Windows Explorer Auto Arrange - Disable

How to Disable Auto Arrange in Windows 7 Explorer to have Free Sorting​

   Information

In Windows 7, auto arrange is enabled by default so that all file and folder names in Windows Explorer are sorted alphabetically no matter what folder view you used.

This is basically like having how you can arrange icons how you like on your desktop in every folder in Windows Explorer now.

This will show you how to disable Auto Arrange in Windows 7 to be able to sort your files and folders in any random order and position you like in each opened folder in Windows Explorer and in the Pin to Start Menu area at the top of the Start Menu without it having to be sorted alphabetically by name. Windows 7 will also remember these random folder sortings (order and position), and open as how they were when the folder window was last closed.

   Note

When You Disable Auto Arrange:

• While using Extra Large Icons, Large Icons, Medium Icons, Small Icons, and Extended Tiles folder views, you can arrange files/folders in any random order and position.
• While using Details folder view, you can only arrange files/folders in any order and not in any random position.
• While using Extra Large Icons, Large Icons, Medium Icons, Small Icons, and Extended Tiles folder views, you can click on View (Menu bar) and check Auto arrange to have the black indicator line back inbetween files/folders when arranging files/folders in any order. This turns off the ability to arrange files/folders by random positions though.
• While using Extra Large Icons, Large Icons, Medium Icons, Small Icons, and Extended Tiles folder views, you can click on View (Menu bar) and uncheck Auto arrange to be able to arrange files/folders in any order and random positions.
• The Auto arrange and Align to grid options can be turned on and off at will in the View (Menu bar and right click context menu) when available (not grayed out) while using Extra Large Icons, Large Icons, Medium Icons, Small Icons, or Extended Tiles folder views.
• If you have items arranged by random positions and switch from a Extra Large Icons, Large Icons, Medium Icons, Small Icons, and Extended Tiles folder view to a List, Details, Extended Tiles, or Content folder view, the random positions will be reset but still placed in a order of arrangement instead.
• If you unzip a file in a folder, move a folder, or rename a folder, it will refresh and auto arrange the files in that specific folder only after each time you do this. Auto arrange is still disabled for that folder, but you will need to arrange the files back to whatever non-auto arranged order you like again after unzipping a file in a folder, move a folder, or rename a folder.

   Warning

DO NOT USE this tutorial in any other OS than Windows 7.

• While this tutorial will allow you to disable auto arrange in the main Libraries folder itself, it will not disable auto arrange in any of the other library folders (ex: Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos).
• Free sorting is not available if you use "Group by" folder views instead of only "Sort by" folder views.
• Free sorting is not available in the List and Content folder views.
• When you disable Auto Arrange, you will have Extend Tiles folder view instead of Tiles available in all folders except the Computer windows.

EXAMPLE: Auto Arrange Enabled and Disabled
NOTE: Notice in the screenshot with Auto Arrange disabled, the files can be dragged around the Windows Explorer window to sort how you like without having to be in alphabetical order.

OPTION ONE

To Disable Auto Arrange in Windows 7 Windows Explorer

   Warning

It is also recommended to create a restore point before doing this option in case you would like to undo any unwanted unknown side affects that OPTION TWO may not undo. This way, you could also do a system restore with this restore point to undo this option completely.

1. Click on the Download button below to download the BAT file below.
Disable_Windows_7_Explorer_Auto_Arrange.bat

Download


2. Save the .bat file to your desktop.

3. Close everything that you have running first, then run the downloaded .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. Let the command prompt count down to finish on it's own without pressing a key.

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

8. Auto arrange in Windows Explorer is now disabled.

OPTION TWO

To Enable Auto Arrange in Windows 7 Windows Explorer

NOTE: This is the default setting.
1. Click on the Download button below to download the BAT file below.
Enable_Windows_7_Explorer_Auto_Arrange.bat

Download


2. Save the .bat file to your desktop.

3. Close all opened explorer windows first, then run the downloaded .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. Auto arrange in Windows Explorer is now enabled again.
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 Disable Auto Arrange in Vista Windows Explorer to have Free Sorting
• Make Windows 7 Start Menu User Folder Buttons Open to Users Instead of Libraries Location
• How to Enable or Disable Numerical Sorting in Windows Explorer
• How to Reset All Folder View Settings to Default in Windows 7
• How to Reset the Folder View Settings for All Folders with Same Folder Template in Windows 7
• "Apply to Folders" a Specific Folder View to All Folders with 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 Add or Remove Windows Explorer Columns
• How to Change the Width of Columns in Windows Explorer
• How to Enable or Disable Start Menu Auto Arrange by Name in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Arrange Folders Included in a Library in Any Order in Windows 7 and Windows 8

 

[billie77]

Shawn,
I downloaded and tried this disable routine and now my screen is blank and there does not seem to be any action that allows me to access explorer, or anything else for that matter.

I've been reading through the thread and haven't seen anything yet but I am concerned.

I'll keep reading and hope you can offer solution.

Billie

 

[billie77]

Shawn,
I downloaded and tried this disable routine and now my screen is blank and there does not seem to be any action that allows me to access explorer, or anything else for that matter.

I've been reading through the thread and haven't seen anything yet but I am concerned.

I'll keep reading and hope you can offer solution.

Billie

OK, that was wierd.

I ended up using "New Task" in the task manager to access the "enable" version to correct the previous "disable" version. All is back to normal but your disable version did not work for me.

