Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
Windows Explorer defaults to a simple view of the files on your machine. You can change that default to include all details by following a few steps.
How do I get Windows Explorer to display details by default?
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A Windows 7 version of this article is available here: How do I get Windows Explorer to display details by default in Windows 7? |
Windows Explorer defaults to showing files as icons, and even to hiding some files from you. Personally, when it comes to my computer I'm a control freak - I want all the files and details by default. There are several options including viewing file details that you can manipulate, and it's fairly easy to make them the default. In fact it's one of my standard customization steps whenever I install or get a new copy of Windows.
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It's easiest to think of this as a two step process. First we'll set an instance of Windows Explorer to look the way we want, and then we'll make it permanent.
- Fire up Windows Explorer. You can right-click on "My Computer" and select Explore or if you have the windows key press it and "e" at the same time.
- Select the View menu and then click on the view type you want. As I mentioned I'm partial to viewing file details so that's what I choose.
- Select the Tools menu.
- Select the Folder Options item.
- Make any changes on the General tab that you wish.
- Click on the View tab.
- In the Advanced Settings box make any changes you wish. I typically select Show hidden files and folders and uncheck Hide extensions for known file types. Your choices may differ of course.
- Press OK.
Now verify that Explorer is showing you things the way you want to see them. If not go back and adjust whatever needs to be adjusted. When you are done:
- Go back to Tools, Folder Options, and click on the View tab.
- Press the Apply to All Folders button. You'll get a reminder message that the new settings will apply the next time you start Windows Explorer.
That really all there is to it. Next time you start Windows Explorer, it should come up with the settings you've selected here.
As you might have guessed the two step process I've outlined above can be combined by not leaving the Folder Options dialog box before pressing Apply to All Folders. The only caveat is that you should press the Apply button at the bottom of the dialog before doing so to ensure that any changes you've made to appearance options have actually taken effect.
This video shows the steps to change the default behavior to show details instead of icons:
Article C1865 - November 24, 2003
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
Thanks kindly for posting this , E is MUCH nicer now with details displayed :D
Cheers
Posted by: Jeff at July 13, 2011 1:27 PMI'd like to set the The Open/Save Dialog Box to "Details View" for Internet Explorer. The default is always set to "List View".
This cannot be set with Windows Explorer (tools, floder options....)
So is there a setting within Windows 7 that will allow this, or is there a regedit work around? I'm not interested in third party software.
If there is no solution I'd really like to know that, as countless hours of searching on line has only yeilded the Explorer Tools Folder Options answer and the ever popular, buy this software ad.
Thanks in advance.
08-Oct-2011
Following your instructions to set the Detail View as the default works only until I shut the computer down. When I next turn the computer on (Windows XP), the Icon View is right back as the default!
What more should I do to make the Detail View permanent as the default?
The only thing I can think might be the cause of losing the Detail View as the default is the CCleaner program which I use each time before shutdown. But up until about two months ago, I did not have a problem losing the Detail View as default while using the same shutdown routine as now.
Posted by: George at October 22, 2011 8:04 AMThe non-intuitive 'thinking' by Microsoft's engineers is unbelievable! When will that Redmond gang understand that it's all about easy OPTIONS? Give consumers 'options' so that they can customize these really simple things the way they want. With every release of Windows they toss out, it's seems to be an either/or proposition with these guys; leaving hapless users to have to jump through technical hoops to tweak and refine their systems. I suspect we are all sick and tired of this nonsense. The Windows Folder View settings scheme (or lack thereof)in Windows 7 is more than maddening. Even more maddening is the fact that these folks at Redmond seem never to listen and act in a corrective fashion to the hundreds of thousands of complaints by an ever-increasingly dissatisfied and frustrated public. Get a clue dudes and dudettes!
Posted by: E. C. Griffin at January 6, 2012 8:41 AMYour advice on how to coax Windows Explorer to remember your view settings was exactly right as far as it went. Unfortunately, the next time you invoke Windows Explorer, it does not remember (if it ever paid any attention?) to your settings. Where does one go in the registry or elsewhere to "finalize" your requested settings?
Posted by: C L Edward at February 4, 2012 12:50 PM