Folder View Settings - Reset All to Default

How to Reset All Folder View Settings to Default in Windows 7​

   Information

This will show you how to reset all folder view settings and navigation pane width back to default for all folders and libraries in all folder templates in Windows 7.

   Note

The included folder view settings that will be set back to default will be all Group by, Sort by, Arrange by arrangement , Icon Size, or View arrangement settings. This will also reset all folder templates back to default unless you used "Apply to Folders" as below.

If Apply to Folders was used to set folder views and templates, then this tutorial will not reset them to default since "Apply to Folders" makes what you set the new default. Instead, you will need to use Reset Folders to be able to reset each folder template back to default.

Resetting all folder views to default will also auto arrange and align all icons on your desktop to the left side. If you have a lot of icons on your desktop and would wish to preserve their arrangement, then installing the 32-bit or 64-bit version of the free Desktop Restore program before doing this tutorial would be a good choice.

   Tip

If you only wanted to reset the folder views settings back to default for all folders with the same folder template instead, then see How to Reset the Folder View Settings for All Folders with the Same Folder Template in Windows 7 instead of this tutorial.

Here's How:


1. Click on the Download button below to download the file below.
Windows_7_Reset_All_Folders_To_Default_Folder_Views.bat


Download


2. Save the .bat file to your desktop.

3. Close all opened explorer windows first, then run the bat file.

4. If prompted, click on Run.
NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by unblocking the downloaded .bat file.

5. You will now notice your screen flicker and a command prompt open as the explorer process is restarted.

6. When it's finished, you will see the Computer window open.

7. You can now delete the downloaded .bat file if you like.



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 Reset the Folder View Settings for All Folders with the Same Folder Template in Windows 7
• How to "Apply to Folders" a Specific Folder View to All Folders with the Same Folder Template in Windows 7
• How to Change a Folder Template in Windows 7
• How to Set a Default Folder Template for All Folders in Windows 7
• How to Change the File and Folder View Arrangement in Windows 7 Explorer
• How to Change the Icon Size in a Windows 7 Explorer Window
• How to Change the Group by, Sort by, and Arrange by Folder View in Windows 7 Explorer
• How to Set a Default Folder View for All Folders 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
• How to Clear Changes made to Library View in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Reset Details Pane Size to Default in Vista and Windows 7

 

[c733221]

Some additions

Some additional trick for details/generic view see http://mf-sd.de/2009/09/windows-7-explorer-folder-view/

 

[Brink]

To have all folders with the Details View by default, you can use steps 10 to 20 with NotSpecified in the tutorial below.

Windows Explorer Folder View settings - Vista Forums

OR

Set all folder templates to General Items in the tutorial below.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/15699-folder-template-default.html

 

[need4steer]

Thanks a lot for another great tutorial.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome need4steer.

 

[aveceux]

Thank you very much for such a useful tutorial! ^^
I was just wondering if this resets the size of the folder window back to default as well.
Please advise. Thanks!

 

[Brink]

Hello Aveceux, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yes. It will reset all folder view settings back to default.

 

[aveceux]

Thank you for your prompt reply and warm welcome, Brink!
Resetting the size of the folder window back to default is exactly what I need!
Thanks again and have a nice day! ^^

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Aveceux. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted.

 

[0pTicaL]

Thanks Brink! This sure beats hunting down each reg key one by one.

Ok I could've sworn I downloaded a file named 64-bit_Windows_7_Reset_All_Folders_To_Default_Folder_Views a few days ago but now I receive a error message when trying to download the same file, "Invalid Attachment specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator".

The version I downloaded looks like this,

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

Your version, of course, has your signature in it. Does it merge the same as the one I downloaded a few days ago?

I don't quite understand what you mean by, "This will not reset any changes made to the folder templates back to default though."

Doesn't this reset all folder view settings back to default regardless of template?

 

[Brink]

Thanks Brink! This sure beats hunting down each reg key one by one.

Ok I could've sworn I downloaded a file named 64-bit_Windows_7_Reset_All_Folders_To_Default_Folder_Views a few days ago but now I receive a error message when trying to download the same file, "Invalid Attachment specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator".

The version I downloaded looks like this,

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Wow6432Node\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU]

Your version, of course, has your signature in it. Does it merge the same as the one I downloaded a few days ago?

I don't quite understand what you mean by, "This will not reset any changes made to the folder templates back to default though."

Doesn't this reset all folder view settings back to default regardless of template?

Hello OpTicaL,

Yep, I had updated the tutorial a few days back to have one universal download that works on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows instead of a separate one for each. It does the same thing, and resets all folder templates back to default folder views.

 

[0pTicaL]

Thanks Brink, for clearing that up .

 

[Brink]

You're welcome.

 

[UsernameIssues]

I'm not sure that I understand the rationale for killing explorer.exe. In my tests, killing explorer like that causes the desktop items to shift to the left. A simple restart would preserve the desktop items' locations.

Is there some concern that multiple explorer instances can be in RAM - and if they are allowed to exit normally, they will write their info to the registry entries that were just cleaned?

If you must keep the explorer kill lines in place, then please warn the user that the desktop items may shift. See this post.

 

[Brink]

That's correct. If explorer is opened before it is restarted, then it may not be able to fully apply resetting all folder views, and the Computer window may not display in it's default tile view. Restarting explorer is safety measure to make sure that resetting of the folder views is done properly.

It should usually be known that resetting folder views to default and restarting explorer would also realign the desktop icons as well, but I'll add a note for this.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Thanks for adding that.

I'm one of those types that keeps over 100 items on the desktop.

I would not have been happy if they all "went left on me" - so to speak

I use the Desktop Restore app to keep things in place and I don't let any accounts write to some of those registry keys once I have them like I like them, so I've not had to reset them. I just did not want to suggest the tut w/o a warning or a work around.

 

[0pTicaL]

Cool, didn't know a Desktop Restore app existed. Will make rearranging 86 icons on my desktop much easier. Wonder if the app will work for tri-monitor setups.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Cool, didn't know a Desktop Restore app existed. Will make rearranging 86 icons on my desktop much easier. Wonder if the app will work for tri-monitor setups.

It should work just fine with as many monitors as you can use.

But you can let us know how it works for you

I use it to reposition desktop items after a Remote Desktop Session barfs the layout or after using a 4:3 projector.

 

[UsernameIssues]

I have a tendency to over test

Here is what the stored info looks like for items on 8 monitors:



4 monitors at 1024x768 and 4 monitors at 800x600.

I positioned one item on monitors 1 thru 6...
...saved the layout via Desktop Restore
...moved all items to monitor 1
...restored all items via Desktop Restore
It worked just fine.

Notice that the applet records the monitor number* and the X, Y coordinates. I don't know how it restores the items to those coordinates, but it does. I'm not sure what would happen it a monitor was missing during the restore. I'm not sure how to simulate that via Virtual Box.

*monitor number 1 is recorded by this applet as monitor 0
so monitor 5 shown in the screenshot will be monitor #6 in Windows' GUIs.

 

[0pTicaL]

There can never be enough testing.