Hide data in a secret text file compartment of Windows 8 / 7

The Windows operating system offers many tweaks and tricks. If you are aware of these, then you can complete your tasks quickly and in a simple way. You may never need to use any third-party software, if you are good at using those tricks. Among those many tweaks available, I will let you know, how to hide data in a secret text file compartment, created using a Notepad in Windows 8 / 7.

We normally save our bank account numbers, credit card numbers, important passwords and so on, in text files and place them on our desktop to access them easily.
 But, if your system is being shared with others, then there is chance of this information being compromised.
What I suggest is, follow this method of hiding data whenever necessary and remove those text files immediately once you are done with your work, as once anything is made, there are many ways to break it. This method makes use of the Alternate Data Streams of the NTFS file system, which Windows supports.

Hide data in a secret text file compartment

First open the command prompt in your Windows system and type the following command:
Syntax:

notepad FileName.txt:SecretWord.txt

Example Command:

notepad HideData.txt:FirstSecret.txt

Now, when you hit Enter, it says Cannot find the file specified at the location and asks whether to create or not. Just click ‘Yes’. Start typing into the file and save it.



The file shows a 0 KB size and it means there is nothing in that file.

So, the text which we wrote, is hidden in this file and if you double click the file to open it, you see nothing written in it. Even if someone opens it, they will see an empty text file, and can start typing data in to it. It does not affect our hidden data at all.

See and Edit the hidden data which was saved before
Now, if you want to see the hidden data, you need type the same command. You can even add some more data in this step itself.

If you want to add some more hidden data to the same file, then you need to use another secret word. This is not at all related to the data hidden with the first secret word.

Example Command:

notepad HideData.txt:SecondSecret.txt

None of them will have impact on either files or the main data. One thing to remember is, you need to go through command prompt to access the hidden data.

Now, when everything is done remove that text file completely using Shift+DEL and no one knows about that file any more.

This is a simple way to natively hide data in a text file of Windows. Use this tips whenever you need to save some confidential information for that span of time.

Old-school task switcher

Okay, okay, this won't cure any headaches, but it's just plain cool. By this point, most people know the age-old Alt + Tab keyboard command to quickly switch between open programs (and the desktop).
But did you know the classic Windows XP-style task switcher is still hidden within even the latest versions of Windows?

 

Picture 1: Old-Task Switcher

Just hold one Alt button, press and release the other Alt button (while still holding the first one), 

then start pressing Tab to rotate through software like it's 2001.

Browse all of the web or all of your PC from your taskbar

If your taskbar isn't already overflowing with software icons and their associated Jump Lists, you can add even more functionality with toolbars.

 

Picture 1: Browsing web from taskbar

Right-click on your taskbar once again, select Properties, then open the Toolbars tab.
A list of Windows' available toolbars appears/ Simply check the box next to ones you want to add to your taskbar and click OK. I like the Address and Desktop toolbars.
Address plops a URL bar in your taskbar, which you can use to browse directly to any website in your default browser.
Desktop adds a drop-down (drop-up?) menu you can use to browse to any folder or file on your PC.
Sweet!

DIY keyboard shortcuts

Windows has a ton of keyboard shortcuts baked right in, but you can roll your own to open the software of your choice lickety-split—no mouse-clicking or launcher-hunting required.

 

Picture 1: Program properties, Shortcut tab

 

 Right-click the program's launch icon and select Properties. Open the Shortcut tab, then click in the "Shortcut key" field and press the key you want to use to launch the program.
Windows will assign Ctrl + Alt + <key of your choice> as a keyboard shortcut to open the program.
It's a seriously useful trick, especially if you don't want to stuff your taskbar full of quick-launch program icons. Don't forget to click OK when you're done to save the shortcut.

Add new folders to File Explorer's Favorites

Another way to quickly open favored folders is, well, by adding them to the Favorites section at the top of File Explorer. The process for doing so isn't exactly obvious, however.

 

Picture 1: File Explorer Favorites

Drag the folder itself onto the Favorites icon in File Explorer's left-hand pane, or navigate to the chosen folder directly, then right-click the Favorites icon and select Add current location to Favorites.

Dropping common folders into Favorites is especially handy when it comes time to save files. If you wind up filling your Favorites with too much stuff, just right-click the icon in File Explorer and select Restore Favorites links to wipe the slate clean and bring back the default folders.

Increase the number of items in Jump Lists

If you come to lean heavily on Jump Lists (as yours truly does), there may eventually come a time when you have so many files pinned to programs that the default 10-item limit on Jump Lists just won't cut it. Fortunately, it's easy to alter the number of files displayed by Jump Lists.

Picture 1: Taskbar Properties

 
Right-click on the taskbar, select Properties, then open the Jump List tab in the dialog box that appears. Here, you'll find some basic tools that let you fiddle with how Jump Lists behave—including the number of items you want displayed when you open a Jump List. Set it to the number you desire (more than 15 to 20 gets unwieldy) and click OK to save your changes.

Pin common items to Jump Lists

You can also pin the custom search shortcut to the File Explorer Jump List, causing it to appear when you right-click File Explorer's taskbar icon. Which brings up another point: Jump Lists rock.

 

Picture 1: Pinning items 

 Right-clicking a taskbar icon brings up that's program's Jump List—quick links to the most recent files you've opened with that program. Got a file or template you open often? Pin it to the Jump List by dragging it onto the program's taskbar icon, or by clicking the pin icon to the right of the file name in the Jump List itself. Jump Lists can skirt around Windows' frustrating refusal to pin individual folders to the taskbar, pinning folders to the Jump List instead.

