home Windows 100 programs to hide files with a password. How to hide a program from the list of installed programs in the control panel. Enabling Russian in Wise Folder Hider

100 programs to hide files with a password. How to hide a program from the list of installed programs in the control panel. Enabling Russian in Wise Folder Hider

Free folder hiding software helping to put a password on a folder or hide it from unwanted viewing. There are many programs on the Internet and we will talk about the most worthy here. One of the main problems of the modern user is the problem of data confidentiality. If you work on the computer yourself, then it is a little easier here (however, at the same time, practically no one is immune from intrusion from the Web). What if multiple users have access to the PC?

Then definitely something needs to be done with personal data: either do not store them on the computer at all, or hide them in the proper way! And since sometimes do without desired files and folders is simply impossible, then I propose to consider the option of hiding in more detail;).

Program to hide folders

Today, there are many applications that help us in one way or another to hide any information on a PC from prying eyes. However, they can be divided into two large groups: those that only protect the necessary directories with a password (while they remain visible in Explorer), and those that completely hide the password-protected folders and files. The latter type of program seems to me more reliable, because intruder, infiltrating your computer, will never know that it contains hidden information, accordingly, it will not even try to access it (unless, of course, it knows in advance that you are using the program to hide).

Intrigued?🙂 Then I present to your court free app WinMend Folder Hidden! This program for , allows you to hide any files and folders on your computer from prying eyes so that you can access them only through the interface of the program itself. In turn, to launch its interface, you need to know the password, without which you will not be able to enter the storage.

At the first start, you will have to come up with a password (from 6 to 15 characters) to access the hidden storage and enter it twice in the form that opens. After confirming the password and pressing the "Ok" button, we will see the actual working window Folder Hidden:

The program interface is English by default, however, Russian localization is also present. To activate it, just click the "English" button in the lower right corner of the working window, and in the dialog that opens, select the "Russian" item, and then click the "Ok" button. The language change will happen without restarting the program itself, so we can get started right away:

First you need to press one of the two top buttons: for example, to hide an entire directory (as in our case) - “Hide folder”. In the window that opens, it is now enough to select desired folder and click "Ok".

The folder we specified will disappear, but will appear in the Folder Hidden list as new record. To the right of the entry you will see its current status. Now, even if you close the program, all entries with the Hidden status will remain invisible until you return to Folder Hidden and activate their visibility!

Now about how to return our folders to their original place. There are two ways to change the visibility of hidden files and folders in the program:

Use the buttons on the sidebar (on the right). In order for the "Show" button to become active, the desired entry must first be marked with a checkmark (on the left). This way of displaying hidden folders is especially useful if you want to open several or even all hidden folders.
To display a single entry in the Folder Hidden list, just call its context menu and select the “Show” (or “Hide”) item. Here (in the menu) there is another item (“View Path”), which allows you to quickly navigate to the directory in which the hidden file or folder is located.

If desired, being in the main window of Folder Hidden, you can change the password for entering the program. To do this, click the "Change password" button and in the window that opens, enter twice new code access to our hidden files and folders.

If you no longer need to hide a particular file, you can simply remove it from the program list. To do this, you need to tick the desired list item and click the "Delete" button on the sidebar. After that, the selected item will disappear, and the file (or folder) will be displayed in Explorer in its original place. As if nothing had happened;).

Making a final verdict, we can definitely say that Folder Hidden is an ideal option for those users who store their personal data on public computers. This application also useful for protection important information, for example, from children who have access to a PC and, well, they really like to "dig" where they shouldn't :). The main thing when using this program to remember two things. First, never forget your Folder Hidden password. If you forget your access code, you will never see your data again (even if you reinstall the program)!!! And second: before you delete the application, be sure to remove all entries of hidden files and folders from its list! If you follow these two rules, you will always be sure that nothing will happen to your data - they are in a safe place :)! I hope you liked this folder hiding software. 🙂

Any user on the computer has its own confidential folders and files that I would like to protect from prying eyes. For example, at home it is necessary to protect the child from information that is not intended for him, and at work, for one reason or another, it may be undesirable to demonstrate some of your working materials to other employees. Well, besides, tell me, honestly, do you always calmly let your colleagues at your work computer or household members at your home? It is unlikely ... And the reason here lies not only in the desire to restrict access to confidential information, but also in the subconscious fear of losing their own materials due to the illiterate actions of other users - that is, for example, when their own child will actively begin to master the art of working with files and folders from all the sad consequences that follow for you. It should be noted that the need to protect confidential information from prying eyes is relevant not only if such data is permanently stored on the working or home computer, but also when transferring them to other users via e-mail or on various media (CD/DVDs, USB drives, floppy disks, etc.). It often also makes sense to think about protecting the folders and files of the operating system and applications from being changed, deleted, or moved in an unknown direction, which is often managed by insufficiently trained users. If this is your case, then it is wiser to hide such folders altogether, say, from the eyes of household members, and this action alone can significantly extend the performance of your computer, since hidden folders can be used in the usual way (for example, by launching applications from the Start menu) , but you won't be able to delete, rename or move them. As for confidential information, it is better to block it - locked folders will be inaccessible either for viewing or for editing, and therefore the documents located in them will be reliably protected from any changes. If you would not like other users to be aware that some information is being hidden from them, then you should combine blocking with hiding. Well, if this is not enough for you, then no one forbids you to encrypt the most secret materials.

