I am having some problems with File Explorer in Windows 11. It keeps turning off the "show hidden files" options. Randomly, on it's own, and it's annoying as h___. Combine that with some of the shortcomings of this software, and I am ready to explore alternatives. Free or paid, as long as it's not expensive. Suggestions?
Are you sure this will help you. Microsoft shows and hides so-called hidden files by changing the values of two registry fields, and if your Windows doesn't save or restores those fields for some reason, you might want to investigate why. These registry keys are Code: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced fields on right side panel Hidden - the value is 2 in the hidden state, otherwise 1 ShowSuperHidden - The value is 0 when hidden, otherwise it is 1 if You want to toggle show/hide, You can use this .vbs script and put it where ever you want and then double click on it and will do it. Sometimes You may need to refresh folder, if it doesn't change automatically. Here is the show-hide.vbs script Spoiler Code: Hidden = "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Hidden" SSHidden = "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\ShowSuperHidden" Set Command = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell") Check = Command.RegRead(Hidden) If Check = 2 Then Command.RegWrite Hidden, 1, "REG_DWORD" Command.RegWrite SSHidden, 1, "REG_DWORD" Else Command.RegWrite Hidden, 2, "REG_DWORD" Command.RegWrite SSHidden, 0, "REG_DWORD" End If Command.SendKeys "{F5}"
I've been using Total Commander as my daily driver to replace file explorer. It's shareware so you can give it a spin
Kaljukass, thanks for the information on the registry values. That is definitely good to know. Total Commander – tried it, didn’t care for it. When sorting by date, it only sorts the files by date, not the subdirectories. That’s a deal breaker for me right there. Palladin, thanks for the link to WinFile. That was definitely a trip down memory lane. I can’t say that I care for it, but it did bring back memories! So far I’m leaning towards Qdir. That seems to be a favorite with the crew over at DSLReports and it does work well. One thing that definitely impressed me, when it copies or moves files, the pop-up window is exactly the same as the one from Windows File Explorer. Obviously he is hooking into a OS function for copying / moving, which is a good thing in my opinion. It also sorts the way I expect, and it’s very easy to apply a filter. I’ve never understood why Microsoft doesn’t allow for filtering in their File Explorer.
Thanks for the heads up, I was able to find the right setting in Total Commander. I had never seen that behavior before (sorting files but not directories), and I did not expect to find a setting for it.