Windows Explorer Folder View settings

How to Reset Windows Explorer Folder View Settings to Make Vista Remember​

   Information

Vista sets the Explorer window view settings and folder type template according to what folder types are in the window. This will show you how to reset the Windows Explorer folder view settings, turn off Automatic Folder Type Discovery, and increase the folder view cache to have Vista remember the view settings, folder type template, size, or position of a specific window for when it was last closed at the specific path location.

This does not work with the sub Save As, Open With, Open in New Tab (Internet Explorer), etc.... type dialog windows through the File menu bar item though. These do not seem to be able to have their size or position remembered. For these, you can use the free program AutoSizer to resize them.

   Note

• The Windows Explorer window pane Layout settings are universal for all window templates. These are the Search Pane, Details Pane, Preview Pane, and Navigation Pane. They can only be turned on or off for all windows with the same folder template. For example, the Music Details, Music Icons, Pictures and Videos, All Items, Contacts, and Documents.
• This will have no affect on the memory for the Open, Save, and Save As dialog boxes for having them open to the same location.
• External devices (EX: USB drive) will not retain their folder view settings when turned off or disconnected from the computer.

   Tip

It has been reported that installing the Vista SP2 has helped resolved this issue of Vista forgetting folder view settings for no apparent reason.

   Warning

The exact cause of Vista losing it's memory on your folder view settings has not been found yet. This may just reset them for now to help Vista remember them again. It has been noticed that changing a lot of window folder view settings in combination with some unknown applications settings may be triggering this forgetfulness. Make sure that you do not have a setting in a 3rd party program set to clear the folder view setting cache when it is used. (EX: CCleaner - Window Size/Location cache option under Cleaner -> Advanced)

METHOD ONE

Normal Way to Reset a Folder Type View Settings

   Note

This resets the folder view settings for all folders with this same folder template type back to the default view settings. You will need to use METHOD TWO below for Vista not remembering your settings for all the folder views.

1. Open Folder Options from the Control Panel (Classic View), and click on the View tab and Reset Folders button. (See screenshot below)​

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2. Click on Yes to the confirmation pop-up.​

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3. Click on OK to close Folder Options.​

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METHOD TWO

Reset All Folder View Settings to Make Vista Remember

   Note

• This resets all current folder view settings so they will be rebuilt when you restart.
• This will also bring back the Uninstall, Change, Repair, or Uninstall/Change buttons in Programs and Features if missing.

OPTION ONE

Automatically Using a REG File Download

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1. Click on the Download button below to download the Reset_Folder_View.zip file and save it to your desktop.

   Note

This .reg download includes and does all of the Manual section below for you automatically.

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2. Open the ZIP file and extract the Reset_Folder_View.reg file to your desktop.​

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3. Right click on the downloaded Reset_Folder_View.reg file and click on Merge.​

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4. Click on Run button in the Security Warning prompt.​

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5. Click on Continue in the UAC prompt.​

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6. Click on YES in the Confirmation prompt.​

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7. Click on OK in the Success prompt.​

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8. Go to step 29 in OPTION TWO below to finish wrapping this up.​

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OPTION TWO

Manually Through Registry Editor

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Reset Folder View Settings :​

1. Open the Start Menu.​

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2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.​

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3. Click on Continue in the UAC prompt.​

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4. In regedit, go to:​

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

5. In the left pane, right click on Bags, and click on Delete. (See screenshot below)​

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A) Click on Yes in the confirmation pop-up window.​

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6. In the left pane, right click on BagMRU, and click on Delete. (See screenshot below)​

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A) Click on Yes in the confirmation pop-up window.​

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7. In regedit, go to:​

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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell

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A) In the left pane, right click on BagMRU and click Delete. (See screenshot below step 8)​

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B) Click on Yes in the confirmation pop-up window.​

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C) In the left pane, right click on Bags and click on Delete.​

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D) Click on Yes in the confirmation pop-up window.​

8. In regedit, go to:​

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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam

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A) In the left pane, right click on BagMRU if here and click Delete. (See screenshot below step 8)​

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B) Click on Yes in the confirmation pop-up window.​

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C) In the left pane, right click on Bags if here and click on Delete.​

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D) Click on Yes in the confirmation pop-up window.​

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9. The registry will now look like this. (See screenshot below)​

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Disable Automatic Folder Type Discovery for Templates :​

CREDIT TO: Kristan Kenney: Confessions of a Windows Enthusiast

   Note

This will allow you to have what folder type template you set for the window instead of Vista automatically assigning a default template to it based on the contents of the window. This is when you have your folder template changed to Pictures and Videos from All Items when you put one image file in the folder.