Protecting folders and files with built-in Windows tools

Theoretically, you can hide your folders and files using the built-in Windows features- for this it is enough to include the "Hidden" attribute in the properties of the corresponding objects. Folders and files hidden in this way will not be visible in Explorer to other users of the system, but only on condition that the "Do not show" checkbox is enabled in the properties of the parent folders containing them. hidden files and folders". In principle, this may be enough to protect your data from the most unprepared audience. However, objects hidden in this way will be visible in applications that do not use the standard dialog for displaying files and folders (FAR, Total Commander etc.), so such protection is more than unreliable.

A more robust data protection option built-in Windows tools is to use the EFS (Encrypting File System, EFS) encrypted file system, which allows you to encrypt files by enabling the "Encrypt content to protect data" option in File Explorer (Properties > General > Advanced). It is impossible to read files encrypted in this way without knowing the password, however, the EFS system allows you to protect folders and files only in file system NTFS.

Therefore, to protect personal folders and files, it is much better to use specialized utilities. These solutions will allow you to more securely hide folders and files (they will not be visible when the "Do not show hidden files and folders" checkbox is disabled), as well as block access to them and even encrypt the data itself.

Programs for hiding, blocking and encrypting folders and files

There are a lot of programs for hiding / encrypting folders and files on the market, and the level of protection implemented in them differs markedly. Some solutions only provide for hiding folders and files and / or blocking them (it happens that similar options are available for disks as well). Others additionally support full-fledged file encryption (Table 1), which ensures data protection even when downloaded to another operating system or installing the disc on another computer. We do not aim to identify the best of existing solutions, since everything here depends on the tasks facing the user, but simply as examples, we will give the most attractive, in our (clearly, subjective) view, diverse tools. Here, by the way, it is immediately worth noting a few nuances. Firstly, it is quite possible that, by default, protected data will be inaccessible to other users only during normal OS boot, and when Windows boot in safe mode(SafeMode) access to them will be open. This is explained very simply: in a safe Windows mode loads only the drivers necessary for the system to work, and skips all additional ones (including those responsible for hiding data), which leads to a similar result. So it is possible that in order to protect data in SafeMode, you will need to make some settings in the utilities (usually, just enable the corresponding checkbox). Secondly, other users will be able to access hidden or blocked data by booting into another operating system, if several of them are installed on the computer, and the protection program is configured in only one. There is another way - to rearrange HDD with protected information to another computer as an additional one, boot on it, after which it will be possible to access the data without difficulty. With external media (USB, flash, CD-RW, etc.) it's even easier - just install them on another computer - and protection is gone. However, in real life, quite often such protection (if, for example, we are talking about a hard drive, there is only one OS on the computer, and you know for sure that other users will not be able to connect it to another computer) may be quite enough. In addition, if you accidentally forget the password to the data (we all sin with this, sometimes), then you will always have reliable way access them on another computer. Well, if top-secret materials are stored in your arsenal, and the attackers who are eager to get to them are professionals, then it will no longer be possible to limit yourself to hiding or blocking data - they need to be encrypted. Encrypted data cannot be read either when booting in SafeMode, or when booting into another OS or on another computer. But if you manage to forget the password to the data, then you can safely "put an end to" these top-secret materials - no one, including you personally, will be able to get to them.

Table 1. Functionality of solutions for hiding, blocking and encrypting folders and files (click to enlarge)

