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How to open hidden applications on Android. How to hide applications on Android. Hide an app through settings

Is there any way to remove a program from the list of installed programs in the Programs and Features section?

You can hide a program from the program list different ways. I'll tell you about everything I know. The methods discussed in this article apply to all versions of the operating system. Windows systems: from Windows XP to Windows 10.

Why hide programs from the program list?

Sometimes when alone shared computer Multiple users may need to hide programs. There may be different reasons. I think that those who read this article themselves know why they need this.

By the way, for those who are new to us, here are a couple of similar useful articles. Here we told you how. And in the article “” - how to quickly hide a folder on the desktop. This is not the most reliable method. If you need something more reliable, I can recommend the method discussed in the article “”. Find everything else yourself using the site search form.

How to hide a program from the program list

Suppose we need to hide Notepad program++. As you can see, it is displayed in the list of programs.

In order to hide an entry about a program, you need to tinker a little in the registry. So, launch the “Run” window using the Win+R key combination.

Enter “regedit.exe” and click OK.

Then we find the Uninstall folder in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

In my case, the application is 32-bit and the operating system is 64-bit. In such a severe case, you should look for the application in this thread:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

This section is responsible for generating a list of installed programs that the user sees in the Control Panel in the “Programs and Features” menu.

Now we find the program branch that needs to be hidden (in my particular case, the name of the branch is the same as the name of the application - Notepad++).

After this, we create a DWORD parameter. This is done like this: somewhere on empty space Right-click and select “New” and “DWORD Value”.

By right-clicking on it and selecting “Rename”, let’s name it “SystemComponent”.

Now let's click on it right click mouse and select “Change”.

Then change its value from “0” to “1”, and then click “OK”.

Well, now the best part is, go to the “Programs and Features” section and use the F5 key to update the list of programs. If everything was done correctly, then the program should be hidden.

There is an alternative way to hide an installed program in Windows. To do this, you need to change the key name “DisplayName” to “QuietDisplayName” in the same branch.

This method may not work, so use the first method, which always works without critical days and never fails.

How to disable hiding programs

To return everything as it was before, i.e. To disable the hiding mode for a particular program, you need to delete the “SystemComponent” parameter we created in the program branch. And if you hid the program using the second method, then you need to rename the “DisplayName” parameter back, removing the word “Quiet”.

Using hidden programs

Work with hidden programs possible as before. And if you need to hide a program within a certain script, then in this case you can use this command:

REG ADD "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Notepad++" /v SystemComponent /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Click if we cannot copy the command text.

In this article, I clearly showed how to hide a program from the list of installed programs. If you know of any other way to hide installed Windows program, write about it in the comments.

In the future, in a continuation of this article, I will tell you how to hide a program service. Therefore, if you have not yet subscribed to us on social networks, I highly recommend doing so now. That's all. Good luck friends!

If there is a need to hide something on your device running Android system, then there are many ways to do this. Let's look at each of them.

How to hide files on Android

You can hide files on Android either using Root rights or without them.

If you have Root rights, you can:

  • put a dot in front of the file name to hide it from viewing;
  • create a .nomedia file using ES Explorer and place it in the folder whose contents you want to hide;
  • install AppHider for applications or Hexlock for files, applications and other personal information.

    • If you don't have Root rights, you can:

  • put a dot in front of the file name and make it hidden;
  • create a .nomedia file on your PC or laptop, connect the device to the PC and transfer the created file to the folder that you want to hide;
  • hide application icons in Settings;
  • set Hide All Files for files, Hide Something for photos and videos, Apex to hide application icons.

    • How to find out if your device is Rooted

    To find out if your phone has Root rights, do the following:

  • Enter “download root checker” in the search bar.
  • Download and install the Root Checker program.
  • Click on the button with the appropriate name in the “Root Check” tab.

    Click on the "CHECK ROOT" button in Root application Checker

  • After this, you will see information about the presence or absence of Root rights on the phone.

