Vista and Windows 7: Show or Unhide File Extensions
Posted by Jimmy Selix in Microsoft Vista
Most power users of Windows will want to see file extensions for all files. Here is how to see file extensions when browsing in explorer. This technique works for Vista and Windows 7.
File name extensions are the characters at the end of a file name that tells Windows what application should run and open the file. The file extensions are preceeded by a period. For example, in config.sys the .sys is the file extension.
As changing file extensions can confuse Windows when trying to open the file, by default Windows hides these file extensions by default. This is an attempt to protect users from accidentally changing the file extension when renaming the file.
However, power users will always need the ability to see file extensions in order to debug or to do advanced functions. Many tutorials here on tech-recipes, for example, require the visibility of file extensions to be enabled through this technique.
Enable the Display of File Extensions in Vista or Windows 7:
1. Open a folder or open explorer
2. Click the Layout button (to the left of the Views button) as shown in the picture below.
3. Click Folder Options
4. Click the View tab
5. Uncheck Hide extensions for known file types
6. Click OK
After this, the file extensions should be visible and no longer hidden.
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October 04, 2008 at 6:59 pm, MF said:
Thanks!
I cannot understand that M$ cannot undserstand that this is a good thing. Stupid f***ing M$…
// MVHMF
November 04, 2008 at 2:17 am, M. said:
Thanks… for some odd reason I had thought it to be under, Customize this folder.
November 14, 2008 at 4:08 pm, Steph said:
Thanks!
Crazy Vista, before I read this I had not even NOTICED that tool bar in the explorer.
December 16, 2008 at 3:50 am, Utkarsh said:
Great man..thanks for the support.
Vista is new….so we will take time to know it.
December 27, 2008 at 7:34 pm, UghMS said:
Which is exactly the problem with MS. For some reason they think it’s ok to force their users to relearn how to do everything each time they release a new OS, all under the misguided notion that they have somehow made it easier to use (especially for new users). My favorite such thing is the dynamic start menu where things move around based on a complex algorithm of how often it’s been clicked on and how much MS thinks I should be using a program. That’s the only way I can explain why IEXPLORER keeps ending up near the top of the start list.
December 18, 2008 at 8:31 pm, jan frederiksen said:
well, thank you for that. I’m new to Vista and I find it difficult to adjust & find the things I’m used to from XP.
December 19, 2008 at 1:58 am, anon said:
Just another reason VIsta is terrible
December 19, 2008 at 10:10 pm, Fraser said:
Thanks, my version of vista is a bit different so it took my a awhile to find the layout link
December 24, 2008 at 11:57 pm, Hawk said:
Seems like Mickysoft just keeps finding new ways of making the computer more difficult to operate. I don’t understand why. :
January 13, 2011 at 4:04 pm, Namme said:
I like how people keep saying windows sucks, but at the same time they keep searching for help on the internet
January 16, 2009 at 12:01 am, freetrial said:
If you hit Alt key, it will show you all of the other options just like XP. =)
January 29, 2009 at 7:15 am, kyle said:
easier than my method lol. good job good info. i never knew that!
March 07, 2009 at 10:12 pm, mike said:
YEAH!
THANKS, THE ALT KEY IS THE SH*T
now i see the things that i know how to manipulate!
May 18, 2009 at 1:17 pm, zzapper said:
Cruel-cruel Mickeysoft, thanks a bunch for hiding this feature so well.
Thanks for the Alt Key Tip
phew
zzapper
January 17, 2009 at 2:40 am, Anthony said:
MYN IS IN CHINESE CUSE I CAN ONLY GET LEGAL CHINESE VISTA HERE AND I CAN’T READ ANY CRAP ON IT!! i ticked everything and unticked eveyrthing cuse i can’t read chinese but there was no difference
January 26, 2009 at 1:14 am, Matthew said:
OMFG! thanks so much man, i so hate that. i never knew how to change that, i usualy had to which computers to change it.. gosh, thanks again.
January 29, 2009 at 7:14 am, kyle said:
if like me you dont have that button, click organize then layout and check mark menu bar. go to tool>options, click the view tab and its right there.
September 16, 2010 at 1:02 am, Jaydenismyworld said:
Thank you!! I was wondering if I was going crazy!!
