File Explorer keeps forgetting my folder customization

Hi all,

Ever since I upgraded to Windows 11 I'm experiencing a weird bug(?) with File Explorer where it keeps forgetting my folder/sub-folder preferences.
I'm always using Quick Access to access mentioned folder so it shouldn't be like I never visited that folder ever, which would explain this issue.

Example of how I set up my folders:

File Explorer error:



I'm currently testing if "Automatic Folder Type Discovery" will fix the issue.

Generally anything listed ABOVE This PC in the Navigation pane are Pinned shortcuts to the actual folders under C: in Users. Right-click of one of those shortcuts and Properties will show the actual location.

So what should I do in order to prevent this from happening? In W10 putting it in Quick Access worked hence why I thought that would be the case in W11 as well.

Also it looks like that you're right because when I click on this PC and on different disk, it remembers it correctly or at least it isn't behaving randomly like with Other folder.

edit: This is how I had it set-up on W10.

Copied from my post at tenforums.com:

Please note that disabling "Automatic Folder Type Discovery" via a registry setting or another tool is the same as checking "Make all folders Generic" in WinSetView. The max folder views registry setting does not need to be touched. When you run WinSetView, the folder view count goes down to zero because it deletes the registry keys that hold the views. The new defaults are set in the "FolderTypes" key for each folder type and Explorer uses those settings to create a new saved view for each folder that is opened. There should be no reason to use any other tools or registry tweaks in regards to folder views.

I'm struggling to think of how you can be seeing an issue where the icon size is not sticking. Please run WinSetView again and set your preferred views for each folder type. If you want everything the same regardless of folder type, just set your preference for "Global" and ensure that all folder types have "Inherit" checked. Do not uncheck any folder types. You can check "Make all folders Generic", but that should not be necessary.

Finally, do not run other programs that may interfere. I am aware of one in particular, DesktopManager, that restores the saved views, overriding the new defaults.

These are the only changes that I made via Winaero Tweaker, and these were made a few hrs. after I completed my whole W11 installation, yet it behaves this way. I'm really not sure why it forgets stuff, it never happened to me before. But that sticking is not fully related just to your program. It was an issue before hence why I tried to search if it is a bug for File Explorer, and I found your program as recommendation. Later today I will try to revert to W10's File Explorer if it is just W11 FE thing.

MaitieS said:

Ever since I upgraded to Windows 11 I'm experiencing a weird bug(?) with File Explorer where it keeps forgetting my folder/sub-folder preferences.

Click to expand...

Welcome to Eleven Forum.

I had this same problem. The key clue here is that you upgraded to Windows 11. I'm guessing that, like me, you had been using your Windows 10 for quite some time before that. Windows has a limit by default of 5,000 separate folder views that it can remember. Once you have reached that limit it can no longer retain any further folder layout changes that you may make. You can change that limit.....

Bree said:

Welcome to Eleven Forum.

I had this same problem. The key clue here is that you upgraded to Windows 11. I'm guessing that, like me, you had been using your Windows 10 for quite some time before that. Windows has a limit by default of 5,000 separate folder views that it can remember. Once you have reached that limit it can no longer retain any further folder layout changes that you may make. You can change that limit.....

Increase Folder View Settings Cache Memory Size in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to change or increase the folder view settings cache memory size for your account in Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11 to have Windows remember more of your folder view settings. You can change the folder view settings in Windows to what you want...

www.elevenforum.com

Click to expand...

Yep, I was on W10 since 2016 and really didn't want to upgrade that much but after I got my new work laptop with W11, I think it was my last push hence why I upgraded a few days after. I adjusted it. I also reverted to classic W10 File Explorer, and hopefully I won't jinx it, but I have a feeling that it works now correctly? As I'm not experiencing any issues as of now, but I'm still testing it, so by the end of the day I will be fully sure if it is finally fixed or not.

Bree said:

The key clue here is that you upgraded to Windows 11. I'm guessing that, like me, you had been using your Windows 10 for quite some time before that. Windows has a limit by default of 5,000 separate folder views that it can remember. Once you have reached that limit it can no longer retain any further folder layout changes that you may make.

Click to expand...

My understanding is that @Maties had already run WinSetView and was still experiencing the issue. WinSetView deletes the BagMRU and Bags registry keys which, of course, brings your folder view count down to zero.

I'm assuming that @Maties did click Submit in WinSetView.

LesFerch said:

My understanding is that @Maties had already run WinSetView and was still experiencing the issue. WinSetView deletes the BagMRU and Bags registry keys which, of course, brings your folder view count down to zero.

I'm assuming that @Maties did click Submit in WinSetView.

Click to expand...

Yeah that might be the case, because I am well aware of BagMRU limit as it's one of the stuff that I'm adjusting via Winaero Tweeker, and I didn't realize that other program is deleting it hence why I was so confused of why is File Explorer behaving so randomly.

Ever since I switched my File Explorer back to W10 version and I added BagMRU it works just fine, and I'm not noticing any randomness anymore.

But at least with this issue I was able to find your software, which is something that I was looking for ages. Just a quick question if you don't mind. I tried to read your page, but I was kind of stressed with these issues that I was facing with W11 + work, and I was wondering. Is there a way how to make a backup without applying any changes, or without selecting any folders or to add my own folders that I would like to backup?

So far, I'm understanding it that I will just apply some change, and just restore from previous one as it makes the newest copy, and I will just save that .reg file and restore it on my new machine, right?

Best regards,

MaitieS said:

Is there a way how to make a backup without applying any changes, or without selecting any folders or to add my own folders that I would like to backup?

So far, I'm understanding it that I will just apply some change, and just restore from previous one as it makes the newest copy, and I will just save that .reg file and restore it on my new machine, right?

Click to expand...

The best, and easiest, way to apply your preferred default views to a new machine is to run WinSetView again with the same settings. Just copy the WinSetView folder from your old computer to the new computer (or run WinSetView from a flash drive) and then just click Submit to apply all the same settings.

Note: The WinSetView preferences are saved in the file Win10.ini (even for Windows 11) and that's located within WinSetView's AppData folder. If you placed WinSetView in a protected folder, such as "Program Files", then you will find the Win10.ini file within C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\WinSetView.

You can mess around with backup reg files and all that, but it's really a make-work project. It may be desirable if you're an IT person automating a build and want to streamline everything as much as possible. There are more details on this in the Tools section in the manual.