Forum Discussion
File Explorer Forgetting Your Favorite Folder View
Every time I set a custom view for a folder in File Explorer, it forgets it and goes back to the default layout the next time I open it. No matter how many times I adjust the columns, icon size, or sorting, Windows refuses to remember my preference for that specific folder.
2 Replies
A folder’s template can affect which columns and layout Explorer uses. Start by giving that folder a fixed template, then save your preferred view again.
- Open the folder’s actual location, rather than Home or a search result. Right-click the folder and choose Properties > Customize.
- Under Optimize this folder for, select General items and click Apply. Leave the subfolder checkbox unchecked unless you want the same template applied below it.
- Open the folder, set the columns, icon size and sorting, then close that Explorer window normally. Reopen the same folder to test.
If it still resets, open File Explorer Options > View > Reset Folders. This resets saved views for folders of the current type, so it will affect more than that one folder. Afterward, set your preferred view again and retest.
Apply to Folders is useful if you want the same layout for other folders of that type, but it is not required to save an individual folder’s view.
If several folders keep losing their settings, check whether a cleanup or privacy utility is clearing Explorer’s saved folder views.
File Explorer stores your folder view preferences in a registry system called ShellBags/BagMRU. This system has a hard-coded limit of 5,000 folders.
