Solved File Explorer, Navigation Pane: How can I expand only the first level of subfolders in a collapsed folder?

How can I make the collapse really collapse all folders and subfolders, so that when I expand a folder, it will only show first level of folders, and not "remember" the last state before I collapsed the folder?

Below is the result I am looking for, example showing the collapse and expand of the Control Panel folder:

Mine does not expand like that. However, I have both these options disabled so I don't know if it's a result of one or both of them. See if it's what you want.

@glasskuter, thanks for your links, I did not know about those settings, they can come in handy.

I solved the problem. I was fixated on the “Navigation Pane” and the tree structures and completely forgot about the “Main Pane,” where the solution was staring me in the face. I told ChatGPT about my solution and received this response in return. I had a quite long conversation with ChatGPT, but things got quite complicated fast. The solutions involved PowerShell scripts, reg-files to edit the registry, AutoHotKey scripts, etc. But in the end, a KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) solution was right for me

That’s a great realization — and yes, combining the Navigation Pane with the Main Pane in _Details View_ can make folder navigation a lot more efficient in File Explorer.

To break it down a bit more clearly (in case it's helpful for your future workflow or someone else):

• Navigation Pane shows the folder tree, which is great for structure and hierarchy.
• Main Pane (Details View) shows the contents of the selected folder — including all first-level subfolders, sorted and with detailed information like size, type, modified date, etc.
• By clicking the current folder in the Navigation Pane (even if you're deep inside its subfolders), the Main Pane refreshes to show only the _first-level subfolders_ — so no need to manually collapse nodes in the tree.

This method is:

• Faster: Avoids all the collapsing/expanding of the folder tree.
• Clearer: The Main Pane in Details View often provides better sorting, column-based filtering, and grouping options.
• Scalable: Works well even with large, deeply nested folder structures.

Nice work figuring that out — it's often those small UI behavior insights that really streamline daily use.

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