Fix Extracted Files or Files Not Showing in Folder Windows 10

Files not showing in folder in Window 10 or extracted files now showing up may occur due to various reasons. You can fix files not showing up issue and restore lost data by using a file recovery tool. Or show hidden files by using File Explorer Options or CMD.

Here are the effective solutions to fix files not showing up issue. 

Issue: Files Not Showing Up in Folder Windows 10

Case 1: Files Not Showing in the Folder Windows 10 

"When I connect my USB drive to PC and try to open a folder for data transfer, I couldn't see any files. I'm quite sure that I have stored some important working documents there. It seems that something goes wrong and makes the files not showing in the folder. Is there any way to find and retrieve my data back?"

Case 2: Extracted Files Not Showing Up

"I am attempting to write a command that calls 7-zip from the command line. My command is: 7z x z:\dev\archive.7z. Anytime I run this command in the command prompt, it acts like it's working, but when I navigate to the folder after the fact, the extracted files aren't there, although they are there if I run 7-zip from the contextual menu. Is there something I'm missing here?" - A user problem from stackoverflow.com

As you can see from the two situations above, the issue of files not showing up in a folder usually happens in two cases: folder not showing files in Windows File Explorer and extracted files not showing up. And sometimes, you may also get an error message that says "This folder is empty". If you are also a victim encountering these two problems and can't see files in a folder on a hard disk, USB drive, or other memory storage devices, you can use the following four data recovery solutions to find a way out. 

Note: Here, if you encounter a "folder won't open" issue and are prevented from accessing your data, refer to how to fix File Explorer won't open in Windows 10 to get a solution. 

What Are My Files Not Showing Up 

Many factors can cause files not showing in the folder or Windows Explorer not showing extracted files. The most possible reason is your files are hidden. Other factors might be some malware or virus attacking your disk and hiding or even deleting your files so that you won't see them in the folder. Some users also report that problems with compression tools can also cause your files to not be displayed.

Whatever the cause might be, try the solutions below to fix files not showing up issue. 

Fix 1. Using File Recovery Software to Find Files Not Showing Up 

To avoid data overwriting or more file loss during solving the problem, the safest way to restore missing files or extracted files is by applying a file recovery tool. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is reliable and competent to retrieve hidden, deleted, formatted, and corrupted files in any complex situation. 

EaseUS data recovery software does well in recovering files from emptied Recycle Bin, formatted or damaged hard drive, USB, Pen drive, and SD card. What's more, this tool is also good at repairing corrupted mp4 videos, photos, and documents. 

Step 1. Launch EaseUS file recovery software on your Windows computer. Choose the exact location where you lost the files and click the "Search for Lost Data" button.

Step 2. The software will immediately start scanning the drive, and the deleted files will be displayed soon. If you find the files you need during the scan, you can stop the scan. In order to find the target file quickly, you can use the file format filter or search in the search box.

Step 3. Select files, such as Word, Excel, PDF, photos, videos, or emails and click the "Recover" button. You can browse for a different location or Cloud drive to keep the recovered files.

Fix 2. Show Hidden Files to Fix Files Not Showing in Folder Windows 10

If you don't want to use a third-party program to get back lost files, try to make files show up by using the unhide feature in Windows. 

Step 1. Click on "Start". In the search box, type folder options, and press Enter. 

Step 2. In the File Explorer Options window, click on the "View" tab. 

Step 3. Check the option "Show hidden files, folders or drives". Also, uncheck "Hide protected operating system files" and "Hide extensions for known file types".

Step 4. Click the "OK" button to save all the changes. 

Most time, these steps will help you unhide missing folders/files that were hidden due to the human operation or virus attack. So, open the folder to check if your files are showing up. If this solution does not help, try the next way.

Fix 3. Using CMD to Show Files or Extracted Files

Step 1. Click on "Start". In the search box, type cmd.

Step 2. Right-click the Command Prompt and choose "Run as administrator".

Step 3. Type attrib -h -r -s /s /d e:*.* and hit Enter.  (Replace e: with the drive letter of your device where want to show files).

The command will quickly find and recover your hidden files or folders. When it is finished, refresh and check your external hard disk or USB drive, you will find that files not showing in folder issue is fixed, and all your files are there. 

Fix 4. Use Another Zip Tool

If your extracted files still don't show up after trying the above methods, you can switch to another compression tool, such as WinZip, WinRAR, 7-Zip, Zip Archiver, etc.

Concluding Words

Hope this article can help you resolve files not showing up issue and get back your data efficiently. To recover deleted or lost files, you can use EaseUS file recovery software. It not only supports data recovery but also fixes corrupted photos, videos, Word, Excel, PDF, and other files. 

If your files are hidden and not showing up in a folder, you can display hidden files by using File Explorer Options and CMD. To fix extracted files not showing up problem, try to use another zip tool to troubleshoot.