Forum Discussion
The file size display format in Windows 11 File Explorer has changed
After the update, the way file sizes are displayed in File Explorer has changed. I’d like to display file sizes directly in MB or GB instead of the system’s default format. How can I set this up or adjust it?
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The screenshot already shows File Explorer’s normal automatic size format: larger files are shown in GB, medium-sized files in MB, and smaller files in KB. For example, it shows 7.57 GB, 1.41 MB, and 336 KB.
Windows 11 does not provide a File Explorer setting to force every file size to use only MB or GB. Explorer selects the most readable unit automatically, so a small file will remain in KB rather than being displayed as a very small MB value.
To make sure the size column is visible, open the folder, select View > Details, then right-click a column heading and make sure Size is selected. For an exact value in bytes, right-click an individual file and choose Properties.
If the concern is folder sizes, blank entries for folders are normal. File Explorer does not calculate and show each folder’s total size in the Details view by default.
You are asking whether File Explorer can show every size directly in MB or GB instead of its current format. Windows 11 does not provide a supported setting for forcing one unit in Explorer’s Size column; that column chooses its representation, and folders do not receive a calculated size there. First confirm the folder is using Details view and the Size column is enabled. For an exact item, open Properties, which shows a readable size and byte count. For repeatable calculations, PowerShell can return bytes with “(Get-Item 'C:\path\file').Length”; divide that result by 1MB or 1GB when you need a fixed unit. If the update changed spacing, abbreviations, or values rather than only the unit, capture the Windows build and a screenshot and report it through Feedback Hub. Avoid registry tweaks claiming to force units, because Explorer exposes no documented policy or preference for that behavior.
Microsoft is finally testing a change to File Explorer to automatically show file sizes in the most appropriate unit (KB, MB, GB) instead of always defaulting to KB. For example, a 1.5GB file would show as "1.5 GB" instead of "1,500,000 KB". This update is expected to roll out to Windows 11 users soon, as part of an upcoming Patch Tuesday update .
