Folder Template - Change

How to Change a Folder Template in Windows 7​

   Information

This will show you how to change a folder template in Windows Explorer to have it optimized as either a General Items, Documents, Pictures, Music, or Videos folder in Windows 7.

EXAMPLE: General Items, Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos templates
NOTE: These screenshots are with using the Details view. What you see in your window will also depend on what you have the View arrangement, Group by, Sort by, Stack by arrangement, or icon size set as.

OPTION ONE

To Change Template of a Folder or Drive in Windows Explorer

1. Open Windows Explorer, and do step 2, 3, or 4 below for what you would like to do.

2. Right click on a folder or drive that you want to change the template of, click on Properties.
NOTE: You will not be able to do this for the C: drive that you current Windows 7 is installed on, and also not for the folders in the root directory of C:. A) Go to step 5 below.
OR

3. Open a folder that you want to change the template of, click on View (menu bar), and click on Customize This Folder. (see screenshot below)
A) Go to step 5 below.
OR

4. Open a folder that you want to change the template of, right click on a empty space in the window, and click on Customize This Folder. (see screenshot below)

A) Go to step 5 below.
5. Click on the Customize tab. Under What kind of folder do you want, select the folder template that you want to have the folder optimized for, and click on OK. (See screenshots below)
NOTE: If you wish to also apply this template to all subfolders in this folder, then check that box as well.

OPTION TWO

To Change Template of a Library

NOTE: All included folders in a library will share the same folder template. 1. Open the Libraries folder.

2. Right click on the library folder (ex: Pictures) that you want to change the folder template for, and click on Properties. (See screenshot below)
3. Under Optimize this library for, select the folder template that you want for the library and click OK. (See screenshots below)
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Back Up and Restore Your Folder View Settings in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Set a Default Folder View for All Folders in Windows 7
• How to Set a Default Folder Template for All Folders in Windows 7
• How to Change the Icon Size in a Windows 7 Explorer Window
• How to Change the File and Folder View Arrangement in Windows 7 Explorer
• How to Change the Group by, Sort by, and Arrange by Folder View in Windows 7 Explorer
• How to "Apply to Folders" a Specific Folder View to All Folders with the Same Folder Template in Windows 7
• How to Reset the Folder View Settings for All Folders with the Same Folder Template in Windows 7
• How to Reset All Folder View Settings to Default in Windows 7
• How to Add or Remove the Customize Tab from Properties in Windows 7
• How to Disable Auto Arrange in Windows 7 Explorer to have Free Sorting
• How to Add or Remove Windows Explorer Columns
• How to Change the Width of Columns in Windows Explorer

 

[arissetiadi10]

Thanks for information....,
try it...

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Arissetiadi, and welcome to Seven Forums.

 

[Supe]

I have a bit more of a complicated issue. My Windows 7 install doesn't seem to properly display my "Contacts" folder as being for contacts. I.e. I do not have the additional contact-specific options like "Import / Export" etc on my toolbar. There are plenty of solutions out there for Vista to correct this, where one needs only "Customize this folder", select "Contacts" from the list, and you're done. However, this is not available for Windows 7... If you can figure out a solution to this issue, that would be great. I am computer savvy, and still I actually tried contacting Microsoft technical support via a chat session and let him remote desktop to see what he could do, but he couldn't figure it out either (for a good hour and with consultation with other tech support people), and he had to mark the issue as "unresolved".

Thoughts?

 

[Brink]

Hello Supe, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yeah, I'm not sure why they removed that option in the Contacts folder either. Resetting all folder view settings back to default may be able to reset that back as well for you though.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/15692-folder-view-settings-reset-all-default.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Supe]

It worked like a charm, thanks! Hopefully this helps some other people, as there isn't a lot of visibility for trying to fix a contacts folder for Windows 7 -a Google search shows it all is for Vista, which isn't applicable in this case! Maybe Microsoft tech support will stumble across this so they themselves can fix the problem...

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Supe.

 

[BlueDove]

Thanks Brink for another great tutorial, for some reason i was missing the menu taskbar in my folders , perhaps another one of Win 7 strange defaults , but once i restored that , it went well and it keeps the new settings even after renaming or moving a folder. This was the last costomization to do. i now feel i have the perfect OS. i'm gonna do a backup of that on DVDs before i install any programs. my bare bone OS is 25.2GB

your forum and support made the difference between fuillure and success

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome BlueDove. Thank you.

 

[nabilalk]

Customize this folder missing

I only see Choose Details? I want to be able to type the first few characters of a folder when I open up My Documents. At present when I type characters, Explorer jumps to files instead of folders. I want it to look for folder names before searching files.

 

[Brink]

Hello Nabilalk,

What is the folder location that does not have the Customize this folder option as described in step 2 and step 3?

 

[nabilalk]

Hello Nabilalk,

What is the folder location that does not have the Customize this folder option as described in step 2 and step 3?

No folders in my Libraries have the customize this folder option. Only folders outside of Libraries.

 

[Brink]

Ah, that would be why then.

The folder template for individual Library subfolders, Computer, or root directories like the C: drive cannot be changed in Windows 7.

You will only be able to do OPTION TWO to change the folder template for everything in a library instead.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[nabilalk]

Ah, that would be why then.

The folder template for individual Library subfolders, Computer, or root directories like the C: drive cannot be changed in Windows 7.

You will only be able to do OPTION TWO to change the folder template for everything in a library instead.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Well that stinks

 

[Brink]

Well, you could also open the folders from their original locations (ex: C:\Users\(user-name)\Pictures) instead of through the library. This way you will be able to change the folder templates of it.

 

[nabilalk]

Well, you could also open the folders from their original locations (ex: C:\Users\(user-name)\Pictures) instead of through the library. This way you will be able to change the folder templates of it.

Got it thanks. Although, my issue lies more in this thread: http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/127762-library-issue.html#post1103064

 

[Brink]

Sorry, but you lost me. I do not see what searching for a folder in a library has to do with the folder template or changing the folder view. :huh:

 

[nabilalk]

Sorry, but you lost me. I do not see what searching for a folder in a library has to do with the folder template or changing the folder view. :huh:

I thought the folder template could be set to remember the settings for specific folders. I like to navigate with the keyboard and when I open up a folder I like to type the name of the folder that I want to quick-navigate to. In the Library folders, Explorer quick navigates to files versus folders. In the non-Library folders, folders are navigated to first and files second.