Universal Shield 4.3

Developer: Everstrike Software
Distribution size: 1.86 MB
Spreading: shareware Universal Shield is a very convenient tool for protecting personal files, folders and drives (including network ones) by hiding and encrypting them (seven encryption algorithms are supported, including AES with a 256-bit key). It is allowed to hide files that match a specific mask (say, C:*.doc). It is possible to set various access rules (read, write, visibility and deletion), which allows you to choose the most different combinations options - for example, you can make files read/write and prevent them from being deleted. This access option allows not only to prevent the deletion of personal data, but also application files, which is often no less important. If no activity has been performed on the computer for a certain period, then data blocking can be performed automatically. For greater security, it is possible to use a special Stealth Mode, which hides all information visible to the user about the Universal Shield installation - the program shortcut on the desktop and in the Start menu, as well as the corresponding folder in Program Files. Access to the program in this mode is possible only by pressing a predetermined key combination. There is support for "trusted processes", which allows you to conduct backup files, their scanning for viruses and similar operations in a protected state. Access to the program settings requires entering a master password. The demo version of the program is fully functional for 30 days, the cost of the commercial version is $ 34.95. There are two ways to protect data - using the wizard that automatically starts when the program is loaded for the first time (then it can be activated using the File > Universal Shield Wizard command or the Wizard button ) or manually. If the choice is made in favor of the master, then several operations will have to be performed sequentially. First, select the protection option - that is, tell the program whether the data will be hidden or encrypted, or whether they will have a limited access option. And then, in two steps, the choice of protected data is made, during which you can not only explicitly specify them, but also use file masks. Protecting data manually is not at all more difficult - the Protect button and the File > Protect Object command are responsible for this operation. For example, by clicking on the Protect button, you will have to define the type of data (disk, folder, file, or mask) in the left part of the window that opens, and in the right part, specify the object to be protected on the disk and configure its protection settings. Correction of the set type of protection is done through the properties of the object (Properties button), and denial of protection - by simply deleting the object from the program window. Temporary removal of protection is carried out from the utility itself by pressing the Locked button or by hotkeys (the latter is much faster and more convenient).

Setting files to be protected by encrypting them takes a little more time and effort. First, just as it was discussed above, the basic protection settings are configured (the Protect button). And then the protected object that appears in the utility window is additionally encrypted (Encrypt button) specifying the encryption algorithm and password. Decryption is performed by clicking on the Decrypt button, and, of course, without knowing the password is impossible.

Additionally, Universal Shield allows you to restrict access to special Windows folders ("My Documents", "Favorites", control panels, etc.), protect the desktop from changes (so that users cannot delete, add or change shortcuts and icons on the desktop), restrict access the control panel and prevent the computer from changing the date and time. You can do this through the wizard, or by using the File > Security tricks command.

There is a cheaper, simplified version of Universal Shield called Lock Folder XP (1.38 MB; $24.95) that limits the protection of drives, folders, and files to hiding them. In addition, this utility does not support trusted processes and the use of hot keys is limited (however, the main function of quickly enabling / disabling protection is present), as well as limited functionality in terms of regulating access to special Windows folders and system settings. Setting up data protection in Lock Folder XP is possible through the wizard and manually - in both cases, you will need to determine the type of data to be hidden and specify which, for example, folders you want to hide. The Locked / Unlocked button or pressing a combination is responsible for temporarily enabling / disabling protection. Ctrl keys+Win.

Folder Guard 8.1

Developer: WinAbility Software Corporation
Distribution size: 3.29 MB
Spreading: Shareware Folder Guard is a simple and convenient solution for restricting access to folders and files, as well as preventing access to a number of Windows settings. Restriction of access to personal data is carried out by hiding them, setting "read-only" access or blocking. Hiding is implemented in two versions - you can make folders and files hidden or set folders to empty (Empty). In the second case, the folders will be visible externally, but when opened they will look empty, although in reality they will contain information - this option protection is reasonable with respect to standard Windows folders, the complete hiding of which will tell other users that information on the computer is blocked, which is undesirable. Protected folders will not be available to other users of the system even when Windows is booted in safe mode, however, for this you will need to enable the corresponding checkbox in the settings. Access to the settings of the program itself is carried out only when entering a master password, in case of forgetting given password there is a function to restore it using the free utility Emergency Recovery. Also implemented is the ability to run the program in Stealth Mode, in which its own shortcuts and files will be hidden. The demo version of the program is fully functional for 30 days, the cost of the commercial version depends on the type of license: personal license - $29.95, business license - $59.95.

You can protect data using the wizard, which is launched automatically when the program is loaded (it is clear that the wizard can be easily disabled), or manually. In the case of working with the wizard, specify the folder with documents, determine whether to put a password on access to the folder, set the folder visibility option (visible, hidden or empty) and determine the access level to it ( full access, no access, "read only"). To control the level of access to files of a certain type, the use of file masks is additionally allowed. When protecting manually, the procedure will be the same, with the exception that you will have to perform them yourself - first select the folder of interest in the program window, and then set all the required settings by clicking on the appropriate buttons in the program window (Read-Only, No Access, Visible, etc.) or by choosing the necessary commands in the context menu. To remove protection, you will have to perform the same set of actions, but in reverse order.

