How To Adjust The Default Folder View In Windows 10?

Microsoft obviously spent a lot of time with Windows 10. This is evident from the fact that some very useful features have been integrated within Windows 10 which many people use without even thinking actively about it. One such feature is the default folder view in Windows 10 that optimize the way the folders appear on in Explorer.

How Is Windows 10 Default View Set?

If you look closely, you will notice a pattern in the way the different folder views are set in Windows. Windows tries its best to recognize what kinds of files are present in a folder. It uses this to group folders accordingly, and hence you see that different folders have different layouts set by default.

Within folder properties, you will notice that there are five different templates that are used to customize the folder view. These include

• General items (Mixed content)
• Documents
• Pictures
• Music
• Videos

For example, you may notice that the Pictures and Videos containing folder will contain large icons by default, displaying thumbnails. Meanwhile, the music folder will contain details set as the view, displaying the artist, album, date, etc.

When you create a new folder and put some similar type of files in it, Windows will determine its best to determine what kind of files are present in the folder and set the view accordingly.

How To Set Default Folder View In Windows 10?

To customize further the view in Explorer, you can adjust the default folder view in Windows 10; you can change the Windows 10 default view in either one folder or in all folders in File Explorer. Here I will discuss how you can do both of these.

Reset Folder Settings In Windows 10!

To restore the original settings of one particular folder in File Explorer, use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer. You can use the keyboard shortcut Win + E.
2. Go to any folder in C drive.
3. Here, click on the View tab at the top ribbon.
4. Click on Options.
5. Under the View tab, click on the Reset Folders.

6. In the confirmation dialog box, click on Yes.
7. Click on OK.

Once you complete this, the folder will reset to the default template.

Default Folder View In Windows 10 One Folder Only-

If you feel the need to customize further the folder view template, you can switch templates using the steps given here:

1. Open File Explorer. You can use the keyboard shortcut Win + E.
2. Go to the folder for which you want to change the view.
3. Right-click in an empty space within the folder to reveal the context menu. Select Properties.
4. Under the Customize tab, use the drop-down menu under Optimize this folder for section to change the Windows 10 default view.

You can choose from one of the five default templates that are provided above.

5. If you wish to apply the same settings to its subfolders as well, check the box next to Also apply this template to all subfolders.
6. Click the Apply button followed by OK.

After this, the folder will be optimized for the content type that you chose in the settings above.

How To Set Details View For All Folders Windows 10?

To apply a specific template to all the folders in Windows 10, you need to specify the same for one folder, and then apply that setting to all folders. This seems like the easiest way to do so.

1. Open File Explorer. You can use the keyboard shortcut Win + E.
2. Go to the folder for which you want to change the view.
3. Here, click on the View tab at the top ribbon.
4. From the layout section, select your preferred layout. I am going to select Details for demonstration purposes.
5. Once you have your view set, you need to make this the default view for all folders in Windows.
6. Click on Options.
7. Under the View tab, click on Apply to Folders.
8. Click the Apply button followed by OK.

Following this, all the folders on your Windows device will be changed to the view that you just set.

How To View Thumbnails Instead Of Icons!

If you prefer thumbnails to icons in the large icons template, you can change a setting to view that. Simply follow these steps:

1. Right-click on This PC to reveal the context menu and select Properties.
2. The System window will appear; click the Advanced system settings link from the left ribbon.
3. The System Properties window will appear; look for the Performance heading and click the Settings button.

4. The Performance Options window will appear; under the Visual Effects tab, ensure that “Show thumbnails instead of icons” has a checkmark beside it.
5. Click Apply followed by OK to close the window.

Conclusion

There is no direct button to change the default folder view in Windows 10. Using this guide, you can set your view to whichever view you find comfortable. Leave a comment below if you found this helpful.