Best Free Folder Hiding Utility

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Last updated by v.laurie on 25. November 2020 - 11:58

Introduction

Folder-hiding utilities help you hide folders you don't want to see, or don't want other people to see.

Most folder-hiding utilities provide a minimal level of secrecy, because your information is hidden but not necessarily encrypted. It's often relatively easy to locate a file in a hidden folder simply by using the Window's "Search" feature. Then again, to do this, you must know what you are searching for.

Other than keeping folders away from prying eyes, you can also use these utilities to hide some system folders that clutter your directories, even if you have Windows set to show hidden files and folders.

 

Rated Products

My Lockbox  

Creates a hidden password-protected folder to hide files and subfolders from prying eyes.

Our Rating: 
4.5
License: Free (Limited features)
Folder is not only hidden from view, but also from the system and applications, and will remain hidden even if the computer is started in safe mode.
Does not secure your files through encryption, nor is it fool-proof; Limited to one folder with unlimited subfolders; Uses the OpenCandy wrapped installer as an option.
Read full review...

Free Hide Folder  

A simple and easy-to-use tool to hide your private folders with a password.

Our Rating: 
4
License: Free
Usage is simple, just nominate the folders to hide, and they immediately disappear from view.
Files in the hidden folder are not hidden from the system and can be found and accessed using the Windows "Search" feature.
Read full review...

Honorable Mentions

Another alternative, although technically not a folder-hiding utility, is VeraCrypt. VeraCrypt works by creating a completely secure encrypted volume that can be mounted and used just like any other drive.

It uses on-the-fly encryption, which means that your files are decrypted and encrypted as they are opened and saved. Decrypted data is loaded into memory only and is never written to disk, so your files always remain secure.

Use this solution instead of the above utilities if you require the highest level of security for your files.

 

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Editor

This software review is copy-edited by Victor Laurie. Please help edit and improve this article by clicking here.

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Comments

as i was looking for a good folder protection/hiding/locking software, i've stumbled on few more in this category.

Easy File Locker http://xoslab.com/efl.html

Private Folder http://www.emingsoftware.com/products/private-folder/

Secret Folder http://ohsoft.net/eng/sfolder/download.php?cate=1005

would anyone interested to test and review these few similar softwares also?

My Lockbox update: The free version now hide&locks only ONE folder.

I feel the need to add the following. The Author of this article at one point states the following "files always remain secure." In truth, no data can be truly hidden on a drive. The drives MFT, various FAT's and slack space usage reports can all indicate that there is more data on the disk than the OS reports. In the hands of a HD expert, this information will lead to the discovery of the data. and all but the best data encryption methods can usually be beaten.

I just tried to update mylockbox, and the update came with OpenCandy.

Yes it does. Checked it now..
Thanks guys. Now included in the product description. MC - Site Manager.

I don't know if it's any good, but have you consider Wise Folder Hider? Also, can't you use these in conjunction with TrueCrypt? For instance, placing the TrueCrypt volume inside of a folder and then hiding it?