It is possible to set various restrictions for different users (the corresponding users will first have to be added using the Protect > User List command) - this is very convenient, since there is no need to regularly remove protection in case of manual work on the computer. It is possible to configure the list of "trusted programs" (Protect > Trusted Programs) - that is, antivirus, backup programs, etc., which will allow you to carry out the corresponding operations without removing protection. The key combination Ctrl + G, as well as the Toggle Protection button, is responsible for switching from protected mode to normal. In addition to protecting folders and files with Folder Guard, you can also protect basic settings OS from adjustment (Protect > Permissions command). In particular, close access to the properties of the taskbar, the Start menu and a number of other windows, prohibit saving the display properties (if they have been changed), block changing the properties of folders and Internet settings Explorer, do not show desktop icons. And also prevent changes to critical system settings by closing access to the control panel and setting a series of prohibitions: access to the system registry, adding / removing printers, using the "Run" command, etc. You can also hide from My Computer, Explorer, and Standard dialog boxes Open/Save certain discs and block CD/DVD burning. For different users, a different set of such restrictions is possible.

There is a cheaper version of Folder Guard called MySecretFolder (1.35 MB; personal license $24.95; business license $3.95). This utility easier to use than Folder Guard, but limited to hiding and locking folders, and installed settings protection will be the same for all users. Setting up data protection in MySecretFolder is quite simple - you just need to specify the folder, select the protection option for it (hide or block) and click on the Protect button. Temporary disabling of protection is carried out by pressing the Unprotect button.

Folder Lock 6.2.1

Developer: NewSoftwares LLC
Distribution size: 2.78 MB
Spreading: Shareware Folder Lock is an effective and reliable solution for protecting personal files, folders and drives by locking, hiding and/or encrypting (AES algorithm with 256-bit key). For greater security, you can use blocking and encryption at the same time. The original data that needs to be protected can be located not only on the hard disk, but also on USB flash drives, memory cards, CD-RW disks, floppy disks and laptops. All protected data is placed in a kind of closed lockers (Lockers), access to which is possible only after entering the master password. If necessary, there can be many such lockers, which allows several users to use the same version of the program to protect their own data. A functionally limited demo version of the program can be used completely free of charge for 30 days, it limits the size of protected areas (Lockers) and the number of files allowed for placement in one area, and it is also impossible to protect data on USB-drives and external drives. The commercial version costs $29.95.

The technology of working with Folder Lock is as follows - first, for each set of folders and files, a separate protected area is created (locker in the interpretation of the developers of this program) - Locker, password-protected and placed by default in the "My Documents" folder. When entering a password for a created locker, the program evaluates its level of security and informs the user in red, yellow or green (green passwords have the highest level of security). To protect against keyloggers, the password can be entered from the built-in virtual keyboard.

Then the tab with the desired type of data protection is activated - Encrypt (Encryption) or Lock (Locking) - and folders and files are added to the created locker. To do this, for example, in the case of locking, click on the Lock files & folders button, point to a folder or file on the disk, and click on the Add button. If necessary, this way you can block access to exe-files. To complete the operation, click the Lock Now button, and the specified files and folders are locked. After that, you will be able to access your protected folders and files only if you know the path to the locker and the password (of course, if the locker is located on removable media, then you will also have to insert this media). Encryption of folders / files is carried out according to the exact same scheme. It should be noted that in this program, the protected data actually moves to the protected area, and this can be done using technology assured destruction data.

The process of installing the provided protection can be performed automatically if the computer is inactive after a specified period of time. In a special Stealth Mode, the program is able to hide all traces indicating that data protection has been installed on the computer. In particular, it prevents the display of its own shortcuts on the desktop and in the Start menu, as well as its own folder in Program Files, hides installation / uninstallation data in the corresponding section of the control panel, etc. There are also tools for clearing the clipboard, launch histories and searching for documents, etc. In addition, for greater security, the program keeps a record of all passwords that were unsuccessfully entered to remove protection, which allows the user to timely record the manifestation of an unhealthy interest in his own computer from other users.

File Lock 6.1.4

Developer: TopLangsoftware
Distribution size: 917 kb
Spreading: Shareware File Lock is a compact utility for securing confidential information by locking or hiding drives, folders or individual files on hard drives, floppy and CD/DVD drives. Please note that hiding drives means hiding all folders and files on them - the drives themselves will remain visible. It is allowed to protect files in accordance with the specified masks and encrypt files. If desired, this or that restriction can be tied to time, which makes sense when using the program on home computers, for example, to set the time interval allotted to the child for games and other entertainment. It is possible for the utility to work in a hidden mode, in which the utility will not be displayed in the Start menu, on the desktop, and in the add/remove programs module - in this mode, the utility window can be opened only by hot key. You can set permissions for trusted processes. In addition, File Lock allows you to create numerous user settings - your own for each user, which is important in the case of several users working on a computer. With appropriate settings, each user will be able to fully manage only their folders and files, while a user with administrator rights will have access to all elements. The demo version of the program can be downloaded and used without any restrictions for 15 days, the cost of the commercial version is $29.95.

