How to create a hidden, almost impossible to delete folder in Windows 10

Despite all the progress Microsoft has made in modernizing Windows 10, its flagship operating system still contains elements that are inherited from the original PC operating system. By applying a few tricks and taking advantage of a few residual quirks, you can manipulate Windows 10 in weird and mysterious ways that you might not have imagined possible.

For example, using a specific combination of commands, you can hide a Windows 10 folder in File Explorer and make that folder, along with all the files in it, almost unbearable. This combination, along with an encryption protocol, could be all you need to hide and protect sensitive private files from unauthorized access.

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This tutorial shows you how to create a read-only hidden folder in Windows 10 and hide it from the standard file explorer view.

How to create a hidden, almost impossible to delete folder in Windows 10

In Microsoft Windows 10, there are certain protected variable names that users are not allowed to use for folder names due to the way they are used for Windows programming and functionality. For example, you cannot use File Explorer to create a folder with the name “con”, as you can see in Figure A.

Figure A

In the past, we could use this fact and some hints at the command prompt to create folders that couldn’t be deleted with standard methods. Unfortunately, Microsoft recently took steps to address these DOS command line loopholes. This security measure means that we will have to resort to less powerful and more conventional methods to hide our sensitive files and data.

SEE: How to add Control Panel to File Explorer in Windows 10 (TechRepublic)

While we can still use the command line to create and hide our folders, this technique not only serves its extra-secret purpose, so we can use Windows File Explorer and GUI. Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to a folder or drive where you want to create your hidden folder. Create the new folder by right-clicking on an empty space in the right window and selecting New | Folder from the context menu, as shown in Number B.

Number B

Right click on your newly created folder and select Properties from the context menu. Note the Attributes section at the bottom of the screen (Figure C), then click the boxes labeled Read-only and Hidden to add checkmarks to each.

Figure C

Click the Apply button and pass the attributes to all files and subfolders, then click the OK button to finish changing the attributes. As you can see in Number D, using the normal view in File Explorer, this folder and the files it contains will be completely invisible to the average user. The files will also be read-only, which means they cannot be modified or overwritten without deliberate measures to override the settings.

Number D

To access the hidden folder and its contents, open File Explorer and select the View tab on the ribbon. Check the Show / Hide hidden items box, and you will be able to see a grayed-out version of the folder, as shown in Encrypted.

Encrypted

While this might not be the most effective or efficient way to hide a folder with sensitive data, it is better than nothing. Unauthorized access to your hidden folder will require conscious and deliberate actions, thus eliminating random accidental discovery by the curious.

As mentioned, in the past we would have used a protected folder name to make our hidden folder indelible, but apparently it is no longer available. If you’ve found a way to still benefit from these folder names, we’d love to hear about them in the discussion forum below.

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