How do I stop Windows 10 from listing files in groups EVER?

Solution 1:

NOTE This was accurate in 2013

It remembers what you last did.

Understanding Saved Views and Browsing Folders

In Windows 2000 Professional, the view you use is not always permanently saved in Windows Explorer. You can control whether the views you use are saved permanently or temporarily by using the Remember each folder's view settings check box on the View tab of the Folder Options dialog box (see figure 9.3).

By default the Remember each folder's view settings option is enabled. When you choose to leave this setting enabled, the following happens:

a.. The changes you make to a folder's view is automatically saved when you close the folder.

b.. The view you use to view one folder is not applied to other folders.

c.. When you open a folder, it opens in the view you used when you last viewed it.

When you clear the check box for Remember each folder's view settings, the following happens:

a.. When you start Windows Explorer, the first folder you view displays in the folder's saved view. Windows Explorer holds that view in temporary memory and applies it to all the folders that you visit while Windows Explorer remains open unless you manually alter the view.

b.. As you browse to other folders (after the initial folder is opened), the saved view for each folder is ignored, and when you quit Windows Explorer, the folder view that you have been using to view multiple folders is deleted from temporary memory.

c.. The next time you open Windows Explorer, once again, it is the saved view of the first folder you open that determines how you view multiple folders. Setting All Folders to the Same View Some users want to have all their Windows Explorer folders set to the same view. In Windows 2000 Professional, the default setting is that any change made to a folder's view is automatically saved when you close the folder and is not applied to other folders. However, you can set all folders to the same view by using the Folder Options command as described in the following procedure.

To set all folders to the same view 1.. In My Computer or Windows Explorer, set the view to your preference. 2.. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options. 3.. In the Folder Options dialog box, click the View tab. 4.. Under Folder Views, click Like Current Folder.

Important The Remember each folder's view settings check box on the View tab of the Folder Options dialog box (see Figure 9.3) affects how the view settings of individual folders are applied and saved. For more information about the impact of clearing this check box, see "Understanding Saved Views and Browsing Folders" earlier in this chapter.

Windows 2000 Resource Kit

Some references apply to old versions of windows and have been moved.

You have to do Apply To All while in a file folder.

For each type of object (File Folder, Control Panel, My Computer, etc) that you do an Apply to All in it's clsid and the settings are created/updated at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams \Defaults

{F3364BA0-65B9-11CE-A9BA-00AA004AE837} is ordinary folders, and other numbers are what ever they are (My Comp, Control Panel, etc - note My Docs is an ordinary folder). They only appear IF you do an apply to all in that type of object.

as well as a higher set of defaults at

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams

Settings=

So the point being in the order that you do things. You want to do your overall default setting last. This is how I advised someone who asked

Can someone please tell me how to force Windows to keep the seperate folder view settings I choose? I have checked and rechecked the box in folder options for it to remember, but it has no memory for that issue. To be more specific; I want to always have the thumbnail view in My Pictures and also in the Control Panel Dialog, but every time I open them I have to manually set that view.

Set Control Panel how you want then Tools - View - Apply To All Folders.

This sets the global default and the Control Panel type of objects defaults (but the system default remains the same - it can't be changed but all other defaults/settings override it).

Then go to an ordinary folder (as My Pics is for this feature) and set it how you want all folders but CP. Then Tools - View - Apply To All Folders. This sets the global default and the file folder type of object defaults (CP's default settings will still override the global). Then set My Pics how you want it and do nothing else as we are saving it by the checkbox Remember Folder Settings AND BY THE PATH WE GOT THERE. EG

Desktop\My Comp\C:\Documents & Settings\user name\My Docs\My Pics

is a different setting to

Desktop\My Comp\My Docs\My Pics

There is some searching for similar settings but the path used, if too different, means it won't find the settings for similar named folders.

The system defaults (and saved settings for individual folders already opened) are the only setting unless you've done an Apply To All, eg no global or type defaults.

