Overview
What is Hide Folder Ext
Hide Folder Ext is a security tool designed to hide folders on external drives. To access the hidden contents, you must enter the correct password.
The software manages one hidden folder per disk, named "My Hidden Folder" (or "MyHiddenFolder" on exFAT volumes). If this folder does not already exist, the program can create it for you. Hide Folder Ext uses a wizard-style interface. Follow the on-screen instructions and click "Next" until the process is complete.
Why Hide Folder Ext
Windows can make a folder appear hidden using the standard Hidden or System attributes, but this can be easily bypassed by enabling the "Show hidden files" option in File Explorer or by using a third-party file manager.
Most other folder-hiding products on the market (including our own Hide Folders and My Lockbox) work by intercepting operating system requests. While effective on the original computer, these programs have one major drawback: they are not designed for external drives. If you move a drive protected by these programs to another computer, the "hidden" folders become visible.
Hide Folder Ext avoids this limitation. Instead of intercepting system requests, it modifies the file system in a way that keeps the folder hidden even on computers where Hide Folder Ext is not installed.
Precautions
Hide Folder Ext uses undocumented features of Windows file systems.
To help protect your data, follow these precautions:
• Unhide folders before maintenance: We strongly recommend unhiding protected folders before running disk or file-system repair utilities. Our tests have found no issues with standard Windows tools such as CHKDSK or Defrag, but third-party disk utilities may inadvertently damage hidden data.
• Backups: Maintain regular backups of your important files.
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System requirements
Hide Folder Ext is compatible with 64-bit versions of Windows (including ARM64):
• Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7.
Supported file Systems:
The software can hide folders on disks formatted as:
• NTFS, exFAT or FAT32.