Windows 7: How do I hide/unhide specific files of my choosing?

Hello,
I am looking for a way to hide and unhide specific files/folders of my choosing. I imagine this can be done via a method or third party program that creates two options in the right-click context menu:
1) Hide selected files/folders
2) Unhide all files/folders



I am open to other suggestions or ways in which this can be done, of course.

Thanks!

Hello Mark,

You could use the tutorial below to actually hide or unhide a specific file or folder.

File and Folder - Hide or Unhide

However, when you choose to show hidden files, it shows all hidden files and not just select specific ones. If you like, you could use the tutorial below to be able to toggle showing or not showing hidden files in the context menu.

Show - Hide Hidden Files - Add to Context Menu

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Just right click on whatever you want to hide, and choose Properties. In that dialog is a box labelled "Hidden". Put a checkmark in it. It's that simple.

Keep in mind that once it's hidden, you have to go into Tools | Folder options | View in order to see the hidden files and folders if you should want to Unhide them.

Also keep in mind that if this option has already been selected, you'll still see the files and folders even after setting the "Hidden" attribute.

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

Not exactly the solutions I am looking for though :P. What you guys have explained has two main issues for me:
1) It involves crawling around in multiple menus. This feature loses it's value to me as it loses it's ease of use. To be honest, that's a bit of a "bitch" to just hide/show a couple of files when they will be constantly changed between hidden/shown.
2) I am looking to hide/show specific files/folders. The methods explained only allows me to set specific files as "hidden". The actual process of showing/hiding them affects ALL files on my computer, not the specific ones.

I am looking for a tool that hides specific files/folders of my choosing. I am looking for the "unhide" feature to ONLY show specific files/folder... be it all hidden files/folder within the folder I am in, through organizing the hidden entities into categories, or other methods. It also can't involve running around to multiple menus like that.

Am I sounding impossible? Probably if I'm asking for it by default in Windows.... that would actually be intuitive of them, so no I don't expect it :P. Third party software will do if that's my only option!

Thanks for the help guys.

The way Windows works is...

If you hide a file it's hidden. You wil not be able to view/change it unless you allow explorer to be able to view all hidden files.

Sounds like your looking for something that will add a "show me the current hidden files within this folder so I can select to unhide 1" context menu and Windows can't be configured that way.

Explained better below.

- I am looking to hide those selected folders and files so they disappear from my view, not just dim out.
- At some point I would like to come back to this directory, right-click in the free space, and select "Show all hidden files/folders", at which point they will return.
- I would like this whole process to have 0 affect on other files/folders outside these directories and sub-directories.

When I say words like "hide" or "show", I am NOT referencing Microsoft's definition for these words as it pertains to their OS. I am using them in their basic definition. Hide means I cannot see them. Show/unhide means I can see them. These are not meant as technical terms :P. As you can see in the image above, 3 of these files/folders are already set as "hidden" (technical term this time).

If you're working within the confines of 1 window at a time then the solution below should be fine. As it seems you wish to "Hide" files then at some point "Unnhide them". As you will be doing this from within the same window it should make no difference as to whether all files are shown as you're only going to see the ones in the active window.

Those files you highlighted are hidden already.

You may be seeing them because you have "Hide protected operating system files" disabled. So turn that back on and they will go away. (Explorer->Organize->Folder/Search options->View)

The .tmp at the bottom is not hidden, right click and hide as explained above and it too will be gone.

Thanks for the reply.

Hiding all protected operating system files just so I can hide a specific 2-3 files is not a feasible solution IMO though. xD