Display hidden files and folders or search for files using Windows

Learn how to search for hidden files and folders.

Need to locate your file? We’ll show you how to display hidden files and folders.

Windows 10

1. On your Desktop or System Tray, select the folder icon to open File Explorer.
2. Select the View tab and select Hidden Items.

Windows 8.1/ 8

1. On your keyboard press Windows+E to open File Explorer.
2. Select the View tab and select File extensions and Hidden items.

Search for files in Windows

Windows 10, 8.1, 8

1. On your keyboard, press Windows+E to open the Windows Explorer.
2. Press Ctrl+F  to select the Search Box.
   • If you don't remember the entire file name, try entering part of the file name.
   • If you only know the file extension, substitute an asterisk for the file name and include the extension. For example, enter *.qbw to search for QuickBooks data files or *.doc to search for Microsoft Word documents.
3. Your search results will display.

Note: The same file name might appear in multiple directories or folders. The same file name might also appear multiple times with different file extensions.