Set Default Folder View for all Folders in Windows 10  

Microsoft, we want CONTROL of our O/S environment! That means we want (read NEED) the ability to customize the environment, and have it apply universally if we so choose. So make accessible to us - and permanent if we wish - modification of file system views, including those of open and save dialog boxes.

For instance, let us GET RID of multiple folder templates, and have just one that by default applies to ALL FOLDER views, including open/save dialog boxes. And let that SURVIVE system updates. Is that SO HARD?

And this file GROUPing sh*t, I want it GONE! Why CAN'T I???

I am tired of having to SET AND RESET views on all the fricking folders on this system. I thought that Bill Gates, not STEVE JOBS, had designed Windows. If I wanted to have my system environ CONTROLLED FOR ME, I would have chosen the APPLE path, not the Microsoft.

Get a CLUE!

ITG

I just edited all my main folders for my main folders as well as my libraries. So far so good.

Steve C said:

I can't work out how to use it - any guidance?

Hi Steve. Sorry I didn't check back here sooner. I was pretty busy writing WinSetView v2. It has a different interface than v1 shown in the tutorial (necessary to support all the new capabilities) and gives you options to configure the File Explorer default views any way you like. There is an extensive readme document on the GitHub page that explains every option, but I do understand... TLDR. Please give it a try and I'll be happy to answer any questions.

@ITgreybeard Your post from Dec 2019 (and others like it here and on answers.microsoft.com) is exactly why I created WinSetView. If you read this, please try the script. I think it will do exactly what you're asking for.

Compumind said:

Opinion -
I don't like WinSetView. It's a work in progress and not for newbies.
Please be sure to create a fully restorable image of your system if you should decide to use it.

Thanks for the comments. All feedback is appreciated, even when it stings a bit.

It's been a few months since any changes have been made to WinSetView and no further development is planned. I consider it done now. There are no outstanding issues or feature requests. I do plan to someday rewrite the Readme to a simple guided format for newbies and make the existing readme into a secondary reference for advanced users. I've toyed with the idea of having a basic and advanced interface switch, but I'm not sure that's worth the trouble. Version 1 was certainly more newbie friendly, but it just didn't provide all the options that people requested. Providing all the options for all folder types and supporting multiple languages was a challenge (hundreds of hours of work). Newbie friendliness suffered a bit in the process, but I think a better readme will go a long way to remedy that.

WinSetView only touches registry values in the current user profile (i.e. HKCU) that affect File Explorer folder views for that user. It backs up the current values (and provides a Restore option) with every run. Additionally it provides the option to reset the folder views to Windows defaults (again, this only touches the current user profile). Having a full image backup on hand is not necessary, but hey, it can never hurt.