# How to Unhide Files on an SD Card or Recover Missing Files

## How to show hidden files on an SD card?

Quick Answer:

1. 1. Use File Explorer to show hidden items.
2. 2. Use "attrib" command to remove hidden/read\-only/system file attribute.
3. 3. Use an SD card reader to unhide Android files.
4. 4. Stop writing and use [iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows](https://iboysoft.com/data-recovery/free-data-recovery.html) to restore data from SD card to another drive if the hidden files still don't show up.

![How to Unhide or Recover Hidden Files on an SD Card](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-sd-card-recovery/unhide-files-on-sd-card/summary-unhide-files-on-sd-card.jpeg)

Practical solutions are shared here to help you show the hidden images, videos, audio, PDFs, FLV files, MTS files, Presentations, Word documents, Excel files, etc on your[SD card](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/sd-card.html). Moreover, how to recover deleted or lost hidden files on an SD card is also included.

Before you go, check the quick diagnosis table below to see which scenario you're in:

| **Case** | **Solution\(s\)** |
| --- | --- |
| Files are hidden | File Explorer or Google Chrome |
| File attribute changed by malware or virus | “attrib” command lines |
| SD card reader didn't recognize SD card | Keep reading on[how to fix SD card reader not working issue](https://iboysoft.com/howto/sd-card-reader-not-working.html) |
| Raw/corrupted SD card | Recover data from RAW/corrupted SD card before repair |
| Files are deleted or lost | Use iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows to recover files |
| Android.nomedia | Take out the SD card from Android and use an SD card reader instead. Then try CMD command |

## How to Show the Hidden Files on an SD Card using File Explorer

Sometimes, you encounter the issue of[SD card files not showing up](https://iboysoft.com/sd-card-recovery/sd-card-files-not-showing.html), which doesn't really mean that all of them are deleted or missed. They may have been set as hidden files previously.

### Option 1. Check the Hidden Items

Checking the hidden files and documents on your SD card in the File Explorer of your PC seems to be the easiest approach you can carry out. Let's tick the hidden items in**File Explorer**:

1. Insert your SD card with hidden files into your PC with an SD card reader or SD card adapter gently. The article about the [SD card reader not working](https://iboysoft.com/howto/sd-card-reader-not-working.html) is needed here if your SD card reader has any trouble.
2. Launch the File Explorer on your Windows computer and head to the **Folder Options** .
3. Switch to the **View** tab and then check the **Hidden items** option. Windows 11: View \> Show \> Hidden items ![Show hidden items on Windows 11](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-sd-card-recovery/unhide-files-on-sd-card/windows-11-hidden-items.jpg) Windows 10: View \> Options \> View \> Show hidden files
4. You could then view all of your hidden files on the SD card.

### Option 2. Show hidden files, folders, and drives

An alternative way that you can carry out in File Explorer is to change the settings in it to make the hidden documents on your SD card appear. This alternative approach is easy to perform and you can follow the steps below.

1. Connect your SD card to your personal computer.
2. Press the **Win \+ S** keys, type in *File Explorer* , and then double\-click it to open it after you locate it.
3. Switch the **Tools** tab, click the **Folder Options** , and then head to the **View** tab.
4. Tick the **Show hidden files, folders, and drives** in the dropdown menu. If there is an option that reads "Hide protected operating system files \(Recommended\)", untick it straightforwardly.
5. Click **OK** to confirm your actions. ![Change File Explorer settings to show the hidden items](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-sd-card-recovery/unhide-files-on-sd-card/change-file-explorer-settings.png)

To show the hidden documents, you can also acess to**Control Panel**and find Folder Options under**Appearance and Personalization**. Then, conduct the same step to tick “Show hidden files, folders and drives".

### Option 3. Untick "Hide protected operating system files" box

To protect essential system data, Windows categorizes hidden files into two types: hidden files and protected operating system files. These files are intentionally concealed to prevent accidental modification or deletion, which could lead to system errors or even prevent Windows from functioning properly. To view these hidden items, follow the steps below.

1. Launch File Explorer on my Windows 11 \> go to the Folder Options.

2. Find "Hide protected operating system files \(Recommended\)" \> uncheck it. It will pop up a warning notice to confirm my action.

![Warning notice](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-sd-card-recovery/unhide-files-on-sd-card/warning-notice.jpg)

3. Click Yes \> OK. Now I can see the important operating system files on the SD card.

![Untick Hide protected operating system files](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-sd-card-recovery/unhide-files-on-sd-card/hide-protected.jpg)

## Launch Command Prompt to Unhide SD Card's Files

In some cases, the files on the SD card are hidden caused by malware or virus, which might change the files' attributes. Run Command Prompt and use “attrib" command lines to remove hidden attribute, as well as read\-only/system file attribute. Here's how:

1. Connect the memory card to your Windows computer and leave seconds for your PC to recognize the storage device.
2. Press the **Win \+ R** keys and enter **CMD** in the dialogue box.
3. Click **OK** to launch Command Prompt on your computer.
4. Copy the command lines below and paste them into the Command Prompt window. Please note that there is space after every letter. Change the letter E with the drive letter of your SD card and then hit **Enter/Return** to proceed. attrib \-h \-r \-s /s /d E:\\\*.\* ![Launch Command Prompt to unhide your SD card hidden files](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-sd-card-recovery/unhide-files-on-sd-card/launch-command-prompt.png)
5. Now, you can see all the hidden files on your SD card.

