How to hide any file from others.

Not exactly a "hack" or anything advanced, but comes in handy sometimes-thought i'd share it ;

Just change the file extension of any file to something else.

e.g. Change a text file with passwords in it (although its a bad idea to have passwords in a text file, but as an example) called "pwds.txt" to "pwds.exe". Now no one can open it, unless they know that it's supposed to be a text file.

All you have to do is change the file name back to the original and there you go!

Or an even better way to hide files, make a zip file, add the stuff you want secured, add a password to it. Put that in another zip file. Add a password to that. Now try accessing the files without entering a password.

[Moderator]

Changing the filel extension has been around since computers have been around.

Changing the filel extension has been around since computers have been around.

I never said it wasn't new haha.  And Helpmeh good idea.. More secure than changing the filename .

hide them in the recycle bin. nobody looks there.

Recycle bin is not a good idea. There are many people are cleaver like you BC_Programmer and they will find your files there. So do not do that idea to hide your files.

Recycle bin is not a good idea. There are many people are cleaver like you BC_Programmer and they will find your files there. So do not do that idea to hide your files.

I wasn't being serious. I have nothing to hide and nobody to hide it from, and if I did I would just put it on a flash drive, thus making it an issue of physically securing the device rather then messing about fruitlessly with attributes or renaming file extensions that are well documented and will hardly fool anybody from whom the files should remain hidden from.

[Moderator]

Most people who know what they are looking for will find it overcoming little shortcuts as this...
Best rule of thumb for sensitive data is password protecting it...encryption or as BC stated remove it from the machine.

Most people who know what they are looking for will find it overcoming little shortcuts as this...
Best rule of thumb for sensitive data is password protecting it...encryption or as BC stated remove it from the machine.

Yeah. A flash drive is the BEST bet.

   Closest thing to thumbs up I could find.

[Global Moderator]

. Now no one can open it, unless they know that it's supposed to be a text file.

Drag this newly created executable into Notepad. See what happens.

Drag this newly created executable into Notepad. See what happens.

Shh, that's a secret 

Drag this newly created executable into Notepad. See what happens.

Now try doing that with my method. The top-level zip prevents you from opening, and seeing, the files in the bottom-level zip, which are the ones you want to hide.