Clearing Clutter: Uncovering Hidden Files On Your Flash Drive

There are several reasons why files on a USB device become hidden, including malware, user error, or corrupted files. If you're looking to clear hidden files from your flash drive, there are a few methods you can try.

Firstly, you can use File Explorer on Windows to unhide files. Simply plug in your USB flash drive, open File Explorer, and navigate to your flash drive. Click on the View tab and check the Hidden items box. This will force any hidden files on your flash drive to display.

Alternatively, you can use the Command Prompt on Windows. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and enter the following command: attrib -h -r -s /s /d X:\*.*, replacing X with your USB drive's location. This will unhide all the hidden files on your flash drive.

If you're using a Mac, you can use the Terminal to show hidden files. Open Terminal and enter the following command: defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES. Then, close and reopen Finder to refresh it.

By following these methods, you should be able to clear hidden files from your flash drive and make them visible again.

Using File Explorer on Windows

• Plug your USB flash drive into your computer.
• Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
• Type in "this pc." Doing so will search your computer for the "This PC" program.
• Click the search result to open File Explorer.
• Open your flash drive. Find your flash drive's name below the "Devices and drives" heading in the middle of the page, then double-click it.
• Click the View tab. It's in the upper-left side of the flash drive's window. Doing so prompts a menu bar to appear at the top of the File Explorer window.
• Check the "Hidden items" box. Click the box to the left of the "Hidden items" option in the "Show/hide" section of the menu bar. Doing so will both place a checkmark in the "Hidden items" box and force any hidden files on your USB flash drive to display.
• If there's already a checkmark in the "Hidden items" box, your USB flash drive is currently displaying hidden files.
• Double-click the hidden file you want to open. Doing so will open the file, allowing you to view its contents.

Using Command Prompt on Windows

To clear hidden files on a flash drive using Command Prompt on Windows, follow these steps:

• Connect the flash drive: Ensure your flash drive is connected to your Windows PC and recognised by the system.
• Open Command Prompt: Press the "Windows + X" keys and select "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows PowerShell (Admin)".
• Enter the attrib command: Type the following command, replacing "X" with the drive letter of your flash drive:

Attrib -h -r -s /s /d X:\*.*

This command will unhide all hidden files on the flash drive.

• Press Enter: Execute the command by pressing the "Enter" key.
• Check the flash drive: After executing the command, open your flash drive in File Explorer to verify that the hidden files are now visible.

The attrib command modifies the attributes of files and folders, including clearing the hidden file attribute ("-h"), removing the read-only file attribute ("-r"), and removing the system file attribute ("-s"). The "/s" parameter applies these changes to all files in the current directory and its subdirectories, while the "/d" parameter applies them to the directories themselves.

Using Terminal on a Mac

To clear hidden files on a flash drive using a Mac, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Terminal

• Press "Command-Space" to open Spotlight.
• Type "terminal" in the Search field and press "Return."

Step 2: Show Hidden Files

Type the following command into Terminal:

> defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES

Press "Return." This command directs Finder to show all files, including hidden ones.

Step 3: Open a New Finder Window

• Click the "Finder" icon in the Dock.
• If using OS X Mavericks or earlier, you may need to manually relaunch Finder before you can see hidden files. To do this, hold the "Alt" key while right-clicking the Finder icon in the Dock, then select "Relaunch."

Step 4: Delete Hidden Files

Delete any hidden files or folders present on the USB Flash Drive. For example, you can empty the .Trashes folder.

Step 5 (Optional): Hide Hidden Files Again

To hide the hidden files again, use the same command as before but with "NO" at the end instead of "YES":

> defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles NO

• Press "Return."
• Open a new Finder window to verify that the hidden files and folders are no longer visible. If using OS X Mavericks or earlier, you may need to relaunch Finder again.

Alternatively, you can use the following command in Terminal to remove all "._" files:

> dot_clean -m /Volumes/MyFlashDrive

Replace /Volumes/MyFlashDrive with your specific flash drive name.

Using Control Panel on Windows

• Plug your USB flash drive into your computer.
• Press the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
• Type in "This PC" and click the search result to open File Explorer.
• Find your flash drive's name below "Devices and drives" in the middle of the page, then double-click it.
• Click the "View" tab in the upper-left side of the flash drive's window.
• Check the "Hidden items" box in the "Show/hide" section of the menu bar.
• Double-click the hidden file you want to open.

Alternatively, you can also:

• Plug your USB flash drive into your computer.
• Press the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
• Type "Control Panel" and click on it when it appears.
• Click on "Appearance and Personalization".
• Click on "File Explorer Options".
• Click on the "View" tab.
• Find "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" in the "Advanced settings" section and tick the option.
• Click "Apply", then "OK".

Using Recovery Software

If your files are missing from your flash drive, they might have been hidden by a virus or accidentally deleted. In this case, you can use recovery software to restore them. Here are the steps to do so:

• Connect your flash drive to your computer: Use one of the thin, rectangular slots on your computer's housing. On a desktop computer, USB ports are typically in the front or back of the CPU case. On a laptop, they are usually on the sides.
• Download and install recovery software: There are many options available, including:

• Disk Drill
• EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
• DiskInternals Uneraser
• Recuva
• Undelete 360 Recovery
• Wondershare Recoverit Data Recovery
• SalvageData Total Recovery

• Run the recovery software: Open the application and select your flash drive from the list of available storage devices.
• Scan your flash drive: Initiate the scanning process within the application. Depending on the software, you may be able to pause or resume the scan.
• Preview and select recoverable files: After the scan, you will see all recoverable files. You can select any file to preview its contents. Select the files you want to recover.
• Recover the files: Click the "Recover" button and specify a safe recovery location, preferably on a different drive than the one you are recovering from.

Frequently asked questions