February 10, 2009 at 9:06 pm, Regs said:
this is a little outdated (for me at least): almost the same, but instead of hitting layout, you have to click organise and find layout from there.
thanks for pointing me the right way though
February 20, 2009 at 1:56 pm, dkl said:
Thank you. It takes forever to find these annoying little details on your own. This one is my particular pet peeve with vista. Actually I have a “cat lady” type collection of peeves with vista, not just a single pet, but this one is first. Thanks for helping me get rid of it.
February 25, 2009 at 3:43 pm, neha said:
thankx
March 04, 2009 at 1:11 am, desparatelyseekingchocolate said:
THANK YOU!!! This has been driving me nuts!!!!
March 04, 2009 at 6:00 am, wolfwatcher said:
Thank you so much! I had to change a file extension to run a program for school and could not figure this out (I’ve had vista for 3 days). You guys rock =)
March 23, 2009 at 6:13 am, Fish said:
Thanks so much! You saved me from much heartache and headache. I needed to change a file ext. to be able to play my kids wrestling videos! Thanks again!
March 26, 2009 at 10:21 am, STEVEN said:
There is no layout button to the left of the Views button.
March 30, 2009 at 2:32 am, tinky2jed said:
I have Vista-64, but there is no layout button to the left of the other buttons. Now what?
April 26, 2009 at 7:03 pm, trek said:
There’s an organize button that is different than the layout button on mine, but in the same location (perhaps SP1 changed this?) but through liberal application of brain power you should be able to figure it out once you find the right button
April 06, 2009 at 6:26 am, wayneski said:
yea microcrap, hiding extension to what end exactly??????
geez, like we are going to be a good little servant to your every whim. nice try jack ass.
April 25, 2009 at 4:46 pm, Mark said:
Thank you!
April 28, 2009 at 8:43 am, Angela said:
Thank you very much!
May 08, 2009 at 12:43 am, shane said:
My layout buttion doesnt have that option…. and my layout button can only be found under organize
May 11, 2009 at 9:00 am, demis said:
Fortunatelly, all CMD commands remain in VISTA. Thus, you can enter “control folders” in RUN menu (start menu) in order to open the folder options.
Hope that helped
May 24, 2009 at 8:57 am, fedup said:
This is Rubbish. I dont even have a Layout button. Next to Vies is Organise.
Vista is Rubbish. I hate it with a passion.
May 28, 2009 at 11:10 pm, Anonymous said:
Thanks, experienced computer user getting used to Vista. Dammed oddities
June 01, 2009 at 2:55 pm, Juni said:
Thanks…
stupid Vista!!!
June 03, 2009 at 3:33 pm, thesfid said:
Thank you!
June 06, 2009 at 7:14 am, who@yahoo.com said:
if u dont have the layout button just go to tools folder options is there
June 16, 2009 at 12:46 am, eljay said:
Thank you!
June 19, 2009 at 5:11 pm, Scott Priestley said:
Thanks!
I recently made the leap to Vista and do a lot of file-level work and a quick search led me to your post!
June 30, 2009 at 8:48 pm, Rafael said:
Nice and easy. If there any way to show all file extension in all folders instead of just doing the same operation one by one?
Thank you!
July 10, 2009 at 9:41 pm, Steve said:
Thanks.
Dumb MS for hiding the file extension.
July 30, 2009 at 8:58 pm, Anonymous said:
This doesn’t work.
July 30, 2009 at 8:59 pm, Anonymous said:
This didn’t work for me.
September 30, 2009 at 4:29 pm, Me said:
Thanks, It seems that My system decided to change this on instruction from MS, Its a reel pain in the Arse.
October 01, 2009 at 9:02 pm, Anonymous said:
Vista is like that beautiful new Volvo, if I pop the hood I have no clue what to do. I am used to my Fiat, pop the hood and change the oil, easy peasy
October 07, 2009 at 9:19 pm, Anonymous said:
thanks nice work dear
November 06, 2009 at 9:42 pm, Hephzibah said:
Thank you. Very much.
And, why is screen Display (wallpaper) under “E” for Ease of Access, in Control Panel?????!!!!?
Never mind Office 2007, where I had to Google too find the Print command for the trial version……..
