Customizing File Explorer Default Settings: Setting 'Details' View and Grouping in Windows 10

Customizing Default Settings for File Explorer's Details View and Grouping in Windows 10

Windows 10's File Explorer provides a convenient way to manage files and folders on your system. By default, File Explorer opens in the "Quick view" mode, which may not provide enough information for some users. In this article, we will guide you through the process of customizing the default settings for File Explorer's Details view and grouping in Windows 10.

Changing the Default View Mode to Details

To change the default view mode to Details, follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to the folder whose default view mode you want to change. For this example, we will use the "Downloads" folder.
3. Click on the "View" tab in the Ribbon interface.
4. In the "Layout" section, click on "Details" to set it as the default view mode.

Once you have set the "Details" view mode, it will remain the default for that folder. However, this change will not affect other folders on your system.

Grouping Files in the Details View

In addition to changing the default view mode, you can also group files in the Details view. This can help you organize your files and make them easier to find. To group files in the Details view, follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder you want to group files in.
2. Click on the "View" tab in the Ribbon interface.
3. In the "Show/Hide" section, make sure that "Group by" is checked.
4. Click on the "Group by" dropdown menu and select the criteria you want to use to group your files. For example, you can group files by name, date modified, or file type.

Once you have grouped your files, they will be displayed in a hierarchical structure based on the criteria you selected. You can expand or collapse each group to view the files it contains.

Setting Default Grouping Criteria

If you want to set default grouping criteria for all folders, you can do so by modifying the registry. Here's how:

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type "regedit" and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell

4. Right-click on the "Shell" key and select "New" > "Key". Name the new key "BagMRU."
5. Right-click on the "BagMRU" key and select "New" > "Key". Name the new key "AllFolders."
6. Right-click on the "AllFolders" key and select "New" > "String Value". Name the new value "GroupView".
7. Double-click on the "GroupView" value and set its value data to the grouping criteria you want to use. For example, if you want to group files by name, set the value data to "groupname:0".

Once you have set the default grouping criteria, it will apply to all folders on your system.

• To change the default view mode to Details, navigate to the folder you want to change and set the view mode to Details.
• To group files in the Details view, make sure that "Group by" is checked in the "Show/Hide" section of the "View" tab and select the criteria you want to use to group your files.
• To set default grouping criteria for all folders, modify the registry by creating the "BagMRU" and "AllFolders" keys and setting the "GroupView" value to the desired criteria.

References

• How to Change the Default Folder View in Windows 10
• How to Group Files in Windows 10's File Explorer by More Than One Criteria
• Set Default Group View for Folders in Windows 10