**Explanation of the command:**

\-h: Removes the hidden attribute. \-r: Removes the read\-only attribute. \-s: Removes the system file attribute. /s: Applies changes to all files in all subdirectories. /d: Applies changes to directories as well as files.

Note: If the SD card is connected to an Android phone via MTP, CMD may not be able to access it directly. It is recommended to unplug the SD card and use an SD card reader instead.

## Utilize Google Chrome to Show the Hidden Files

Google Chrome is a powerful tool that is able to list all the hard drives that are connected to your computer, including the SD card. Therefore, you can access your hidden items on your SD card via Google Chrome.

1. Connect the SD card to your computer and open Google Chrome.
2. Type in the ***file://*** then you can see the indexes of all folders.
3. Head to the **Volumes** tab to locate your SD card.
4. Click your SD card in the **Volumes** tab and then Google Chrome will list all the files on your SD card. ![Utilize GoogleChrome to show the hidden files](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-sd-card-recovery/unhide-files-on-sd-card/utilize-google-chrome-to-show-the-hidden-files.png)

Share this article if you unhide all the hidden items on your SD card successfully\!

## When Recovery Software is Needed?

If all of the methods listed above fail to bring the hidden documents on your SD card to light, it is highly likely that your SD card files were deleted or lost accidentally. As a result, I truly think you should consider SD card hidden file recovery.

### Solution 1: Recover SD card files directly from the Recycle Bin

If you have deleted files on the SD card on your PC and you have not emptied your Recycle Bin yet, you can perform a restoration from the Recycle Bin with this procedure.

1. Connect your SD card to your computer.
2. Open the **Recycle Bin** by double\-clicking it on your computer.
3. Locate the files you wish to restore. The files will be recovered to their original location.
4. Click the **Restore** button to recover the SD card files. ![Recover SD card files directly from the Recycle Bin](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-sd-card-recovery/unhide-files-on-sd-card/recover-deleted-files-recycle-bin.png)

### Solution 2: Recover deleted/lost hidden files with iBoysoft Data Recovery Software

The files don't show on your SD card because of deleted files, lost files, RAW SD card, or corrupted SD card. In such case, turn to the professional data recovery software.[iBoysoft Data Recovery Software](https://iboysoft.com/data-recovery/free-data-recovery.html)is a capable app equipped with advanced disk scanning and recovery algorithms that offers you the best[SD card recovery service](https://iboysoft.com/sd-card-recovery/sd-card-recovery-service.html).

It can recover deleted photos, Office documents, videos, audio, and much more successfully on Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP and Windows servers. You can utilize it to recover files and documents from inaccessible, unreadable, corrupted, failed, RAW, formatted[external hard drives](https://iboysoft.com/wiki/external-hard-drive.html)to safeguard your data.

iBoysoft data recovery software's intuitive interface makes the data recovery task very simple for inexperienced users. With only a few clicks, you can restore permanently deleted files quickly.

1. Free download, install and open iBoysoft Data Recovery on your computer.
2. Connect the SD card to your computer.
3. Select the **Data recovery** mode in the main interface. ![iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows home screen](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-sd-card-recovery/unhide-files-on-sd-card/home-interface.jpg)
4. Select the SD card from the drive list and click **Next** to start scanning. ![Scanning your SD card file data](https://iboysoft.com/images/en-sd-card-recovery/unhide-files-on-sd-card/data-recovery-scanning.jpg)
5. Filter unnecessary files with the file name or file format in the search box.
6. Right\-click the file and select **Preview** or double\-click the file to preview it.
7. Select the checkbox in front of the files you want to restore and click the **Recover** button.

You should not use the same drive or partition where you lost data as any changes on the original drive might cause corrupt files and permanent data loss.

Note:Files affected by physical damage, an unrecognized card, abnormal capacity, severe bad sectors, or overwritten data are not guaranteed to be recoverable.

### Verdict

You can see no files absolutely if you have set them as hidden on your SD card. This article offers you numerous ways to make your hidden files show up. If you fail to unhide them, it's possible that the files are deleted or lost. Do not worry yet, 2 ways to recover your accidentally deleted or lost hidden files are presented here.

If you have shown or recovered your hidden files on the SD card, please share your happiness with more people\!

## FAQ about unhiding files on an SD card

AYou have 4 ways to unhide the hidden files on your SD card: check the hidden files in File Explorer, change File Explorer settings to show the hidden items, launch Command Prompt to unhide your SD card's hidden files, and utilize Google Chrome to show the hidden files.

AThe hidden files may be recovered if they are not overwritten. You can launch iBoysoft Data Recovery Software to recover the hidden files by downloading and installing iBoysoft Data Recovery Software on your computer \> connecting your SD card to your laptop\> selecting the Data Recovery mode \> selecting your SD card \> clicking Next to start disk scanning \> clicking Preview to check your files \> clicking Recover to restore your files \> saving the recovery results to another location.