November 06, 2009 at 9:42 pm, Hephzibah said:
Thank you. Very much.
And, why is screen Display (wallpaper) under “E” for Ease of Access, in Control Panel?????!!!!?
Never mind Office 2007, where I had to Google too find the Print command for the trial version……..
November 12, 2009 at 8:19 am, Anonymous said:
Thanxxxss…………..
November 15, 2009 at 3:28 pm, girlgeek said:
my version of Vista (SP2) doesn’t show a layout button!
November 21, 2009 at 3:57 pm, Dan said:
my files are still showing them, and I HAVE made sure that it doesn’t show, pls help, they’re a mess,
January 25, 2010 at 1:13 am, Name said:
Thank you! That would’ve taken me a while to find. Hopefully I won’t have this much trouble getting accustomed to Windows 7 when I upgrade
February 04, 2010 at 3:26 am, Toy said:
Hi,
My computer use Windows Vista, i can see the image file just view medium Icons in View menu, but now can’t see, I don’t know why? Pls tell me how to fix this problem.
Thank!
February 04, 2010 at 3:35 am, Toy said:
When I insert my Flash drive I see files and folder in my flash drive they are hid, and than I properties on those file and folder I see Hidden check box were check, I can not unchecked, I know that this is virus effect, pls tell me how to fix.
Thx!
February 19, 2010 at 4:49 pm, Anonymous said:
Thank you!
February 23, 2010 at 12:20 am, Anonymous said:
I was shocked to find out vista didnt do this automatically and havent changed it until now but i noticed the icon didnt show up for me. Instead i had to press ALT to open advanced options and then press Tools and select Folder Options
March 10, 2010 at 10:40 am, Anonymous said:
you are absolutely right, Vista and Windows 7 treat people like idiots and instead on improve skills they like to see them lost when they use a computer
March 12, 2010 at 11:57 am, Anonymous said:
I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments here.
May 07, 2010 at 10:06 pm, Anonymous said:
usless article
June 20, 2010 at 4:37 pm, estuary said:
I finally found this a year later!! – all of the stupid work-arounds I have wasted time on. This has been driving me crazy. Thank you.
July 17, 2010 at 9:38 pm, Anonymous said:
thanks. I always have to use special software to open files with vista, vista tends to be a programmers nightmare, although I still prefer it to xp which I felt was too limiting, I’m waiting for a price drop before upgrading to windows 7.
July 18, 2010 at 3:54 am, Guyton455 said:
Thanks.
July 20, 2010 at 8:23 pm, John Wirt said:
This does NOT work. When I open Explorer there is no Layout button next to the Views button.
VIsta is like this. A pure pile of ….. It changes in unexpected ways everywhere you go.
What was the theory of design in Vista. Decide what to display in the same screen situation but whatever time of day it is?
Junk.
August 20, 2010 at 3:21 pm, Snarky said:
my vista was a little different but I figured it out. Thx!
October 11, 2010 at 5:43 pm, Emusker said:
thanks so much!
looked for like 10 min to try and find the option, never figured the default would be to ‘hide’ file extensions…
honestly the more people know about extensions, the less they’ll break their computer M$.
October 25, 2010 at 4:23 am, Newearth said:
thank you bosss
October 25, 2010 at 5:25 am, Mlwiltse said:
I was just trying to set a file association (Vista 32bit) to a new embroidery program. At somepoint I typed in the name of the program (embird) and all of the file types in 2000 files changed from .jef (the extension my machine looks for) to embird. I can’t figure out how to fix it or even how to get back to the window. Help!
January 16, 2011 at 2:47 am, SayNOTOPC said:
(Hide file extensions?) Really, M$ makes popups for everything attempting to make things easier (which doesn’t) then they name “Hide File extensions” which “show files extensions”….jesus christ – adios Billie gates…Screw windows dude, MAC here I come…I just can’t take it anymore..I don’t even want to TRY W7…forget it.
July 26, 2012 at 9:10 am, George said:
Thanks! Really helpful!
February 02, 2013 at 9:16 am, Ross said:
What if the “layout button” is not displayed? I’m looking for a “tools > options” menu (something fairly common – if not standard – on other apps) but not having any luck.
TIA
REP