WinHide

WinHide is an approachable piece of software that enables you to hide and optionally encrypt folders on your computer, in order to protect all containing files, even inside subfolders.

It includes several handy options that can be configured by all types of users interested in protecting personal data from other people they share their computers with.

Setup and password protection

Setting it up takes minimal time and effort, thanks to the fact that there are no complicated wizard steps. At the first run, it’s necessary to password-protect the application with a key which shall be required every time you want to start it. This cannot be later changed into a new password, so you should make sure to remember it.

Hide directories and encrypt filenames

The main app window has a clear-cut appearance and neatly organized structure, where you can add as many folders as you want to lock to the list. Once hidden, they become invisible to other PC users and can only be accessed from this program. Filenames can be optionally encrypted, while the status of the folders can be changed to visible anytime.

Another notable aspect is that the access password is not requested when attempting to uninstall WinHide, which means that anyone can remove it from the computer and gain access to the locked directories.

Evaluation and conclusion

The software application hasn’t received updates for a pretty long time and this is probably why we failed to get it up and running in optimal conditions on newer Windows versions in our tests. It worked smoothly on older editions, though. CPU and RAM usage was minimal, so it didn’t hamper the computer’s performance.

To wrap it up, WinHide doesn’t bring anything new to the table when it comes to folder protection and doesn’t work properly on later Windows. However, you can count on it if you’re running an older edition on a weaker hardware configuration.

Since work in various domains also implies a computer, depending on the activity you might need multiple tools simultaneously running, which can be difficult to manage or view at a certain point. Luckily, with the help of applications like WinHide.SB you can organize windows in a more clever manner using hotkeys for quick access.

Fully hide the application

The application spends most of its time hidden in the system tray for more comfort, and you can even make it completely stealthy by removing the system tray icon, as well as the Task Manager entry. Take into consideration the integrated option to make it run at startup and complete stealth is ensured.

Show or hide windows with hotkeys

In order to be cleverly used with what the application has to actually offer, a fully functional hotkey system is implemented. Unfortunately, combinations are limited to either one of the special keys, whether or not to use the Win key, as well as any other one on the keyboard.

This is not necessarily an issue, because the list of functions that can be programmed is pretty decent so you don’t get overwhelmed with configurations. The two menus with which you get to work the most for showing and hiding windows can be set, a main menu, and the possibility to quickly hide the active window.

Clever sorting of active windows

What’s more, in a somewhat similar manner, the application allows you to work with multiple desktops. This is not in the literal sense, but hidden windows no longer appear as active in the task bar, and a new instance is launched if running it again, with currently opened ones still running in the background.

Differentiation is easily done through the window name which you view either in the show or hide window menus. Furthermore, specialized lists can be created either to permanently hide windows, and this comes in handy for automated processes that don’t need attending, as well as a “hot” list that provides quick access to a set of windows.

A few last words

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that WinHide.SB is a practical application overall and allows you to organize your work space in a more efficient manner, similarly as you would with multiple desktops. The possibility to eliminate the trace of nearly any window lets you find items of need significantly faster.