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
    2021-01-23T20:18:55+00:00

    Keith, Over 20 pages of complaints on this unwanted "feature" and all you can do is defend the indefensible.  Shame on you.  How do users ever make their voice heard?  We shouldn't have to spend hours and hours looking for fixes for the so called features updates bring to our computers.

    If there is a forum where people are demanding these things, where is so that those of us that find them disgusting can voice our opinions and be heard?  We came to this forum sponsored by MS in the hope of repairing a bad feature that an update forced on us. 

    Twenty pages of replies because the reply marked as 'Answer' is incomplete, when it doesn't work, people voice their frustration without reading furthur.

    I'm not defending the choice on MS's part any more than the choice they made to have Search Results default to Content view. I'm trying to explain why people are seeing what they're seeing and how to achieve the results they want.

    To a lesser extent, I'm trying to defend precise language. A "bug" causes unexpected results. Given that the Downloads FolderType definition contains this:

    we can hardly call the grouping "unexpected".

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-07-02T20:51:31+00:00

    Great answer - but just one problem, it doesn't help!

    None of these answers help because Microsoft, in it's infinite wisdom, decided to remove the view tab from the Save/Save-As dialog - at least for the control available to browsers and such.

    All the expected key-combinations to switch to the "view" tab, (like Alt-V), don't work because the view tab doesn't exist.

    After considerable searching, I found a solution that both works and persists, (sticks).  Note that this is so counter-intuitive that I'm tempted to call it an "Easter Egg".

    Here's the fix that works - that is, until Microsoft changes things again. . . .

    1. Go to the offending save/save-as dialog. This might be through your browser when downloading, or a particular app, but find a way that opens the save/save-as in the grouped mode.
    2. Within the dialog itself, point to an empty area and right click.  You will see a context menu that contains the "Group By" item.  When you open that item, select "(None)" as the group-by value and bingo! - you're done.

    <rant>

    I would really like to know both why on God's Good Earth they do these stupid things, and who allows such idiocy to take place.  Whoever it might be - please, oh please, oh please don't allow him out on the street alone as I am sure he/they are hated and despised throughout the known galaxy!

    Outlook (from 2010 onward) does the same thing.  If you create a new folder for mail items, it defaults to group-by: date.  Even though on the View tab grouping is set to "None", you have to actually open the group attribute and manually set the "No Grouping" checkbox.  And you have to do it every stinkin' time you create a new mail item folder.

    The next time the folks at Microsoft have any kind of design review or update their programming and style guide, they should carefully consider the Principle of Least Astonishment.  A good example is found in *The Tao of Programming*:

    A program should follow the 'Law of Least Astonishment'. What is this law? It is simply that the program should always respond to the user in the way that astonishes him least.

    This is one of the absolute keystones of any worthwhile user interface design.  It should be plastered on the walls of every development area in any company.  It should be on the wall of any room where code reviews or design reviews are done, and it should be part of the background on any computer used by developers, SQA, or program management.

    </rant>

    What say ye?

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-08-12T14:23:37+00:00

    After you set GroupBy to None, you have to select Folder Options > View tab > Apply to folders to make the setting "stick":

    Keith

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-06-19T08:06:13+00:00

    Hi Shafeeq Ali Khan,

    Thank's for your detailed reply! I could reproduce what you said, I've seen now that the "normal" File Viewer group setting of a folder can be different from the "save as" setting.

    Actually from the beginning I guessed that there is a separate setting stored. But at that time I could not find the "<none>" group setting, it was not available in the download *"save as"*dialog of Firefox for whatever reason (normally it is only not visible if you have already chosen the "<none>" option).

    Thank and best regards

    Chap

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