How To Hide The Drive In Windows 10

On Windows x, you tin can observe a number of reasons to hide files yous store on your computer. Typically, the easiest way to hide content is to use File Explorer or Control Prompt. Yet, if you're dealing with a lot of files, it's not platonic to hide the content individually. A more than suitable solution would be to hibernate an entire drive to foreclose other users from seeing your private files.

If you lot want to keep specific files or drives nether wraps, Windows ten lets you hide specific drives with at least 3 dissimilar tools, including using Deejay Management to set up a mountain signal and making the folder a subconscious item or removing the drive letter. You lot can employ the Registry to hide whatsoever drive you want manually, or the Local Grouping Policy editor to hide sure drives from your computer.

In this Windows x guide, we'll walk y'all through the steps to hide an entire drive to prevent users from snooping into your files.

• How to hide a bulldoze using Disk Management
• How to hibernate a drive using Registry
• How to hibernate a bulldoze using Grouping Policy

Using Disk Direction, you tin hibernate an entire drive by mounting a drive as a folder or removing the letter from the drive.

The easiest style to prevent a drive from appearing in File Explorer is to mount it as a folder, instead of using a drive letter, and making it subconscious.

To mount a drive as a folder and make it invisible, do the following:

1. Use the Windows primal + X keyboard shortcut and select Disk Management.
2. Right-click the bulldoze you lot want to hibernate and choose Alter Bulldoze Letter and Paths.

3. Select the drive letter and click the Remove button.

4. Click Yes to ostend.
5. Right-click the drive again and select Alter Drive Letter and Paths.
6. Click the Add together push.

7. Select the Mount in the post-obit empty NTFS folder pick.

8. Click the Browse push.
9. Navigate to the location you want to create the mount point. For instance, C:.
10. Click the New Folder push button.
11. Blazon the descriptive proper name for the folder. For example, secretDrive.
12. Select the newly created folder and click OK.

13. Click OK.
14. Open File Explorer (Windows key + I).Quick Tip: To go on the drive invisible, make certain in the View tab on File Explorer, the Hidden items option is articulate.
15. Navigate to the path yous specified as a mount bespeak.
16. Right-click the mount betoken, and select Properties.

17. On "Attributes," check the Hidden option.

18. Click Use.
19. Select the Use changes to this folder only choice, every bit we're simply trying to hide the drive.

20. Click OK.
21. Click OK again.

Once y'all completed the steps, the bulldoze will no longer announced in File Explorer, but you can still admission its content past navigating the location using the mount point path (e.m., C:\secretDrive) in the File Explorer address bar or Control Prompt.

Yous can ever revert the changes past doing the following:

1. Utilize the Windows central + X keyboard shortcut and select Deejay Direction.
2. Right-click the bulldoze you lot want to hide and choose Alter Drive Letter and Paths.
3. Select the mount bespeak and click the Remove push button.
4. Click Yeah to confirm.
5. Right-click the drive again and select Change Drive Letter of the alphabet and Paths.
6. Click the Add button.
7. Select the Assign the following bulldoze letter option.
8. Select a new letter for the drive.

9. Click Utilize.
10. Click OK.

Alternatively, y'all can remove the drive letter to hide files and folders you lot accept on a secondary bulldoze. However, this method volition prevent anyone (including you lot) from accessing its content. You should employ these steps to hide content you rarely apply, such as backups.

1. Employ the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut and select Disk Management.
2. Correct-click the drive you want to hibernate and choose Change Bulldoze Letter of the alphabet and Paths.
3. Select the drive alphabetic character and click the Remove push button.

4. Click Yes to ostend that yous're removing the drive letter of the alphabet.

Subsequently you have completed the steps, the unabridged drive will go invisible to all users.

When yous need to access the files once more, you can follow the same steps, only on step No. 3, select the Assign the following drive letter of the alphabet pick and option a new letter for the drive.

In this case, maybe the best mode to hide a particular bulldoze on your computer would exist using the Registry.

