Linux is a powerful operating system that is often thought to be challenging due to its capabilities. However, modern Linux distributions prove this wrong. Linux has hidden files, which are files that are not visible by default. These files are unencrypted and can be viewed by anyone who knows where they are and how to view them. Hidden files are not password-protected, so it is not safe to keep sensitive information like bank accounts and passwords in them.

To create hidden files, you need a running instance of Linux, as hidden files are available to all Linux distributions. You can create hidden files from both the command line and the GUI file manager. In the command line, you can create a file named .hidden_file using the “touch” or “nano” command. To view or edit hidden files, you need to issue the command “ls -a” instead of just “ls”. In the GUI file manager, you can use the Nautilus file manager to create a hidden file. You can click Ctrl+H to enable or disable the viewing of hidden files. To create a hidden file in Nautilus, you need to create a TXT Template and rename the file to start with a period.

Although hidden files cannot keep sensitive information secure, they can keep files out of plain sight. Hidden files are useful for files that do not require encryption.

Once you’ve created your hidden file, it’s important to remember that it’s not encrypted or password-protected. This means that anyone with access to your system and some knowledge of Linux can view the contents of the file. Therefore, it’s important not to store sensitive information such as passwords, bank account details, or other confidential information in hidden files.

However, if you want to simply keep a file out of plain sight, hidden files are a great option. They can be particularly useful if you want to store files that you don’t want cluttering up your workspace or files that you don’t need to access very often.

Using hidden files from the command line is relatively simple. You can create a hidden file using the “touch” command, followed by the name of the file starting with a period, such as “.hidden_file”. Alternatively, you can use the “nano” command to create and edit the file in one step.

To view or edit hidden files from the command line, you need to use the “ls -a” command. This will display all files, including hidden files. To edit a hidden file, you can use a text editor such as “nano” or “vi”.

Using hidden files from a GUI file manager, such as GNOME Files (Nautilus), is even simpler. By default, hidden files are not visible in the file manager, but you can easily show them by pressing the “Ctrl+H” keyboard shortcut. To create a hidden file in GNOME Files, you can create a text file using a template, then rename the file with a leading period.

Hidden files can be a useful way to keep files out of plain sight, but they should not be used to store sensitive information. Whether you’re using the command line or a GUI file manager, creating and working with hidden files in Linux is straightforward and easy to do.