WinSetView (Tool to Globally Set Explorer Folder Views)

DarkShadowMD said:

EDIT: I don't know what happened... I just redownloaded the app... all is working.
Probably something corrupted or whatever when I copied the app folder from another location.

Click to expand...

LesFerch said:

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.

View attachment 115971

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.
  
  
• Sets folder views via a copy of the FolderTypes registry key which is not affected by Windows updates. A Windows repair install will remove the defaults, but then you can just run WinSetView and click Submit to re-apply your preferences.
  
  
• Includes options to turn off Internet results in Windows search, revert the Windows 11 right-click menu to the classic layout, set a custom start folder for Explorer, disable thumbnails on folders, set the default view for phones to open in the same view you .
  
  
• 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 switching to the Windows 10 style Explorer.

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DuguaySarah94 said:

What a mistake taking a chance on this terrible, low-quality PowerShell script. Exploring the 'Experimental' features now, and it is (File Explorer) is slow again. I also lost all the nice right-click submenus; it defaults to a Windows 95-era right-click. Then I thought, 'Okay, at least this amateur considered a way to return to Windows default,' but nope, it breaks everything, and File Explorer remains incredibly slow.

There should be a better quality bar. I am no super-user, but apps like this promise simple things like a global folder view, and they should actually deliver that with a clean design. What was I even looking at? This is one of the worst pieces of UI logic I have ever seen. It reminded me of a FrontPage website; very crude, simplistic, and the kind of site that shouldn't even be published. I strongly recommend not even entertaining this boomer app

Click to expand...

# Reset-WinSetViewDamage.ps1
# Safely reset File Explorer views + restore Windows 11 context menu

$backupRoot = "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\Explorer_Registry_Backup_{0}" -f (Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd_HHmmss')
New-Item -Path $backupRoot -ItemType Directory -Force | Out-Null

Write-Host "Backing up registry keys to:`n$backupRoot`n"

# Backup key areas before changes
reg export "HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell" `
    "$backupRoot\Shell_HKCU.reg" /y | Out-Null

reg export "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer" `
    "$backupRoot\Explorer_HKCU.reg" /y | Out-Null

reg export "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID" `
    "$backupRoot\CLSID_HKCU.reg" /y | Out-Null

Write-Host "Backups complete.`n"

# 1) Remove classic context menu hack (Win11 → Win10 style)
$classicKey = "HKCU:\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}"
if (Test-Path $classicKey) {
    Write-Host "Removing classic context menu override..."
    Remove-Item $classicKey -Recurse -Force
} else {
    Write-Host "No classic context menu override key found (good)."
}

# 2) Reset folder view caches (Bags / BagMRU / FolderTypes)
Write-Host "Resetting folder view settings..."

$paths = @(
    "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags",
    "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU",
    "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell",
    "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\FolderTypes"
)

foreach ($p in $paths) {
    if (Test-Path $p) {
        Write-Host "  Removing $p"
        Remove-Item $p -Recurse -Force
    }
}

# 3) Reset Explorer Streams defaults (extra view/layout junk)
$streamsDefaults = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Defaults"
if (Test-Path $streamsDefaults) {
    Write-Host "Removing Explorer Streams Defaults..."
    Remove-Item $streamsDefaults -Recurse -Force
}

Write-Host "`nRestarting Explorer..."

Get-Process explorer -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force
Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
Start-Process explorer.exe

Write-Host "`nDone."
Write-Host "• Folder views reset to Windows defaults."
Write-Host "• Right-click menu back to normal Windows 11 style (after a logoff/reboot if needed)."
Write-Host "• Registry backups saved at: $backupRoot"
"

DuguaySarah94 said:

Here is the script by AI to fix his mess "

Code:

# Reset-WinSetViewDamage.ps1
# Safely reset File Explorer views + restore Windows 11 context menu

$backupRoot = "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\Explorer_Registry_Backup_{0}" -f (Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd_HHmmss')
New-Item -Path $backupRoot -ItemType Directory -Force | Out-Null

Write-Host "Backing up registry keys to:`n$backupRoot`n"

# Backup key areas before changes
reg export "HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell" `
    "$backupRoot\Shell_HKCU.reg" /y | Out-Null

reg export "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer" `
    "$backupRoot\Explorer_HKCU.reg" /y | Out-Null

reg export "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID" `
    "$backupRoot\CLSID_HKCU.reg" /y | Out-Null

Write-Host "Backups complete.`n"

# 1) Remove classic context menu hack (Win11 → Win10 style)
$classicKey = "HKCU:\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}"
if (Test-Path $classicKey) {
    Write-Host "Removing classic context menu override..."
    Remove-Item $classicKey -Recurse -Force
} else {
    Write-Host "No classic context menu override key found (good)."
}

# 2) Reset folder view caches (Bags / BagMRU / FolderTypes)
Write-Host "Resetting folder view settings..."

$paths = @(
    "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags",
    "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU",
    "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell",
    "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\FolderTypes"
)

foreach ($p in $paths) {
    if (Test-Path $p) {
        Write-Host "  Removing $p"
        Remove-Item $p -Recurse -Force
    }
}

# 3) Reset Explorer Streams defaults (extra view/layout junk)
$streamsDefaults = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Defaults"
if (Test-Path $streamsDefaults) {
    Write-Host "Removing Explorer Streams Defaults..."
    Remove-Item $streamsDefaults -Recurse -Force
}

Write-Host "`nRestarting Explorer..."

Get-Process explorer -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force
Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
Start-Process explorer.exe

Write-Host "`nDone."
Write-Host "• Folder views reset to Windows defaults."
Write-Host "• Right-click menu back to normal Windows 11 style (after a logoff/reboot if needed)."
Write-Host "• Registry backups saved at: $backupRoot"
"

Click to expand...

Astrogator said:

Hi Les, thank you for making WinSetView! May I suggest a UI improvement? It would be really helpful if you could add explanatory tooltips to all controls (esp. checkboxes). Yes, I know there is a manual, but it requires a full blowser window and screen estate is usually a premium. It's much more convenient when UI is self-describing (if you're familiar with NTlite, it follows that style). Thank you!

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DarkShadowMD said:

Would it make it easier for you if you had translation templates so you could concentrate in adding stuff in english, and people could contribute with translations for you? That saves a lot of time...

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petrarislin said:

I'm trying to fix the chrome "Save as" window, which seems to always display as icons, when I'd rather it be in details mode. I can indeed set that for any chosen folder, but saving into a different folder it goes back to icons. I *think* I read elsewhere that Save as dialogs are determined by the app (?). Is there indeed nothing Winsetview can do for this? TY.

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