File Explorer - Decrease Space & Check Boxes

I have just finished setting up a new ASUS Zenbook with Win 11 22631.3235, and the only remaining issue is with the two related setting of:
1. Decrease space between items (compact view)
2. Use check boxes to select items

Trying the various settings detailed in the excellent tips from the Tutorials section have no effect. I have concluded that it is likely controlled by some registry entry that has been set for a tablet mode configuration.

The lid on my older HP Spectre X360 can be opened to 360 degrees where it can be used as a tablet. In normal mode, File Explorer respects the 2 settings. In table mode File Explorer expands to increase space between items and adds the check boxes. Change the lid back to normal mode and File Explorer reverts. All logical.

The lid on Zenbook can be opened to 180 degrees, turning it into a semi-tablet mode, but File Explorer only displays check boxes with spaces between items.

Any creative suggestions/fixes? If none, I will clean install Windows 11 and reinstall all my apps to change this File Explorer configuration.

Are you trying to make the changes as User with Administrator rights? The first User created at initial setup gets those rights, additional Users get a choice. Standard Users can't make as many changes.

I set my Notebooks for both in View, Show.

Hi,
Touch screen is more likely why.
Hell I don't even use check boxes but MS leaves the space anyway to the left of a listing just in case I change my mind lol

Berton said:

Are you trying to make the changes as User with Administrator rights? The first User created at initial setup gets those rights, additional Users get a choice. Standard Users can't make as many changes.

I set my Notebooks for both in View, Show.

Click to expand...

As a User with Admin rights. Here is my view, check boxes on every line and space between items.

Thanks... but that did not help.
- the first tip covers Win 11/10, but Tablet mode has been removed from Win 11
- I am not having rotation problems

Have given up trying to resolve and currently doing a clean install.

One of the last fix attempts was to export the registry entries for Explorer from a clean install to the problem version. Not only did that not work but caused Excel not to be able to open existing spreadsheets. Bizarre. A restore of the registry entry fixed that.

Just to resurrect an old thread to add comething that I haven't seen elsewhere as a solution to the problem of unwanted checkboxes in file explorer:
HKLM/System/CurrentControlSet/Control/PriorityControl/ DWORD 'SystemDockMode' change to '1'.
It worked for me anyway!

if @Quandary comes back to this thread.. curious if you ever fixed it. why not just enable compact view, enable checkboxes and set tablet mode to never auto enable... there is no real "tablet mode" in windows 11 anyways...

@dacrone Its been a while and maybe I should have marked this as solved, but the cause remains unknown. My solution was to do a complete reinstall as no combination of setting worked for what I needed.