    • Video: how to use Root Checker

    If you have Root rights

    If you have Root rights, you can hide files by renaming them to “ES Explorer”, creating a .nomedia file or installing the program Hexlock App Lock.

    Renaming files in ES Explorer

    To hide a file in ES Explorer:

  • Download the app from Play Market and install it.
  • Launch and scroll the main menu to the right or left. Select the desired folder and open it.
  • Long press to highlight the file and
  • Place a dot in front of the name and confirm your choice by clicking “OK”.

    • If you want to hide a group of files:

  • Long press to highlight all the files you want to hide.
  • Click on the "Rename" button.
  • In the window that opens, select the second item and put a dot in the input field. This way you won't have to give each file a new name: it will consist of a dot and the old name. You don't have to change the extension. Click OK.

    Select the second list item, enter a period in the name field, click “OK”

  • After this, the files will be hidden. To view them, expand sidebar applications, and select “Show hidden files" Set the switch to the On position.

    Set the switch to On to view hidden files

    • Creating a .nomedia file in ES Explorer

    To create a .nomedia file in ES Explorer, do the following:

  • Download, install and launch the application.
  • In the list of folders, select the one whose contents will be hidden. Enter it.
  • From the menu at the bottom of the screen, select New - Create File. In the name field, write “.nomedia”. Confirm your selection by clicking "OK".
  • You will see a notification that the .nomedia file has been created.

    • Video: how to hide files using .nomedia in ES Explorer

    Hexlock installation

    Hexlock is free application, which allows you to hide all types of data, as well as personal information user (SMS and contact list). Downloaded from the official store.

    To hide files using Hexlock, do the following:

  • Open Play Maket. Find, download and install the application.
  • When starting, decide on the type of protection: PIN code, graphic password or fingerprint scanner. Choose what suits you best. Repeat twice.
  • From the side menu, select Media Vault. Click on the button with the plus sign, select a folder and files in it to add them to the storage. Click on the ADD TO VAULT button.
  • Files that you have hidden will not be viewable.

    • To recover hidden files:

  • Open the application. Depending on what you have set as security, enter a PIN code, picture password, or scan your fingerprint.
  • From the side menu, select Media Vault. All previously hidden files will be displayed there.
  • Highlight with a long press what you are going to restore, click on the restore button in the form of a crossed out padlock icon at the bottom of the screen and select Restore in the Restore From Vault selection confirmation window.
  • The files will be restored.

    • Video: Hexlock app review

    If there are no Root rights

    If you do not have Root rights, you can hide files by putting a dot in front of the name, creating a .nomedia file, or installing the Hide All Files application.

    Dot before file name

    To hide a file this way, do the following:

  • Open File Manager. It can be standard, or it can be downloaded from the Play Market.
  • Go to the folder you need. Long press to select the files you want to hide.
  • Click on the "Rename" button.
  • In the input field, place a period before the file name.
  • Confirm your choice by clicking OK/Done. Close the application.
  • Go to your device's Settings, select Apps, and then All. In the list of suggested ones, open those that you use to view audio/video/photos and click on “Erase data”.

    • When renaming an audio recording, its name should not be separated by a hyphen or dash. Otherwise the file will not be hidden.

    Create a .nomedia file on your PC and transfer it to the desired folder

    The .nomedia file will hide all files from a folder whose contents you do not want to be revealed. To create it, do the following:

  • Connect your smartphone to your PC or laptop. Create a new one on your desktop Text Document, leave it blank and resave as .nomedia. From the list of file types, select All Files.
  • Move the .nomedia file to the desired location. If you need to hide a file from a folder placed in another, you can place it in the root directory. If you are concerned about the safety of your files, then it is better to create new folder, insert .nomedia into it and then transfer what you need to hide.
    Place nomedia file to the folder you need
  • Clear application data in “Settings” by following the path: “Settings” - “Applications” - “All” - “Gallery” / “Music” / any program that you used to display hidden files - “Erase data”. More details about this point are written above.
  • Your data that you hid will no longer be displayed, and the folder containing it will be marked as empty and will not be displayed either.

