Windows tip of the week

How to change the default view for a folder

By Ed Bott

File Explorer (known as Windows Explorer in Windows 7) isn't a one-size-fits-all utility. Instead, it displays the contents of any folder you open using one of five predefined templates: General Items, Documents, Pictures, Music, or Videos. Each template has a set of columns it displays by default for that type of folder. Music folders, for example, show Track Number, Title, and Album fields, whereas folders set using the General Items and Document templates include the Date Modified, Type, and Size columns.

Windows generally guesses right about the contents of a folder, but you can manually change the template for any folder (and optionally, its subfolders). Just right-click the folder name, click Properties, and then choose a different template from the list on the Customize tab.

You can also change the columns shown in any folder. For example, you can open a folder that's defined using the Documents template, switch to Details view, right-click the column headings, and add the Authors column to that view. Want to use that same arrangement of columns in every folder that uses the Documents template? From the folder you just customized, open Folder Options, click the View tab, and then click Apply To Folders.