Completely disable file grouping, always, everywhere, in all windows, dialogs, everything!

Anonymous
2022-02-23T22:25:42+00:00

Hello,

File grouping is degrading my productivity. It is constantly getting between me and my work.

I am aware of the methods to disable file grouping within individual folders. Please do not tell me how to do this, I already know.

I am also aware of the method that is supposed to disable file grouping within folders of a particular type (general, music, photos, etc.)... by setting the Explorer "Options > Apply to Folders". (As an aside, the auto-detection of folder contents often does not work and is a big headache.) Again, please do not tell me how to do this, I already know.

What I need to do is prevent Windows from grouping files -- EVERYWHERE. Not just in Windows Explorer, but in application file dialogs. That is, file Open and Save dialogs. That is the absolutely last place I ever want to see grouping.

This is seriously a problem for me. My assets are organized alphabetically for a reason. When I have to right-click and choose "Group By > None" every single time I access a folder through an application dialog, it wastes my time, increases my workload, and makes me very cranky.

I know that Microsoft has added this feature because they think it is going to save effort and time for their users. That may be true in some cases, but there is no one solution to maximize productivity in all possible use cases.

So please, how can I completely disable file grouping, always, everywhere, in all windows, dialogs, everything?

If this is not currently possible in Windows 10, please make it possible.

Such a simple, basic option can save literally millions of hours of wasted time for a global user base.

Thank you.

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

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Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2022-06-24T16:57:28+00:00

So please, how can I completely disable file grouping, always, everywhere, in all windows, dialogs, everything?

Option 1: Use WinSetView

The easiest solution is to use WinSetView. It's a free, open source, portable app that lets you choose your preferred Explorer default views, including grouping, and sets the registry values for you. It does not modify any system files and does not leave anything running (i.e. zero overhead). The settings will stick through typical Windows Updates, but will need to be reapplied after a major update.

Note: WinSetView resets all of your folder views to whatever you select as your default view preferences, which includes your grouping options. You may select one global view setting or select different views for each folder type.

Option 2: Clear saved views and "Apply to Folders"

This option uses the "Apply to Folders" button to set the user default view for the Downloads folder to Group by (None), but in order to ensure that all file open/save dialogs get the updated view, the currently saved views in the registry must be cleared out. To do that, first open RegEdit and delete the following registry keys:

HKCU\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU

HKCU\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags

After deleting those registry keys, set grouping to (None) in the usual way:

Windows 11:

  1. Open your Downloads folder and make the window wide enough to see all options.
  2. Sort menu > Group by > (None)
  3. ⋯ > Options
  4. View tab > Apply to Folders > Yes > OK

Windows 10:

  1. Open your Downloads folder and make the window wide enough to see all options.
  2. View tab > Group by > (None)
  3. Options > Change folder and search options
  4. View tab > Apply to Folders > Yes > OK

This procedure must be applied for each folder TYPE. Typically, only the Downloads folder type is set to group by date, but if you have other folder types that are also grouped, the procedure will need to be repeated for those ones as well.

Once the above steps are complete, sign out and sign in (or restart the computer) to make the changes take effect everywhere.

Option 3: Modify the default in the registry

In this registry key:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{885a186e-a440-4ada-812b-db871b942259}\TopViews\{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}

Change the GroupBy value data from "System.DateModified" to "" (i.e. clear the data).

Note: The above key is protected. You will need to either change its permissions (not recommended) or access it using a tool that provides TrustedInstaller access, such as PowerRun, AdvancedRun, or RightClickTools.

If you make the above change for a new user before opening any Downloads folders, then you're done. Otherwise, you'll need to clear out the saved views using the following procedures:

Close all open apps.

Open RegEdit normally (i.e NOT as TrustedInstaller) and delete the following registry keys:

HKCU\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU

HKCU\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags

Run the following PowerShell script to clear views for Store apps such as the Windows 11 Notepad and MSPaint:

$Pkgs = "$env:LocalAppData\Packages"
Get-ChildItem $Pkgs -Directory | ForEach-Object {
  Remove-Item -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue "$Pkgs\$_\SystemAppData\Helium\UserClasses.dat"
}

Sign out and sign in (or restart the computer) to make the changes take effect everywhere.

Option 4: Per user script

Close all open apps and run the following PowerShell script for each user (please see the comments):

# This script will remove grouping from all possible views of the Downloads folder. 
# The change is applied to the current user's profile only. 
# Warning: ALL folder views (except Downloads grouping) will revert to Windows defaults! 
# This is a minimal solution. To set ALL default folder views, use the free tool WinSetView. 