    • If you don’t want to create a file from scratch every time, copy it to a previously created empty folder and then place it wherever you need it.

    Setting Hide All Files

    Hide All Files allows you to hide absolutely any type of file, including documents Microsoft Office, PDF, EPUB, as well as images, videos and audio recordings.

    To hide files using Hide All Files:

  • Find the application in the Play Market, install and open it.
  • Come up with strong password to login and click OK.

    Enter your password and click OK

  • Examine the list of all folders with files in the Public tab. The app only displays what's stored on the memory card, so if you need to hide something, move it there.
  • Select the folder you want, scrolling down the list if necessary.

    Select the files that you want to hide and click on the button with the image of a lock.

    • Select the files you want to hide and click on the padlock button

    To view hidden files, go to the Private tab. To restore them, check the boxes next to them and click on the button with the image of a lock.

    Select the files to be restored and click on the button with the image of a lock

    How to hide a photo or video on Android

    You can hide photos or video files using any of the methods described above: rename them, place them in the .nomedia folder, or download an application to hide them.

    If you have Root rights, then you can use Hexlock - an application that allows you to hide all types of files, not just photos and videos. It is described in more detail in the section “How to hide files on Android”.

    If you do not have Root rights, then install the Hide Something application. It's free, but it does its job perfectly.

  • To hide photos and videos with Hide Something, do the following:
  • Login to the Play Market, find the application, download it and open it.
  • Select the folder you are interested in from the list and open it. In the list of images, click on the ones you want to hide, and then click on the button with a ghost.

    Select the files you are interested in and click on the button with the image of a ghost

  • In the dialog box, click OK. The images along with the folder will be hidden.

    Click "OK" to hide files

  • To view and restore hidden images go to the “Invisible” tab. Open the folder, select the images and click on the restore button with the eye image. In the dialog box, click OK.

    • How to hide apps

    If you have superuser rights, you can use Hide It Pro or the same Hexlock to hide certain applications. If there are no such rights, then only their icons can be hidden.

    If you have Root rights

    If you have Root rights, then you can use the Hide It Pro and Hexlock App Lock programs.

    Installing Hide It Pro

    To hide apps using Hide It Pro, do the following:

  • Launch the application. When it loads, click on the logo image and hold it for a while. This way, the application will be hidden from prying eyes.

    Click on the logo image to launch all application functions

  • Enter your password and PIN. After this, the main application menu will open.
  • Select Hide Apps.

    Select Hide Apps

  • Agree to install the plugin. At the warning about the need for superuser rights, click OK.
  • Open the All Applications tab. Select the apps you would like to hide and click OK.

    • Installing Hexlock App Lock

    To hide apps using Hexlock App Lock:

  • Launch the application. If you have already launched the application, then enter the same password/PIN code; if not, come up with a new one.
  • Choose one of three modes:
    • “Home” is a set of applications that you use while connected to your home network;
    • “Work” - similar to the network at work;
    • "School".
  • From the list of all applications, select those that you would like to hide and turn the switch next to them to the “Enabled” state.
  • Go to your profile. You can automate the connection by selecting the appropriate button in the menu and checking the box next to your home/work network.
  • After this, the applications will be protected with a password or PIN code, and unauthorized access to them will be excluded.

    • In the absence of Root rights

    If you do not have Root rights, then try hiding application icons in the settings or use the Apex application.

    Hide application icons in settings

    If you have applications that you don’t use, you can’t delete them, and the icons are in the way, then you can hide them. To do this:

  • Go to your device's Settings and select Applications.
  • Scroll to the All tab.
  • Select the application whose icon you want to hide. Click on it.
  • Find the "Disable" button. If it is blocked, click on the “Stop” button. Then confirm your choice by clicking “OK”.

