Folder View Settings in Windows helps you control how the contents of a particular folder are displayed and organized. If you’ve changed these settings, but now want to reset them to the default view, it’s easy to do. Read the following article to learn how to reset Folder View Settings on your Windows 11 PC.
How to reset Folder View Settings to default on Windows
Method 1. Run batch file to reset Folder View Settings to default
1. Right-click on the desktop and select New > Text Document.
2. Name it ResetFolderViewSettings and press Enter to save it.
3. Open the newly created text file in Notepad or any other text editor of your choice.
4. Now, copy and paste the following code into the file:
@echo off
:: Resets folder view settings, window size and position of all folders
Reg Delete "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU" /F
Reg Delete "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags" /F
:: To reset "Apply to Folders" views to default for all folder types
REG Delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Defaults" /F
:: To reset size of details, navigation, preview panes to default for all folders
Reg Delete "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Modules\GlobalSettings\Sizer" /F
Reg Delete "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Modules\NavPane" /F
:: To reset size of Save as amd Open dialogs to default for all folders
Reg Delete "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CIDOpen" /F
Reg Delete "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CIDSave" /F
Reg Delete "HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ComDlg32" /F
:: To kill and restart explorer process
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe
5. After adding the code, click File in the top menu, then select Save As.
6. Now, select All Files in the Save as type menu and add .bat to the end of the file name.
7. From the left pane, select Desktop as the location.
8. Then click Save and close the text editor window.
9. Finally, double click on the batch file you created and it will reset your Folder View Settings to the default view.
Method 2. Reset Folder View Settings to default via File Explorer
1. Click Start and search for File Explorer Options.
2. Now, select the View tab in the top bar and click Reset Folders.
3. Click Yes when prompted to confirm your action.
4. Finally, click OK and the window will close.
This will reset your Folder View Settings to default Windows settings.
Method 3. Reset Folder View Settings to default using Registry Editor
To reset Folder View Settings using Registry Editor, do the following:
1. Press Win + R on your keyboard to open Run.
2. Type regedit in the text box and press Enter. This will open the Registry Editor window.
3. Navigate to the following location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
4. In the left sidebar, right-click the BagMRU folder and select Delete.
5. Click Yes when asked to confirm your action.
6. Similarly, delete the Bags folder and close the Registry window.
