As you well know, when we install a program in Windows 10, it automatically appears in the list of programs and everyone who uses our computer will be able to see it. It may have ever crossed your mind to hide some of the tools that you have in the operating system, well, there are three ways to achieve it, which we are going to explain to you.
Windows 10 doesn’t really have any explicitly and natively created way to hide installed programs, but we do have three ways to fix it.
For these ways to come to fruition we must follow the steps that we are going to indicate in the fair way that we show them, since, if we make a mistake, we could create a system failure, since we are going to enter sensitive parts of Windows such as the Registry Editor.
The reasons for hiding the programs that we have installed can be various, such as:
- Install an app from Parental control and not wanting it to be seen in case the smallest of the house realize that it is there.
- Hide apps that we don’t want anyone else to use, especially if we share the computer with family or friends. Of this, only we will use according to what software.
- It might be a work computer and we have installed a game. In this way it will not be seen that it exists.
These are some reasons why we might want to hide software, now let’s see how it’s done.
The three forms that we have are the ones that you will be able to read below.
By Windows Registry Editor
With this system we will create a new DWORD value in the Windows Registry, which will mark the programs that we want to hide.
The steps are quite simple, but you must be very careful.
- We press the key Windows + R.
- Now in the window Run we wrote Regedit and click on To accept.
- As we are already in the Registry Editor, we must find the following location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Uninstall
- For 32-bit applications installed on a 64-bit PC, you should go to this location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SOFTWARE Wow6432Node Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Uninstall
- Now inside the Uninstal folder we choose which application we want to hide. We are going to do it with DaemonTools.
- We click with the right mouse button on the Daemons Tools folder, we choose New and then DWORD value (32 bits).
- We change the name of the new value to SystemComponent and we double click on said value to then enter 1 in the field of information, then giving To accept.
- Immediately we close Registry Editor.
From that moment on, the application, in our case Daemon Tools, will be completely hidden every time someone goes to the list of applications.
If we want it to reappear, we just have to carry out the same steps but eliminating the SystemComponent value.
Using the Group Policy Editor
The Policy editor group is a complement MMC (Microsoft Management Console) with which we can manage the configuration of policies in objects of different groups.
This Editor works on Windows 10 Pro and higher versions, so in Windows 10 Home it comes deactivated.
- We press the keys Windows + R, we wrote gpedit.msc and we click on To accept to enter Group Policy Editor.
- Then we must go to the following location: User Configuration> Administrative Templates> Control Panel> Programs
- Now in the right panel we double click on Hide the “Programs and Features” page.
- Once we can select Activated.
- Now click on Apply and then in To accept so that everything we just did is saved.
This is another way to go to the system applications and see how a message comes out saying that The system administrator has disabled programs and features with all installed applications hidden.
If we want the applications to be seen again, just edit the policy again and select Not configured. Only that.
Use third-party software
The tool that we are going to use is called Hide From Uninstall List and what it allows us is to hide one or more software configurations in the Windows Programs configuration.
In this way we will achieve the same as in the previous case, but no type of message will appear warning that the administrator has done nothing.
Its operation is very simple:
- As is evident we must download and run (no installation required) Hide From Uninstall List.
- Now we click with the right button of the mouse on the application that we want and choose Hide from Programs and Features List.
- If what we want is to hide all the applications, we just have to click on Edit and then click on Select all.
- Then, once they are all selected, we just have to right-click on any of them, to click Hide from Programs and Features List.
If we want them to be shown again, we just have to click on the hidden program or programs and this time give the option to Show.
As you have seen, it is extremely easy to ensure that our Windows programs do not appear in the list in order to pretend that we do not have them installed. It doesn’t matter which option you choose, because they all work very well.