    Click on the “Stop” button and on “OK”

    • Installing Apex Launcher

    A similar result can be achieved by installing a third-party launcher - an application that will automatically hide everything unnecessary icons. For example, you can use Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher.

    Let's look at the algorithm using Apex as an example:

  • Launch the launcher. Go to Apex Settings by double-clicking on an empty space.
  • In Settings, select Application Menu Settings.
  • Find the "Hidden Applications" item. Open it and check the boxes of those applications whose icons you would like to hide.
  • Click on "Save".

    • Video: How to use Apex Launcher

    How to hide a specific folder

    You can hide a folder in exactly the same way as a file:

  • rename it by putting a dot in front of the name;
  • place the .nomedia file in it. It will be considered empty and will not be displayed;
  • use apps. They will hide all the files contained in the folder; it will also be considered empty and will not be displayed.

    • How to set a password for a hidden element

    You can lock the entire device. For these purposes it is used:

  • standard pin code. Go to “Settings” - “Location and Security”. Select PIN;
  • graphic key;
  • password. A compromise option between a PIN code and a graphic key.

    • You can only block some specific folder or file. For this:

  • Download from the Play Market and install any application that allows you to hide files.
  • Set a password or pattern.
  • Select files from the folder you want to hide. Confirm your choice.

    • You can use for this purpose both applications that require Root access and applications that do not require any additional rights. All of them equally allow you to set a password and protect your data from unauthorized access.

    Video: how to put a password on files and folders in Applocker

    How to Find and Open Hidden Items in Android System

    Hidden items can be found using the built-in File Manager. To do this, just open it and see which file/folder names begin with a dot.

    For the same purpose, you can use ES Explorer:

  • Launch the application. Open the side menu and find the “Show hidden files” item.

    Find the item “Show hidden files” and set the switch to the “Enabled” position

  • Set the switch to the On position.
  • Scroll through the menu to a list of all folders and files. The icons of hidden files and folders will be translucent.

    • Apart from this, you can connect your device to your laptop or PC and check for hidden files there. For this:

  • Connect your smartphone to your laptop/PC.
  • Open the folder in Explorer where you would like to find hidden files.
  • If you have not previously made them hidden in Windows, they will be displayed.
  • If you did, then go to “Start” - “Control Panel” - “Appearance and Personalization”. Select Folder Options and then the View tab. In chapter " Extra options» Click “Show hidden files, folders...” and confirm your choice by clicking “OK”. Hidden files will appear.

    • Video: how to open hidden files using ES Explorer

    How to open hidden items without a password if they are password-protected

    This is only feasible in 2 cases:

  • if the files were protected only graphic password for the entire device, and this password was bypassed;
  • if the files are in a password-protected archive, but cannot be opened, you can only view them.

    • To bypass a picture password:

  • enter Google account(keep your address Email and password secret);
  • delete the gesture.key file manually (do not download or install file manager Aroma);
  • delete the gesture.key file via additional user(don't create additional account with SuperSu and multiplayer mode if this is not necessary);
  • reset settings to factory defaults.

    • You will only be able to view the names and types of files in a password-protected archive, but you will not be able to extract or open them.

    Enter the password to unpack the archive in the Easy Unrar, Unzip & Zip application

    Share with your friends!

    In this post we will show how to hide any program from the list of installed ones in the Control Panel. Instructions apply to everyone Windows versions, starting with Windows XP and ending with the latest builds of Windows 10.

    How to hide a specific program from the Programs and Features list in Windows

    Let's say our task is to hide a record about installed archiver 7-Zip. Open Control Panel, go to section ProgramsandFeatures(Programs and Features) and make sure that the entry 7-zip 16.04 (x64) is present in the list of installed software.

    In order to hide an entry about a program, you will need to make small changes to the registry. For this:


    The application is also hidden from the list of installed programs in modern panel Windows management 10 (Settings -> Applications).

