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
    2021-04-22T18:39:29+00:00

    I'm going to guess it was to make it easier to virtualize, or as I like to call this, make it recursive. 

    That way MS can make things like One Drive, and "Recent" folders access and reside in your existing folders, while pretending to have done something that makes them more convenient. While actually only making a more convoluted path to get to where you already were. PIA.

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  2. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2021-04-22T17:39:23+00:00

    The Group By date issue with Downloads is an interesting one. The update from Windows 10 1809 to 190x changed the Downloads folder from a generic folder (GUID {5c4f28b5-f869-4e84-8e60-f11db97c5cc7}) to a unique folder type (GUID {885a186e-a440-4ada-812b-db871b942259}). I haven't seen an official explanation for the change , but maybe it's related to ensuring users are warned of potentially dangerous downloads. The GUID change necessarily caused Explorer to reset the view for Downloads to the new default view for Downloads. For whatever reason, Microsoft (programmers, UI designers) decided to make Group by date the default for the new Downloads folder type. Maybe it didn't occur to them that the view would be reset or maybe they didn't realize how annoying it would be to many users.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-04-22T16:43:09+00:00

    I hate it when Microsoft does this. After an update they kind of just "shove it down your throat" and you have to figure out a way to get rid of it which can often be time consuming. Sadly it's always a feature that's widely used (Ex: Windows Explorer sorting) that gets modified and people end up losing a bit of productivity in the process.

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-03-23T14:54:34+00:00

    WHY does Microsoft have to SCREW THINGS UP just so that they can tell you how to fix them??? I liked the way that things were before and IF I DIDNT then I would research how to change it.. but now Microsoft changed the way things were so that now I need to find out how to set it back.. this is ridiculous! just stop doing this!

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