WinSetView (Tool to Globally Set Explorer Folder Views)

Hi @jameskg. I'm actually the WinSetView developer. @Wolfzz posts notices when new versions of certain software are updated.

WinSetView applies your choices by updating a copy of the FolderTypes registry key in your profile and then it deletes the BagMRU/Bags registry key pair and restarts Explorer. That causes Explorer to apply your new defaults to folders when they are next opened.

Unfortunately, the folder type setting is one of the items that's stored in the Bags key, so that's why that setting is lost. However, most users do not see any issue because Explorer typically uses automatic folder type discovery to reset the folder type based on the contents, so your video folders should get automatically reset to type Videos. But since they're not, we have to look at possible reasons why and a potential workaround.

One possible reason is that you've checked the option "Make all folders Generic". That will disable automatic folder type discovery. I'm guessing you haven't done that if you want a different view for Videos than you have for General items.

Another reason is that those folders are ambiguous. That is, they contain an even mix of file types, so Explorer sets them as type "General items".

EDIT: Another reason is that the drive is not included in automatic folder type discovery, such as Network drives or USB drives (that are not type "Local Disk").

Please confirm:

1) Is your drive D: file system "NTFS" and type "Local Disk"?

2) Are you using the Windows 10 Explorer (aka Windows 10 ribbon UI)? I assume so because you said that "Also apply this template to all subfolders" works great. That feature is completely broken in the Windows 11 Explorer since KB5008353 update (build 22000.469) on January 25, 2022.

The folder type can also be set via the hidden desktop.ini file, which will make the setting permanent, but that is typically only set by Explorer for the root folder. The subfolders typically inherit that setting based on a registry flag (which only works correctly with the Windows 10 Explorer).

What we can do, whether you're running the Windows 10 or Window 11 Explorer, is set the folder type for the entire folder tree by populating it with hidden desktop.ini files in all subfolders. That will only work if the drive is NTFS Local Disk. If so, you can use the following tool to permanently set the folder type for any given folder tree.

Thanks for the quick response and helpful info.
I have a better understanding, now. I suppose you'd have to scrape the setting from the bags before deleting and write back based on the values noted. Tedious to code, I'm sure.

answers:
1) the D drive, on this machine, is a mapped network drive so that explains the behavior being other than what would happen for local disk
2) I am using Win 10 explorer, yes.

given that I create / move / delete folders in this directory often, I wouldn't want to bother with creating all the ini files in each, though that is a creative suggestion / solution and I appreciate the help.

In my case, once I finish tweaking the settings the way I want them, I can just set the folder types (+ subfolders option) for a few root folders in the OS and I'll be good to go. Won't tweak everyday or anything.

I'm mainly using WinSetView to set the defaults for the various types (media but also that pesky search view that is awful by default) so it meets my needs perfectly.

Thank you again for such a great tool.

jameskg said:

I suppose you'd have to scrape the setting from the bags before deleting and write back based on the values noted. Tedious to code, I'm sure.

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Yes, there are a number of challenges, including the need for code to create a Bags registry entry. There's no API for that, it's a complex binary structure, and there are often multiple namespaces for the same physical location. I do already have C# code in my FolderViewPainter tool (derived from a PowerShell script written by Keith Miller) to find an existing key and replace the view blob with another view blob, but identifying folders that have a folder type set and recreate those Bag entries with a new index is beyond my pay grade (at least for now).

given that I create / move / delete folders in this directory often, I wouldn't want to bother with creating all the ini files in each

Click to expand...

It's moot in this case because desktop.ini files don't work with network folders.

Thank you again for such a great tool.

Click to expand...

You're welcome!

Thanks for WinSetView!

WinSetView 2.99.1​

Enhancement: Now works on systems that have the DisableRegistryTools policy enabled.

Enhancement: PowerShell scripts updated to work with PowerShell Core.

Enhancement: Corrections to French language file (Thank you k3lteris).

Bug Fix: Fixed error in build version check that prevented Windows 10 Explorer from being enabled on Windows 11 24H2.

LesFerch said:

WinSetView is a tool that will let you easily set File Explorer default folder views (including turning off grouping everywhere if so desired). It works by setting registry values that File Explorer already supports. It does not modify Explorer or add any tasks or services.

Please follow the guide on the WinSetView web page to download the app and set your initial folder view preferences. Running the app for the first time without following the guide may lead to confusion, as there are a lot of options on the screen.

View attachment 112219

WinSetView...

• Is a portable app. That is, it requires no installation (just unzip and run) and it saves its settings in an INI file with the app. So, you can easily run it from a flash drive or network drive to set up new computers and/or new users with consistent default views with just one click.
  
  
• Sets default folder views for ALL folder types, not just the basic five. That is, in addition to setting the default views for General items, Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos, it also sets the default views for Downloads, Libraries, OneDrive, Search results, Contacts, Quick Access, User files, File Open/Save dialogs, etc.
  
  
• Can set the default view for phones and tablets to open in the same view you choose for General items. No more tiles!
  
  
• Sets folder views using the FolderTypes registry key which is not affected by Windows updates.
  
  
• Includes options to turn off Internet results in Windows search, revert the right-click menu to the classic layout, and disable thumbnails on folders.
  
  
• Can also be used to reset all folder views to Windows defaults.
  
  
• Can be used via the command line (for Power users and System Administrators). See the Tools Folder section in the manual for more details.

