How to Stop File Explorer Sorting by Week and Month

Anonymous
2019-07-26T21:53:02+00:00

After the recent update Windows file explorer is now grouping items by day, week and month. I do not want this. I want the old way back please. How do I get rid of this new sorting? I hope this is not going to be like what happened to media folders where they now display metadata columns instead of name, date, size, type and even if you change them the next time you open the folder it has reverted back to metadata columns.

Update: I worked out that Group By must be set to none. How do I make this default so it doesn't revert back? I'd also like to stop my media folders reverting back to the old way too so they show name, date, size, type instead of Artist, Album, Title etc

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

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Anonymous
2019-09-05T03:31:56+00:00

There is no bug.  Someone at Microsoft just managed to apply their default folder setting to everyone that installs the update.

To turn off file grouping feature:

  1. Open a folder that is Grouping by/sorting using week and month.
  2. Right Click in the folder
  3. Select 'Group by'
  4. Select '(None)'

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-05-05T01:27:21+00:00

    Hi,

    This does not work. The day, week, month etc system over rides these chosen settings. For example, I select the sorting 'date created' and the explorer window will now sort all of today's files by date created, all of yesterdays files by date created, all of last weeks by date created etc. In other words the explore window over rides and still keeps the day, week, etc system.

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-05-05T09:22:48+00:00

    Read through the entire thread. You want to set GroupBy to (None) and then execute Apply to Folders to make it the default for Downloads.

    Details in previous replies.

    Keith

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-05-15T16:44:25+00:00

    I see I am not the only one encountering this grouping.

    I found the solution.

    IMO it should have not been set as the default

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-05-15T17:01:17+00:00

    Amen...  Message to Microsoft:  Please stop adding new "features" and then making them the default as if that's the behavior everybody wants!

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