Hello,

File grouping is degrading my productivity. It is constantly getting between me and my work.

I am aware of the methods to disable file grouping within individual folders. Please do not tell me how to do this, I already know.

I am also aware of the method that is supposed to disable file grouping within folders of a particular type (general, music, photos, etc.)... by setting the Explorer "Options > Apply to Folders". (As an aside, the auto-detection of folder contents often does not work and is a big headache.) Again, please do not tell me how to do this, I already know.

What I need to do is prevent Windows from grouping files -- EVERYWHERE. Not just in Windows Explorer, but in application file dialogs. That is, file Open and Save dialogs. That is the absolutely last place I ever want to see grouping.

This is seriously a problem for me. My assets are organized alphabetically for a reason. When I have to right-click and choose "Group By > None" every single time I access a folder through an application dialog, it wastes my time, increases my workload, and makes me very cranky.

I know that Microsoft has added this feature because they think it is going to save effort and time for their users. That may be true in some cases, but there is no one solution to maximize productivity in all possible use cases.

So please, how can I completely disable file grouping, always, everywhere, in all windows, dialogs, everything?

If this is not currently possible in Windows 10, please make it possible.

Such a simple, basic option can save literally millions of hours of wasted time for a global user base.

Thank you.

So please, how can I completely disable file grouping, always, everywhere, in all windows, dialogs, everything?

Solution:

Use WinSetView to turn off file grouping globally. It's a free, open source, portable app that lets you choose your preferred File Explorer default views and sets the registry values for you. It does not modify any system files and does not leave anything running (i.e zero overhead). The settings will stick through Windows Updates.

Caution:

WinSetView resets all of your folder views to whatever you select as your default view preferences, which includes your grouping options. You may select one global view setting or select different views for each folder type.

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Alternative (Partial) Solution:

For many users, the Apply to Folders procedure (see below) works well enough, but please note...

The "Apply to Folders" Procedure:

• Does NOT reset the views for file open/save dialogs. Therefore, any folders, that have been previously opened via a file dialog, will remain unchanged when viewed via a file dialog (i.e. grouping will remain on).
• Must be applied for each folder TYPE. Typically, only the Downloads folder type is set to group by date, but if you have other folder types that are also grouped, the procedure will need to be repeated for those ones as well.
• May not work if you have hit the max 5000 saved views or have corruption in the registry keys that contain the saved views.
• May not stick in the long run. Specifically, it has been reported many times, that Windows Updates cause grouping to return.

The "Apply to Folders" Steps:

1. Open any folder, that has grouping enabled, that is not a "library" folder.
2. Make the Window wide enough to see all options.
3. If using Windows 10, click the View tab.
4. Select (None) from the Group by menu (in Windows 11, Group by is within the Sort menu).
5. Select Options, Change folder and search options (in Windows 11, select …, Options).
6. Click the View tab.
7. Click the Apply to Folders button and then Yes.

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Q & A:

Why can't I just manually set and/or clear the same registry settings?

You can, but good luck with that. It's not a simple on/off switch. Grouping options are part of the saved view for any given folder in the BagMRU/Bags keys, intermediate defaults come from the Streams\Defaults key, and the base defaults come from the FolderTypes key. In other words, it's complicated. It has worked the same way since Windows 7 came out in 2009. If it were a simple switch, it would be well known, easily applied, and this very long thread wouldn't exist.

What can I do if I'm not allowed to use third-party tools on our computers?

First of all, please understand that WinSetView is not "installed". The EXE is simply a GUI that creates an INI file (text file) containing your preferences. The INI file is passed to a PowerShell script that sets/clears the appropriate registry values. But if you can't/won't use it, please consider the options listed below.

IMPORTANT: The options below are intended for technical users (typically system administrators and desktop engineers).

Option 1:

• Use a VM to run WinSetView.
• Copy the updated INI file (i.e. Win10.ini).
• Then use the PowerShell script via the command line (as detailed in the manual) to apply the settings from that INI file to each user's profile. If you understand PowerShell, you can go through every single line of the script and see exactly what it does. That is, you can take ownership of that script and make it your own. For a pro, that's not a big deal.

Option 2:

• Use a VM to run WinSetView.
• Capture the results to a REG file (see the manual for details).
• Apply that REG file to all new user profiles.
• For existing user profiles, you will need to also clear the user's saved views by deleting the BagMRU and Bags registry keys and then restart Explorer.

Option 3:

• In this registry key:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes{885a186e-a440-4ada-812b-db871b942259}\TopViews{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}

Change the GroupBy value data from "System.DateModified" to "".Note: The above key is protected. You will need to either change its permissions (not recommended) or access it using a tool that provides TrustedInstaller access, such as PowerRun or AdvancedRun, or set up the change via a Scheduled Task that runs as TrustedInstaller. If you don't know what you're doing, please do not attempt.

• For existing user profiles, you will need to also clear the user's saved views by deleting the BagMRU and Bags registry keys and then restart Explorer.

Option 4:

• Run the following PowerShell script for each user (please see the comments):

  This script will remove grouping from all possible views of the Downloads folder.

  The change is applied to the current user's profile only.

  Warning: ALL folder views (except Downloads grouping) will revert to Windows defaults!

  This is a minimal solution. To set ALL default folder views, use the free tool WinSetView.

  $RegExe = "$env:SystemRoot\System32\Reg.exe" $File = "$env:Temp\Temp.reg" $Key = 'HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes{885a186e-a440-4ada-812b-db871b942259}' & $RegExe Export $Key $File /y $Data = Get-Content $File $Data = $Data -Replace 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE', 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER' $Data = $Data -Replace '"GroupBy"="System.DateModified"', '"GroupBy"=""' $Data | Out-File $File & $RegExe Import $File $Key = 'HKCU\SOFTWARE\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell' & $RegExe Delete "$Key\BagMRU" /f & $RegExe Delete "$Key\Bags" /f Stop-Process -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -ProcessName Explorer

Feedback to Microsoft

I've created a Feedback Hub item requesting that Microsoft make a simple registry change so the default for Downloads is NOT grouped.

Please upvote this feedback if you have a regular Windows account:

https://aka.ms/AAn07ax

Please upvote this feedback if you have an Insider account: https://aka.ms/AAn004e

Would you be using some version of MS Office?

I do have MS Office installed, but the issue of files being grouped automatically, always, everywhere, without asking me... it applies to all applications.

It's most specifically a big problem for me in Autodesk Maya, but that is just one example.

I see that, four days later, my question has a grand total of eight views.

This indicates to me that no one is paying attention, no one cares, and I'm left to my own devices to suffer through a dysfunctional UI.

Thanks, Microsoft, you've done it again!

I have the same issue or wish, I absolutely hate this grouping feature (among other useless things MS needs to force upon users).

So, PLEASE PROVIDE A SOLUTION to disable ALL grouping (Windows 11 for me).