View tab in file Explorer

Question

I recently purchased a Windows 11 PC. I have noticed this in the past on my Win 10 PC but having a brand new PC, I'd like to know if there is a setting somewhere to clear up this behavior.

When opening a folder in File Explorer, it seems the default View setting is "Details". I prefer this View setting to be the "List" option for ALL folders so a folder containing multiple files can be scrolled horizontally instead of straight down vertically.

If I set it to List view in a folder, it seems to stay there, which it didn't with my Win 10 PC.

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Yes, you can make List the default view:

1. Open a normal folder containing files—not Home or This PC.
2. Select View > List.
3. Select the three-dot menu (…) > Options.
4. Open the View tab.
5. Select Apply to Folders > Yes, and then OK.

This applies List view to all folders using the same folder template. Windows maintains separate templates for General items, Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, and certain special folders such as Downloads. Therefore, you may need to repeat these steps once in each folder type to cover practically all folders.