To protect a file, folder or drive, just click on the Lock button (in the case of a file or folder, you can simply drag this object from Windows Explorer on the utility window or use the corresponding command from context menu conductor; however, in the latter case, you must first enable the corresponding option in the utility). And then select the type of protection (that is, block or hide) and, if necessary, to automate the process, also set up a schedule. Temporary disabling/enabling data protection is performed using the Deactivate File Lock and Activate File Lock commands from the Tools menu or by pressing the provided keyboard shortcuts (the latter is much more convenient).

Encrypting a file is also easy (the Encrypt File button is responsible for this) - indicate the file, click on the Encrypt button and enter the key. The result will be a copy source file, but already in encrypted form, which cannot be read without knowing the key. The decryption process is carried out according to the exact same scheme, only you have to click on the Decrypt button.

Hide Folders 2009 (3.1)

Developer: FSPro Labs
Distribution size: 1.39 MB
Spreading: Shareware Hide Folders 2009 - simple utility to protect folders and files from unauthorized access by hiding and/or blocking or setting read-only access. Protected folders will not be available to other users, including the system administrator, even when Windows boots in safe mode. And so that other users do not guess about the presence of protected data on the computer, the program can remove traces of the installation of protection and is able to hide itself. For example, it may not appear in the list of frequently downloaded programs, not show the uninstall line in the control panel, hide itself in the list running processes and your icon in the system tray, etc. Implemented in the program and support for "trusted processes". Without knowing the master password, it is impossible to access the utility settings. Demo version of the program (available Russian language localization) can be downloaded and used without any restrictions for 30 days, the cost of the commercial version is 500 rubles.

Protecting your documents in Hide Folders 2009 is easy. Just click on the "Add" button, specify the desired folder and select the desired protection mode. It is possible to use file masks to protect certain types of files. There is another way to protect folders and files - by dragging them from Windows Explorer to the program window. The list of all protected folders is visible in the program window, deleting any folder from this list will remove protection from this folder. Switching from protected mode to normal mode is carried out using hot keys or by pressing the appropriate buttons from the program itself. If necessary, it is also easy to adjust the program to automatic switch on protection when the screensaver starts, enters standby/hibernation mode and/or after a few minutes of inactivity.

My Lockbox 1.3

Developer: FSPro Labs
Distribution size: 1.33 MB
Spreading: Free My Lockbox - free utility to protect personal folders by hiding them. Hidden folders are inaccessible without knowing the password when booting in normal and safe modes of Windows. To hide a specific folder, you should specify it in the utility window or drag it to this window from Explorer and click on the Lock button, and to return visibility, select and click on the Unlock button. To gain access to the utility, you need to enter a master password, and activating the master password request is possible not only through the Start menu, but also via a hot key, which is somewhat faster. Hiding capabilities are limited by the lack of display of the program icon in the system tray.

Hide Folders 2.2

Developer: GPL
Distribution size: 1.2 MB
Spreading: free Hide Folders is a simple free utility to hide folders with confidential information that will be invisible to other users even when booting in Windows Safe Mode. Protection is set up very simply - you need to specify a hidden folder on the disk (the Add Folder button) and click the Hide button to hide it. Temporary removal of protection is performed by pressing the Unhide button, and its complete removal - by clicking the Remove button.

Free Hide Folder 2.1

Developer: Cleanersoft.com
Distribution size: 743 kb
Spreading: Free Hide Folder is a simple free utility to protect personal folders by hiding them. Hidden folders are inaccessible without knowing the password, even when booting in Windows Safe Mode. Hiding folders is easy - just select a folder and click the Hide button. The technology for returning the visibility folder is similar, only the Unhide folder will have to be used. Access to the utility itself is possible only after entering the master password.

File Encryption Programs

File encryption programs are indispensable when it is necessary to transfer confidential information by mail and on various media (CD / DVD drives, USB drives, floppy disks, etc.), since some of these programs allow the recipient to decrypt data without installing them on their computer. This is convenient, since the sender can, for example, send an encrypted document by e-mail (having previously agreed with the recipient on the password) and not worry that the recipient does not have the appropriate encryption / decryption software - the latter will still be able to decrypt the document simply by entering the password . As examples of such solutions, we will focus on the two programs Max File Encryption and Animabilis RS File Encryption, of which the first is more functional, since it allows not only to encrypt documents, but also to hide them using steganography (Table 2).

table 2. The functionality of hiding solutions,
blocking and encrypting folders and files