   Note

OPTION: This is an optional section, but it is recommended. Steps 1-9 must have been done first before you do this section. If you decide to skip it, then go to step 21.​

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10. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below)​

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

11. In the left pane, right click on Shell and click on New and Key.​

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12. Type Bags and press Enter. (See screenshots below)​

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13. In the left pane, right click on Bags and click New and Key.​

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14. Type AllFolders and press Enter. (See screenshots below)​

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15. In the left pane, right click AllFolders and click on New and Key.​

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16. Type Shell and press Enter. (See screenshots below)​

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17. In the right pane of Shell, right click on a empty area and click on New and String Value.​

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18. Type FolderType and press Enter. (See screenshot below)​

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19. In the right pane, right click on FolderType and click on Modify.​

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20. Type NotSpecified (or one below) and click on OK. (See screenshots below)​

   Tip

You can type any one of these values in bold below instead to apply the template as the default for all folder types. You will still be able to change a individual folder type template to what you want and have Vista remember it afterwards.

   Tip

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[TABLE=class:-grid,-width:-500][TR][TD]
Value
[/TD]
[TD]
Description
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
NotSpecified
[/TD]
[TD]
All Items folder type template
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Contacts
[/TD]
[TD]
Contacts folder type template
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Music
[/TD]
[TD]
Music Details folder type template
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
MusicIcons
[/TD]
[TD]
Music Icons folder type template
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Documents
[/TD]
[TD]
Documents folder type template
[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]
Pictures
[/TD]
[TD]
Pictures and Videos folder type template with large icons
[/TD][/TR][/TABLE]

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Increase Folder View Cache Memory :

   Note

This will increase the amount of folders to be remembered for changes to the folder view settings.

   Note

OPTION: This is a optional step, but the increase will help ensure that Vista does not forget. Steps 1-9 must be done first before you do this section. If you decide to skip it, them go to step 25.​

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21. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below)​

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

22. In the right pane, right click on BagMRU Size.​

NOTE: If you do not have the BagMRU Size value, then right click on a empty space in the right pane and click on New and DWORD (32-bit) Value. Type in BagMRU Size and press enter.​

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23. Click on Modify.​

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24. Dot the Decimal and type 20000 (folders) and click on OK. (See screenshot below)

   Note

5000 is the default number of folders to be remembered.

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Deleting Local Group Policy Setting :​

   Note

This will show you how to check to see if this Group Policy setting has been set to not save the position of open windows or the size and position of the taskbar when users log off, and to delete if it is so that the changed will now be remembered at exit.

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25. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below)​

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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer​

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26. In the right pane, look to see if you have NoSaveSettings. If you do, then right click on NoSaveSettings and click on Delete and Yes to confirm deletion. (See screenshot above)​

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27. In regedit, go to:​

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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer​

28. Repeat step 26 if you have NoSaveSettings here as well.​

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Wrapping it Up :​

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29. Close regedit.​

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30. Log off and log on,or restart the computer to apply the reset and to let Vista rebuild the registry keys with a clean slate.​

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31. Open Folder Options.​

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A) Click on the View tab. (See screenshot below)​

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B) Check Remember each folder's view settings.​

   Warning

If left unchecked, Vista will ignore custom view settings for every folder and have every folder open using default settings instead. Only, uncheck this setting to force all folders to stop using display settings you have specified.

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C) Uncheck Restore previous folder windows at logon.​

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D) Click on OK.​

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32. Make the changes you want for the opened Windows Explorer windows.​

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33. To Apply These Changes to All the Same Folder Type Templates ​

   Tip

For more information on folder templates, see: How to Choose and Customize a Folder Type Template and Columns in Vista and How to Change the Windows Explorer Columns and Sort Order in Vista

A) Open Folder Options​

WARNING: Folder Options must be opened from within the same Windows Explorer window that you are changing or the Apply to Folders button will be grayed out.​

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B) Click on the View tab. (See screenshot below step 31D)​

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C) Click on the Apply to Folders button.​

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D) Click on Yes in the confirmation prompt.​

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E) Click on OK.​

34. To Apply Changes to Just this Window Template​

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A) Close the window when you make your changes to the Windows Explorer window to save the folder view settings for just that one window.