$RegExe = "$env:SystemRoot\System32\Reg.exe"
$File = "$env:Temp\Temp.reg"
$Key = 'HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes\{885a186e-a440-4ada-812b-db871b942259}'
& $RegExe Export $Key $File /y
$Data = Get-Content $File
$Data = $Data -Replace 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE', 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER'
$Data = $Data -Replace '"GroupBy"="System.DateModified"', '"GroupBy"=""'
$Data | Out-File $File
& $RegExe Import $File
$Key = 'HKCU\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell'
& $RegExe Delete "$Key\BagMRU" /f
& $RegExe Delete "$Key\Bags" /f
$Pkgs = "$env:LocalAppData\Packages"
Get-ChildItem $Pkgs -Directory | ForEach-Object {
  Remove-Item -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue "$Pkgs\$_\SystemAppData\Helium\UserClasses.dat"
}
Stop-Process -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -ProcessName Explorer

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  1. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2022-09-23T04:39:34+00:00

    All I can say is bless you. What a totally elegant solutions to a REALLY annoying problem.

    Best Regards .. R.Coke

    Nice to hear. Thank you!

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  2. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2022-09-21T01:33:57+00:00

    I tried this app - downloaded it from GitHub. When I tried to run it, I got an error saying it was a virus and was blocked by my system.

    It's a false positive. Your anti-virus might be throwing an alert for any HTA files or it may have old definitions or something else that needs sorting.

    When I first released the app 1.5 years ago, Windows Defender threw up a false positive. I reported the issue to the Windows Defender team and they fixed their definitions. Same with Kaspersky. I haven't seen any false positives since then.

    What anti-virus software are you running? Are the definitions up to date?

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  3. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2022-09-13T12:44:41+00:00
    1. Yes, that's right, I did that for the download folder. But now none of my folders are grouped anymore.

    Are you sure? have you checked under both This PC and under C:\Users\YourUserName? Have you checked a File/Open dialog? If you really have grouping off everywhere, I would conclude that you must have used the Apply to folders button. If not, then you have an anomaly I can't explain. It's not normal behavior (to get Grouping turned off universally with the one step you described) and I'm sure you can't replicate it (try a new user account), so it can't be accepted as a solution.

    1. The software you introduced does not work properly

    There is no grouping option.

    Image

    You've highlighted the current Group by setting for Global. At this point, if you click Submit, you will get grouping turned off globally.

    As per the quick start guide (Step 3), if you actually want grouping enabled and want to set which property (i.e. column heading) to group by, click the Columns button and set the group by ({ }) option there. This is described in more detail in the complete user manual (under the heading { } (Group by).

    P.S. A gentle word of advice... developers prefer you simply state what you can't get working rather than claim "it does not work properly".

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  4. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2022-09-13T05:12:54+00:00

    This issue has an interesting and strange solution.

    If instead of right-clicking each time and setting the grouping to none, you go to the View menu once and disable grouping, this issue will be solved forever.

    This worked for me. It was very strange.

    I'm sorry, but you're mistaken.

    Selecting Group by (None) in the View menu is exactly the same as right-clicking and selecting Group by (None).

    And it may stick forever (if you're very lucky), but it only applies to the current folder (i.e. current view).

    You must also drill down to View, Options, Change folder and search options, View tab, and click Apply to folders to have it apply to all folders of type Downloads (i.e. all views of the Downloads folder).

    Here's a demonstration, starting with Windows set at all default view settings (but Navigation pane turned off for clarity):

    1. Here I am in my Downloads folder accessed via Desktop, User, Downloads. As you can see, it's in Group by date:

    Image

    1. After selecting Group by (None) in the View menu grouping is off for this view:

    Image

    1. However, if I navigate to Downloads via This PC, the view is still in Group by date: (as expected):

    Image

    1. Also if I access Downloads via a File Open/Save dialog, it's still in Group by date (as expected):

    Image

    1. To change ALL of these views to Group by (None), I have to set it to (None) (and it doesn't matter if I right-click or use the View menu) and ALSO use the Apply to folders button (as detailed above). After doing that, ALL Downloads folders (i.e. all Downloads views) will be in Group by (None):

    Image

    And, as previously stated, this is just for one folder type at a time (e.g. Downloads). The steps have to be repeated for each folder type (where you want to change the default view) and you may have to repeat these steps after a Windows update. You can use WinSetView, if you like, to avoid that repetition.

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