Max File Encryption 1.8

Developer: Softeza.com
Distribution size: 1.09 MB
Spreading: shareware Max File Encryption is a handy program for encrypting files of any type (including Word documents, Excel and PowerPoint) using the Blowfish algorithm. It can be used to encrypt several files at once and allows you to encrypt even very large files(up to 4 GB). Encrypted files are saved in the program's own format, or in EXE format - last option allows you to decrypt files if you do not have Max File Encryption on your computer. In addition, encrypted files can be hidden in ordinary files (the so-called media) - graphic, audio and video files, and even in applications and dll-files, while the files-carriers of encrypted information remain fully functional. The program can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for 15 days, after which residents Russian Federation and CIS countries will need to pay 300 rubles. The encryption technology is simple - just create a list of source files by selecting them in the left pane of the utility window and clicking the Add button, then encrypt them by clicking the Encrypt button and selecting the encryption method, entering the password and specifying the source file. At the end, the program will ask if you need to delete the source files from the disk. To decrypt in the utility environment, the encrypted file is selected and the Decrypt button is clicked, followed by the password. And if the encrypted file was saved in EXE format, then it is enough just to run it and enter the password.

Animabilis RS File Encryption 1.3

Developer: AES Software
Distribution size: 1.1 MB
Spreading: Shareware Animabilis RS File Encryption is a simple tool to encrypt any type of file, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents using the Blowfish algorithm. Encrypted files are written in the program's own format, or converted to a self-extracting EXE format, which allows you to decrypt files if Animabilis RS File Encryption is not on your computer. After encryption, the program can perform guaranteed deletion of source files by writing a random set of characters to the corresponding area of the disk a specified number of times. program (available Russian version) can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for 30 days, after which you will need to pay 300 rubles. The encryption technology is approximately the same as in the utility discussed above - the file is selected, the "Encrypt" button is clicked, the password is entered, and the source file is indicated. You can also enable the corresponding checkbox to delete the source file. Decryption is possible both in the environment of the utility and without it (if we are talking about an encrypted file in EXE format).

Conclusion

The issue of secure storage and transfer of personal folders and files is relevant for any user. At work, it is desirable to protect your own materials from other employees, at home - from household members. This approach will save you a lot of problems. In particular, you don’t have to worry that something will happen to valuable materials due to the fault of someone at home, or they will be trivially stolen and used against you by other employees, since, for example, other users cannot open, read, let alone change, move, rename or delete. The only problem is which of the solutions in your particular case will be the most appropriate. It all depends on many circumstances. If you need to hide or block folders and files on your own computer from unprepared users, then the capabilities of any of the listed utilities are quite enough. True, from the point of view of convenience, the considered utilities are far from unambiguous. Unfortunately, not everyone allows you to enable / disable protection using hotkeys, can hide their own presence in the system, and, again, not everyone can automatically turn on protection, for example, if the user is not at the computer. If the users are professionals, and the materials on the disk are top-secret, then you will definitely have to resort to encryption of folders, and when transferring confidential documents to other users by mail or on any media, it is more reasonable to encrypt the corresponding files. As for hiding / blocking drives, it should be recognized that although the named features are supported by some of the considered programs, they are supported, but at a very limited level, therefore, to solve such a problem, it is more reasonable to use solutions such as Security Administrator, WinLock, Deskman, etc., but this is a topic for a separate article.

Free program to hide programs and active windows under the name in the first place will be very useful to office workers who do not like to work at work, as well as just secretive people.

The thing is that HiddeX allows you to instantly, by pressing a button on the keyboard or mouse, hide (namely, hide, and not minimize to the taskbar) certain, specified by you running programs or just the active Windows Explorer windows, and leave the unspecified windows visible on the desktop of the computer. At the same time, she hides herself perfectly.

How to quickly hide programs and windows from the desktop

Eh, this program would have been installed on the computer of my colleague at work, he would not have been flying “on the ground” in any weather now, but would have continued to shoot at the balls in the monitor while sitting in a warm office and his boss would not have caught this occupation.

The official website of HiddeX has a very quick guide to a program to hide programs. I, in turn, will now try to describe it to you in more detail. So…

The program is portable (no need to install). downloaded, unzipped and launch...

We immediately poke on "RU" and get the Russian interface of the program ...

How to use HiddeX

In the upper section of the program for hiding programs, we see all our active windows. We find those that need to be hidden by pressing the magic hot button and double-click on their lines and send them to the lower section of the HiddeX program ...

Now we set the "panic button" on the keyboard for allocated active windows or programs...

...or on the mouse...

Now, when you press the specified button, the specified active windows or programs will instantly hide. And they will not collapse into the taskbar, but they will hide completely.

