WinSetView (Tool to Globally Set Explorer Folder Views)


WinSetView is a tool that will let you easily set File Explorer default folder views (including turning off grouping everywhere if so desired). It works by setting registry values that File Explorer already supports. It does not modify Explorer or add any tasks or services.

Please follow the guide on the WinSetView web page to download the app and set your initial folder view preferences. Running the app for the first time without following the guide may lead to confusion, as there are a lot of options on the screen.

1675264991488.png

WinSetView...
  • Is a portable app. That is, it requires no installation (just unzip and run) and it saves its settings in an INI file with the app. So, you can easily run it from a flash drive or network drive to set up new computers and/or new users with consistent default views with just one click.

  • Sets default folder views for ALL folder types, not just the basic five. That is, in addition to setting the default views for General items, Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos, it also sets the default views for Downloads, Libraries, OneDrive, Search results, Contacts, Quick Access, User files, File Open/Save dialogs, etc.

  • Can set the default view for phones and tablets to open in the same view you choose for General items. No more tiles!

  • Sets folder views using the FolderTypes registry key which is not affected by Windows updates.

  • Includes options to turn off Internet results in Windows search, revert the right-click menu to the classic layout, and disable thumbnails on folders.

  • Can also be used to reset all folder views to Windows defaults.

  • Can be used via the command line (for Power users and System Administrators). See the Tools Folder section in the manual for more details.

WinSetView will correct the following conditions (when the cause is registry corruption):

1. Folder views set via File Explorer, using Apply to Folders, are not applying to all folders.
2. Folder Properties, Customize, Optimize this folder for is not working properly.
3. Folder views are reverting back to Windows defaults.

Note: Windows 11 currently has some folder view bugs in regards to setting folder type for entire folder trees on removable drives and overriding the automatically detected folder type on "Local disks". Those bugs can, for now, be eliminated by installing a program that patches Explorer, such as StartAllBack (with the Explorer style option set to one of the classic views).
 

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Please follow the guide on the WinSetView web page to download and set your initial folder view preferences. Running the app for the first time without following the guide may lead to confusion, as there are a lot of options on the screen.



Oh sure. Make it sound like you wrote the program. :D
Yes, I know you wrote it.




I found the difference between the two pictures, what do I win? :-)

Image1.png
 

My Computers

System One System Two

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    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦22631.3374 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦23H2
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    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
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    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
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    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
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    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
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    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
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    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
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    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
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    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
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    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
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    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
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    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?
WinSetView is a tool that will let you easily set File Explorer default folder views. It works by setting registry values that File Explorer already supports. It does not modify Explorer or add any tasks or services.

WinSetView sets default folder views for ALL folder types, not just the basic five. That is, in addition to setting the default views for General items, Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos, it also sets the default views for Downloads, Libraries, OneDrive, Search results, Contacts, Quick Access, User files, File Open/Save dialogs, etc.

WinSetView can set the default view for phones and tablets to open in the same view you choose for General items. No more tiles!

WinSetView can also be used to reset all folder views to Windows defaults.

The default views set by WinSetView are not affected by Windows updates.

WinSetView is a portable app. That is, it requires no installation (just unzip and run) and it saves its settings in an INI file with the app. So, you can easily run it from a flash drive or network drive to set up new computers and/or new users with consistent default views with just one click.

WinSetView corrects the following conditions:

1. Folder views set via File Explorer, even using Apply to folders, are not applying to all folders.
2. Folder Properties, Customize, Optimize this folder for is not working properly.
3. Folder views are reverting back to Windows defaults.

For power users and system administrators, the tool can be used via the command line. See the Tools Folder section in the manual for more details.

Please follow the guide on the WinSetView web page to download and set your initial folder view preferences. Running the app for the first time without following the guide may lead to confusion, as there are a lot of options on the screen.


