File and folders display in Windows Explorer — Windows 7

When I was using Windows XP it was easy for me to ensure that all files and folders were displayed in «Detail» mode. Now that I am using 7 Professional I find that I must selct this option every time I use the file system. Is there any way in which I can tell my system that no matter how or where I search for a file or folder, the screen will always open in «Detail» mode?

After selecting Details view, you can apply the current view setting to all folders on your computer that are optimized for the same content as the folder you have open.This setting does not apply when viewing files and folders using libraries.

1. Open a folder, right-click an empty space, point to View , and choose a view setting you want (Details).
2. On the toolbar, click Organize, and then click Folder and search options.
3. In the Folder Options dialog box, click the View tab, click Apply to Folders, click Yes, and then click OK.
Note: To change the type of file that a folder is optimized for, right-click the folder, click Properties, click the Customize tab, click a file type in the Optimize this folder for list, and then click OK.

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How to permanently add columns to all folders in Windows Explorer

When you open any folder in Windows 10/8/7 display, File Explorer will typically display the following details about the objects – name, date modified, Type, Size, etc. But if you wish, you can display additional information or details about the objects, be they document files, image files, video files, or folders.

Add columns to all folders in Windows 10 Explorer

This post shows how to choose folder details to display and show additional information in Windows File Explorer columns, in Windows 10.

To add columns to all folders in Windows 10:

1. Open File Explorer
2. Make sure that you have set its Folder View to display Details.
3. Next click on the Add columns button.
4. From the drop-down menu which appears, you can select some additional file attributes to display.

If you need to see all the information that can be displayed about the file, click on Choose columns to open the following Choose Details box.

Here you will be able to select the details that you wish to display for the items in this folder like Account Name, Album artist, Authors, Date acquired, date archived, Document ID, Folder path, Tags, Title, Word count and so on

Selecting these entries will also let you Sort or Group the objects using these attributes.

You can also arrange the column order by using the Move up or Move down buttons and set the width of the columns.

Once you have done this, you will have to open Folder Options. To do this, you will have to click on Options > Change folder and search options.

Under the View tab, click the Apply to Folders button.

This will apply this folder view to all folders of a particular type.

Hope this helps.

Date: January 2, 2017 Tags: Explorer, Folder

Display Entire Folder Tree?

Is there a way for Windows Explorer to display the entire folder tree for a drive?

I mean one where I could at a glance see every folder and sub folder at a glance.

Replies (7) 

You can enable Navigation pane in windows explorer to get the tree structure of the drives and folders. Steps to enable:

i. Open Windows explorer

ii. Click on Organize tab

iii. Select Layout

iv. Check the option navigation pane

Thanks and Regards:

Samhrutha G S — Microsoft Support.

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That only displays the first level of folders.
What I want is the entire tree.
So it would look like

FOLDER
FOLDER
FOLDER
Folder
Folder
Folder
folder
folder
FOLDER
Folder
Folder
Folder
FOLDER
Folder
Folder
Folder
folder
folder

Unless there is some step I do not see, the Navigation Pane does not do that.

But thanks for your response.

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Microsoft Support, you did NOT answer this question.

We already know how to choose the Navigation pane.

We need to see ALL individual files listed under each folder in ONE pane only — at a glance like a classic file tree.

Your answer still forces us to move our eyes back and forth between the left navigation pane and the right pane. It’s a split view. We are asking for ONE PANE to view each file directly under each folder in one place.

There has to be a way to do this . ?

You can enable Navigation pane in windows explorer to get the tree structure of the drives and folders. Steps to enable:

i. Open Windows explorer

ii. Click on Organize tab

iii. Select Layout

iv. Check the option navigation pane

Thanks and Regards:

Samhrutha G S — Microsoft Support.

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

Windows Explorer not displaying folders, files, or correct icons

Every day I encounter a problem with Windows Explorer not displaying folders, files, and or icons after I have been using my computer for a few minutes or hours. At worst, Windows Explorer will not any display folders, files, or icons. I am forced to reboot. More frequently, Windows Explorer will only display the heading of favorites, librariers, homegroup, and computer in the left navigation pane without any links or folders beneath the headings. On the right navigation pane, generic icons will be displayed above the correct files names. I can manage to work with this view, but it is more challenging. When I open a new folder, the green searching progress bar behind the address bar at the top of the screen creeps across the screen taking a very long time to «search for files» in the folder that I am in. The end research of the search is that it can’t find any files.

I have spent many hours researching this issue, and I have run every automated Windows troubleshooting and repair tool related to search, icons, files management, and folders. Unfortunately, none has solved the problem.

I have attempted running in a clean boot mode, but that doesn’t solve the problem (and I can’t work productively either).

I have run SFC and no problems were noted.

When I restart Windows, Windows Explorer works fine for awhile (minutes to hours) before the problem returns.

I am running Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit, 16 GB RAM, 400 GB disk space free on a RAID 6 array.

I run Microsoft Security Essentials and do full scans almost every day (if I am in the office and the computer is on).

All Windows Updates have been installed.

If anyone has any thoughts, please let me know. Thanks in advance.

Windows 8 File Explorer folders do not display on Desktop

In Windows 8 Pro 64-bit, when a File Explorer folder window is open but not displayed on the Desktop, hovering the cursor over the File Explorer button on the Taskbar causes a thumbnail of the folder to appear just above the Taskbar. Clicking on that thumbnail normally causes the folder window to display on the Desktop. Alternatively, hovering the cursor over that thumbnail causes a preview of the folder window to appear on the Desktop, and then clicking on that thumbnail displays the folder window on the Desktop.

Often, clicking on that thumbnail fails to display the folder window on the Desktop. Alternatively, although hovering the cursor over that thumbnail causes a preview of the folder window to appear on the Desktop, then clicking on that thumbnail fails to display the folder window on the Desktop.

When the problem occurs, a right-click on the the thumbnail produces a context menu that offers «Restore,» «Maximize,» and «Close» commands while the others are grayed out. Clicking on either «Restore» or «Maximize» still fails to display the window on the Desktop. Clicking «Close» fails to close the window.

Also when the problem occurs, if audio is on, a chime sounds when the thumbnail or context menu command is clicked but fails to perform normally.

The problem can occur when one or more File Explorer folders are open on the Taskbar.

An additional problem that has occurred simultaneously is a File Explorer window that is already displayed on the Desktop and shows a constant cursor busy (rotating circle) icon that cannot be stopped. Unclear whether this is related to the first problem, but the temporary fix for both is the same.

The temporary fix is to use Task Manager to close the problem windows, shown in the «Processes» tab, «Name» column, in «Windows Explorer» tree. Then, new instances of File Explorer can be opened to replace the problem windows.