Disable group by in Downloads folder (Windows 10 1903)

Anonymous
2019-06-18T09:01:17+00:00

Hi, since I updated to the new Windows 1903 version the files in some folders like "Downloads" are always grouped by the date. I was able to disable this in the File Explorer itself by choosing "Group by = none". But in all kind of "Save as" dialogs from any application the group by date still appears and in those special explorer windows there is no option to disable file grouping in them. So how can I disable this globally?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Files, folders, and storage

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2019-06-19T03:25:57+00:00

Hi Chap Sistine,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

The Group by option in normal folders and in Save as window are different, so if you change the Group by to type in Downloads folder, it will not change in Save as window. Then, if you change the Group by in Save as window, it will not change in normal folders.

You can refer the below example.

Change the Group by as size in Downloads folder - Change the Group by as size in Save as window.

Change the Group by as type in Downloads folder - (Check) Group by as size in Save as window (it will not change until you right-click in Save as window and change it to type or anything else).

Also, the Group by option is specific to folders and once you change Group by for a particular folder, the changes will not be applied to all the folders. You need to change the Group by for every folder by opening that particular folder > Press the Alt and V > Click on G > Select the Group by settings or click on Choose columns for more options.

So, once you change the Group by in Save as window, it will remain the same regardless of whichever application you open the Save as window from.

Was this answer helpful?

60+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

214 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2021-01-06T15:55:29+00:00

    Right, I don't want it unless you have a fix.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2021-01-06T15:37:39+00:00

    As stated a few times in previous posts, you must set the group sort by to no group sorting (No sorting by Date).  Then you have to open explorer and go to File and select Change File and Search options.  Then click View and click on Apply to Folders.  This will set your sort type to no sorting by date.  The sort type will revert to alpha-numeric sort by name.  This worked for me many months ago and I haven't had a problem since.  Even Windows 10 updates do not revert the sort order back to sort by data.  If this is not working for you, you may be doing something wrong.  I have done this on 5 of my computers and it works everytime.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2021-01-06T15:24:14+00:00

    If you want my advice ... actually, I don't recall you asking for my advice ... you (and I) need to get over this. Windows is filled with minor annoyances. So is life. Software isn't perfect and fortunately, this is just an interface issue. Windows is on more than a billion devices and there are probably people in different parts of the world who are so happy that Microsoft added this valuable feature.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2021-01-06T14:14:10+00:00

    If you find a way to do this, please let me know. I get this to work when I open Windows Explorer directly, but when I try to access this Downloads folder through other software products, this does not work and is very irritating. Hate Windows 10.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments