diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6ffc8212..09ffecab 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -451,6 +451,8 @@ note:
 
 if you add/remove a tag from `mte` you will need to run with `-e2tsr` once to rebuild the database, otherwise only new files will be affected
 
+but instead of using `-mte`, `-mth` is a better way to hide tags in the browser: these tags will not be displayed by default, but they still get indexed and become searchable, and users can choose to unhide them in the settings pane
+
 `-mtm` can be used to add or redefine a metadata mapping, say you have media files with `foo` and `bar` tags and you want them to display as `qux` in the browser (preferring `foo` if both are present), then do `-mtm qux=foo,bar` and now you can `-mte artist,title,qux`
 
 tags that start with a `.` such as `.bpm` and `.dur`(ation) indicate numeric value
diff --git a/copyparty/__main__.py b/copyparty/__main__.py
index ef881ad7..f5b7e85f 100644
--- a/copyparty/__main__.py
+++ b/copyparty/__main__.py
@@ -341,7 +341,9 @@ def run_argparse(argv, formatter):
     ap2.add_argument("--no-mtag-ff", action="store_true", help="never use FFprobe as tag reader")
     ap2.add_argument("-mtm", metavar="M=t,t,t", type=u, action="append", help="add/replace metadata mapping")
     ap2.add_argument("-mte", metavar="M,M,M", type=u, help="tags to index/display (comma-sep.)",
-        default="circle,album,.tn,artist,title,.bpm,key,.dur,.q,.vq,.aq,ac,vc,res,.fps")
+        default="circle,album,.tn,artist,title,.bpm,key,.dur,.q,.vq,.aq,vc,ac,res,.fps")
+    ap2.add_argument("-mth", metavar="M,M,M", type=u, help="tags to hide by default (comma-sep.)",
+        default=".vq,.aq,vc,ac,res,.fps")
     ap2.add_argument("-mtp", metavar="M=[f,]bin", type=u, action="append", help="read tag M using bin")
 
     ap2 = ap.add_argument_group('appearance options')
diff --git a/copyparty/authsrv.py b/copyparty/authsrv.py
index 9b2a91b2..3c786df6 100644
--- a/copyparty/authsrv.py
+++ b/copyparty/authsrv.py
@@ -624,9 +624,11 @@ class AuthSrv(object):
                 if k1 in vol.flags:
                     vol.flags[k2] = True
 
-            # default tag-list if unset
+            # default tag cfgs if unset
             if "mte" not in vol.flags:
                 vol.flags["mte"] = self.args.mte
+            if "mth" not in vol.flags:
+                vol.flags["mth"] = self.args.mth
 
             # append parsers from argv to volume-flags
             self._read_volflag(vol.flags, "mtp", self.args.mtp, True)
diff --git a/copyparty/httpcli.py b/copyparty/httpcli.py
index 72420d36..858ae279 100644
--- a/copyparty/httpcli.py
+++ b/copyparty/httpcli.py
@@ -1755,7 +1755,7 @@ class HttpCli(object):
             "acct": self.uname,
             "perms": json.dumps(perms),
             "taglist": [],
-            "tag_order": [],
+            "def_hcols": [],
             "have_up2k_idx": ("e2d" in vn.flags),
             "have_tags_idx": ("e2t" in vn.flags),
             "have_mv": (not self.args.no_mv),
@@ -1952,8 +1952,8 @@ class HttpCli(object):
         j2a["logues"] = logues
         j2a["taglist"] = taglist
 
-        if "mte" in vn.flags:
-            j2a["tag_order"] = json.dumps(vn.flags["mte"].split(","))
+        if "mth" in vn.flags:
+            j2a["def_hcols"] = vn.flags["mth"].split(",")
 
         if self.args.css_browser:
             j2a["css"] = self.args.css_browser
diff --git a/copyparty/web/browser.html b/copyparty/web/browser.html
index d39a405c..abd3fd6d 100644
--- a/copyparty/web/browser.html
+++ b/copyparty/web/browser.html
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@
 	<script>
 		var acct = "{{ acct }}",
 			perms = {{ perms }},
-			tag_order_cfg = {{ tag_order }},
+			def_hcols = {{ def_hcols|tojson }},
 			have_up2k_idx = {{ have_up2k_idx|tojson }},
 			have_tags_idx = {{ have_tags_idx|tojson }},
 			have_mv = {{ have_mv|tojson }},
diff --git a/copyparty/web/browser.js b/copyparty/web/browser.js
index e7511b49..b8be8998 100644
--- a/copyparty/web/browser.js
+++ b/copyparty/web/browser.js
@@ -3040,6 +3040,21 @@ var filecols = (function () {
 			"hz": "sample rate"
 		};
 
+	if (JSON.stringify(def_hcols) != sread('hfilecols')) {
+		console.log("applying default hidden-cols");
+		jwrite('hfilecols', def_hcols);
+		for (var a = 0; a < def_hcols.length; a++) {
+			var t = def_hcols[a];
+			t = t.slice(0, 1).toUpperCase() + t.slice(1);
+			if (t.startsWith("."))
+				t = t.slice(1);
+
+			if (hidden.indexOf(t) == -1)
+				hidden.push(t);
+		}
+		jwrite("filecols", hidden);
+	}
+
 	var add_btns = function () {
 		var ths = QSA('#files th>span');
 		for (var a = 0, aa = ths.length; a < aa; a++) {
diff --git a/tests/test_httpcli.py b/tests/test_httpcli.py
index 697b5843..e468730a 100644
--- a/tests/test_httpcli.py
+++ b/tests/test_httpcli.py
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ class Cfg(Namespace):
             nih=True,
             mtp=[],
             mte="a",
+            mth="",
             hist=None,
             no_hash=False,
             css_browser=None,
diff --git a/tests/test_vfs.py b/tests/test_vfs.py
index 42396202..4eecb735 100644
--- a/tests/test_vfs.py
+++ b/tests/test_vfs.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ class Cfg(Namespace):
         ex2 = {
             "mtp": [],
             "mte": "a",
+            "mth": "",
             "hist": None,
             "no_hash": False,
             "css_browser": None,