Please bring back the ability to freely arrange icons within folders "DISABLE AUTO ARRANGE"!

Anonymous
2022-08-13T02:39:26+00:00

I just want to "disable" confounding Auto Arrange files within folders in Windows 10. I can't understand that when you leave file/folder icons in the position and order that you want and then Windows decides to mix them up. I'm continually wasting time trying to find lost data. It's ridiculous. Does anyone know or can create something that just allows you to arrange or sort files within folders, and Leave them alone, without the OS messing them up?

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

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-10-22T12:02:07+00:00

    FYI, I just tested the feature and it still works, just not if a folder is formatted for 'images'.

    But you are right, it would be nice if Microsoft would listen to the users and reintroduce the option to turn auto arrange on or off.

    It should be very simple that the function worked in Windows XP.

    Maybe the solution could be to take the solution from XP and insert the same values in the registry?

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-10-21T18:56:40+00:00

    Sorry, you'll figure it out, but the registry solution you describe will not work. Not with present Windows update. As soon as you restart, shutdown, anything you save will lose that. Also, it not working for you with pictures is a great example. This hack is not an OS system wide fix. Finally, you MUST refresh often. Disabling refresh will cause other issues. e.g. if you do not refresh, either manually or when it does automatically, you cannot put files into the trash, you can't delete them, your screensavers will not show or save correctly, it' so fraught with errors. It sucks, but again Windows shortsightedness andnot listening to people is wrecking computers.

    I continue to search and that hope someone ingenious programmer will come up with a permanent solution to disable auto arrange permanently and forever on the OS completely. (toggling on off of course is the holy grail, as they had it before!) I have all updates stopped now, keep pausing into future, until they absolutely won't turn on my computer. I don't ever want them to break more things and block your way back to better.

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-10-21T18:39:30+00:00

    Of course this is useless. The whole point of saving positions and locations of files is having them exactly there to easily find when you come back to them. And just to be sure, without "refreshing" the window or reopening, things will stay the same, for a moment. Then Windows does what It wants, not what you want.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-10-21T18:35:16+00:00

    Yes. Windows 10 1703 broke this (intentionally?) One cannot go back to earlier versions that worked perfectly, without messing other things up now. They trapped the users.

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-10-21T16:31:05+00:00

    Now I got this solution working for all categories except images. It works with the folder set to General, Documents, Videos, Music but not with category set to pictures?

    https://technastic.com/disable-auto-refresh-auto-arrange-windows-explorer/

    Is this registry key for Pictures incorrect: {B3690E58-E961-423B-B687-386EBFD83239}

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