If in advanced settings check the box "Hide in tray"...

...then the HiddeX program itself will be completely hidden along with the windows.

You can return it from the other world (and send it there again) with a combination of keys on the keyboard (by pressing them sequentially, without plus signs, without releasing the previous one) ctrl+Shift+alt+F12.

By unchecking the list of hidden windows, you can temporarily remove a specific program or active window from participating in this disgrace ...

That's the whole program for hiding programs and active windows HiddeX. I hope that it will be very useful to someone.

to new useful computer programs and .

With the KeepSafe app, you will be able to move your intimate photos and videos to a dedicated vault. Only you will have access to this vault using a special pin code. The application is very easy to understand, and working with it does not raise any questions.

There is useful feature"False PIN". You can create special code, which will display your storage as empty when entered.

In the F.A.Q. a fun way to use the application is described - to create in full growth. These selfies are essential to follow.

vault

This program can hide not only photos and videos, but also contacts of girls of easy virtue and SMS. On the this moment SMS cannot be hidden if you have Android 5.0. But there is an option to hide messages on Facebook.

The app has a paid version that will let you store your hidden files in the cloud, hide the Vault icon, and notify you of hack attempts. The cost is $2.99 per month.

app lock

This is a real harvester for hiding information on Android. With it, you can hide photos or videos, block incoming calls, prevent apps from being installed or uninstalled, change settings, launch apps, and more.

The first time you run it, you create a code with which you can access the hidden and video storage, as well as change the application settings. I advise you to carefully study the AppLock settings, you can find a lot of useful things for yourself.

andrognito

You have a choice between two types of encryption: fast and slow. In practice, slow encryption is not so slow after all. With it, your files will be really protected, which cannot be said about fast encryption. Application in English.

A program to hide programs and windows running on the computer. Allows you to hide any open windows from the computer monitor by pressing predefined keys, and then restore them.

Screenshot gallery

At work, you need to work at a computer ... However, often (especially towards the end of the working week) you want to send everything to hell and get a little distracted :).

However, in terms of hiding windows, this program is not as advanced as our highly specialized WinHide.SB. Therefore, I propose to take a closer look at the possibilities of the latter.

Preparation for work

The developer's website also has an installer option, but for a number of reasons, the portable version is still better.

Firstly, it runs from any media, which allows you to bypass the restriction on installing software.

Secondly, it does not leave traces of its activities in the registry.

Well, and thirdly, even if the computer is checked, they will not find anything suspicious, since you will take the program with you on your flash drive, with which you started :).

Download the archive with the program, open the folder with its name and run the file WinHide.SB.exe. We will see a window for choosing a language, in which the default is "Russian":

Click "Ok" and an information window will appear in front of us, which will tell you that you can control the program using the tray icon. This completes the preparation for work and you can proceed to the settings.

Program settings

Find the WinHide.SB icon in the tray and right-click its context menu:

If you don't count last point(“Close”), which is selected in a separate group, then in the menu we will see that all items are divided into two groups: the upper one is used to control the visibility of windows, and the lower one is for settings. Let's start with the latter. To do this, activate the "Program settings" item or left-click on the tray icon:

The settings window contains 4 tabs with their own parameters in each of them:

"Basic settings" (see screenshot above). Here I advise you to disable "Autoload at startup" (if you want to use the program as a portable application that works from a USB flash drive), and also cancel the update check.
By default, WinHide.SB stores settings in its own folder, so you don't need to change anything in the second section. Let's go to the second tab:

"Hotkeys". On this tab, you can change keyboard shortcuts that are responsible for quick access to certain program functions.
In principle, everything is set up quite well here by default - the combination “WIN + H” is easy to remember and can be pressed even with one hand ( Windows users 8 you will have to customize your combinations, since WIN + H is used by default by the system to open a dialog public access to files and folders).
If you plan to run WinHide.SB in a completely hidden mode, then it would also be useful for you to activate the last function - the "Main Menu", so that in case of anything you always have access to the settings. Let's move on to the third tab:

Program masking. What I liked about WinHide.SB is the ability to visually disguise the tray icon as a harmless-looking icon :). Moreover, you can also add your own tooltip for this icon so that even if someone gets on your PC, he will see a rather harmless picture (for example, the Outlook Express icon with the same tooltip in the tray :)).
Naturally, if a person presses a button disguised in this way, he will see the menu of our program, but for this you still need to guess to press :). The only thing that saddens is the lack of the ability to choose your own icons. All icons are pre-wired into the program and have an outdated look that was used in Windows XP ... The last tab remains:

"Task Manager". Here we have only two points that allow us to activate the hiding of the processes of the WinHide.SB program itself and the windows hidden with its help. And everything would be fine if not for two nuances ... The first - given function works only on 32-bit systems (the author promises to fix this inconvenience in the next new release).
Secondly, to work on systems older than Windows XP, you will need administrator rights (which we usually do not have).

