The file size display format in Windows 11 File Explorer has changed

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 .