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

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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.

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-01-26T14:26:05+00:00

    Have you read through this whole thread or just the OP & 'Ansewr'?

     When I change the download folder's settings, it only works once; when I come back later, I'm back in the same nightmare. 

    Not remembering the saved view is a symptom of having maxed out saved views at 5000. If you copy & paste the following PowerShell code into a PowerShell window, press <Enter> to execute, & post the result, that will be a good start.

    Total # of saved views:

    ((gp 'HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU').Nodeslots).Count

    Second, I don't want to apply ALL of that folder's settings to all other folders (some are sorted by name, some by date, some display thumbnails, etc.) 

    Apply to Folders works on a per-FolderType(i.e. view "template") basis. And Downloads now has its own FolderType, so when you use Apply to Folders on your ungrouped folder, you're doing two things. First, you're ensuring that even if the folder's individual saved view is deleted, it will use your customized view the next time it is displayed, not the system-default grouped view. Second, the template set wiil be used by any of the Common dialogs (Open, Save, SaveAs) provided they had not already saved a view.

    Keith

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-01-26T06:40:48+00:00

    First, I want to get rid of these groups in all folders, permanently. When I change the download folder's settings, it only works once; when I come back later, I'm back in the same nightmare. Second, I don't want to apply ALL of that folder's settings to all other folders (some are sorted by name, some by date, some display thumbnails, etc.) Third, I would like to respectfully suggest that whoever decided to foist this on us, without any way to disable it at a global level, be summarily executed.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-01-18T15:19:42+00:00

    Keith, great information.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-01-18T07:36:20+00:00

    You have templates created for Generic, Documents, and Downloads FolderTypes. I'm willing to bet what's screwing you up is that 5000. That's the max # of views that can be saved. When you hit that, Windows has to delete a previously saved view every time it tries to save a new one.

    This limit can indeed confuse the user and it is another example of too much automation and magic built into windows.

    Why is there no notification informing the user about this background action?

    If I try to delete something too large for the recycle bin, I get a warning.

    So there should also be a warning or at least a tray notification that previously saved folder views have been deleted.

    And there should be hints telling the user what to do to avoid the problem.

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