Windows 11 File Explorer Settings to Change: Extensions, Hidden Files and Privacy

Where the settings live​

You can reach most of these settings in two places, and the path depends on your Windows build.

• File Explorer's Options dialog. Click the three-dot "See more" button, choose Options, and use the General and View tabs. This route works on every build.
• File Explorer's View menu. Microsoft's File Explorer guidance for Windows 11 points to View > Show, where you can toggle File name extensions and Hidden items. Recent builds also offer Settings > System > Advanced > File Explorer, with a Show file extensions toggle.
• Older Windows 11 layouts. The Advanced page appears on recent Windows 11 builds (24H2 and later, with current updates). If System has no Advanced entry, your build is older. Another source says earlier layouts put the same switches under System > For developers. So if your Settings app doesn't match the paths below, use the View menu or the Options dialog.
• Managed PCs. On organization-managed devices, policies can disable the Advanced settings toggles. If a switch is greyed out, ask your IT department rather than fighting it.

1. Show hidden files and folders​

This is the author's first change. Folders like AppData are hidden by default, and they are where you end up when you troubleshoot an app, hunt for save games, or work out where your storage went.

How to do it:

1. Open File Explorer and select View > Show > Hidden items.
2. Or open Options > View and select Show hidden files, folders, and drives, then Apply.
3. Or use Settings > System > Advanced > File Explorer and turn on Show hidden and system files.

Microsoft's support page documents the View > Show route for Windows 11 and the Folder Options route for Windows 10. On a managed PC, expect to see more clutter, such as app configuration folders. Showing items does not change their permissions or contents. It only stops hiding them.

2. Reveal protected operating system files (optional, riskier)​

Hidden items and protected OS files are separate switches. Turning on Hidden items does not reveal files carrying the System attribute. To see those, clear "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)" in the same View tab. Microsoft's Group Policy Preferences specification lists this as a distinct showSuperHidden value, described as displaying protected operating system files.

How to do it:

1. Open Options > View.
2. Clear Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
3. Click Yes on the warning, then Apply.

The author says this is the one change to skip if you worry about breaking something, and I agree. It adds little for most people. It is useful when diagnosing disk-space puzzles. A Microsoft Learn article on NTFS space problems (written for Windows Server 2003 but still instructive) explains that hidden and protected files are excluded from Explorer's folder totals by default, so size figures can look off. Seeing those files is not the same as being safe to delete them. If you turn this on, treat the newly visible files as read-only in your head.

3. Show file name extensions​

This is the highest-value change on the list. Microsoft explains that a Windows file name has two parts separated by a period. The extension tells Windows which application can open the file and which icon to show. With extensions hidden, a file called Document.txt.exe appears as Document.txt. With them visible, the trailing .exe stands out.

How to do it: select View > Show > File name extensions. Or, in Options > View, clear Hide extensions for known file types. That wording is inverted, so clear the box to show extensions. The change applies immediately, with no restart.

Some caveats:

• Visible extensions are not a malware scanner. A deceptive file can still look plausible, and the extension only tells you what Windows will try to do with it.
• Renaming an extension doesn't convert the file. Microsoft states that changing it alters only the name, not the format.
• The Type column can also flag an Application, but it only appears in Details view and can be squeezed out of a narrow window. That is the author's argument for not relying on it.

4. Turn off sync provider notifications​

Under Options > View, clear Show sync provider notifications and click Apply. The author's reason is that Microsoft uses these banners to promote Microsoft 365 and OneDrive subscriptions at the top of the window. He says OneDrive keeps syncing and showing status as before.

Microsoft Learn documents a setting by this name. However, the Microsoft documentation I could review doesn't verify the promotional content, and it doesn't say that unchecking the box leaves every sync indicator untouched. Treat the "ads" framing as the author's experience. If you rely on in-Explorer OneDrive messages, try the change and see whether you miss anything. It is easy to reverse.

5. Trim the Privacy checkboxes on the General tab​

On the General tab, the Privacy section controls what populates Home. The author keeps Show frequently used folders on and unticks the rest. His own wording on Show recently used files is that it is optional. He also clicks Clear next to File Explorer history.

Microsoft's own documentation adds context:

• On Windows 11, Home is the default landing page. Microsoft recommends it because it surfaces recent and favorited Office.com files and searches both PC and cloud.
• If you prefer, you can open File Explorer to This PC instead, via Options > Open File Explorer to.
• Microsoft's Windows 10 guidance says that turning off recent files and frequent folders leaves Quick access showing only your pinned folders.

Think of this as a clutter and convenience choice. Unticking boxes changes what Explorer surfaces on its landing page. It does not prove Windows stops collecting activity elsewhere. Pinning your key folders gives you a predictable Home without the rest.

6. ASUS handhelds: switch to double-click​

The sixth setting is specific to ASUS handhelds. ASUS's official ROG Ally FAQ confirms the behavior and the fix. Microsoft notwithstanding, the ASUS entry says the touch screen is why a single click opens a folder in File Explorer. The FAQ's fix is to open File Explorer, click the ... button at the upper right, choose Options, select Double-click to open an item, and click Apply.

Scope matters here. ASUS documents this for the ROG Ally series. The author says it appears to be enabled only on ASUS handhelds. I could not verify that claim for other handheld or PC makers, so don't assume it applies elsewhere.

The author argues that single-click opening makes touch and thumbstick navigation messier, especially when you tick item checkboxes and a missed tap opens the file instead. That is his experience, though it is plausible on a small screen. Microsoft's support page notes that Item check boxes can be toggled under View > Show, which pairs naturally with double-click selection.

A quick risk guide​

The bottom line​

The author says the whole routine takes about a minute. Do extensions first. Add hidden items if you troubleshoot or dig into app data. Leave protected OS files alone unless you have a concrete reason. The remaining three are about how you want Explorer to feel. One small correction to the original piece: it says "five settings" up front and then describes six. The ASUS one is the sixth, so the count is five general changes plus one handheld-only tweak.