Windows' powerful, rarely used search tools

Most people search Windows using the Start menu or Windows 8's "start typing to search" Start screen. But for more granular results, try the search box in the upper-right corner of Windows Explorer.

The advanced search tools let you add fancy filters, from date and file type to Boolean operands.
This Microsoft page offers a full list of such commands in Windows 7.
In Windows 8, you'll find similar functionality in the Search Tools section of the File Explorer's Ribbon UI.

 

Picture 1: Search tools

You can create a shortcut to a custom search by simply dragging the magnifying-glass icon in the File Explorer location bar to the desired location. Clicking it will always give you up-to-date results.

Aero Snap desktop windows

One of the most appealing aspects of Windows 8's touch-friendly side is its ability to "Snap" multiple open apps side-by-side. The feature comes in very handy on the desktop as well if you need to start multitasking. Simply click an open window and drag it to the left or right edge of the screen to automatically resize it to fill that half of the desktop. Dragging a window to the top edge expands it to full screen.

 

Picture 1: Aero Snap

If you're more into keyboard commands, Windows key + left arrow, Windows key + right arrow, and Windows key + up arrow snaps the selected window in the same manner.

 

Add mouse-friendly checkboxes to icons

For every geek who swears by keyboard shortcuts, there are a dozen casual users who rely on their mice. Activating icon check-boxes lets you select multiple files to manage simultaneously, without having to hold down the Ctrl button as you click each one.

 

Picture 1: Mouse-friendly check-boxes

…unless you add check-boxes to Windows icons, that is. In Windows 7, type Folder options into the Start Menu's search bar. Next, open the "View" tab in the window that appears and ensure the "Use check boxes to select items" check-box is checked. In Windows 8, just open Windows Explorer, open the "View" tab, and check the "Item check boxes" box in the Show/Hide pane.

Erase the past

When you're shuffling files around willy-nilly, you're bound to accidentally drop one in the wrong folderor almost more irritating, errantly make copies of a slew of files rather than simply dragging them to a new location. Arrrrrrrrgh.

 

 Picture 1: Keyboard showing CTRL button

Rather than trying to track that missing file down or manually delete the legion of copies, whip out the universal Get Out of Jail Free card that, somewhat surprisingly, also works within Windows proper:  
Ctrl + Z
The keyboard shortcut undoes your last action, restoring order when chaos suddenly appears.

(Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V for copying and pasting, respectively, also work properly within Windows.)

Tweaking the Send To menu

What's that, you say?
None of the stock Send to options offer the ability to shuffle your files to the locations you commonly use?
Force the issue!

 

Picture 1: SendTo menu tweak

First, create shortcuts to the folder locations you're like to add to the Send To menu by right-clicking them, then selecting Send to > Desktop (create shortcut). Once that's done, open Windows Explorer, then type shell:sendto in the location bar at the top, followed by Enter. You'll be brought to the location that holds your Send To options; just drag and drop in the shortcuts to the folders you want to add to the tool.

More secret right-click options

Secret right-click options revealed by the Shift key don't end with file paths, though.

 

The basic Send to tool that appears as an option when you right-click on a file or folder is handy enough indeed, allowing you to move the item quickly to a handful of locations on your PC, add it to a .zip archive, or send it off in an email or fax.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg! Holding down the Shift key as you right-click a file or folder will add an absolute ton of new folder locations to the basic Send to menu.

Copy a file path to the Clipboard

Why would you ever want to copy a file path to the Windows Clipboard? 

Well, you may just want to tell someone how to browse to a common location for a given application.
I, however, use it to mark the spot of a local file I've found using Windows Explorer, so it'll be handy later — to upload photos to Facebook or document attachments to Outlook emails, for instance.

 

To copy a file path to your Clipboard, hold down the Shift key, right-click the file or folder you want, then select the newly revealed "Copy as Path" option.

Now you can paste the info wherever you'd like — including the "File name" portion of Browse dialog boxes, with no extra browsing required.

Quickly launch a new instance of a program

Those taskbar icons can also be used to quickly launch a second (or third, or fourth, or…) instance of a program — a fresh browser window alongside an already populated one, for instance, or another
Windows Explorer window.
Doing so is easy: Just hold down the Shift button, then open the program as you normally would, either via a left click of the mouse or the aforementioned quick-launch keyboard trick.
Boom!
A new, clean version of the software appears alongside the one you already have open.

Picture 1: Chrome instances

It's easy, ain't it?

Launch taskbar programs with your keyboard

This is one of simple secrets of Windows.

Have you ever knew that you can launch taskbar programs with your keyboard?

 

Picture 1: Taskbar programs 

Many of us — especially users of the Start Menu-less Windows 8 — use the Windows taskbar as a quick launch bar, populating it with our day-to-day programs.
Opening those programs is as simple as clicking them, but there's actually a faster way to launch software on your taskbar: Simple keyboard combinations.
Every program to the right of the Start button is assigned its own numerical shortcut, with the first program being "1," the second being "2," and so on, all the way to the 10th taskbar shortcut, which gets "0." Pressing the Windows key, plus the number of the program you want to open, launches it. For example, in the image at left, pressing Win + 3 launches the Chrome browser.