How to Customize Default Folder Views in Windows

Plus the five Windows folder templates

Your Windows operating system understands that not every file type is the same. For instance, how you want to view your audio files differs from how you might want to view a list of your text files.

There are different types of folder views that you’ll be able to see in File Manager using five default templates. You can customize the default folder views in Windows to let you view your files how you want to, tweaking these templates to suit your preferences using the steps below.

What Are the Five Windows Folder Templates?

Windows offers a variety of folder templates, each designed to display your files (and information about them) efficiently based on their file type. There are five typical templates that you’ll see in File Explorer, including:

Each template modifies the folder view in File Explorer to explore those files better. For example, thePicturestemplate allows larger thumbnails to preview images, while theDocumentstemplate might focus more on list details for file type, size, and author data. You can also customize these five templates to suit your needs better.

Step One: Customize a Folder Using the Template You Want to Change

When you’re looking to tailor the viewing experience of your folders in Windows, you’ll first need to set a single folder as your model. This is because Windows allows you to use a template to govern the look and feel of similar folders.

For instance, you might prefer larger thumbnails if you’re organizing images. If it’s documents, perhaps detailed lists are more your style. Begin with a folder that typifies the content you’re working with.

An excellent way to do this is to customize the folder view in a single folder. You can then apply the layout to other folders later, but only the currently active folder will change for now. To customize your folder’s view in File Explorer, follow these steps.

Any changes you make will apply immediately and only to your current folder. If you want to apply it to all your folders for that view type, you must change your folder settings using the steps below.

Related:Did you know that you canchange the default system desktop icons(like Recycle Bin) in Windows?

Step Two: Apply The Customization to All Folders Using the Same Template

Once you’ve fine-tuned a folder’s view to your liking, it’s time to extend those settings across other folders sharing the same type. This will provide a consistent look and feel for your files when viewing them in File Manager. To apply your customized view to all similar folders, follow these steps.

This process updates the view settings across all folders categorized under the same template type. If you’ve arranged a music folder by artist name and album title, this setup will be replicated wherever your folders are optimized for music content. It’ll also apply to specific changes, such asturning off file grouping.

If you want to repeat this process for other folder types, open a new folder that uses that template and make any necessary changes. You’ll then need to repeat these steps to apply the change globally to all other folders with the same template.

Managing Your Files on Windows

You can customize how your files appear in File Manager by customizing the default folder views on your Windows PC. If you want certain information about your files to appear, such as the author of a text file or the release date for a song, you can set this up by using the steps above to help you.

Can’t find your files? Don’t panic—you can use thebuilt-in Windows search toolsto help you customize the search features to your requirements.

Ben Stockton is a freelance technology writer based in the United Kingdom. In a past life, Ben was a college lecturer in the UK, training teens and adults. Since leaving the classroom, Ben has taken his teaching experience and applied it to writing tech how-to guides and tutorials, specialising in Linux, Windows, and Android. He has a degree in History and a postgraduate qualification in Computing.Read Ben’s Full Bio

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