Thus, we can summarize that WinHide.SB can be used 100% only on Windows XP 32-bit. However, everything is not so sad, considering that on most computers in various offices this system is still one of the most popular :).

In other cases, we can also use the program, but taking into account the fact that it cannot be hidden in the Task Manager, that's all :).

Window Hiding Options

To better understand the principle of hiding windows with WinHide.SB, you need to activate the "Windows Management" item in the main context menu:

At first glance, the interface of this window seems confusing, however, in fact, everything is quite logical and compact. The main controls here are concentrated in the lower part of the window (under the blue stripe).

Displayed in the center is the "Existing Windows (Visible)" list, which shows all currently open windows. Under it, a similar list is displayed for programmatically hidden applications. Any active window will be included in this list if you press a predefined key combination (default - "WIN + H").

On the sides we see two more lists:

Hot List. To the left of the list of running windows is a list where you can put those programs that should be automatically hidden when you press a key combination to hide the active window. Thus, you can hide even minimized windows that are not desirable for your superiors to see :).
"Windows that are permanently hidden." This list is located to the right of the main one. You can also put any program from the list into it, and it will be closed by pressing hot keys. However, these applications will also be automatically hidden immediately upon launch! Moreover, the window will be closed only if its title matches the title in the list.

To add a program to any of the lists, just select its title in the central list of visible windows and press the activated button with an arrow in the appropriate direction. You can delete it by highlighting an entry in the side list and pressing the button with an "X" under the corresponding arrow.

In addition, if you select an entry in the side list, then on top panel we have a number of parameters that can be changed. Firstly, these are the "Form Title" and "Path to exe" fields (which can be edited manually to add any windows and files that are not yet open to the list).

Also, you can pay attention to the three checkboxes below, which allow you to activate Extra options filtering hiding windows (remember that hiding from the Task Manager only works in XP).

The last thing you need to know about the hide settings window is the location of the button to refresh the list of open windows. She is in the left upper corner and allows you to rebuild the list running applications in the already open settings window, if you do not see the desired title in it.

Hiding and showing windows via the context menu

So, we already know that you can hide the active window (and windows in the hiding lists) by simply pressing the hot keys assigned by us :). However, how to get back what we have hidden?

In WinHide.SB, for this we again have to go to the main menu. There, in the first group of items, we have two additional sections: “Hide the window” and “Show the window”:

The first item opens before us a list of all currently open windows (similar to the list from the "Window Management" section). For hiding desired application just find its title in the Hide Window list and click on it.

After that, the second item is activated - “Show window”, with which we can return everything hidden programs to their original places (by the way, in Windows XP, as you can see in the following screenshot, WinHide.SB actually hides entries about hidden windows from the Task Manager!):

With the help of hot keys, we can avoid having to go into the menu each time, causing small windows with lists of open (ALT + WIN + H by default) and hidden (CTRL + WIN + H) programs. These combinations will also come in handy if you decide to hide the WinHide.SB icon from the tray and control the program in hidden mode.

In Windows 7 and 8, the item "Fix visibility problems" may also appear in the main menu of the program. It contains a list of all hidden windows and allows you to return them to their previous appearance in case in a standard way the window cannot be restored.

Advantages and disadvantages of the program

portability;
the ability to hide and mask the tray icon;
the ability to reassign hot keys;
hiding an unlimited number of windows;
setting window lists to auto-hide.

Hiding entries in the Task Manager only works on 32-bit systems;
it is not very convenient to add inactive windows to the autohide list;
possible incorrect hiding of some full-screen 3D games.

conclusions

Despite its unprepossessing and even somewhat outdated appearance, WinHide.SB can give odds to anyone else modern application to hide programs and windows!

Judge for yourself: portability, complete visual hiding (and in Windows XP also hiding from the Task Manager!) Both the program itself and the windows that we want to hide from prying eyes, as well as a unique way to mask the tray icon, in my opinion, this is already enough.

But WinHide.SB also provides us with the auto-hide function of a set of programs that we have defined in advance, and is also not tied to system registry or others Windows components, and even consumes ridiculous by modern standards 2-3 megabytes of memory :). All this together gives us an almost perfect conspiracy theorist tool :).

Therefore, I hope that with WinHide.SB you will finally be able to feel comfortable doing nonsense in the workplace :). But do not relax too much - the boss does not sleep;).

P.S. It is allowed to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

P.P.S. If you want a tool for almost complete control over windows, then I advise you to use the following program:

Just about the complex. Programs. Iron. Internet. Windows