Folder Window Icon Text - Hide or Show File Names

bigedsnh · Jan 31, 2009

When I show the file name in the Vista windows, only a partial part of the file name shows up, unless I have the cursor over the file name and then the complete filename will appear over that one file name. Is there any way to set the folder options so complete file names appears all of the time on all of the files?
Thanks for your time,
Ed

Brink · Jan 31, 2009

Hello Ed,

This is due to the file name being longer than the icon's vertical and horizontal spacing will allow for. You can adjust the Icon Spacing sizes in the Advanced Appearance settings (step 6) until the fill name is fully displayed.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

jeddess · Jan 31, 2009

thanks brink, very useful post to get that configured , keep em coming!!!

bigedsnh · Apr 6, 2009

The vertical and horizontal resizing took care of my problem! The interesting thing was that at first it did not appear to have worked as the icon names were still truncated. But I then noticed that once I hovered the cursor over the truncated name to see the full name, the full name then remained.
Much appreciated!
Ed

Brink · Apr 6, 2009

Hello Ed,

Interesting. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted. The window may have needed to have been refreshed (F5) for the names to show again.

CGrimes · Apr 10, 2009

The folders in my Music folder used to display the names underneath them, but now they won't. I have followed your tutorial for displaying the file names but when I go to View, there is not an option for "Hide file names" like there is in the Pictures folder. Why is this an option for hiding in the Pictures folder and not the Music folder? How can I get the names to display underneath when I'm viewing them in the Large Icon. When I view them in the Tiles setting, the names are there, but not in the Large Icon setting?

Thanks,
Carolyn

Brink · Apr 11, 2009

Hello Carolyn, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Under OPTION TWO, you will need to do step 2 first to change the folder template of the C:\Users\(user name)\Music folder. Afterwards, you should be able to see the "Hide file names".

Hope this helps,
Shawn

CGrimes · Apr 11, 2009

Hi Shawn,

No, it doesn't work. I have followed every step and the "Hide file names" option is NOT there. I wish I could show you what mine looks like but I don't know how. The "Hide file names" is only an option in the Pictures folder.

Thanks for helping me with this. I have spent HOURS trying to figure out why my file names are no longer on my music folders. Like I said before, the option to "hide file names" is simply not there on my music folder. I do what you say in step 2 of option 2 and this is what I have:

Extra Large Icons
Large Icons
Medium Icons
Small Icons
List
Details
Tiles
Auto Arrange
Align to Grid

There's no "Hide File Names" which should be just above "Auto Arrange".

I can't for the life of me figure out what happened! I guess I will just have to live with the fact that I can only use the Tiles in order to see the file names.

Thanks for your help, though.

Carolyn

Brink · Apr 11, 2009

Carolyn,

Check to make sure that you are doing this from the C:\Users\(user name)\Music folder location and not from the Start menu location instead.

You will need to temporarily change the folder template of the C:\Users\(user name)\Music folder to be Pictures and Video instead of Music Details.

You should then see the View - Hide File Names to click on it to uncheck it.

Afterwards, change the folder template back to Music Details.

If you still cannot change it in the Music folder, then check with OPTION THREE in the tutorial below to make sure that the Music folder is set with it's default location in the registry. The download will be the easiest way to make sure.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/148461-personal-user-folder-restore-missing-folder.html

Hope this helps.

CGrimes · Apr 11, 2009

Brink said:
You will need to temporarily change the folder template of the C:\Users\(user name)\Music folder to be Pictures and Video instead of Music Details.

You should then see the View - Hide File Names to click on it to uncheck it.

Afterwards, change the folder template back to Music Details.

Thank you so much! It worked! I wasn't temporarily changing the folder template to be Pictures and Video instead of Music Details and then changing it back to Music Details once I had unchecked the Hide File Names. When I did this, IT WORKED! Boy, I spent hours and hours trying to figure this out before finally finding this forum.

Thanks so much!

Carolyn:D

Brink · Apr 11, 2009

You're welcome Carolyn. I'm happy to hear that you have got it sorted.

shawnvw · Jun 21, 2009

Shawn, for some reason all my desktop icon labels are hidden. Unlike you, I want them back!

I can't follow the instructions here to restore them. Step 2 says to change the Folder Type Template, and to do that I have to go into the Properties of the Desktop folder and click the Customize tab. Unfortunately, there is no Customize tab for the Desktop folder.

I read your other tutorial, "Desktop Icon Text - Hide or Show". I know that's only to hide or restore labels one at a time, but I tried it anyway. It didn't work.

Can you help? Thanks.

-- ShawnVW

Brink · Jun 21, 2009

Hello Shawn, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Yeah, the Desktop folder is a bit harder to do this with, but this should get it for you:

Change the folder template from within the C:\Users\(user-name) folder to Pictures and Videos with the ...apply to all subfolders... option checked.

Now check to see if Hide File Names is unchecked in the C:\Users\(user-name)\Desktop folder.

Afterwards, change the folder template back to All Items for the C:\Users\(user-name) folder and subfolders.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

shawnvw · Jun 25, 2009

I tried it, Shawn, but it turns out the Hide File Names was already unchecked. I tried checking it, then unchecking it, but nothing changed.

-- Shawn

Brink · Jun 25, 2009

Did you ever use this method to hide them prior?

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/143538-desktop-icon-text-hide-show.html

If not, then you might see if doing a system restore using a restore point dated before this happened may be able to fix it for you.

shawnvw · Jun 30, 2009

Hey, Shawn

Brink said:
Did you ever use this method to hide them prior?

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/143538-desktop-icon-text-hide-show.html

I didn't do anything to hide the icon names. They were visible when I was using Vista, but disappeared when I upgraded to Windows 7. I tried the method you mention here (Option 2, Method 1), to see if I could restore them one by one, but it didn't work.

If not, then you might see if doing a system restore using a restore point dated before this happened may be able to fix it for you.

I don't have any System Restore points. Remember, this happened as soon as I upgraded to Windows 7, so any Restore points from Vista must have been wiped out.

-- Shawn

Brink · Jun 30, 2009

Oh, Windows 7 should be discussed at our sister site Seven Forums instead to keep this one on topic.

It sounds like it got corrupted during the upgrade. You can try a repair install to see if that may help. If not, you may need to do a clean install of Windows 7.

ibrahim92 · Jul 18, 2010

hello how r u?

my all file hide his name & i don't how to return this name to foldar
i'm do the planing to back name but i don't have icon on view hide file name :sarc:

i need help from u & all

Brink · Jul 18, 2010

Hello Ibrahim, and welcome to Visat Forums.

I'm not quite sure of what you mean. It appears that English may not be your native language, but that is ok. If you need a bit of help with translation, I find that Google Translate is great for this.

Could you also post a screenshot of this?

If you do not mind resetting all of your folder view settings back to default, then using the download in Option One of Method Two will be able to restore this as well.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/70819-windows-explorer-folder-view-settings.html

Hope this helps fro now,
Shawn

Folder Window Icon Text - Hide or Show File Names

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