Billie

 

[Brink]

Hello Billie, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Are you logged in an administrator account when you try to run the downloaded .bat file?

What AV program do you have? You might check to see if it's blocking the .bat from fully running by temporarily disabling it, then run the .bat.

Normally, you will have a command prompt open when you run the disable .bat, and after 10 seconds, it will close, explorer will restart, and a "Computer" window will open.

 

[billie77]

Thanks for the wlcome and I apologize, I had no intent of joining and causing you grief right of the .bat (pun intended)

Yes, as admin and running MSE.

I expect I did something incorrectly and I might try again another time but at the moment, I have a pile of work to get done and not enough time to run it to ground.

I look forward to the assistance this site should provide in future and thank you for a prompt reply.

Billie

 

[Brink]

MSE shouldn't cause an issue with it since the .bat runs fine with MSE on my system.

Please let me know how it went when you are able to try again.

 

[billie77]

Sure. I was in a hurry and trying to speed up the picture labelling process when I tried it. Not the best idea. I'll read more carefully and try later.

 

[Brink]

Yeah, it would be best to not be doing anything else while running the .bat to prevent any possible issues since it does restart explorer.

 

[mhrebates]

I need some help. (I read thru the first 12 pages and the last one and didn't find the info yet.)

I ran the first option. It went thru all the steps and it finished.
But now when I went to my desktop page, the start-up menu is gone. Can't right click, nothing.
I just want to reverse the disabling.
Please take me thru step by step to undo.
Thank you.
I'm so nervous I've messed up my system.

 

[Brink]

Hello mhrebates, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Using OPTION TWO in the tutorial will enable auto arrange again.


If you are missing your taskbar, then it appears that explorer has not been restarted.

While in Task Manager (CTRL+SHIFT+ESC), click on File (menu bar) and New Task (Run...), type in explorer, and press Enter. This will start explorer.

 

[mhrebates]

If you are missing your taskbar, then it appears that explorer has not been restarted.

While in Task Manager (CTRL+SHIFT+ESC), click on File (menu bar) and New Task (Run...), type in explorer, and press Enter. This will start explorer.

That is just what it needed Brink. It is back now.
Thank you so much! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.

It sounds like something you had running may have interferred with the BAT file from restarting explorer automatically.

 

[magicmanbarot]

Hi, ive recently downloaded the auto arrange disable but wasn't pleased with a few elements of it so i decided to revert back to my old settings. But ive now got one annoying problem, when viewing folders as medium icons the names dont scale. Its kinda hard to explain but pretend i had the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond, now before the entire name wouldn't be displayed. There used to be some kinda two line limit but now the folder looks all messy and dosent scale well. If you have any idea what im on about i would appreciate the help, or if there is any way to completely restore my previous settings would be great also.

*Edit

With some additional testing the folders names allow four lines before the "..." appears. Previously it was two lines. The view changes cant be restored, is there any way in which i can completely restore what i had before without using the windows restore?

 

[Brink]

Hello Barot, and welcome to Seven Forums.

There's no way to restore your old folder view settings. When enabling auto arrange back, it resets all folder views back to their default setting to undo the disabling of auto arrange.

You should be able to use either option in the tutorial below to quickly change the width of columns to allow more of the text to show before the "...".
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/103062-windows-explorer-columns-change-width.html
If you like you could also use either tutorial below to apply a folder's view to all folders or only all folders that use the same folder template.
How to Set a Default Folder View for All Folders in Windows 7

or

How to "Apply to Folders" a Specific Folder View to All Folders with the Same Folder Template in Windows 7
Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[magicmanbarot]

Thanks for the help, ive so far been unable to fix my problem. Is it possible to get everything back to how it was yesterday before i even found this thread?. I just want to start again and get rid of anything i have done to the registry.

 

[Brink]

Barot,

If you have a restore point dated before you did this, then you could do a system restore using that restore point to return this back to how it was before.

Odd, that OPTION TWO does not do this for you. This is what I have after using it, and changing to medium icons.

 

[magicmanbarot]

Yeh, you seem to have the same issue. You see those two files at the bottom, the enable windows 7 explorer and the windows 7 reset all folders. They both have rather large text for a file name. Before there was a maximum of two lines of text before a "..." and now and in your screen shot there are four lines. I cant do a system restore so i might have to re install windows. Unless you know how to fix this problem?. Btw thanks for all the help beforehand in trying to help me fix this.

I have large file names on my computer and would like to restore the shorter format. So using the everybody loves Raymond folder should read everybody loves... with two lines only as opposed to three.

 

[Brink]

That's the default setting for the text length. Reinstalling Windows 7 is not going to change it since it's the default setting.

Did you install some other tweaking program that may have changed this setting from default?

 

[magicmanbarot]

Oh, urm i dont think so, Ive had the same version of windows for over two years im pretty sure it just came like that. Any ideas how to change the text length for files?. or the displayed text length?.

 

[Brink]

I'm not aware of any way to change the text length to be viewed for file icon names in Windows Explorer.

 

[Duzzy]

I can't really help and you have probably already tried but you could try running "Enable_Windows_7_Explorer_Auto_Arrange.bat" and then go to "Folder Options > View > Reset Folders" then restart the computer. Try it a couple of times, reverse the order, one at a time and maybe you'll get lucky and it will fix itself.

If that doesn't work then here's an image of what I think Barot wants just in case anyone else can help.

I'm not sure why it's different for you both because I also have this tweak, although not this exact one.