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
    2022-11-24T11:17:04+00:00

    This is absolutely absurd that they removed this in Windows 11. Windows is getting worse and worse with every iteration, I have no idea what they were thinking. Absolutely ridiculous that you can't even move files around to sort them.

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-10-24T20:37:50+00:00

    Renaming files is certainly not the answer to what they had before that was a logical and needed feature. Any renaming a file can always sort in alpha or numerical sorting, but does not help this issue at all. Honestly just the stupidest design ever. When I ever have to do something on Windows now, I immediately have to save them, transfer them to my Mac computer, then put them in the exact order and placement that I want, which it keeps, and they will stay there always, in perpetuity!

    So ridiculous. It will be a grand day in the world when some innovative person can figure this Windows OS problem out and fix it forever. I hope this day comes very soon.

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-10-24T20:25:28+00:00

    Yes, also verified here. Registry fix I see is perhaps a year or two old now. Does not stick. Another exercise in futility. Only fix seems will have to be a total system wide operating system change. Not a patched couple of folders that does not stay. Just a really ignorant omission and I have no idea why they would exclude it. Almost as if the Microsoft developers aren't smart enough to make it work again, aren't savvy enough to figure it out. Yet it DID work. They simply broke it. Amazing.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-10-24T07:58:37+00:00

    No The order is not saved unless you rename the files. But as I have previously written, it is about establishing a specific order and then renaming the files so that they are subsequently still in the correct order in relation to the new names.

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/64ezgo3crz8hz5g/Sort%20-%20Rename%20files.mp4?dl=0

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  5. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2022-10-24T05:19:14+00:00

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

    Please define "still works".

    As per this tutorial (and my own verification) the position of freely arranged icons in folders are NOT saved (as of Windows 10 1703 and above). For most people, temporary arranging of icons is not very useful.

    As for image folders (folder type "Pictures"), I saw no difference in behavior. That is, after applying the registry change, and disabling auto-arrange, I can freely move icons around in Picture folders, just as I can in Documents or other folder types, but the icon positions are NOT saved.

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