WinSetView will correct the following conditions (when the cause is registry corruption):

1. Folder views set via File Explorer, using Apply to Folders, are not applying to all folders.
2. Folder Properties, Customize, Optimize this folder for is not working properly.
3. Folder views are reverting back to Windows defaults.

Note: Windows 11 currently has some folder view bugs in regards to setting folder type for entire folder trees on removable drives and overriding the automatically detected folder type on "Local disks". Those bugs can, for now, be eliminated by installing a program that patches Explorer, such as StartAllBack (with the Explorer style option set to one of the classic views).

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ok i got this and did some changes and it seems to change everything so i had to revert. so do you have instructions on where to go in that winserve just for connecting to a phone and forcing the sore order and view to what i would like? i do not use one drive for anything so i unchecked them for an fyi so if that has to be on and i have one drive uninstalled then it may not work.

ok i checked the bos win10 and legacy row spacing and i got super small icons in the first part i can live with but when i take a new photo the same thing sort is gone and small icons.

i'm missing some switches someplace

Did you follow the quick start guide? Did you review the settings in Options? Did you check the manual for explanations of all settings?

I recommend that you stay away from the legacy row and icon spacing option until everything else is as you want it. That setting makes Explorer use the XP/Vista view modes which are a little quirky, as mentioned in the manual. I also recommend that you keep all folder types checked and set them as you want even if you don't use those folder types.

ok i restored it back it is harder to play with these than to just do it the way i was doing it if anyone has what boxes to check off for just the phone being connected to the pc let me know i'm not going to try all those settings anymore. but thanks for that app

corvairbob said:

ok i restored it back it is harder to play with these than to just do it the way i was doing it if anyone has what boxes to check off for just the phone being connected to the pc let me know i'm not going to try all those settings anymore. but thanks for that app

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Without any specifics, I can't really help. You just pick the views and settings that you like. All settings are explained in detail in the manual.

i went thru about every setting and the phone still will not show last photo taken at the top of the page and big icon. so my guess is it is not possible to do this thanks anyway. maybe someone has figure this out and will post the exact places to check off.

corvairbob said:

i went thru about every setting and the phone still will not show last photo taken at the top of the page and big icon. so my guess is it is not possible to do this thanks anyway. maybe someone has figure this out and will post the exact places to check off.

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As per the documentation, the only thing you can set, in regards to the phone, is that you can make the basic view (i.e. List, Details, Icons) the same as your General Items setting. That's it. You can't control the sort order. You can't set a specific view for phones. Microsoft has provided no way to control the default phone view. It's baked into Explorer.

thanks i kind of figured that. so maybe the toms guide guys can help me set the phone to show this when i get new photos if not it is what it is. i reset it back to win11 now it did change some items and i may go back and do a pc restore if it becomes bothersome. thanks for the help guys

ok now after all of that it took away my right click and copy and paste and delete in the front section. now i have to find that and get it back to win10
i got it fortunately i had it saved on the desktop whew! and i went back and rest the winsetview to default so now it is back to what i'm use to again thanks guys for trying. i guess it will be easier to just use a smaller sd card and have to do 2 clicks in win11 explorer than to mess with all this other stuff i should have known

corvairbob said:

thanks i kind of figured that. so maybe the toms guide guys can help me set the phone to show this when i get new photos if not it is what it is. i reset it back to win11 now it did change some items and i may go back and do a pc restore if it becomes bothersome. thanks for the help guys

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Phones always open folders initially in tiles view, name ascending. You have to manually set each individual folder to the view you want and Explorer should remember what you set. But you can't set the view for a whole folder tree at a time or set the default view or force the view to a specific folder type. I'm sure Tom's Guide won't help, but if you learn some way to set the default, please let us know. I would love to be able to do that.

I'm having trouble getting past Windows Defender. Defender keeps deleting the zipped file. It doesn't matter if I click on unblock or not.

Winuser said:

I'm having trouble getting past Windows Defender. Defender keeps deleting the zipped file. It doesn't matter if I click on unblock or not.

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I found a solution. I downloaded it on my other computer and put it on a flash drive.

Winuser said:

I found a solution. I downloaded it on my other computer and put it on a flash drive.

Click to expand...

Maybe old definitions on the computer where it was blocked?

I've occasionally had Defender stop a download that should have been OK. Usually clearing the history and updating the definitions fix it.

LesFerch said:

Maybe old definitions on the computer where it was blocked?

I've occasionally had Defender stop a download that should have been OK. Usually clearing the history and updating the definitions fix it.

Click to expand...

I do have updates turned off because the latest canary build caused me problems. I turned it back on and checked for updates. There were no security updates listed. It did start downloading the Canary build so I turned it off again. I had no problem downloading and running ClearDefenderHistory. WinSetView is the only program that I couldn't get Defender to let me run. The reason I wanted to try this program is because I want my video files to show in Detail View and Windows Explorer keeps changing it back to Large Icons. I'll know in a day or two if this program stops Explorer from changing back to showing large icons.

WinSetView 3.0.0​

Feature added: Options have been split into Folder View Options and Explorer Options.

Feature added: Added button to detect current Explorer Options.

Feature added: Submit now opens a dialog to choose Folder views and/or Explorer options.

Feature added: New option to Unhide the Public Desktop folder.

Feature added: Added a checkbox to enable/disable backup.