   Warning

Vista will only remember the way it is when you last closed the window.

35. To Apply Changes to All Window Templates​

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A) In step 20 above, you can change the default folder template used of (NotSpecified) to what you want instead for all folder templates without having to restart the computer again.​

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That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Back Up and Restore Your Folder View Settings in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Change a Windows Explorer Folder Type Template in Vista
• How to Change a Default Open Window Size for a Shortcut in Vista
• How to Change Windows Explorer Default Open Location
• How to Use the Windows Explorer Address Bar in Vista
• How to Enable or Disable the Menu Bar in Vista
• How to Change the Windows Explorer Columns and Sort Order in Vista
• How to Enable or Disable Folder Options in Vista
• How to Turn the Preview Pane On or Off in Vista
• How to Turn the Navigation Pane On or Off in Vista
• How to Change the Sort Order for Numbers in File and Folder Names in Vista
• How to Enable or Disable Auto-Hide for Vista Explorer Full Screen F11
• How to Hide or Show File Names in Vista
• How to Disable Auto Arrange in Vista Windows Explorer to have Free Sorting

 

[Brink]

Steve,

I updated the tutorial to use the location you suggested. It does work better. I also added a .reg download to do it. I been meaning to add one to make this simple, but never seemed to have the time to get back to it. You helped give me the kick to get it done. (haha)

Thank you,
Shawn

 

[Mikee99]

Hello,

Thank you for the tutorial! It fixed some of the problems that I was experiencing. However, 1 issue remains. Even after following this tutorial, and the tutorial on customizing a folder template (link), the default window size is still very small. The problem arises when any program opens an explorer window, and when in the start orb when you click "see all results". Recycle Bin also has a tiny window that keeps getting reset.

It's really annoying. Honestly, what was MS thinking when they came up with this? They make the icons bigger, and the windows smaller.

 

[Brink]

Hi Mikee99,

Welcome to the forum.

You might try running the download one more time to make sure it took affect. Try sizing the window to the size you want, then close it. It should be the same way you left it as you close it when you open it the next time.

You might also take a look at this tutorial to see how to also set a default window open size for shortcuts.

How to Change a Default Open Window Size for a Shortcut in Vista

Shawn

 

[Mikee99]

Thank you for the reply.

I have tried the above, but it still unfortunately doesn't work. The Recycle Bin, for example, will open with the proper size after you size it, but it shouldn't start at that small size to begin with. It also occurs when you do searches from the Start Menu (or Orb). Basically, I would need to go to each and every directory, size each of them for it to remember all the view settings.

There must be a hidden setting in the registry for this. Because all those windows are getting a default size from somewhere and are running with them. Would disabling "Remember each folder's view settings" help?

I really hope they fix this for SP1, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who is experiencing this annoyance.

 

[Brink]

Mikee99,

Disabling Remember each folder's view settings may help in getting the window sizes set quicker, but I would enable it again afterwards so you will be able to change the individual folder windows the way you like for icon size and etc.

Shawn

 

[Mikee99]

That makes sense. I'll have to try that when I have some time. Thank you.

 

[Brink]

Your welcome Mikee,

Let us know how it went.

Shawn

 

[gbp007]

I wanted to Increase my Folder View Cache Memory and i wanted to know instead of increasing it from default 5000 to 20000 can i go ahead and increase it to 50000 instead ?

 

[Brink]

Hi gbp007,

Welcome to the forum.

You can change it to 50000 if you want to, but I do not believe you would ever use or need that much space for the cache. Most people will probably never reach 20000, but it needed to be higher than the default 5000.

Shawn

 

[gbp007]

Thanks ..I'll just set it to 20000 then...

 

[Brink]

Your welcome gbp007.

You can always bump it up some later if you ever need to.

Shawn

 

[c0nfuzed]

Hi everyone,

I always open specific folders directly from the run box, so trying to make every single one remember its window size was too impractical for me.

