Unable to get File Explorer to stop displaying video files as icons


hsehestedt

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I have a HDD that has a single folder. Within that folder are many files and subfolders. All of the files are either music or video files.

The issue is that I want ALL files and folders to be displayed in list view, but Windows keeps insisting on displaying many folders as icons.

Here is what I have done:

1) Right-click on the drive in File Explorer and select Properties > Customize tab > Optimize this folder for: General items > Also apply this template to all subfolders > OK

2) While in the root of the drive, select View > List, then ... > Options > View > Apply to folders.

For some reason, even after doing this, subfolders and files insist on showing up as icons. I can change individual folders but there are many hundreds of them.

Any suggestions on how to apply these settings to the entire drive?
 

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    Win11 Pro 23H2
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    Intel i7-11700K
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    ASUS Prime Z590-A
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    Intel i7-1255U
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    16 GB
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    13.3-inch IPS Display
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    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
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I have a HDD that has a single folder. Within that folder are many files and subfolders. All of the files are either music or video files.

The issue is that I want ALL files and folders to be displayed in list view, but Windows keeps insisting on displaying many folders as icons.

Here is what I have done:

1) Right-click on the drive in File Explorer and select Properties > Customize tab > Optimize this folder for: General items > Also apply this template to all subfolders > OK

2) While in the root of the drive, select View > List, then ... > Options > View > Apply to folders.

For some reason, even after doing this, subfolders and files insist on showing up as icons. I can change individual folders but there are many hundreds of them.

Any suggestions on how to apply these settings to the entire drive?


I think you need to choose "Details" not List.
Nope, that's not it. That just changes it from one column to many columns.


Maybe one of these check boxes?

Image2.png



With those check boxes... I get this view on List... (Win 10 and Win 11)
I have no One Drive, no syncing, no sharing. <---- I don't know if any of this makes any difference.

Image2.png
 
Last edited:

My Computers

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    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
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    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
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    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
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    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
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    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
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    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
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    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
No, that's not doing it for me. It's like it is ignoring the settings.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel i7-11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A
    Memory
    128GB Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz DRAM
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - CPU graphics only (for now)
    Sound Card
    Realtek (on motherboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe Gen 4 x 4 SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe Gen 3 x 4 SSD
    2 x 512GB 2.5" SSDs
    2 x 8TB HD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCue 5000X RGB
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black cooler + 10 case fans
    Keyboard
    CODE backlit mechanical keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Additional options installed:
    WiFi 6E PCIe adapter
    ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 PCIe adapter
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
No, that's not doing it for me. It's like it is ignoring the settings.


I think the only other things I did was the ribbon bar tweak and the context menus tweak.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
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    HP Envy dv7
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    Intel Core i7 3630QM
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    HP
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    16 GB
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    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I think you will find you can achieve what you want by first setting "view" as either list or details and then using the view by/sort by settings to change it from there.
 

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    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22631.3296
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    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
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    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
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    1tb Solidigm m.2 +256gb ssd+512 gb usb m.2 sata
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    500w
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    MT
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    Dell Premium
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    Logitech wired
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    Logitech wireless
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    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
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    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 22H2 19045.3930
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    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
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    24 gb
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
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    2560x1440
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    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
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    500w
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    Dell factory
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    Logitech wireless
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    Logitech wired
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    still not telling
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    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
Remove settings for specified folders first, apply notspecified template, setup the desired view, restart explorer.
Code:
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags" /f
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU" /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell" /v "FolderType" /t REG_SZ /d "NotSpecified" /f
There is also GitHub - LesFerch/WinSetView: Globally Set Explorer Folder Views
 

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    AMD Ryzen 5 3600 & No fTPM (07/19)
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I have a HDD that has a single folder. Within that folder are many files and subfolders. All of the files are either music or video files.

The issue is that I want ALL files and folders to be displayed in list view, but Windows keeps insisting on displaying many folders as icons.

Here is what I have done:

1) Right-click on the drive in File Explorer and select Properties > Customize tab > Optimize this folder for: General items > Also apply this template to all subfolders > OK

2) While in the root of the drive, select View > List, then ... > Options > View > Apply to folders.

For some reason, even after doing this, subfolders and files insist on showing up as icons. I can change individual folders but there are many hundreds of them.

Any suggestions on how to apply these settings to the entire drive?

Sorry I'm very late to the thread here. As TairikuOkami suggested, WinSetView will fix this issue for you. Just use it to set all your preferred default folder views and that folder of music and videos will be all in List view (or whatever you choose) and stay that way. WinSetView also includes the option (under the Advanced interface) to make all folders generic (General items) but it's usually unnecessary to do that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
What happens if you change the properties of the folder to Documents?
 

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System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro & 🐥.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. X509DA (FP5)
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    RX Vega 10 Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2TB NVMe 1.3
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
What happens if you change the properties of the folder to Documents?
The OP had already tried setting the whole folder tree to General items. Choosing the Documents folder type would have made no difference. The corrupted keys need to be deleted in such cases. That can be done manually, but it makes more sense to use WinSetView as it will clear those keys and set your preferred defaults at the same time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
If I'm reading correctly I get the film-clip type icon when I use Large or Extra-large icon setting in File Explorer. I always set my computers to show file extensions.

1663532023292.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro RTM
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 3400
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 11th Gen. 2.40GHz
    Memory
    12GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD NVMe
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Vostro 5890
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 10th Gen. 2.90GHz
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Onboard, no VGA, using a DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" Dell
    Hard Drives
    512GB SSD NVMe, 2TB WDC HDD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender/Microsoft Security
Those that keep showing icons or thumbnails I would keep changing them back to list via the bottom right list icon until Windows eventually remembers.

2022-09-18 21_41_38-Unable to get File Explorer to stop displaying video files as icons _ Wind...png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Pro & 🐥.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS VivoBook
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx
    Motherboard
    ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. X509DA (FP5)
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    RX Vega 10 Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080@60Hz)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080@60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2TB NVMe 1.3
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ACER NITRO
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800H / 3.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    CZ Scala_CAS (FP6)
    Memory
    32 GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio. NVIDIA High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" LED backlight 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 144 Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB NVMe M.2
    PSU
    180 Watt, 19.5 V
    Mouse
    Lenovo Bluetooth
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender

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