Warning: This is a friendly reminder to permit you know that editing the registry is risky, and it can crusade irreversible damage to your installation if you don't do it correctly. It's recommended to brand a full backup of your PC before proceeding.

1. Use theWindows key + R keyboard shortcut to open theRun command.
2. Typeregedit, and clickOK to open the registry.
3. Browse the post-obit path:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ Explorer
4. Right-click on the right side, select New, and click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.

5. Name the new DWORD NoDrives and press Enter.
6. Double-click the newly created DWORD.
7. Under "Base," select the Decimal selection.
8. On "Value data" enter the decimal number that represents the bulldoze letter of the alphabet you desire to hide. For the purpose of this guide, we'll be using value xvi, considering we're hiding the E: drive.If y'all want to hide multiple drives, you'll need to add the decimal numbers. For example, if you're trying to hide drive D: and E:, you'll need to add 8 + sixteen, which means that the value y'all need to enter is 24.Quick Tip: You lot tin use these decimal numbers as reference to hibernate specific drives: A: ane, B: two, C: 4, D: 8, E: 16, F: 32, G: 64, H: 128, I: 256, J: 512, G: 1024, L: 2048, Yard: 4096, N: 8192, O: 16384, P: 32768, Q: 65536, R: 131072, S: 262144, T: 524288, U: 1048576, V: 2097152, W: 4194304, X: 8388608, Y: 16777216, Z: 33554432, ALL: 67108863.

9. Click OK.
10. Close the Registry.
11. Restart your computer to apply the new changes.

Once your calculator rebooted, you'll no longer run across the drive listed in File Explorer. Still, you'll still exist able to admission the drive content by navigating the location using the bulldoze path (e.g., Eastward:) in the File Explorer address bar or Command Prompt.

At any time you tin revert the changes by post-obit the aforementioned steps, but on step No. 3, make sure to right-click and delete the NoDrives DWORD.

If you lot're running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Pedagogy, you tin can too employ the Local Group Policy editor to hide specific drives. However, unlike the Registry, you're only available to restrict a limited number of drive combinations.

To hide specific drives using Group Policy, do the following:

1. Apply theWindows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
2. Blazongpedit.msc and clickOK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
3. Scan the following path:User Configuration > Authoritative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer
4. Double-click the Hide these specified drives in My Computer policy.

5. Select the Enabled pick.
6. Under "Options," select the drive combinations you want or select the Restrict all drives choice from the drop-downward carte.

7. Click Apply.
8. Click OK.

In one case you completed the steps, the drives you specified will no longer appear in File Explorer without having to restart your calculator. However, retrieve that you lot're only removing the drive icons, you'll however exist able to access the drive content by navigating the location using the drive path (eastward.g., C:) in the File Explorer address bar or Command Prompt.

While using the Local Group Policy editor is very specific on the drives you can hide on Windows ten. It's even so a good selection if you're only trying to prevent users from messing around with files inside the C: bulldoze.

It should exist noted that there is a way to customize this policy to make more drive combination available, but it'due south something aimed at enterprise networks, and it goes beyond the scope of this guide.

If you want to revert the changes, you tin can follow the same instructions mentioned to a higher place, merely on step No. 5 select the Not Configure option.

Wrapping things up

The power to hibernate drives on Windows x is only meant to go along users out of your private files and to protect specific drives from beingness misused. This doesn't prevent users from using different methods to gain access your content within the hidden drive.

If you shop sensitive data on your device, and y'all don't want that information to fall into the incorrect hands — if information technology gets lost or stolen — you should be using BitLocker or another third-party tool to encrypt the entire bulldoze.

While nosotros're focusing this guide on Windows 10, you tin can besides use these instructions to hide specific drives on Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

More Windows 10 resources

For more assistance manufactures, coverage, and answers to common questions most Windows 10, visit the post-obit resources:

• Windows 10 on Windows Fundamental – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Cardinal

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the almost out of Windows ten and its many related technologies. He has an Information technology groundwork with professional person certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized fellow member of the Microsoft MVP community.

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-hide-entire-drive-prying-eyes-windows-10

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