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. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-02-22T18:51:47+00:00

    Just to provide some clarification...

    Windows Vista was the last Windows version where the ability to arbitrarily arrange items within a folder in Icon or Details view, with their arrangements being remembered, was enabled by default.

    That feature remained fully available to enable, via registry settings, until the release of Windows 10 build 1703 (Creators Update) in 2017. From that version on, you can still enable the feature, but the manual arrangement of items within folders is not remembered.

    The "Auto arrange icons" and "Align icons to grid" items, one sees at the desktop, only apply to the desktop.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-02-20T16:41:00+00:00

    The world didn't start with Windows 10 and No, no, no Folders have NOT always been locked to auto arraign just in Windows 10. I'm an old DOS 3.0 guy and gone through all the Windows versions and Windows folders of the past have had way more options than in Win 10.

    Heck you use to be able to even set a background colors and wallpaper backgrounds for folders in previous older versions.

    I want a basic XP environment for my home office, but after being hack each month for lst 3 months a row using my unsupported Windows 7, I am finally dragging by butt to Widows 10 because thing I hate wrose than Windows 10 is dealing with the chaos of a hack attack.

    I use my PC for Scanning pdf copies of important documents, accessing my online personal accounts, Email, Word, Excel spread sheets, YouTube, Google queries and my music and picture libraries. I don't want the machine to think for me or predict what makes me happy or keep MS update on my use of the internet.

    Folder are the best to keep your desktop and my home office unclutter but if you have to have a folder for each shortcut what is the purpose of a folder, or is it just keep the big pile stuff alphabetize?

    I want to set up a Bill Pay folder with all my contracts accounts and monthly bills in way to makes sense to my personal taste.

    the first roll shortcuts is all my monthly bills, (in my order of importance)

    the second roll shortcuts is all my banking accounts, (in my order of importance)

    the third row shortcuts all my medical accounts. (in my order of importance)

    the fourth row shortcuts all my online shopping accounts (in my order of importance)

    I can hear 10 years of experience saying now ........ Why don't you just create a Folder with 4 sub-folders for each type accounts and other sub-folder to the sub-folders as need and course Window 10 will automatically Alphabetize them for you.

    Alphabetical is NOT always the best way to sort things. I want the program to work for me and not me work for the program.

    Dan OKC

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-12-07T22:39:18+00:00

    I have windows 10 and manual arrange files Always worked perfectly, UNTIL a forced windows 10 update. It moved all my files within all my folders all over in my complete computer drive! and I cannot look for them where I had always put them. I simply cannot manage my data when windows now places them in completely different arrangements! I can't even find them. This is utterly ridiculous! And they are a complete disarray for what I need organized. So insanely I now move my windows files to an old Mac computer and arrange them properly. And guess what, they STAY there! I have no clue on the mentality of of Microsoft developers. Proof of no common sense. They have lost my loyalty for sure.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-12-07T16:58:37+00:00

    Image

    I have read a reply on another old page from someone who apparently works for M$ that they removed the manual arrangement inside folders feature since W7 because it could cause some issues.

    not sure how, because XP works flawlessly and the script for W7 does a similar job despite some minimal differences.

    I don't use W10 or W11 because the stupid clowns at M$ removed this essential feature for no apparent reason.

    I can't live without this function because I need to pair icons to my liking otherwise it becomes a true nightmare scrolling up and down

    I have read a previous comment about switching to MAC because this feature exists there

    I was seriously thinking about this move or even Linux if they don't bring this function back

    lastly I don't want to break the forum rules so won't post here what I think about the '''yellow skins''' who have ruined the Windows GUI with minimalist sh*t that has nothing to do with W7 or older.

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-02-16T23:57:20+00:00

    has this issue not been fixed yet?!

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