But I think (hopefully!) I found a solution. I managed to set the default window size with the registry entries below.

Obviously, you need to change the values to suit you, and the resolution to match your system. Also, I'm not sure if that guid value is system specific - I found it by watching the registry activity. Lastly, I don't know what the WFlags parameter does, but it didn't seem to work without it.

In any case, it's working nicely for me now, hopefully this helps some people

And thanks for the great tutorial, I wouldn't have found this without it
David

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell\{5C4F28B5-F869-4E84-8E60-F11DB97C5CC7}]
"WinPos1920x1200(1).left"=dword:00000139
"WinPos1920x1200(1).top"=dword:0000006a
"WinPos1920x1200(1).right"=dword:0000051d
"WinPos1920x1200(1).bottom"=dword:00000335
"WFlags"=dword:00000000

 

[Brink]

Your welcome C0nfuzed,

Welcome to the forum.

This is a nice tip. Thank you.

Shawn

 

[boab2791]

Hi all, first post.

I have tried all suggestions to get Vista to remember folder views but in most cases the changes undo themselves time and time again.

Getting really fed up with this annoying bug, I hope MS will fix this in SP1, are they even aware of the issue. Unfortunately I can't tell them about it becuase I am using an OEM copy of Vista but no reply in the official newsgroups has come back from them to acknowledge what is a very frustrating issue.

I don't know how you guys are managing to keep the settings from changing but on my 2 Vista boxes, one is x86 and the other x64 it just reverts.

Using the latest .reg file in this thread I reset all my settings and set my music folder and all subfolders to be music details. I reaccess the folder a short time later to find that the root of the music folder appeared to reset to All Items view but on and displayed the fields for that view but the customise tab still stated it was a Music Details folder, all sub folders still held the music details view, I am foxed by this issue.

I've been tempted several timesto revert to XP.

Any more suggestions welcome.

 

[Brink]

Hi Boab2791,

Welcome to the forum.

If you used the download option in Method Two, then it should set it so Vista will remember your settings. Make sure that you make the changes and close the window to save the settings. This way the window should open the exact same way as it was when you last closed it.

Check to see if you may have some 3rd party utility program setting turned on that is set to clear the windows size/location (folder view) cache. I noticed that CCleaner has a option for this.

Shawn

 

[boab2791]

Thanks for the welcome.

I dont have any 3rd Party Cleaners installed, you say close the window once you have modified any settings, perhaps thats where I am going wrong. I just use the back button to go back to root and into another folder. Surely the act of leaving a folder is enough to save the view. I dont care about the size of the window but what really gets on my goat is the folder details changing all the time.

I will try your suggestion of closing windows down and see but that won't go down well with my dad, he keeps blowing a gasket every time Vista does this to him. I think on his PC at least I will be going back to XP until we know this issue is resolved.

Are you aware if MS are actually aware of this horrendous bug. I also increased the cache size from 20000 to 50000 to see if it helped.

 

[Brink]

Boab2791,

I would think that MS would be aware of this. Hopefully.

Just to be clear, only close the open Explorer window after making changes to it to save it, not Vista itself. :eek:

Shawn

 

[Brink]

Updated 11-14-2007 to include a way to set a default folder type template for all folder types. See step 20 above.

Shawn

 

[chunnel]

I followed the instructions completely right down to increasing the Folder View Cach Memory. It was a bit confusing because in the first section you are told to delete BagMRU and all it's subfolders, then in the next section, steps 10-20, it is there again. However, that being said, I did everything and rebooted and then changed my folders to how I wanted them to display all the time, which is the List View. I clicked on apply from the My computer folder and then from the Documents folder which then opened up next in the Tiles view I changed that to List and clicked Apply to All Folders, which was greyed out from the My Computer folder view. However, none of this made any difference. Everything is still opening up in it's own preprogrammed way. And yes, Remember each folders settings is clicked.

 

[Brink]

Hi Chunnel,

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry about the confusion for steps 10-20. I updated the screenshots to better reflect the instructions.

I updated steps 25 on to help better with your problem on List.

You might do the download option instead of the manual. It will be easier and no worries about entering a incorrect entry.

Let me know if you need more help.

Shawn