    If you need to hide a program within a certain scenario or script, you can use the following command:

    REG ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\7-zip" /v SystemComponent /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

    Advice. There is another alternative way hide the program. To do this, just change the key name in the same branch DisplayName on QuietDisplayName.

    To disable the hiding mode for a program, just delete the SystemComponent parameter or rename the DisplayName parameter, removing the word Quiet, changing the value of the SystemComponent key to 0 (command: REG ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\7-zip" / v SystemComponent /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f), or by deleting it.

    Advice. If, in addition to an entry about a program, you need to hide the service corresponding to it, you can use the information from the article.

    In the specified way can't be hidden system programs, such as a set of C++ libraries or the .NET Framework.

    Hiding all installed programs from the user

    If you want to completely prevent users from showing the list installed applications in Programs and Features, this can be done using the gpedit.msc policy editor. Launch the policy editor, go to the section User Configuration –> Administrative Templates –> Control Panel –> Programs and enable the policy Hide the Programs and Features page.

    Update the policies using the gpupdate /force command and check that the Programs and Features window in Control Panel is not accessible to the user. The control panel will display the entry “ System administrator"Disabled the Programs and Features component."

    In today's material we will talk to you about how to hide an application on Android. We will not consider the ethical side this issue. It doesn’t matter for what reasons you want to do this: hide a VKontakte application from a girl, hide a photo gallery from your wife, or simply remove a program you don’t regret from your eyes, all this can be done using special programs.

    There is no point in considering the method of disabling applications in the settings, since this method does not work on most programs. The task is to hide the icon from the Android desktop, and the program itself can be launched.

    Let's move on to the list of the most popular programs, with which you can hide applications in android. Note that they work on system 2.3 and higher. Some of them may require .

    If you have forgotten your password, enter 123456789+987654321.

    This is not a complete list existing utilities that will help you hide necessary files. There are many more of them, we are just talking about the most popular ones, in our opinion.

    Conclusion. If you don’t want to delve into the settings for a long time, choose the first or third. For those who want to completely change the settings of their phone - 2.

    That's all. Write in the comments what did you choose and why?


    Sometimes we need to hide some of the applications from the home screen or from the list of applications on our phone in order to prevent too nosy people from knowing what they should not know. And of course, there are ways to hide Android apps.

    How to hide apps on Samsung


    if you have samsung device, then you are in luck, because the protection policy Samsung smartphones doesn't just hide applications, but actually creates separate versions of them. So, for example, a notes app might have one set of notes when you open it outside of Secure Folder, and a completely different set of notes when you access it through Secure Folder. The folder, for its part, can be locked using a PIN code, password or biometric data. Biometric data can be a fingerprint, iris or face (on advanced models, such as Galaxy S8/S8+ and ). This system allows only you to use separate versions of applications - protected and open. Another option is to go to Settings>Display>Home Screen>Hide Apps and select the app icons you want to hide, although in this case they will still be in the search results or in general list applications.

    How to hide apps on LG

    Go to Settings > Display > Main screen» > Hide Apps and you will see a list of apps that you can hide. LG has a built-in option to hide apps in the interface, so you can simply tap Hide Apps on the home screen or in the app settings menu and choose which apps you don't want to show.

    Hide apps on your HTC smartphone

    Last HTC phone The U11 and some other HTC models come with Sense. With them, the option to hide an application is available through the application settings (three-dot menu at the top): 1. On the “Applications” screen, click “Show / Hide Applications”. 2. Select the apps you want to hide or clear your bookmarks to make them appear again. 3. Click Finish.

    Other Android smartphones

    If you're using a phone with an interface that doesn't allow you to hide apps, there's a workaround you can try. It consists of using third-party launchers, such as Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher. This universal solution, which may not be to everyone's taste, but for some users it is the only option.

    Video instructions - how to hide applications in Android