Plus if you hold down control and click close while in a file folder it also updates HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer Shellstate=

This is mainly setting irrelevent things except it holds the global sort, which all the others override. But File Open dialog boxes only use this setting, so it basically only affects sorting in File Open dialogs. But it seems that sometimes an earlier windows versions setting get written here and other settings then aren't saved

typedef struct {
BOOL fShowAllObjects:1;
BOOL fShowExtensions:1;
BOOL fNoConfirmRecycle:1;
BOOL fShowSysFiles:1;
BOOL fShowCompColor:1;
BOOL fDoubleClickInWebView:1;
BOOL fDesktopHTML:1;
BOOL fWin95Classic:1;
BOOL fDontPrettyPath:1;
BOOL fShowAttribCol:1;
BOOL fMapNetDrvBtn:1;
BOOL fShowInfoTip:1;
BOOL fHideIcons:1;
BOOL fWebView:1;
BOOL fFilter:1;
BOOL fShowSuperHidden:1;
BOOL fNoNetCrawling:1;
DWORD dwWin95Unused;
UINT uWin95Unused;
LONG lParamSort;
int iSortDirection;
UINT version;
UINT uNotUsed;
BOOL fSepProcess:1;
BOOL fStartPanelOn:1;
BOOL fShowStartPage:1;
UINT fSpareFlags:13;
} SHELLSTATE, *LPSHSHELLSTATE;

.

Solution 2:

Is this your Downloads folder or subfolders?

Apply to Folders is the first thing to use. After you set a folder's view to your liking, it saves your preferences as the default view for that FolderType: The most well-known FolderTypes are those seen on the Customize tab of a folder's Properties dialog:

• General/Generic
• Documents
• Pictures
• Music
• Videos

and Apply to Folders needs to be executed once from a folder of each type to create a complete "set" of templates for the common FolderTypes. But Apply to Folders now needs to be executed for Downloads as well. This bit of PowerShell will tell you which types have a custom view saved:

$Defaults = 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Defaults'
$FT      = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes'

(gi $defaults).Property | Select @{N = 'ID'; E = {$_}}, @{N = 'Name'; E = {(gp "$FT\$_").CanonicalName}}

Here's a script I just wrote because so many have had issues with Downloads, and it can be complicated by being "maxed out" on saved views, so I wrapped it all up in a script. Copy & paste into PowerShell:

Function Pop ($Text) {
    $esc      = "$([char]27)"
    $Template = "$esc[{0}m"
    $Reset    = $Template -f 0
    $Pop      = $Template -f 1
    $Pop + $Text + $Reset
}

$MaxViewWarning = @"
`n  $(Pop "You've maxed out on saved views.") View behavior will be erratic
    until they are deleted. Delete and continue? ( Y/N )`n
"@

$LaunchPrompt = @"
`n`t$(Pop Explorer) will now open to your $(Pop Downloads) folder. Set the view to
`tyour desired defaults, then open $(Pop 'Folder Options') from the $(Pop View) tab & execute $(Pop 'Apply to Folders').
`tThen close $(Pop Explorer) & return here. Press $(Pop '<Enter>') to continue.`n
"@

$ContinuePrompt = @"
`n`tIf you've used $(Pop 'Apply to Folders') & closed $(Pop Explorer),
`tPress $(Pop '<Enter>') to continue.`n
"@

$Success = @"
`n`t$(Pop Success!!!) Your preferred view settings are now saved and
`tany previously saved views deleted.`n
"@

$FailMsg = @"
`n`t$(Pop 'Apply to Folders') was unsucessful. No template createed.
"@

$Defaults = 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Defaults'
$Shell    = 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell'
$BagMRU   = "$Shell\BagMRU"
$Bags     = "$Shell\Bags"
$DLID     = '{885A186E-A440-4ADA-812B-DB871B942259}'
$Cancel   = $False

$ViewCount = ((Get-ItemProperty $BagMRU).Nodeslots).count
If ( $ViewCount -eq 5000 ) {
     [ValidatePattern('y|n')]$Continue = Read-Host -Prompt $MaxViewWarning
     If ($Continue -match 'y') {
        $BagMRU, $Bags | Remove-Item -Recurse -Force
        Get-Process explorer | Stop-Process
    }
    Else {$Cancel = $True}
}
If ( -not $Cancel) {
    Read-Host -Prompt $LaunchPrompt
    explorer shell:Downloads
    Read-Host -Prompt $ContinuePrompt
    If (( Test-Path $Defaults ) -and (( Get-Item $Defaults).Property -contains $DLID )) {
        (Get-ChildItem $bags -recurse | ? PSChildName -like $DLID ) |
            Remove-Item
        Write-Host $Success
    } Else {
        Write-Host $FailMsg
    }
}

I'll follow up with sseveral ways to set default view mode for all FolderTypes, including those annoying Search results...