Librairies in Windows Explorer: Customized layout types don't apply

Peter Pan · 19 Jun 2022

POST EDITED ON DECEMBER 5, 2023 (one year and a half later...)

Hello all,

I have customized my layouts for the five types of content defined/recognized by Windows: General, Documents, Pictures, Music and Videos. They correctly apply to any folder I want, with inheritance or not to their sub-folders according to my choice.

But these customized types are not applied to same folders when they are browsed from their parent libraries. Only the default views built in Windows do apply to any library for ~~each~~ any of the five predefined types. I can change ~~the~~ this type through Library Tools => Manage => Optimize library ~~for,~~ to any type but the default Windows ~~customization~~ library layout is applied.

For example, the Documents type default layout comes with 4 columns: Name, Modification date, Type, Size.

I reset the settings for all libraries to no avail. I only have the standard libraries installed by Windows and all customization in content was removed after resetting those libraries. My Windows version 21H2 is up-to-date.

Did I miss something? I am quite sure I did...

Thanks in advance for your help!

dalchina · 19 Jun 2022

Hi, not quite sure which folders don't follow the view (template) you've set.

But these customized types are not applied to same folders when they are browsed from their parent libraries.

- same = some?

So some are as you expect, and some not, under the same library?

FWIW here are the two relevant tutorials I can think of:
Change Folder Template in Windows 10
Apply Folder View to All Folders of Same Type in Windows 10

- linked tutorials are listed below the main text.

Peter Pan · 05 Dec 2023

Hello @dalchina, quite an old post but just to say that you pointed me to the right direction with these two links in order to clearly understand how do Explorer view customization does apply to folders and libraries distinctly.

I took this opportunity to edit my initial request that was not clear at all, not even understandable. So to answer your answer, my outdated answer is "same folders", not "some folders". At that time, I missed two Windows concepts:

Library views can be customized and are different from the the Folder type that is applied to Folders or Libraries themselves.
Library views customization is independent from the one applicable to Folders views: so a folder layout can appear different when a given folder is browsed inside or outside its containing library.

My initial request and misunderstanding should look clearer, hopefully