View attachment 47658
An old school GUI... nice... brings back memories...LOL
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows
Oh sure. Make it sound like you wrote the program. :D
Yes, I know you wrote it.
I found the difference between the two pictures, what do I win? :-)

LOL. I was trying to figure out how a perfect Windows 11 screen shot (i.e. the rounded corners) ended up in the first post because I pasted from a Windows 10 machine this morning. I thought Brink had replaced the image for me, but that wasn't it, so I pasted another image from Windows 10 to see if the forum software was rounding the corners. And, yeah, it did round the corners a little, but it clearly looks like an edit, whereas the first post looks like it came from Windows 11. So, in the "spot the difference" contest, I was actually focused on the screen shot corners.

Edit: I figured it out. I forgot that I had removed a pixel or two from each edge of the screen shot before pasting. That little edit made the automatic image corner rounding on this site produce a better result that looks much closer to an actual Windows 11 screen shot.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer

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?
WinSetView 2.62 is now available for download.
thanks for the update info. Sucks it doesnt update inside the app itself. Oh well dont take but a minute to set it back up. Great little app.
 

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    Windows 11 Pro Version 22H2(OS Build 22621.963)
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    2 - 27 inch Westinghouse
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    1920 x 1080
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    logitech
    Mouse
    logitech
    Internet Speed
    1 GB
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge
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    Avast Premium
thanks for the update info. Sucks it doesnt update inside the app itself. Oh well dont take but a minute to set it back up. Great little app.
Thanks. Self-updating is really difficult. All kinds of things can go wrong (e.g. running from a read-only or system-protected directory, running with standard user rights, etc.). Every possible scenario has to be handled with error messages translated into 30+ languages. Never going to happen.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
Thanks for this; it helped me to disable the 'Automatic Folder Type Discovery' feature in Windows 11, which bothered me for months.

There has been a minor issue though: I initially launched WinSetView, ticked "Reset Views to Windows Defaults" and hit Submit.
After File Explorer was reloaded, the 2 custom toolbars in the Windows Taskbar disappeared.
I had to add them back via Taskbar > right click > Toolbars > New toolbar
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-11700K @ 3.6GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX Black DDR4-3200
    Graphics Card(s)
    Built-in (Intel Graphics)
    Sound Card
    Built-in
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    NEC P242W
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 980 Pro M.2 (1+2TB)
    PSU
    Corsair RM650x
    Case
    Fractal Design Core 2500
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12S
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech M100
After File Explorer was reloaded, the 2 custom toolbars in the Windows Taskbar disappeared.
I had to add them back via Taskbar > right click > Toolbars > New toolbar
I could not replicate this issue on Windows 10 or 11. My toolbars all stayed in place. On Windows 11, presumably you have one or more enhancement/rollback tools installed. I used StartAllBack 3.6.4 to get the old taskbar back and then added toolbars. They all remained. What tool(s) are you using?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
I was using StartAllBack 3.6.3 and WinSetView 2.71
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-11700K @ 3.6GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX Black DDR4-3200
    Graphics Card(s)
    Built-in (Intel Graphics)
    Sound Card
    Built-in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC P242W
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 980 Pro M.2 (1+2TB)
    PSU
    Corsair RM650x
    Case
    Fractal Design Core 2500
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12S
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech M100
No, it did not happen again (and it had never happened before using WinSetView)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-11700K @ 3.6GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance LPX Black DDR4-3200
    Graphics Card(s)
    Built-in (Intel Graphics)
    Sound Card
    Built-in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    NEC P242W
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 980 Pro M.2 (1+2TB)
    PSU
    Corsair RM650x
    Case
    Fractal Design Core 2500
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-U12S
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800
    Mouse
    Logitech M100
No, it did not happen again (and it had never happened before using WinSetView)
I think I found the explanation.

If you select the option "Reset Views to Windows Defaults", then this entire key is cleared, which includes the toolbars:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams

As long as you don't use that option, WinSetView only clears this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Defaults
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10/11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer
Thanks again.

I'm not sure what i'm doing wrong but with certain combinations of switches i'm getting black text on folder item labels, this is a pain because i'm using dark mode and cant see the labels. I'll try to work out a specific combinations in case it's relevant.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    WIN 10 Pro

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