- File extensions usually let you know what a file is for and what it does
- They are the three or four letters that follow the name of a file and indicate what type of element it is
- What are the steps to see -or stop seeing- these extensions in your files in Windows 11?
In general, this is information that can be useful as a user. But, If you don’t want your PC to show you the format of all objects saved on it, you can hide file extensions in Windows 11. For this reason we are going to show you what are the steps to follow if you want to get rid of that specific data.
As we said, file extensions usually let you know what a file is for and what it does. Also which applications are capable of opening them and, consequently, which ones are unable to open them.
Despite this, Windows 11 gives us the opportunity to block file extensions or hide them. It may make sense for you to do so, so in this article we are going to show you how the procedure is.
You should even take into account that many computers that come with Windows 11 from the factory do not show the data. Then, the same tutorial that we are going to develop below will help you to stop hiding information.
How to hide file extensions in Windows 11?
File extensions are almost always the three or four letters that follow a file name and indicate what type of item it is. Some common ones are MP3 in music files, JPG in images and TXT in texts. There are numerous current formats, even many of them for the same type of content or files.
If you need to see – or stop seeing – the extensions of your files in Windows 11, there are several ways to achieve it. You can get it easily and in a few seconds, from the File Explorer or from the Options.
Hide or show extensions from File Explorer
The most direct way to hide or show extensions is from File Explorer.
- Open File Explorer from the taskbar and navigate to the location of the files
- Click the View tab at the top and select Show, Filename Extensions
- Once there, select Show or hide file extensions
Hide or show extensions from Folder Options
If you want this setting to stay set from then on, there’s a way to do it:
- Press Win + E keys to launch File Explorer
- Press the See more button at the top and click on Options
- Scroll down to the Advanced Settings section and check or uncheck the Hide Extensions… option.
- Click Apply and OK so that the changes are saved from then on
While you can turn this setting on or off, it is a deep Windows setting that will affect all of your folders. It’s something you can change in the future if you want, but if you’re not interested in making so many changes, you probably It is best to stick with the first tutorial. which we have just taught.
conclusions
The ability to show or hide file extensions in Windows 11 is useful for managing your data. For example, showing file extensions -or not showing them- allows you to better manage your files.
However, it’s fair to say that there are other ways to treat your files and folders in Windows 11. For example, you can always save disk space by buying files or folders. Or hide confidential files.
On the other hand, if you want a more efficient system for searching files, you can add tags to them. All these are little tricks that will allow you to interact in a much more fluid way with Windows 11.
Have you been able to hide or “unhide” extensions in Windows 11? With which of these tricks have you done it?
