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

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
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

Was this answer helpful?

1600+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

355 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2022-11-02T10:19:53+00:00

    I fully agree that the File Explorer "Apply to Folders" feature should be better designed with options to set multiple folder types simultaneously. It should also be right up front instead of buried several levels deep and should be named appropriately. It's current name of "Apply to Folders" is misleading, as it applies only to folders of the same TYPE.

    And that is a big part of the issue for many users. I see comments saying something along the lines of "I set the view at the root of C: and clicked "Apply to Folders" but it did not change all folders". And so it shouldn't. Since Windows 7 was released many years ago, folder views are set by folder TYPE, not by folder trees. So, setting grouping to None and clicking "Apply to Folders" at the root of C: is no different than picking any random folder of type "General items", setting the view and clicking "Apply to Folders". In either case, the end result is that the default view (i.e. template) is updated ONLY for folder type General items.

    If you are using Windows 10 1903 or greater (yes, that includes Windows 11*), the Downloads folder is its own folder type. Therefore, making any view change to C: (or any other General items folder) and clicking "Apply to Folders" is going to have zero affect on the root of the Downloads folder (but it will affect subfolders of Downloads). To turn off grouping for the Downloads folder, you would need to change the view of the Downloads folder itself and then click "Apply to Folders" so that the change applies to all possible views of the Downloads folder. The same is true of all other folder types, such as Documents, Pictures, Videos, etc.

    So, I think there is a mix of users who are unclear about how the views apply on a folder type basis and users who are encountering bugs (or perhaps some sort of corruption). Personally, I have never seen Windows 10 not set the folder views as intended. The "Apply to Folders" button has always worked for me as designed (i.e. it updates the view for one folder type at a time). So, I didn't write WinSetView with the intention of being a "workaround", but rather as a tool to more efficiently set all those folders types. It just turned out that the methodology of setting the default views using the FolderTypes registry key is totally reliable versus the apparently somewhat volatile Streams/Default key that the "Apply to Folders" feature uses.

    *Windows 11 is another matter. Lots of folder view bugs there, especially when using a network or removable drive, but the design remains the same with folder views being applied on a folder type basis.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2022-10-27T16:12:42+00:00

    It's a false positive. You don't get malware from an open source project on GitHub with my personal email there for the world to see. Many AV products stop scripts (HTA, VBS, PS1, etc.) by default. You have to allow (whitelist) what you trust.

    Some AVs just throw completely incorrect false positives. Windows Defender and Kaspersky did that when I first released the tool over a year ago. I reported the false positives and they corrected their definitions.

    Recently, I received a false positive report from someone running Bitdefender, but I could not recreate the exact same issue using the free version. I did see Bitdefender stopping the script (as it will stop any script by default) but just had to turn off Advanced Threat Defense.

    Thank the bad actors of the world for these extra complications. AV products have to err on the side of protection and therefore sometimes stop software that is legit and safe.

    I don't have any issue with Windows Defender. I recommend that AV.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2022-10-27T15:12:27+00:00

    This has set the alarm bells off on my AV, makes me slightly reluctant to let it run.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2022-10-14T22:55:44+00:00

    Hey, finally got around to dealing with this. Winsetview seems like it does what I need. We'll see if it actually does eliminate file grouping in file open/save dialogs.

    Thanks

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments