windows 11
To hide specific folders from Search Results in Windows 11, follow the steps below:
If you want to remove the folder from the excluded folders list, repeat the first three steps (listed above), locate your folder in the excluded folders list, and click on the three vertical dots next to it. Now, click Remove.
2] Hide specific files from Search Results in Windows 11
When you search for something via the Windows 11 Search, you will see different categories related to that particular keyword. These categories include apps, email, documents, images, music, etc. You can hide certain files from search results in Windows 11 by excluding their file extensions in the Search Index.
Let’s see the process to hide specific files from Search Results. Wait till the indexing process gets completed. The time taken by your system to complete indexing is directly proportional to the number of files on your system. If you have a large number of files, the indexing will take more time and vice versa. You can see the progress on the Indexing Options window. After the completion of the indexing process, the Indexing Options window will display the Indexing Complete message. After this, you will not see the files in the Search Results, the extensions of which you have excluded. To revert the changes, follow the first five steps listed above and select the file extensions that you want to appear in the Search Results. Now, select the Index Settings tab and click on the Rebuild button. Wait till the indexing process gets completed.
How to hide specific files and folders from Search Results in Windows 10
Here, we will show you how to hide:
1] Hide specific folders from Search Results in Windows 10
Here’s how you can configure your Windows search so as to hide certain folder(s) from appearing: It is just as easy for you to delete a folder from the list of excluded folders as it was to add one.
All you have to do is select the folder you don’t want to be a part of the list and select Remove excluded folder.
2] Hide specific files from Search Results in Windows 10
Like Windows 11, you have to exclude the file extensions of the files that you want not to appear in the Search Results in Windows 10. We have explained the process below:
How do you hide a folder in Windows 10?
A question very similar to the one discussed above is how one can hide a folder or Drive in Windows 10 and it’s a little different too. When you hide a folder in Windows, it doesn’t show up when you browse through File Explorer or Windows Search. Here’s how you can enable that privacy setting on a folder:
Open File Explorer, right-click on the folder you want to hide, and click on PropertiesUnder the General tab, enable the Hidden option which is next to the Attributes headClick on Apply and then Ok to save these changesEnable the Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files option if you’re hiding a folder with subfolders in it
Read this article if you want to know about how you can further increase your file’s secrecy by protecting it with a password.
How do I change a hidden folder to normal?
Analogous to the question above is how one can unhide a folder in Windows 10. If you want to view hidden files and folders, there’s a straightforward option to do so in File Explorer. Click on the View tab and in the Show/Hide section, select Hidden items. We hope that this post was able to clear all your doubts around files on Windows and how they can be secured as per your needs. Read next: Best free Windows Search Alternative Tools for Windows.
