How to hide a folder with Folder Guard:

Note that Folder Guard now offers Quick Start Wizard that makes the procedure of setting up the protection of folders especially easy and fast. You may want to use Quick Start Wizard to hide a folder, or use the instructions below to set up the protection directly. The end result should be the same.

IMPORTANT: First of all, a word of warning: Folder Guard is a powerful tool and should be used responsibly. Using it thoughtlessly, you can inadvertently make your computer inaccessible. For example, it is very easy with Folder Guard to prevent access to the Desktop folder, and make Windows start with a blank screen after you reboot. DO NOT try to protect folders with your important documents until you have tested Folder Guard on some practice folder, that contains no important documents (or at least make sure you have the copies of the documents saved in some other folder before trying to hide them with Folder Guard.) Only after you have tried Folder Guard to protect a test folder and got used to the way it works and operates, you can try to use it for protection of the "real" documents and folders. Also, it's always a good idea to back up your hard disk before trying any new software, including Folder Guard!

Step 1. Getting your system ready

Let's create a test folder that we will hide with Folder Guard. In this demonstration, we will create a folder named Test on the Desktop, however, you can create a different folder in a different place, just make appropriate adjustments while following the instructions.

To create a folder on the desktop, right-click within an empty space of your desktop and choose New - Folder from the shortcut menu:

Rename the newly created folder to Test:

Step 2. Run Folder Guard and select the Test folder

Click on the Start button, and choose Programs - Folder Guard - Folder Guard from the Start menu. The main window of Folder Guard should appear on the screen shortly:

If you know where the test folder is located on your hard disk, you may just click on the little squares with the + signs to find the folder and select it. In our case, the Test folder is a subfolder of the Desktop folder, so we have to find the Desktop folder first. You can use the Edit - Go to special folder command of Folder Guard to quickly find the location of the this and other special Windows folders:

(The actual list of folders displayed in this window may differ on your computer, depending on the version number and edition of Windows that you use). Select Desktop in the list, click OK, and Folder Guard should highlight the Desktop folder for you:

Expand the Desktop folder (by clicking on the little square with the + sign next to it), and you will see the Test folder we've just created.

Step 3. Make the folder hidden

Now let's assign the appropriate attributes to the Test folder, by using the buttons on the toolbar. Make sure the Test folder is still selected, and click on the Hidden button on the toolbar (or choose Protect - Visibility - Hidden from the menu of Folder Guard) to assign the hidden attribute to the folder:

This way, you are giving Folder Guard the instructions to hide the folder and its contents from browsing. Notice that the icon next to the name of the folder have changed, reflecting the attribute you have just assigned. Notice also that the name of the folder is now shown in a bold typeface; this indicates that the folder has a non-default attribute assigned to it. (See Folder Guard Help for more information about the attributes). Keep in mind also, that at this point no protection is actually taking place: we are only setting up the protection, but we will actually enable it a bit later (see the next step below).

Step 4. Prevent access to the folder

While we are protecting a folder, it's a good idea to also restrict access to the folder you want to hide, because otherwise someone using your computer could guess the location of the folder and be able to open files from it, even if it's hidden. To completely prevent access to the files located in the folder, assign the no access attribute to it, either by choosing the Protect - Access - No access command from the menu, or by clicking on the appropriate button on the toolbar:

Notice that the green checkmark that was displayed next to the folder name has now disappeared, and a little image of a red stop sign has appeared in its place. This is how Folder Guard gives us visual feedback about the results of our actions.

Step 5. Enable the protection and test the results.

Now it's time to enable the protection and test the results: choose Tools - Enable Protection from the menu, or click on the Toggle Protection button on the toolbar:

Look at the place on your desktop where the Test folder previously was: you cannot see it anymore!

Now choose the Tools - Disable Protection command from the menu, or click on the Toggle Protection button on the toolbar, and the folder should become visible again. (Although its location on the Desktop may change). That's how Folder Guard works!

Did you find this information useful? Wait, there is more:

If you have not done so yet, feel free to download a free no-strings-attached-no-obligation evaluation version of Folder Guard and see for yourself how Folder Guard can be of use to you:

What's included with every license:

• 30-day Money-Back Guarantee on every software license for up to 5 users or computers. Details...

• One Full Year of FREE Upgrades to both minor and major new releases of the same product.

• FREE Electronic Delivery of the license key by email.

• Optional CD-ROM is available.